On a warm and sunny Sunday afternoon, I managed to spend exactly five minutes in the Monteoru Garden, to smell the niche gems that Romanian niche and artisan fragrance creators presented to the public.

It is not that I didn’t want to stay in Eden longer, I just didn’t have the time, but being able to smell those beauties somehow made it seem longer and more delightful.
Nichescent.ro, a perfumery rose from the passion for luxury and unique fragrances, is an umbrella for international niche and artisan fragrances, and has its division that promotes local perfumery producers and brands.
At the event held in Bucharest, I had the opportunity to test some of the fragrances sold on the website, and I have to say I was simply amazed. I already knew Calaj perfumery, through Lilyn, a beautiful white floral I love.
But here, I’m going to talk about the ones I have tested, that has seduced me from the first spray.
In the order of the way the fragrances were exposed, I’m starting with UMBRE, a fragrance from Adi Ale Van Artistic Extract. More than the fragrance itself, the unique feature of the brand is the special handmade bottles. UMBRE is an “olfactory manifesto”, created by Jimmy Bodin. The fragrance is beastly, sweet, harsh, strong, with davana and beastly notes on top, benzoin, cypriol and coffee in the middle and myrrh mixed with tobacco on the base. Very powerful, great sillage and very long-lasting, it is definitely a worth trying fragrance.

A13 Niche is a brand owned by Andreea Angheluta Pana. A13 Out in the Open is a small but very strong essence, a very beautiful crafted juice, by the very famous nose, Miguel Matos. Out in the Open is a powerful floral fragrance, a very realistic gardenia, and a jasmine fragrance. Is a bouquet wrapped in beeswax paper, placed in a wooden vase decorated with a leather bow. It is quite feminine, but not exclusively, very powerful, strong, and with great sillage. Oh, and the dark color of the juice makes it mysterious and intriguing.

Grande Perfume is a brand owned by Alexandru Marian. Genesys is a creation by Flavius Calaj, and it is made in a very limited edition, only 86 bottles. The fragrance has a very complex and complete structure, with a medley of notes. It is very dense, well blended and the notes are mixed in such a beautiful manner that simply slide to one’s senses.

Carmen by Calaj is simply a masterpiece. Very elegant, in design and smell, Carmen is a delight for senses, very feminine, very classy, and perfect for a signature scent. As an opera singer, all dressed in velvet and lace, with the same elegance and interior strength, carmen opens up with bergamot, pink pepper, and incense. The incense is very strong, but is very velvety and sweet, due to other notes. The middle is simple, with tonka and labdanum, and slides towards a sweeter base, made from vanilla, sandal, woods, and white musks. I was simply mesmerized by this juice, as I am a lover of incense, musks, and tonka. It is powdery, velvety, a bit creamy, very classy, and stylish. Very lady-like is a precious gem a must for every collector.

Elisheva by Emozioni Fragrances was such a nice surprise for me. Launched in 2020, by Radu Ardelean, it is a sweet floral-fruity juice, with a vintage vibe, unique in the way of what I have recently tried, but with something that brings up memories from my youth. Without being outdated, it does remind me of fragrances before, of good quality designer fragrances, complex and evergreen. It opens up with sweet and juicy fruits, raspberries, blueberries, and mandarins, followed by a very realistic gardenia and cyclamen. The base is powdery-sweet, from musk and vanilla. This one is joyful, optimistic, and perfect for long and sunny summer days.

The last fragrance I have tested was The Last PH 85 (The Last Pure Heart 85) by Calaj , launched in 2021. This one is strong, complex, complete, and a bit overwhelming. I do think a certain state of mind is required to fully appreciate and wear it, and to tame it, as I find it very wild. Notes are, as follows Black Currant, Blood Orange and Orange on top, Leather, Coriander, Tobacco, Oakmoss and Jasmine in the middle, and Cedar, Musk, Sandalwood, Amber, Peru Balsam and Vanilla at the base. The Peru balm is like a stamp that follows each note, from top to bottom, making the fragrance dense like a balm.
Although I did not have the time necessary to fully enjoy the fragrance-smelling event, I did find some beautiful scents that are added to my list. If you get the chance to try them, please do so, because they are truly great and really worth the niche and artisan label. The Romania fragrance production is getting better and better, and that is due to talent, passion, and the quality of the materials used.
I do hope this type of event opened to the public will take place more often, and that I and other non-influencers, but fragrance lover will get the chance to enter the creators’ universe.