Florascent - Tango

I don´t know if you have any kind of relationship to tango? My relationship with tango might be kind of romantic, I have never tried to dance tango in my entire life, still I imagine that I would be a great tangodancer if I just took a trip to Buenos Aires. Even tough my niece lives there I still haven´t been able to visit Buenos Aires.

Before the music group Gotan Project entered my life, tango wasn´t as interesting. Gotan Project re-created tango, and a new kind of music was born, known as nuevo tango or electro tango. http://www.gotanproject.com/home.php

I have several cd's with Gotan Project, but my favourite tune with them are and has always been Triptico. If perfume can be hard to describe with words, music isn´t much easier. Triptico has a traction, a tempo, a sensualism, a story and a feeling that is incredible. This is modern, tango inspired music at it´s best. Triptico is long, partly even slow but with an energy towards a final and fierce cresendo. Just be sure there isn´t a lot of music that´s better than Gotan Project when having a spa-night with your lover.

Anyway, I´ve tried the scent Tango, the new autumn scent from Florascent http://www.florascent.de/ And it makes me think about Gotan Project and Triptico. The scent Tango is said to be erotic, but I find it rather sensual, indolent, caressing and soft. For some reason I think about red roses as flowers suitable for tango, but Florascent has gardenia and orchid for Tango, choises that I find modern and interesting. Red rose would have been so expected.

Something the perfumes I´ve tried this far from Florascent has in common, is a fleating, quite light feeling. Since they´re using only natural essential oils it isn´t so strange that the result comes out as delicat and etheric. But I don´t think that they are short lived on my skin, but don´t expect any monster sillage.

The top notes in Tango gives me a sher and fleating feeling of something clean and white, rather than red and fiery. Tango is anything but erotic and explosive at the beginning. It´s mild, but vibrant and in a way rare and peculiar. Comfortable, slow and sensual is word that´s come in my mind when thinking about Tango.

Just like the music Triptico there is also a serene almost meditative, suggestive feeling in Tango. I have played Triptico for people shouting in only a coupple of minutes "Heeeey, does this never ends???" I guess Tango could raise the same feeling with some wanting a fast delivery with their perfumes. Not because it´s boring in the start, but it sure is slow, delicate and hard to nail. But all the time it´s smelling really, really good.

In the heart and base of the perfume things starting to happen, no there´s still no fast rotation, but the white, almost clean feeling warms up becoming more golden, glowing, caressing, but still in my opinion more sensual than erotic. Opoponax and patchouli brings a deepth and a warmth, but never in a loud and dominat way. Tango blooms slowly but steadily out on my skin. Passion? Yes, but that kind of passion you might find in a longtime realtionship where you know each other well and makes love with deepth, indulgance and warmth rather than the first kick in a new, burning love affair.

Tango would be the perfect perfume for a long evening with massage, wramed up olive oil, lighted candles, a glass of red wine and of course... Gotan Project.

Tango is a warm fragrance, but with some cool parts, so for some reason I think of it more as a winter/spring perfume than for autumn, but that is of course a matter of personal taste. Even tough I find Tango to be an enjoyable and seductive perfume, I still like Florascents Umami the best among the perfumes i´ve tried from Florascent. I tried Umami agian some time ago, and realised I find it even more unique now than earlier. Umami is that kind of scent leaving me filled with questions while Tango fill me with comfort.

What do you prefer? Comfort or questions? Do you have any favourite from Florascent by the way? And what do you think of Gotan Project?

Pic: Secretariat of tourism, Buenos Aires

Florascent - Umami

Do you like sushi? Or maybe parmesan? I like both sushi and parmesan, but not together. Sushi and parmesan has umami in common. Umami is the fifth taste, and more familiar in Asia than in the western world. Even tough it´s reputation is spreading, much thanks to sushi. Umami is a complement to the four tastes of sweet, salt, sour and acrid, and is a own unique kind of saltysweet taste. In japanese umami means fresh taste. Scientists has discover that umami actually is the taste of protein. A taste we recognize most in fish, cheese and beans. Most obvious is umami in food that have been fermented or layered. Like in soy and parmesan. I do like the taste of umami and I´ve got sushi cravings just by writing this and look at the pic above.

Now I have, thanks to Florascent, realised I also like the smell of umami. Florascent is a perfume house producing natural perfumes according to old european traditions and only using natural ingredients from plants and flowers. Florascent offers no less than 23 different scents. Some traditional soliflors, and some for men, some orientals and also some a little more modern scents. Umami is to be found in the latest category together with Pipapo, Monsieur Balode and Tango.

Among the one´s I´ve tried Umami become my big favourite. The name is really well tought of, since the smell is really hard to pinpoint and quite elusive. When it comes to strenght I would call Umami a light Eau de Toilette, it´s transparent and airy. But still it´s quite longlasting at my skin, at least 4-5 hours and warming up in a very beautiful way. Umami is soft as a summer wind and do not disturbe a soul. It´s composed with notes of yuso (citrus fruit), vanilla, ginger, pepper, osmanthus and tonkabean. Non of the notes are dominating, they are nicely blended. Umami is a carefully humming kind of fragrance. Sometimes powdery, and then floral, after a while gourmand and delicious earthy notes also, even tough they are very shy I suspect there is some patchouli in it. Oh I forgot about the grassy notes! Umami is a softspoken, comforting and still different kind of scent.

It remind me a little to Angel! Umami could be Angels shy, reluctant and very beautiful cousin from the far away countryside. If Eau de Star is Angel dipped in the ocean, Umami is an angel that has rolled around in the grass and then being dipped in creamy milk.

Well, I just about start thinking about Umami reminding me of Angel when it stop reminding of Angel and stand by itself. Umami is a nice try to back of from perfumery´s ordinary olfactory families. And if Umami had been stronger, it could have end up very bad, but thanks to it´s softness it´s a really interesting effort.

Umami is an excellent choise for those who like elusive, light and caressing perfumes. You can wear Umami all year round, but it´s a perfectly well daytime scent.

You can read more about Florascent here: http://www.florascent.de/