NEW FRAGRANCE REVIEW Heeley Extraits Agarwoud, L’Amandiere, and Bubblegum Chic + Sample Set Draw

My candidate for most underrated perfume house is Heeley. When I think that James Heeley has probably made fragrances which would reside in my top 5; incense, iris, leather, patchouli, and marine aquatic categories (Cardinal, Iris de Nuit, Cuir Pleine Fleur, Hippie Rose, and Sel Marin) plus the rest of the line is no slouch that always makes me interested in what comes next. In the case of Heeley it is three new fragrances in extrait strength. Mr. Heeley has only previously worked with Eau de Parfum strength compositions and those have a clear strong sense of architecture in their form. With the extraits I was curious if there would be a softening of that spine and a bit more malleability within these new releases. If anything Agarwoud, L’Amandiere, and Bubblegum Chic do show Mr. Heeley can work in a different style.

If we are all bored with oud it is because perfumers trot it out in the same form over and over. It is only recently that the best perfumers have striven to understand the note and try to find a different way to present it in a fragrance. If I told you two of the ingredients in Agarwoud were oud and rose I would forgive you for covering your mouth while you yawned. If I sprayed Agarwoud on you without telling you what it was called I believe your first impression would not be to tell me that it was an oud-rose blend. The reason is because Mr. Heeley uses two excellent sources of his agarwood from Laos and Vietnam. With those up front that combination takes the slightly floral Laotian oud and the slightly animalic Vietnamese oud and bonds them with a wisp of incense to create something that should be hard and unyielding, which is instead soft and inviting. The rose combines with this in the softest way almost as an intruder. All of a sudden the rose is there and it is followed by a warm cuddly version of amber. Often we talk about oud fragrances as pushy even brutish in manner; Agarwoud is instead as friendly as a puppy and as genial to have around.

Based on the press release the one I was most excited to try was L’Amandiere. Mr. Heeley promised me  “A portrait of spring” and the ingredient which he proposed to use to do this was green almond. I am a particular fan of almond in fragrance the green nuttiness of it when used properly can be very complex and depending on the complimentary notes around it an excellent foundation to create a fragrance. For L’Amandiere he surrounds the almond note with many of the traditional spring floral notes and the almond transforms the pedestrian into something original. Hyacinth and tileul are the bellwethers of L’Amandiere as their delicate floral quality open things up with an airy quality. The almond note picks up the lime facets of the tileul and then ramps up the intensity of L’Amandiere as jasmine comes in. The contrasting raw nutty aspect of almond up against the slightly indolic jasmine creates a fascinating give-and-take throughout the middle part of the development. Rose and vetiver finish this off with a strongly floral flourish paired with a grassy grounding. L’Amandiere is indeed a portrait of a sunny day in May.

Bubblegum Chic? I’m sorry the name makes me giggle every time I look at it. When you see that as the title of a fragrance what would you expect? The fragrance version of a teenage girl chomping and snapping on gum in a couture dress? Of all of the mysteries I might wonder at, how perfumers come up with names like Bubblegum Chic when it does not describe the perfume in the bottle; well maybe chic does. Mr. Heeley wanted to make an intense jasmine and he succeeds by taking a full shot of jasmine sambac and an equal share of tuberose and unleashing a white flower whirlwind as these two notes swirl around each other in an increasing vortex. Mr. Heeley allows their intensity to intersect and create a synergy that takes both jasmine and tuberose and creates a metamorphosis into an almost new white flower accord. One caution if you are white flower averse run away this is not for you. The final note in this simple fragrance is a clean white musk which almost acts as palate cleanser to bring you down slowly from the storm and keep you from ending up in Oz. Bubblegum? Naah! Chic? Oh yeah!  

All three extraits have overnight longevity and below average sillage; they are very close wearing skin scents.

For those who want something different and soft in an oud, green, or white flower fragrance these three extraits are must tries. If you want to see the potential inherent in these three forms let Mr. Heeley show you that deceptively simple can lead to softly complex.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by MiN New York

Thanks to our friends at MiN New York we have a draw for a sample set of all three Heeley Extraits de Parfum. To be eligible to win leave a comment naming your favorite Heeley fragrance or check out the MiN website and say which one you might think would be your favorite. The draw will close on June 13, 2012 and we will choose one winner via random.org.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

÷ 1 = 2

69 comments

  • I have never tried a Heeley, but have been dying to! I think the Bubblegum Chic would become my addiction!

  • farawayspices says:

    I do not have a favorite Heeley but Menthe Fraiche sounds very appealing right about now, so perfect for Summer heat!

  • Hippie rose is my favorite Heeley but bubble gum chic sounds amazing
    Thanks for a great review of all 3

  • Mary Evans says:

    All three extraits sound extraordinary especially your review on Lamandiere. I have a decant of Ophelia and am saving up for a full bottle
    Thank you MiN New York and Cafleurebon

  • amberosmanthus says:

    I have not yet tried a Heeley perfume, but I adore oud, jasmine, and would love to try L’Amandiere. I’m going to have to track these down they all sound so wonderful.

  • Quichange says:

    I am really learning a lot about the importance of the quality and different properties of oud used in perfumes from your blog which is really enlightening because there are so many oud perfumes.. Oud as friendly as a puppy sounds interesting so Agarwoud would be appealing . I have read about Heeley but haven’t tried this brand yet so I would love to win the sample set
    Thank you

  • I would be interested in the Agarwoud one. Also Cardinal Eau de Parfum, because I’m nuts about cistus these days.

  • Heather F says:

    I just tried Sel marin, and I’m beginning to be smitten. I would love a chance to try these new extraits, definitely!

  • I haven’t had the chance to try a lot of the Heeleys, but I do like Hippie Rose very much. Nicely balanced scent, with more green than I expected.

  • I love Heeley. It’s a shame that we don’t hear more of him, because his scents are great.

    My favourites are Ophelia and Cardinal.

    Thanks for the draw!

  • I agree the mention of agarwood makes me roll my eyes, but the description of Heeley’s Agarwood Extrait de Parfum has me allured. The combination of these two kinds of agarwood to create an ‘unexpected effect’. I would LOVE to try these new samples and Agarwood in particular.

  • Lovely review!! I don’t see often any reviews on Heeley’s perfumes I too think he is quite underated! I have been wanting to try his perfumes for quite some time! Iris de Nuit has been haunting me! Love to try any though!
    Thank you for the draw!

  • I have tried Cardinal, beautiful incense! These new extraits sound very promising- and I do love pure perfume concentration!

  • Oh, this one was easy. As soon as I saw the Bubblegum Chic and the notes, it was decided that one is my favourite (just by the description).

  • TimeaZsofia says:

    Thank you for this review! Unfortunatelly I have not tried andy Heeley’s scent before, but I think Hippie Rose would be my favorite because of the patchouli and the rose 🙂

    Thank you for this fantastic draw!

  • My fav is Iris de Nuit. Call me crazy but I think Bubblegum Chic sounds great. Your review makes it very tempting. Thank you!

  • I’m in love with the Iris de Nuit. I don’t own a full bottle (alas) but a decant and am enjoying every drop of it. The ambergris – iris – cedar combination is just spectacular.

  • My favourite Heeley is Cuir Pleine Fleur. I am also very eager to try Agarwoud, as I am crazy for oud!

  • Cardinal is my favorite Heeley. The extrait I’d most like to try is L’Amandiere.

  • My favorite Heeley is Cardinal, but I also love Menthe Fraiche and Spirit of the Tiger. Definitely a house that’s due for some serious love! I’d love to try L’Amandiere.

  • I have not tried any Heeley scents, but looking at the MIN website, I think Cuir Pleine Fleur Eau de Parfum would be a favorite as I am very partial to leathers and L’Amandiere, as the author describes it, sounds like a very intriguing green scent.
    Thanks for the blog and for the draw.

  • My favorite Heeley is the brilliant Hippy Rose, and I would be thrilled to try any one of the three new extraits. Thank you for the draw.

  • I love cardinal and I would love to try Agarwoud from the extrait line that seems to be close to cardinal in character. In all this is a great brand and wouldn’t mind owning several of their fragrances.

  • Cardinal is my favorite Heeley, but Hippy Rose has been my favorite new rose perfume lately.
    I’m curious about L’Amandière because I like the scent of green almonds and almond flowers, but not the bitter almond note usually found in gourmand perfumes.

    Thanks!

  • I have Cedre Blanc, Sel de Marin and Hippie Rose. LOVE Sel de Marin and haven’t tried the Hippie Rose yet (will after seeing it is one of Mark’s faves though).

    My favorite (of these I have and tried) is definitely CEDRE BLANC (White Cedar)!! I am a woody aromatic guy, at heart…

    Besides these extraits (of which Agarwood sounds the best to me), “Esprit du Tigre” and “Oranges and Lemons Say the Bells of St. Clements” also sound wonderful!!!

    Thanks to both Cafleurebon and MiN for this opportunity! 🙂

  • I don’t know the Heeley line that well, but I do love Cardinal. Very nice. And I was surprised to find myself interested in all three of these.

  • rosiegreen says:

    I haven’t tried any of the Heeley scents yet but I would love to try all of them. I especially like the sound of the Agarwoud and L’Amandiere. Currently almond is one of my favorite scents.

  • Bubblegum Chic sounds so lovely, an olfactory escape from everyday drudgery and boredom. Thank for this draw 🙂

  • I really enjoy Sel Merin and Figuier on others but haven’t discovered the right Heeley for me. Bubblegum Chic = intrigue!

  • I haven’t tried everything from Heeley, but of the ones I have tried, my favorite is Cardinal. You can’t go wrong with incense! Thanks for the draw.

  • I love Cardinal! Admittedly, I haven’t tried them all, but the ones I have sampled are such high quality. I think all three of the extraits sound interesting, but especially L’Amandiere.

  • Haven’t yet tried but Cardinal has been on my list for a long while.
    Checking out the line at MiN, I think I’d also like Cuir Pleine Fleur and St. Clements.

    Out of these three new extraits, I think I would like Agarwoud best. They sound lovely!

  • Oooh, I love Sel Marin, but I think Cardinal might edge it out; churchy I’m not, but I do loves me some incense! I’m torn between thinking that L’amandine would be right up my alley (it being almost summer) but imagining that the dark moodiness of Agarwoud might be better… I do love the name Bubblegum Chic, but probably not for me. 🙂 Still, would love to smell all of them!

  • Elizabeth says:

    I only tried Hippie Rose- so optimistic and uncomplicated rose, hippie indeed! 🙂 Thanks for another great draw!

  • Thanks for the draw! My favourite Heeley is l’Esprit du Tigre, although Cardinal, Sel Marin and Menthe Fraiche are excellent, too. Really excited about this new trio! ^_^

  • I have Heeley Cardinal and don’t wear it often enough.

    Out of the 3 extraits, I think L’Amandiere would suit me best.

  • I have never tried any Heeley scents. I love Iris, so I would like to try his Iris de Nuit. Hippie Rose and Bubblegum Chic sound fun. Thanks for the draw.

  • I love Heeley fragrances! My favorite is Ophelia. Sel Marin is awesome, too. Thank you for the draw!

  • The one I’d most love to try is the Sel Marin – a gentle breeze of fresh sea air – sounds just lovely.

  • I would love to try Sel Marin and I believe that would be my favorite. Thank you for the draw!

  • I don;t have a favorite Heeley, but I’ve long wanted to try Iris de Nuit. The extrait listed that I most want to test is L’Amandiere. Thanks for the draw!

  • My fav is Iris de Nuit, to me a more wearable silver iris mist. I think the sample that I’d like to try the most would be L’Amandiere.

  • I have not experienced Heeley perfumes, but Iris de Nuit sounds like something I’d love.

    Amandière sounds the most appealing of the three included in the sample set. Of course I love over-the-top white flower perfumes and, yes, oud as well. LOL

    Thanks for having this draw!

  • My favorite so far is Hippie Rose. I’m interested in trying Agarwoud and L’Amandiere.

  • Oranges and Lemons Say the Bells of St. clemmons is my favorite Heeley. Bubblegum Chic sounds like the one I would enjoy most, per your description, of these new ones.
    Thanks for the draw!

  • I have not been so lucky as to smell any of these scents, but they do sound interesting. Hippie Rose sounds like something I would love.

  • I think Bubblegum Chic would be my favorite. I’m crazy about jasmine right now, and it does sound so chic! Thanks for the draw.

  • Oo! I just loved reading all the descriptions of Heely fragrances. There were several that caught my attention, but I was most interested in ESPIRIT DU TIGRE and MENTHE FRAICHE. I’m always enchanted by how artists incorporate mint in fragrance.

  • Tourbillion says:

    I was most interested in L’Amandiere and Sel Marin. I love the smell when I walk near the beach and don’t have a fragrance that can capture that. The idea of an orchard is wonderful too.

  • I have not tried any Heeley fragrances yet, but I have a small decant of Heeley Cuir Pleine Fleur on the way, and think it would probably be my favorite. Thanks!

  • The agar wood extract sounds pleasing! Although I do not now the brand well. A good way to start though. Haha

     
     

  • noetic owl says:

    Orange and lemons say the bells…sounds lovely but I would love to try these three as well