This perfume is special. Rosendo Mateu, the Spanish master perfumer, captured pure sensuality in a bottle. The perfume is part of his main line Olfactive Expressions, and it is by far the most unusual of those fragrances. “No. 5 Floral Amber Sensual Musk” defies single scent notes, it comes as one wave of sweet sensuality that stays and does not alter much.
This is how the perfume feels and smells for me, the perfumer himself explains on his website a complicated mix of clearly distinguishable notes:
As top notes he defines lily of the valley (Muguet), spicy notes and saffron. Middle notes are carnation and again lily of the valley. The base notes are a combination of vanilla and amber musk. He does specify the sensual note of the musk and the velvety note of the amber.
Thinking those notes through, and comparing them with other perfumes, the sweet saffron is there, as well as the velvety amber and the sensual musk. To me the other notes merge into the overpowering force of the 3 main notes. Maybe after hours there is a slight spicy peppery scent coming up, but I put this up for discussion. The floral part I do not smell at all.
The colour of “No. 5 Floral Amber Sensual Musk” is a deep and dark red.
The perfume oozes sensuality and is not one for wearing in the office. For the most part all perfumes can be worn everywhere, if they are carefully dosed and your own attitude is right. And then there are some that have a mind of their own, and simply overwrite what you want to display. “No. 5 Floral Amber Sensual Musk” is one of the latter.
What other people smell is the promise or at least the possibility of seduction. Soft kisses, groping embraces, temperatures getting hotter – it is probably a temptation for some to resist trying to find out more. This, very clearly, is precisely not what one needs at the own workplace or (out of curtesy) at other people’s workplaces. Apart from that, the perfume can be worn everywhere in my opinion. Only for yourself at home, for a partner, to a date, to meet friends, to an event – at all times of the day or night. Just be aware that all odours go directly to the brain of the smeller and there is nothing to do against it.
Sensuality is private, elegance is public.
The only other perfume I know that comes close is Laurent Mazzone’s “Pure Sensual Orchid”. It would be interesting to hear if there are more perfumes of this very emotional kind out there. “No. 5 Floral Amber Sensual Musk” is a perfume to behold, take seriously in its power and accept in all its facets.
Spanish born Rosendo Mateu started working as a perfumer in 1968. During 45 years he had become one of the Spanish company Puig’s master perfumers. Puig has been left its mark on the perfume world, and is still a growing, successful company. In 2010 Rosendo Mateu got the very coveted title “Maitre Parfumeur”. Having retired from Puig, he decided to start his own company in 2017, supported by his son Joan Mateu who runs the business commercially.
Rosendo Mateu concentrates on creating wonderful scents in Barcelona, Spain. His first collection included the first 5 scents of what is today known as the main Olfactive Expressions line. The success came fast, and by now his perfume brand has added 2 special collections under the Olfactive Expressions label: The Black Collection (3 perfumes) and the Olfactory Journeys Collection (4 perfumes). The main line has also expanded and features by now 8 fragrances.
There is a lot of loving detail poured into the fragrances, which becomes especially clear in the Olfactory Journeys Collection. Rosendo Mateu does not look for regional journeys, but journeys through time. Each of the perfumes stands for a certain point in time of the 20th and 21st century, connected with Rosendo Mateu’s own experiences and important stages in his life.
The brand has developed into a growing business, strictly kept in the family. The creativity of Rosendo Mateu is not wavering, but stays perfectly tuned. His company is firmly based in Barcelona, Spain. Staying local and in harmony with one’s roots gives a lot of strength.
Numerous other Olfactive Expressions are hopefully waiting to be transformed into a perfume by Rosendo Mateu.