A new perfume by Olfactive Studio, a new collaboration between an established photographer and talented perfumer.
Close-up is an intense dark woody gourmand, the signature theme of Annick Menardo (also the nose behind Black for Bulgari, Bois d'Armenie for Guerlain and Lolita Lempicka among others).
The perfume smells boozy and bitter sweet with a cherry liqueur - tonka nuance going through the structure. The opening is cool anise and green coffee which then gradually descends into a very dark heart concocted of rose, honeyed Atlas cedar, patchouli and amber. The perfume turns fresher in the drydown of bright musks.
Incredible longevity on skin.
The artwork: Close Up by Suren Manvelyan.
***
The Sniff on Close-up:
"This deep and seductive blend combines lots of rich and multifaceted notes to produce a real dark brown bear of a scent. Not for the timid or faint hearted, Close Up is one for the sophisticated gourmandy types."
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Close Up suits a close, low-lit setting where the air feels still and attention is drawn to detail rather than volume. It has the presence of a scent worn at conversational distance: dark, textured and slightly provocative, with a gourmand edge that reads more intimate than playful.
How to wear
Best in cool weather or evening temperatures, Close Up benefits from a restrained hand: one to three sprays are enough to let the coffee, cherry and tobacco facets unfold without crowding the room. On skin it wears dense and long-lasting, then softens into a cleaner musky trail with time.
Who it’s for
For those who like gourmand fragrances with a darker, more adult profile: cherry liqueur, coffee, tobacco and woods rather than sweetness alone. It will appeal to wearers who enjoy artistic niche scents, contrast, depth and a slightly unconventional, unisex signature.
Release year
2016
The nose
Annick Menardo is a French perfumer known for building bold, memorable compositions with a strong structural sense and a taste for contrasts: dark and luminous, gourmand and woody, polished yet slightly subversive. Her signature works include Lolita Lempicka, Bvlgari Black, Le Labo Patchouli 24 and Guerlain Bois d’Armenie, all fragrances that helped define her reputation for distinctive, modern textures. For Close Up, Menardo channels that same instinct for tension and balance. The fragrance’s coffee, cherry, tobacco and cedar accord feels like a compact study in density and air, with the kind of controlled darkness and clarity that often marks her best work.
Collaborators
Céline Verleure, Olfactive Studio’s founder, shaped the creative brief by selecting Suren Manvelyan’s close-up iris photograph as the sole point of departure, asking for an olfactory translation of its intimacy, scale and contrast. The project follows the house’s image-led method, where the visual concept is not decoration but the starting structure for the perfume.
Olfactive Studio’s story
Olfactive Studio is built on a dialogue between photography and perfumery, turning a single image into a fragrance brief and treating scent as an art form rather than a market exercise. The house favors unisex compositions with a clear artistic point of view, intuitive construction and a strong connection between visual emotion and olfactory texture.
Close-Up’s concept
Released in fall 2016 as the brand’s 10th fragrance, Close Up was inspired by Suren Manvelyan’s macro photograph of a human iris. The concept plays on the idea of zooming in until an eye becomes a landscape, translating that tension between intimacy and vastness into a dark, contrasting woody gourmand.
Extra info
Close Up is the 10th fragrance in Olfactive Studio’s line and was created from a single photograph of a human iris by Suren Manvelyan. It was also a finalist in the Independent category at the Art and Olfaction Awards.
A new perfume by Olfactive Studio, a new collaboration between an established photographer and talented perfumer.
Close-up is an intense dark woody gourmand, the signature theme of Annick Menardo (also the nose behind Black for Bulgari, Bois d'Armenie for Guerlain and Lolita Lempicka among others).
The perfume smells boozy and bitter sweet with a cherry liqueur - tonka nuance going through the structure. The opening is cool anise and green coffee which then gradually descends into a very dark heart concocted of rose, honeyed Atlas cedar, patchouli and amber. The perfume turns fresher in the drydown of bright musks.
Incredible longevity on skin.
The artwork: Close Up by Suren Manvelyan.
***
The Sniff on Close-up:
"This deep and seductive blend combines lots of rich and multifaceted notes to produce a real dark brown bear of a scent. Not for the timid or faint hearted, Close Up is one for the sophisticated gourmandy types."
All about this fragrance
Vibe check
Close Up suits a close, low-lit setting where the air feels still and attention is drawn to detail rather than volume. It has the presence of a scent worn at conversational distance: dark, textured and slightly provocative, with a gourmand edge that reads more intimate than playful.
How to wear
Best in cool weather or evening temperatures, Close Up benefits from a restrained hand: one to three sprays are enough to let the coffee, cherry and tobacco facets unfold without crowding the room. On skin it wears dense and long-lasting, then softens into a cleaner musky trail with time.
Who it’s for
For those who like gourmand fragrances with a darker, more adult profile: cherry liqueur, coffee, tobacco and woods rather than sweetness alone. It will appeal to wearers who enjoy artistic niche scents, contrast, depth and a slightly unconventional, unisex signature.
Release year
2016
The nose
Annick Menardo is a French perfumer known for building bold, memorable compositions with a strong structural sense and a taste for contrasts: dark and luminous, gourmand and woody, polished yet slightly subversive. Her signature works include Lolita Lempicka, Bvlgari Black, Le Labo Patchouli 24 and Guerlain Bois d’Armenie, all fragrances that helped define her reputation for distinctive, modern textures. For Close Up, Menardo channels that same instinct for tension and balance. The fragrance’s coffee, cherry, tobacco and cedar accord feels like a compact study in density and air, with the kind of controlled darkness and clarity that often marks her best work.
Collaborators
Céline Verleure, Olfactive Studio’s founder, shaped the creative brief by selecting Suren Manvelyan’s close-up iris photograph as the sole point of departure, asking for an olfactory translation of its intimacy, scale and contrast. The project follows the house’s image-led method, where the visual concept is not decoration but the starting structure for the perfume.
Olfactive Studio’s story
Olfactive Studio is built on a dialogue between photography and perfumery, turning a single image into a fragrance brief and treating scent as an art form rather than a market exercise. The house favors unisex compositions with a clear artistic point of view, intuitive construction and a strong connection between visual emotion and olfactory texture.
Close-Up’s concept
Released in fall 2016 as the brand’s 10th fragrance, Close Up was inspired by Suren Manvelyan’s macro photograph of a human iris. The concept plays on the idea of zooming in until an eye becomes a landscape, translating that tension between intimacy and vastness into a dark, contrasting woody gourmand.
Extra info
Close Up is the 10th fragrance in Olfactive Studio’s line and was created from a single photograph of a human iris by Suren Manvelyan. It was also a finalist in the Independent category at the Art and Olfaction Awards.