Il Mondo di Odore

  An old post. But topical.  Etat Libre d'Orange : Like This A perfectly timed fall release, it hard to find something more seasonally appropriate than this; it even lists pumpkin it its notes. To my nose it's like a dense, moist gingerbread held together with a non-sweet molasses and vetiver, and washed down with a glass of spicy ginger beer. It couldn't be more right for this day. SCARINESS FACTOR: ( Harmless and child-friendly. ) Bvlgari: Black Black is certainly one of the oddest fragrances to enter the mainstream - an accord of tar and truck tires over powdery, incensey vanilla. But for all that, Black is more seductive than weird - a pretty, fairly normal girl who just happens to be in a kinky outfit. SCARINESS FACTOR: ( More charming than alarming. ) Comme des Garcons: Guerilla 1 It's hard to know just what the target audience is for this one. Mechanics who love flower arranging? Who knows, but its combination of champaca flower with something strange, ...

Archive 69, the new fragrance by Etat Libre d’Orange, partly draws its inspiration from Boris VIan's Ecrits Pornographiques (1962) . Drencula recounts a bachelor’s deathly experience of pleasure making love with a hermaphrodite vampire in a burst of pleasure. (From Fragrantica) “Je rêve… pensai-je. Les deux sexes ne peuvent être réunis en une même personne " Notes: Tangerine, Pink Berries CO2, Pepper Leaf, Orchid & Prune JE, Incense, Camphor, Benzoin, Patchouli, Musk. Etat Libre D'Orange's main points of strength have always been their advertising campaigns and marketing strategies (provocative names, arousing images, trendy concepts) and during the years, they grew a consistent amount of loyal followers with their "borderline", love-or-hate approach. On the other hand, I'm realizing that their choice of giving the brand a provocative/controversial identity has often turned into a deterrent of sorts. Many people, who have be...

Hmmmmm........an image of a handgun with the head of a penis on the very end of the barrel? Is it loaded? Maybe it shoots blanks? This is a strange house with what I presume uses successful gimmicks. The last thing I wanted before sampling this ( Thanks AnthonyDG !!!) was a Secretions crony. That stuff made me almost throw up in my mouth and the phallic image has me wondering what the hell this is going to smell like. The ad direction has this pegged as a real macho fragrance that also can be worn by assertive women. Well, fear not. This is actually a conventional citrus that wears lightly. I don't know how this is marketed as a testosterone heavyweight. The opening is a bright citric accord that I find enjoyable. Looking at the listed notes, it seems this should be an interesting fragrance overall. After 15 minutes, the scent is already waning in power and projection, but it still smells pleasant. A very mild clove weaves its way into the accord along with subtle leather. When...

Tom of Finland was most assuredly a reluctant sample wear for me. I expected a flanker of Secretions due to the promotional machine that runs this House. I am one of many that find Secretions absolutely nasty. Blood and semen do not float my olfactory boat, so it was with hesitance that I tried Tom Finland. I have, however, sampled a few other from ELDO that were interesting and very wearable, so I thought..." How bad can it be? No way would they have the balls to put out another version of SM". Well, I was wrong to hesitate in sampling Tom of Finland. I've worn it three times now and admit to it being strangely good, yet something in the evolution of the scent comes to a halt when I wish it would transition a bit more. I like the opening of aldehydes and citrus. It shimmers just enough to satisfy and then within minutes the spicy wood opens up and this accord leans green. It's like unripened wood bark and will have most wearers sniffing. There's a slight powder...

Could this be an ELDO I actually like? This may be much ado about nothing, but Rien is fairly good. After being acquainted with enough leathers that have floral overtones, Rien doesn't seem as alien as it might have been to me a few years ago. Upon application, I am immediately greeted with a myrrh-like leather and subtle rose sneaking in the back door. In the midst of this volley, an aloof, mineral-like aura is also present. It's a "man-made" smell, but I don't find it off putting. If anything, it has me repeatedly sniffing the spot I applied it. Let's say it weirdly good. The aldehydes in Rien ( at least for me) contribute a sparkling shimmer underneath the accord. After 10 minutes or so, a hint of pepper attaches itself to the opening, but the listed cumin never is realized on my skin......even after multiple wearings. Patchouli, amber and Labdanum are also in the accord structure, yet they don't seem to unfold like I am accustomed to. The drydown i...

I will say one thing for this house. They make a habit of pushing the envelope and they most certainly "dare to be different". I also like the concept of animalic teamed with sultry. Vierges et Toreros seems to have its fans and detractors....which is in keeping with this house's vision of creating "outside the box". With the exception of Secretions Magnifiques, I seem to fall into neutrality when sampling their scents. The opening is citric with a slightly spicy leather and a bit of camphor. The leather seems to come front and center and by the time a sweetened floral accord arrives, there's some bite provided by a pepper note. I cannot say the floral heart dominates, but I will say the tuberose is playing point guard. It seems to go back and forth with the leather. The leathery pepper combo is one I find interesting in this fragrance. It is the center of gravity in Vierges et Toreros; along with the gritty tuberose note. There's also a mild smoke...

This 2006 release by Etat Libre d'Orange is only incendiary because what other house would financially back a "fragrance" that supposedly mimics the aroma of what a human torso secretes? They get props for that.......and absolutely nothing else. I understand that there is a very small group of people who genuinely find arousal or some other form of pleasure as a result of the unpleasant odors that emanate from the human body. I have nothing to say to that except my happiness that none of them contribute to an aroma blog. I find Secretions to be a gag-reflex conglomeration of stale body sweat and dried blood. It is vile and I would surely get as far away from someone as I could who smelled remotely similar. There's no more reviewing of this abomination. It smells very unpleasant...because it is. It takes a large set of balls to put $$$ behind a sure-fire loser like this. It must be nice to have $$$ to burn.

This Eau de Parfum isn't exactly mainstream in it's construction or vision. What bellybutton has to do with this fragrance is beyond me. Niche is sometimes flat out weird. I guess looking for an edge in marketing is to be commended. I am a fan of patchouli. This rendition isn't incendiary nor is it uninspired. It's acceptable. The opening is a jolt of good patchouli with a shot of table pepper. Yes...black pepper for your dining experience as well as your olfactory voyages. The sillage is moderate to good and on me, the patch and pepper combo are dominant from the initial application. My skin seems to deny the opoponax, bergamot and vetiver that's listed to come to fruition. After some time, there is a very wispy amberish tone and also what I believe is carrotine, but sadly, they are subdued. I am left with a simple patchouli rendition that hints at peppered amber. Nombril is a good scent, but since it's patchouli dominant, I would opt for the less pricey Pa...