J’s image of Voyages Imaginaires Comme Un Gant
Some of my favourite artworks are on paper or made from it, it’s a beautiful material that’s over looked being an everyday disposable item, however, once you delve into the diverse textures and variations of paper a whole new world opens up to you. Before you ask, munken kristall rough and munken lynx are my favourites for printing onto, while Hahnemühle’s pearlescent photo paper adds a lovely shimmer when needed. Fabriano, with its cotton and silk components, is both exquisite and fragile, reminiscent of delicate skin. Additionally, a sturdy 320gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper is a pleasure to work with. Yet, nothing is more daunting than a pristine white sheet; it holds infinite possibilities and the potential for countless failures. Artists like Martin Creed and Marit Roland have taken this underestimated material and created elegant sculptures from it, minimal yet with a deep conceptual depth, moving the creative touch off its surface to a shape it form.
Paper works by Martin Creed and Marit Roland
Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal, the creative minds and perfumers behind Voyages Imaginaires, drew inspiration for Comme Un Gant from the works of French artist Claudine Drai at a recent Venice Biennial. Drai’s preferred materials are paper, particularly silk and Japanese varieties, which she crinkles to shape and immortalize a fragile world. By transforming the immaterial into tangible forms, she crafts compositions that extend beyond their canvas, engaging with light and shadow to unveil new realms where subtle presences emerge. The delicacy of her pieces is accentuated by a dominant white palette, creating effects of transparency, illusion, and light play. Her art works transitions from a “nothing” of paper to form and back again, as light and movement interact within their space. Perfume operates in a similar way the shaping and forming an invisible space that morphs into an abstract yet tangible sculpture, as if it’s a durational performance that plays out on your skin. This concept is beautifully accomplished in Voyages Imaginaires Comme Un Gant.
Images of Claudine Drai’s paper works
Creamy coconut intertwines with a gentle, aromatic hint of cardamom, creating a dance of light gliding over soft, pale blonde woods and the rich essence of dry Madagascan vanilla. Comme Un Gant flows through these delicate shades and tones of creams and whites, moving gracefully as if illuminated by light, casting a shimmering effect on your skin as it dries down. It beautifully captures the textures of various papers; the light musky blonde woodiness combined with a touch of coconut conjures the feel of watercolour paper, thick and luxurious, offering a dense yet sensuous softness that has a biteable quality. There’s a creamy slick hot pressed cartridge paper feel that lingers in the air around you like a silky translucent veil, the vanilla and cardamom conjure this smooth sleekness that flows in a milky way sketching this elegant abstract structure around it’s more dense textured heart.
Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen of Voyages Imaginaires courtesy of the brand.
When I tested Comme Un Gant on a friend’s skin, the initial notes on her revealed a sweeter, creamier profile, with the vanilla and coconut exuding a light caramel nuance that imparted an effortlessly smooth and sensual aura. On my skin more of the woody facets from the Madagascan vanilla come forward with the sandalwood feeling soft and buttery, almost milky as if it’s melting, along with a gentle vanillic balsamic sweetness lingered at the edges, accompanied by a subtle note, reminiscent of heliotrope, but less floral and almond-like. Instead, it felt as if the delicate shavings of sandalwood had been blended into creamy musk, with coconut adding a nutty gourmand twist. The musky ambrette sweetness also came through, making Comme Un Gant irresistibly delicious, as this musk enveloped the vanilla and coconut like a delicate, translucent shell, merging beautifully to create a stunning creamy woody musk experience.
J’s image of Voyages Imaginaires Comme Un Gant
Golden hues gradually unfold, as if the light itself has transformed, infusing Comme Un Gant with a gentle warmth. An abstracted Haitian vetiver is felt from its rooty warmth deeply intertwined with woody vanilla and enveloped in soft, musky sandalwood that seems to emphasize all the best parts of your own skin, elevating them, making me feel smooth and clean, edible and sensual. The coconut-vanilla blend in Comme Un Gant transports me back to the classic macaroon bars of my childhood. Unlike a traditional macaroon, this version features a caramelized coconut sweetness, reminiscent of the treat but without the chocolate coating. It’s also the coconut that gives Comme Un Gant this understated luxurious feel, letting soft cedar like musks feel like the softest pillow of woody shavings for you to rest on. The creamy notes linger endlessly, with subtle darker undertones emerging as the creamy coconut mingles with soft woods and musks, conjuring images of rice paper. There’s a delicate floral hint, perhaps a whisper of mimosa, blurring the lines and softening the edges as the gentle tonal waves intertwine. Comme Un Gant, beautifully matches its concept with its light translucent feel, like the artworks of paper, that don’t scream for attention but rather give you this beautiful intimate experience as the light and dark shades dance and move revealing themselves in elegant subtle rich tones. Comme Un Gant elevates the air around you, wrapping you in this shimmering white abstract sculpture that moves with you just like the light on the artworks. Voyages Imaginaires Comme Un Gant is the essence of elegant minimalism.
Notes: Cardamom, Sandalwood, Coconut, Vanilla, Haitian Vetiver.
Disclosure: A bottle of Voyages Imaginaires Comme Un Gant was gifted by the brand; thoughts and nose are J’s own.
Voyages Imaginaires Comme Un Gant courtesy of the brand.
Thanks to the generosity of Voyages Imaginaires we have a 75 ml bottle of Comme Un Gant for one registered reader in the EU and thanks to Indigo Perfumery in the USA. There is only one winner. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on J’s review and where you live. Draw closes 11/1/2024
Voyage Imaginaires Parfums are available in the USA at Indigo Perfumery
Please read reviews by Nicoleta of Le Grand Jeu, by Ida Meister of Tea & Rock n’ Roll and Karl Topham (La Couleur de la Nuit).
Voyages Imaginaires is the recipient of Michelyn and Ermano’s Best of Scent 2021 for Best Natural Perfume House and Voyages Imaginaires L’Eau des Immortels a Top 10 perfume from Ermano and Michelyn 2022.
Editor Note: Don’t be surprised if Comme Un Gant is included in Michelyn’s Top 10 Perfumes of 2024
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