Caitlin

Dualities at Work: Parfumerie Generale’s Djhenné

July 17, 2014

Notes: grey lavender, mint leaves, seringa blossom, cocoa beans, blue cedar, wheat absolute, myrrh, blonde leather accord.

I’m a fan of lavender (especially for summer), so I was pleased to discover that Djhenné opens with this note. However, this lavender is not of the bracing, sharp variety. This is a suave, herbal lavender that introduces the fragrance with a cool elegance. The mint and seringa blossom enhance the herbaceous aspect, and lend an almost soapy feel to this opening.

But Pierre Guillaume ensures that Djhenné never tips over into the “clean” category. The concept of Djhenné is constructed around dualities. Monsieur Guillaume imagines this fragrance as an oasis in the middle of the desert, or, in his own words, as a “warm shadow.” The cool/warm and dry/wet contrasts are obvious in his language here, but they play out in a bit more of a subtle way in the fragrance itself.

Djhenné goes very quiet after the initial opening. My advice is: just wait. The first time I tried this, I had to force myself to stop sniffing my wrist every thirty seconds and just let it settle in. If you’re patient enough, you’ll eventually notice hints of cedar wafting around you. It’s very arid at this stage, and you can begin to see the desert of Guillaume’s vision taking shape around the oasis of cool lavender.

But just when you think this is settling down into a dry woody accord, a taste of gourmand sneaks in. The cocoa here doesn’t add up to a dessert-like chocolate for me. I think the wheat note helps to soften it out, and the gourmand aspect takes on the feel of chocolate milk paired with a shortbread biscuit. It’s nothing hugely decadent, but rather like a small sweet treat. Moreover it adds some much-needed depth to the heart of this composition.

The blond leather accord of the base comes off as more musky to me than anything else. Still, it’s nice, and there is a touch of dirtiness about it that acts as a clever counterbalance to the soapiness of the opening. This stage lasts forever, too. It fades so slowly, I can still detect hints of it while getting ready for bed.

I’ve already used the word quiet in this write-up to describe Djhenné, but it’s apt. This fragrance really has a pensive, reserved feel. It’s not that Djhenné doesn’t have a lot to say, the multiple developments it goes through during wear time are fascinating. It simply refuses to be rushed or loud about the story it has to tell.

I’ve worn Djhenné a few times on days when I wanted something peaceful and restful, and it fits the mood perfectly. Although there’s an elegance here, I wouldn’t wear this for a night out, maybe only for a dinner with one or two other people. There is something undeniably intimate about this perfume, and it remains predominately a skin scent on me. Between this and Taormine, I’m coming to appreciate the allure of soft, warm fragrances for hotter weather. We all need comfort scents, even during summer. And perhaps the ultimate duality of Djhenné is that its strangely compelling nature ends up being comforting.

Samples and full bottles of Djhenné are available from Luckyscent, which is where I obtained my sample.

Image and info about notes is taken from Luckyscent.

The City at Dusk: Cologne du Maghreb

July 10, 2014

Notes: citrus accord, cistus, ambreine, cedarwood, java vetiver oil, bergamot, lemon, neroli, orange blossom, lavender, rosemary, rose absolute, rose essential oil, clary sage.

Cologne du Maghreb is easily one of the most buzzed-about releases for this summer. Originally released in 2011 as a limited edition for the holidays, it sold out. Now Andy Tauer has brought it back for wide release, and he’s done it in the traditional way of cologne-making: using only natural and raw botanical ingredients. To be honest, I was a little bit intimidated to try this one. Would this long list of notes all come together, and would the all-natural approach work with my skin?

The answer is, it worked right away. The opening of Cologne du Maghreb is a bright, crackling citrus medley that fairly jumps off the skin. On me, it pulls very green, like sour limes and tart green apples. It’s refreshingly sharp, and slices like a knife through oppressive summer weather. This hesperidic opening is what you might expect from a cologne, but, after about twenty minutes or so, this fragrance takes a turn for the unexpected.

I thought the lavender here might also bring a sharp, refreshing aspect to the fragrance. Instead, the lavender and vetiver work together to bring an herbal effect, softening the opening, and balancing the composition. Cologne du Maghreb has a grassy feel at this point, like strolling through a park.

The cedarwood creeps in so gradually that I almost didn’t notice it at first – that is, until you can’t help but notice it during the dry down. The cedar brings a moody aspect to the composition, like dimming the lights after a long day. By this point, the juicy citrus of the opening has receded, and the fragrance has a dry, but warm feel to it. It’s a little darker than I expected for a cologne but, I have to say, I love it. Sensing that first waft of dry cedar is my favorite part of wearing this fragrance.

I took Cologne du Maghreb with me on vacation to New York. Summer in the city is no joke, the heat during the day is relentless. By evening the city is ready for the cooling of hazy dusk, and I found I enjoyed wearing Cologne du Maghreb most at this time of day. It was a good pick-me-up to spritz on before heading out to dinner, and the cedarwood dry down lends a sultriness that’s lightly sexy, but not too overwhelming for this weather.

Although this is a great scent to wear during the summer, I can see it working throughout autumn too because of that appealing hint of dark moodiness in the dry down. Cologne du Maghreb never turns into a full-bodied woody oriental (it’s only a cologne concentration, after all) but it hovers on the edge, and that flirtation is what makes it delicious.

*This write-up is based on a sample generously provided by Jeffrey at Hypoluxe, Tauer Perfumes’ US distributor.

Samples and full bottles of Cologne du Maghreb are available from Luckyscent.

image is from Tauer Perfumes promotional material, and info on notes is from Luckyscent.

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle: En Passant

June 25, 2014

Notes: lilac, cucumber, wheat, watery notes, and petitgrain.

In continuing my exploration of florals for this spring and summer, I had a hunch that En Passant would be a perfect kind of gentle (but still interesting) floral for me to try. I was a little bit surprised when I first sampled En Passant because the opening is gorgeous, but not exactly gentle. Rather, it is a headlong plunge into a garden right in the midst of blooming lilac bushes. Olivia Giacobetti’s creation for Frederic Malle’s curated line is the most startlingly realistic floral that I’ve come across.

En Passant could work beautifully as just a linear soliflore, but Ms. Giacobetti has added in a few other notes to spark some interest. I was a little wary of possible weird ozonic notes from the watery accord, but fortunately that isn’t the case. The cucumber helps to keep the composition cool and lush, so that the watery notes here give off a herbaceous feel, conjuring up the image of fresh rain drops sitting on green leaves.

A piercing hint of mint also develops on my skin even though I don’t see it listed in the notes. It could just be my skin chemistry, perhaps the cucumber playing tricks on me. Whatever it is, it’s entirely welcome, as it keeps the composition fresh and makes En Passant excellent to wear during hot and humid summer days.

Despite the watery influence, I don’t think of En Passant as a sheer fragrance. The realism of the lilac note lends a tangibility to the composition. There is also the wheat note, which becomes apparent a couple of hours into wear time, and is the reason why I wouldn’t say this is a completely linear affair. The wheat gives off a sort of doughy, baking bread effect.

The dry down here with the fading floral and herbaceous notes, plus the light baking bread influence, reminds me of a boulangerie/patisserie in Paris that I used to pass by (and often stopped in!) on my way to the Luxembourg gardens. I suppose that’s the whole point of this fragrance and its title, it is truly en passant.

En Passant and other Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle can be found at Barney’s. I got my sample from The Perfumed Court.

image and info about fragrance notes are from fragrantica.

Summer Holiday; Keiko Mecheri’s Taormine

June 19, 2014

Notes: Sicilian petit grain, Calabrian bergamot, Italian citron, bitter almond, aromatic accord, subtle floral heart, leather accord.

Evocative of a Sicilian getaway, Taormine opens with a bright inviting warmth. I’ve never been to Sicily myself, so I’ll have to rely on the perfume and my own imagination to paint this picture. The hesperidic opening is lightly aromatic and just a touch herbaceous. It sets a sultry mood, like a salty sea breeze blowing onto the patio at cocktail hour. However, Taormine doesn’t open up into a big salty, beachy scent. I think that’s a good thing, because what it does instead is a little bit more interesting.

For me, the almond note is the star of this composition. It starts sneaking in about fifteen minutes after application and lingers for the rest of wear time. The almond is interesting because, while it adds a touch of sweetness and some depth to the aromatic citrus notes, it’s not enough to turn this into a full-blown gourmand scent. Instead, the almond keeps this composition dry and grounded, which helps make Taormine a lovely summer scent.

The leather in the dry down here is gentle. It reminds me slightly of Bottega Veneta’s Eau de Parfum, which is all the rich leather of Milan fashion week, high heels and handbags. However, the leather of Taormine is a little more comfortable and lived-in, like the shoes you wore down to the beach earlier, now covered in a dusting of sand.

Taormine definitely has a comforting feel, but there’s also a complexity to it, and, in that, a quiet elegance. I sometimes tend to think of summer scents (and especially the citrus-driven colognes) as being more sharply acidic and more simple in character than this fragrance is. With Taormine, Keiko Mecheri shows us that summery fragrances can be both soft and complex, and completely season-appropriate.

I can easily imagine wearing this fragrance while on vacation: relaxing during the afternoon with a book, or going out to dinner on a sultry evening. The only flaw is that I wish this one had a little bit more staying power. It’s very much a skin scent on me, which is fine. I get around 5 hours wear time from it, but I’d love for it to go just little bit longer, especially in warmer weather. Believe it or not, this is actually the first Keiko Mecheri scent I’ve tried. I’m happy with this as a first choice, and I’m looking forward to sampling more!

Taormine was originally released in 2010 as part of La Collection Hesperides. I’m not sure if it was intended to be a limited edition, but both samples and full bottles are still available from Luckyscent (which is where I got my sample).

Image is from fragrantica while info about fragrance notes is from luckyscent.

What I’m Wearing: Summer Edition

June 12, 2014

Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge by Monet

I love sampling and writing reviews of different fragrances, but what I’m sampling doesn’t always correspond with what I’m wearing day-to-day. And since I do significantly change up my fragrances depending on the season, this seemed like the perfect time to take a break from the regular review format.

The month of June here has been humid, stormy, and grey in general so far – not the most picturesque start to summer. And while it hasn’t gotten outright hot yet, the humidity means the heat has been felt nonetheless. So, here are a few fragrances I’ve been wearing to combat or complement the weather:

Jo Malone; Peony & Blush Suede: sometimes I wake up in the morning knowing exactly what outfit and what fragrance I want to wear, while other times I have no clue. Peony & Blush Suede is the scent I’ve been defaulting to when I can’t figure out what to wear, and for one simple reason: it’s never the wrong thing to wear. This is good for the office, for running errands, even for working out (if you’re into perfume at the gym). Peony & Blush Suede is sweet, but the bright red apple top note keeps it on the refreshing side, and the humidity and I are both thankful that this never falls into sticky-sweet territory. It dries down into a very soft, appealing skin scent (I see the suede influence). I’m almost out of my 30 ml bottle of this, and I use this one so often, I’m considering ordering the 100 ml version next.

Dolce & Gabbana; Light Blue: Light Blue has become a veteran of the mass market, so much so that it’s practically ubiquitous these days (I’ve noticed Sephora is promoting it especially hard this summer). That doesn’t mean Light Blue is unworthy of the attention. In fact, this scent is a deceptively interesting blend: a mass market sheer fruity-floral that isn’t sweet. The zesty citrus top notes give it an effervescent champagne-like quality, while the dose of cedar grounds the composition, making this the rare sheer fragrance that still manages to pack a punch. The longevity is remarkable for an EdT, I easily get 8 hours of wear time from this. I’ve been wearing Light Blue on and off for ten years now, and I find myself returning to it again and again as a dependable warm weather fragrance.

Diptyque; Tam Dao: The opening of Tam Dao is so sharp, dry, and green that it’s almost medicinal. It could be off-putting to some, but on the hottest of days, I crave that blast of greenness, it’s the only cure for the heat. And anyway, sandalwood is the star of the show here, the prickling green opening merely paves the way. As the sandalwood makes its presence known, Tam Dao takes on a creamy texture. But this isn’t the rich creaminess of something like Tom Ford’s Santal Blush; this isn’t vanilla-based. The creaminess is only here to give texture and depth, while the sandalwood remains dry as a bone. I usually associate woody fragrances with Autumn/Winter, but Tam Dao is perfect for summer, exerting enough of a dry, green edge to cut through any hot day.

By Kilian; A Taste of Heaven: This is one of the strangest green fragrances I’ve yet tried. A Taste of Heaven is literally green juice in the bottle, presumably done to imitate absinthe, it’s inspiration. Luckily, this isn’t quite as lurid green as absinthe, but wearing it may be just as much of a trip. Despite the lavender and bergamot, I can’t say that this is a particularly refreshing green fragrance. It has fresh qualities for sure, especially when first sprayed on. But this also takes on a creamy texture, and where Tam Dao remains dry, A Taste of Heaven is vanilla-based, and so it takes on a gourmand aspect. The vanilla and tonka bean give this an edible quality, so that A Taste of Heaven always ends up reminding me of cream soda. I enjoy spritzing this on and letting all the different aspects unfold, from the fresh, aromatic, and lightly spicy beginning to the textured dry-down. This is a weird, yet appealing choice for a summer night out.

What fragrances have you been enjoying so far this summer?

{Image source}

Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Lumiere Noire pour Femme

May 28, 2014

Notes: cumin, pimiento, rose, narcissus, and patchouli.

Skin chemistry and perception are funny things. I’ve never been a fan of floral fragrances, and rose in particular has always been the most difficult for me to pull off. Add rose to a composition, and it just doesn’t seem to sit right on my skin. The only rose I’ve really regretted not being able to wear is Kilian’s Liaisons Dangereuses, which is objectively beautiful and sumptuous, but, again, not quite right for me.

For a long time, I’ve stuck to fragrances that trend more masculine, or to gourmands—anything to avoid a floral explosion! But I’m learning that the really great thing about taste is that it can change.

And who better to change my mind about rose than Francis Kurkdjian? I know that rose-patchouli is not a new theme for him. Quite honestly, I thought I would prefer his Absolue Pour Le Soir, a dark composition with a floral heart. But, again, perception and expectation can play with you, and I ended up falling for the rosy Lumiere Noire instead.

For me, this one plays out as a bit more Lumiere than Noire. The opening is vibrant and sparkling with spice. I’ve seen some comments and reviews where people found the first minute or so unpleasant because of the strong cumin, but it never really shows up on my skin so I can’t speak to that. I do, however, get the pimiento, which adds a nice kind of crackling sensation—you can almost feel it. But the spice is never overwhelming, and it quickly blends in with the composition to create a lively floral.

Lumiere Noire is quite a bit more green than I expected. I wouldn’t say this is a “clean” fragrance, but the rose here is never stifling, perhaps the more astringent narcissus helps to balance it. The entire composition maintains a fresh edge even after the opening wears off, and I would say that even the patchouli here is of the polite variety.

But I don’t want to oversell the Lumiere aspect of this fragrance. It’s true, Lumiere Noire is delicate and romantic, but it’s not insipid. With light comes shadows, and the shadows cast here open up spaces for contemplation, for a little brooding, even. It’s an elegant kind of brooding though, like sitting with a glass of red wine while still wearing your makeup and jewelry after a long day. Lumiere Noire dries down to something quite sensual, quite intimate, like a secret. I found that I liked wearing it to bed, there’s a dreamy quality to it.

I can’t remember now what prompted me to order a sample of this fragrance, but I’m glad that I did. With Lumiere Noire, Mr. Kurkdjian has taught me that there’s no need to be afraid of wearing florals, and that rose can be both dark and light, delicate and tenacious. There’s a kind of gentle perseverance to Lumiere Noire, as it lasts for a good six hours before fading (and I’m wondering if that will increase now in warmer weather).

This version is “Pour Femme” but I could easily see it working fantastically on a man, and I’m eager to try its counterpart, Lumiere Noire Pour Homme. For now, this one is definitely on the list for a full bottle.

Lumiere Noire Pour Femme is available from retailers such as Bergdorf’s. I got my sample from Luckyscent, where both samples and full bottles are available.

Image is from fragrantica while info about fragrance notes is from Luckyscent.

Warm to Cool: Diptyque’s Eau de Lavande

May 15, 2014

Notes: lavender, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg.

As soon as I saw that Diptyque had released a lavender fragrance, I knew I had to try it. I love Diptyque’s Feuille de Lavande candle, and since Guerlain’s Jicky is one of my all-time favorite fragrances, it’s accurate to say that I love a good fougère fragrance. I was eager to see what kind of relationship I could have with Eau de Lavande.

I expected a lavender for summer, something green and herbal that would cut into the heat of the day before drying down to something warm, perhaps with hints of the animalic. I even compared the Eau de Lavande ingredients with those listed on my Jicky box, and saw enough similarities (coumarin notable about them) to confirm my expectations. Note: I did all of this before even trying a single spritz of Eau de Lavande!! If this were a cartoon, warning signs would be flashing red inside my mind. Since this is real life, I sprayed the fragrance on, not expecting to be surprised.

As it turns out, Eau de Lavande is an exercise in subverting expectations. This lavender has no interest in verging on the freshly green or cool. From first spray, it’s a noticeably warm and substantial fragrance. The spices are immediately prominent, getting almost equal billing with the lavender. I also get quite a strong impression of musk even though it’s not listed in the notes. All this is to say that the opening of Eau de Lavande is not a green or herbal floral. There are enough spicy and animalic elements at play for this to be a really interesting attention-grabber in the early stages.

Then, like a reverse-engineered fougère, Eau de Lavande’s warmth melts away as the composition cools down during the middle and dry down stages. After about an hour’s wear time, the spices recede and the composition blooms into a full soliflore. Diptyque sourced three different variations of French lavender to achieve this full bloom effect. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by strong florals, but not here. There’s actually a kind of cool relief as this fragrance develops. After the rather heady opening, one has the impression of finding a spot of shade in the middle of a lavender field.

These days Diptyque seems mainly interested in putting out pleasantly wearable fragrances as opposed to creativity-driven releases. There’s nothing wrong with wearability, and Eau de Lavande is highly wearable, for either day or nighttime. But there’s a little more to this composition than mere wearability. I feel like Olivia Giacobetti has done something quite clever here, almost playing the fougère accord backwards from warm to cool. This fragrance isn’t an absolute favorite for me, but I appreciate Eau de Lavande for making me think and challenging my expectations.

Eau de Lavande is part of Diptyque’s Les Florales collection. It is available as a roll-on or in a 100 ml bottle from Diptyque. Full bottles and samples are also available from Luckyscent.

Image and information regarding fragrance notes is from fragrantica.

Dessert Flirt; Guerlain’s Gourmand Coquin

April 30, 2014

Notes: black pepper, rose, smoky tea, rum, chocolate.

I first encountered Gourmand Coquin in person at the Guerlain counter at Saks. Still reeling from a blast of Flowerbomb earlier, I asked the Guerlain rep to recommend me anything as long as it wasn’t overtly floral, and that’s when she handed me a test strip of Gourmand Coquin. When I passed it to my sister for her opinion, she laughed and declared simply: “It’s dessert!”

Dessert is certainly the main talking point of this delicious confection of a fragrance. Gourmand Coquin will be too sweet for some people. However, Guerlain lists black pepper as a top note here, and for good reason. I detect, not necessarily a spiciness, but a stinging quality to this opening (it reads more gingery than peppery to me, but that’s only my perception). This dessert has a bite to it, and it means business.

My initial thought was that this is a linear composition. After the drama of the stinging opening, it settles into a dark chocolate laced with vanilla liqueur that is very enticing, but didn’t seem to evolve on my skin. After more sampling and testing while out and about, I think I was a little short-sighted. Gourmand Coquin has fantastic staying power. I’ve worn it during the day, at night, out to dinner (where, by the way, the foodie smell did not compete in a negative way with the food), and it has lasted enough so that I still detect it faintly on my sheets the next morning.

But I have to revise my opinion that it doesn’t develop or evolve. I’ve found that sometimes, I’ll smell my wrist and get deep, dark chocolate. Other times, it’s iced gingerbread. Then it’s crème brulée. It’s sensual, sometimes deeply sexy, and other times simply delightfully smooth. The coquin of the name is apt, as this fragrance flirts relentlessly with your skin chemistry, and your perceptions and desires. It’s haunting, conjuring phantom ideas in the most real way.

The artistry of Gourmand Coquin is that it gives the impression of sweetness and richness, but in perfectly controlled proportion. In wearing this, you don’t smell like a literal slice of chocolate cake. Rather, it gives the impression of sitting in a bakery, sipping un café au lait, while that chocolate cake and all the other delicious treats you can imagine are cooling from the oven. It is amazing that such a carefully controlled composition can produce something that evokes such imagination.

I know that Guerlain’s Elixir Charnel line, with its youthful cotton candy pink and purple juices, has been met with extremely mixed reviews. And the steep price of this line can be difficult to justify, especially if you’d prefer to add more classic Guerlains to your collection instead. But, Gourmand Coquin is uniquely intoxicating and imaginative. It is the ultimate gourmand for me at the moment. If you find it works for you, there is nothing else quite like it.

Gourmand Coquin is part of the exclusive Les Elixirs Charnels collection. It is available at select Guerlain counters, and online from Saks. I obtained my sample from The Posh Peasant.
The image is from fragrantica, while info on fragrance notes is from Guerlain’s official site.

Midnight in London; Black Cedarwood & Juniper

April 17, 2014

Notes: cumin, chili leaves, juniper, cedar.

I’ve only been to London twice, and, if you can believe it, I escaped London downpours both times. So I can’t speak to the exact accuracy of Jo Malone’s London Rain collection. However, like any interesting fragrance, this collection is more about evoking a certain mood rather than reflecting reality.

The London Rain fragrance that immediately jumped out at me as the moodiest is Black Cedarwood & Juniper. When I say “jumped out at me” I mean that literally. The chili leaves make the opening of this fragrance a lively one and, at first spray, this sparkles on the skin. But despite the effervescent opening, this scent isn’t entirely “fresh” smelling. There’s an intriguing savory edge, which is probably due to the unique combination of cumin and chili leaves.

Black Cedarwood really comes to life once the cedar begins to peek through. I get hints of it about half an hour into wear time, and it’s like late afternoon sunlight filtering into the room through the slats of your blinds. Cedar, with its rich distinctive smell, enhances the savory atmosphere of the composition while adding some much needed dimension and depth.

You may be wondering where the rain aspect comes into play in this fragrance. I believe that’s the juniper’s job, as it has a slightly more cool and aquatic feel than the other notes at work here. This composition could easily become overheated and overstuffed with too-rich ingredients, but the juniper heart keeps everything in perfect Jo Malone order.

Still, Black Cedarwood is the least sheer of the London Rain fragrances. There’s something about this scent that feels tangible on the skin, almost edible. This is noticeable in the drydown, where the cedar is balanced out by a creaminess. But this isn’t a typically cozy, creamy vanilla dry down, as something of that intriguing edge from the opening remains.

It’s this edge that gives Black Cedarwood an urban feel and most clearly evokes nighttime London. Because this is a Jo Malone scent, the composition is never going to get too heedlessly dirty and out of control. This isn’t a messy night out. It was a classy affair that maybe got wild for a bit there, but it’s your secret to keep now that you’re home and settled into bed. In the morning, traces of smudged eyeliner will be the only hint of what might have taken place last night.

The sales rep I spoke to at Nordstrom said that Black Cedarwood has been their best-selling fragrance from the London Rain collection, and it’s easy to see why. It’s so strikingly different from the rest of the collection, you can’t help but take notice of it and appreciate it for being so unique. In the end, I found it irresistible and had to go for a full bottle.

Black Cedarwood & Juniper (along with the rest of the London Rain Collection) can be found at Jo Malone, and at retailers like Saks, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom. The London Rain Collection is limited edition and comes in the 100 mls size only.

Image and info on fragrance notes are from fragrantica.

Speaking of Paris; Carven’s Le Parfum

April 7, 2014

Notes: mandarin blossom, white hyacinth, apricot blossom, sweet pea, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, osmanthus, and Indonesian patchouli.

I’ve enjoyed seeing the house of Carven’s revival under Guillaume Henry, with successful womenswear and menswear lines. Of course, a fragrance revival must come next, and I was intrigued by the release of a new perfume, and doubly so when I learned that Francis Kurkdjian was the nose behind it.

In looking at some of the promotional material for Le Parfum, I’ve seen emphasis being placed on words like “fresh” and “sparkling.” Looking at the bouquet white floral notes, that seems to make sense. However, on my skin, it’s a little bit of a different story.

The opening is sparkling for sure, a burst of florals and apricot that is nearly effervescent. But this scent doesn’t stay completely fresh and clean on me for very long. If the opening is bursting with fresh ripeness, the next stage is a flirtation with turning sour. (I wonder if it’s the apricot blossom and osmanthus working in tandem?)

This composition is meant to be a pretty one, so the sourness remains restrained. It never develops into anything truly dirty. However, something like cigarette smoke appears a little over an hour into wear time. I haven’t seen any other reviews mention this facet, and the first time I detected it myself, I thought it was a fluke. But the smoke is determined to stay on my skin, reminding me irresistibly of a lighter version of Etat Libre d’Orange’s Jasmin et Cigarette.

The smoke disappears in the drydown stages and here I am left with the neutral, clean, soapy impression that I’ve seen the reviews and promo pieces mention. By this stage, it’s an intimate skin scent. The projection is extremely minimal, like a pleasant secret to enjoy all on your own.

I like this fragrance, I like the sparkling opening and the quietness of the drydown. Moreover, I’m intrigued by that hint of sourness and by that elusive smoke note. Le Parfum is a Parisian fragrance precisely because of this mixture of prettiness with slightly unexpected aspects. It evokes the strange intimacy of the city, that oddly personal moment when crowding onto the metro, you happen to catch the scent of someone else’s fragrance laced with cigarette smoke.

Like Paris, Carven Le Parfum isn’t as wholly pretty as it (and the very appealing packaging) would have you believe. Yet, at the same time, it’s utterly classic.

Carven; Le Parfum is available from retailers such as Saks and Nordstrom. It comes in 30, 50, and 100 mls. I asked for a sample to take home while shopping at Nordstrom.

This Side of Perfume

Author: Caitlin