Ineke Floral Curiosities is the latest collaboration between perfumer, Ineke Rühland, and lifestyle store, Anthropologie. You can find more info here. I hate to admit it, but I actually like Ineke Floral Curiosities better than the regular Ineke Alphabetical Series line up! I feel these 4 fragrances are broad and show Rühland’s range and her impeccability. This perfumer is a master of fruits and florals.

Angel’s Trumpet – Opens as a refreshing whole orange with crushed leaves. The heady white florals come in and it smells so good with the freshness of citrus and greens. My thoughts: Intoxicating and makes me to want to move to California. It’s a mix of datura, jasmine, and orange blossom. It’s floral and green and slightly “juicy aquatic”. Don’t let that aquatic reference scare you! It’s a “wet white floral”; it reminds me of a living plant. With time, this fresh floral mixed with a “clean” clean woods and soapy white musk. Somehow there’s a clean spice at the base that reminds me of stargazer lilies. It’s a floral spice. This base seems like it may be boring but it is actually very likable. I’ll catch a whiff of the fragrance hours later and think “I smell so nice”.  Notes listed include honeydew melon, Seville orange, leafy greens, cinnamon leaf, allspice, Virginia cedar, and white musk.

• Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A beautiful clean, floral that will remind you of sunny California. I am so surprised by how much I like and wear this one. I consider this one very feminine and good for spring/summer.

Briar Rose – Briar Rose opens as slightly spiced burgundy rose with green thorns. The rose is not old-fashioned.  After all settles, I get this jammy (emphasize jammy here) raspberry with “perfumey” rose and velvety violet. Really the fruitiness of the raspberry is intense and mixed with “amber perfume”. I get cherry-almond. All of these “fruits” rounds out the feminine rose and powdery violet over earthy cocoa/patchouli. Overall, a very well-done amber rose perfume. What I love about it, is that it isn’t overly “dark”. We’re seeing this patch-rose-“noir” number all of the time. The fruits in Briar Rose make it unlike these others. Notes listed include black raspberry, bitter almond, exotic spices, black violet, patchouli, and cacao absolute.

• Victoria’s Final EauPINION – An amber rose that is vampy without being broody and stand-offish. Wonderful use of fruits and cherry-almond to balance a familiar/en vogue formula of rose and patchouli. Very easy to wear. Could be unisex, good for fall/spring.

Poet’s Jasmine – Opens up as bitter and green with wormwood and spicy anise. Reminds me of black licorice wrapped in fresh grass blades. The woods peak through and the jasmine really does smell like jasmine tea: bitter and floral. With time the jasmine intensifies but it is grounded by slightly smoky woods. However, it remains transparent, light, and fresh. Notes listed include Poet’s Jasmine tea, citrus fruit, star anise, rosemary, absinthe, frankincense, cardamom, hinoki wood, and guaiac wood.

• Victoria’s Final EauPINION – An herbal jasmine with a smoky tea base. I really, really like this one. Perfect for spring and summer, unisex. – My favorite from the collection. 

Scarlet Larkspur – A fruity wine opening with a woodiness. It’s surprisingly sheer. It doesn’t feel heavy despite the mulled wine, woods and spices. It somehow manages to wear sheer and fresh. Strangely, I get something lavender-ish that verges on soap. After it “settles” I get cherry and red fruits. This is tart with an orange peel/zest. At this stage, Scarlet Larkspur is more of a sangria than a mulled wine. I was expecting Scarlet Larkspur to be a winter fragrance, but it is really a good fragrance for any time of the year.  Notes listed include claret wine, nutmeg, saffron, amyris wood, tonka bean, bourbon vanilla, blood orange, red currant and morello cherry.

• Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Sangria. Not as thick as I would expect for it to be which isn’t a bad thing. A fruity wine, very pretty. I see this one as unisex.

It makes me sad that this collection is limited edition. I feel these perfumes really represent Rühland’s talent as a perfumer. These are so “Ineke” with their sophistication and sympathetic use of fruity notes. True talent can take a note like melon and make it cultivated. The Alphabetical line is fine but it seems to show Rühland’s growth over time. In my opinion, the latter perfumes are better in the permanent collection. Floral Curiosities presents Rühland’s mastery, each with her own characteristic signature. Her signature? A delicate use of fruits with pretty, pretty florals.

Each 2.5 oz bottle retails for $68 at Anthropologie. Not a bad price at all.

Want more reviews? Try…

Ça Fleure Bon (Angel’s Trumpet and Scarlet Larkspur)

Ça Fleure Bon (Poet’s Jasmine and Briar Rose)

Now Smell This (Robin reviews Poet’s Jasmine)

Fragrantica (Poet’s Jasmine)

*Disclaimer – Samples were provided by Ineke. I am not financially compensated for this review or any others. My opinions are my own. Product pic from Fragrantica. Claire Luce pic from www.fanpix.net