Inevitable Crimes of Passion

Its Terry Chocolate Orange with a touch of grapefruit! I don’t know about a Victorian orangery but in my imagination the German fat kid from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is sitting there tucking into a TCO with great gusto. Even as the alcohol fades its still TCO but now the coffee and woods dominate. It just gets better on me. Please dont think this is a sickly sweet fragrance because it is not. Its all perfectly balanced. Yes, I get the fungus with the coffee and wood which make the backbone of this special fragrance. I cant help thinking of TF Black Orchid which also has this sort of quality. Its a perfume of mystery. A decent sillage and moderate longevity. I think this fragrance does lean a bit more to the feminine but if you love it then go for it. I love to wear this when doing something arty like visiting the Royal Academy for an exhibition. If you want to smell delightful and totally unique then this is for you.

Of this fragrance, Sarah McCartney said, "I've deepened it with more mushroom absolute, boletus (the cep or penny bun) to give it a dark, sensual, animalic end. The start though is still Terry's Chocolate Orange--although I didn't put orange or chocolate in it--grapefruit, coffee and woods create that particular illusion." Although I can't quite pinpoint the chocolate, I do get a sweet orange vibe. I get a hint of the coffee, and the dirty tinge is there too. It's sweet, but not overly so. I also smelled something earthy like patchouli, but it must be the mushroom (which I'm not familiar with). It's not specifically a mushroom scent (like you would smell in a food dish), but the mushroom absolute is adding that hint of dirt to this sweet fragrance. It is fairly long-lasting on me, although it turns into a skin scent after a short while. I really like the contrasts in this fragrance, and it's definitely FBW for me!

This is a truly unique fragrance, I can't think of anything else that smells quite like it. I would describe it as a woody - gourmand leaning - chypre. It has an earthiness to it from the mushroom and patchouli (contrary to the above notes, I am almost certain that it does contain patchouli) and the coffee and grapefruit draw it in a slightly gourmand direction but it is not overly sweet. Very wearable but also distinctive.

The first stage of this tantalisingly named fragrance is like inhaling a big powerful grapefruit and pineapple cocktail in a sleazy Miami bar. A super- alcoholic cocktail, though - the type where you slurp down two and you're drunk, and a third would separate the women from the girls. After that extremely fun first stage this is pure dirty, sexy chocolate orange - like an edible body lotion you'd find in a sex shop for 'marital use'. Glorious!

The woods dominate throughout. At the beginning there's something that reminds me of herbal tinctures and brandy, the mushroom note adds to to earthy herbalness of the scent and then a bitterness kicks in when the coffee and dark chocolate shine as the alcohol fades. In the drydown there's a hint of pepper as the scent slowly fades. A unique deep, dark fragrance.

I'm going to quote the 4160 Tuesdays's website notes on this perfume for the benefit of anyone curious about this perfume as the Fragrantica notes above don't include these details, although I think quite a few of the previous reviewers have been to the site: "A Henry James novel in a bottle, an invitation into a Victorian orangery, then into the velvet upholstered parlour for tea, then down to ... the cellar never to be seen again." I've been getting to know the 4160 Tuesdays range. Sarah McCartney, the perfumer and founder, seems to enjoy and be inspired by story-telling. Sometimes they are little vignettes, sometimes more of a narrative as with Inevitable Crimes of Passion. If this intrigues you, try Take Me to the River and Maxed Out for two more truly unusual, distinctive and possibly somewhat challenging fragrances that have a tale to tell. The other observation I'd make about 4160 Tuesdays is that from what I have tried so far, I'd say that the perfumes fall into two groups: there are citrussy, fruity, bright, positive daytime scents and louche, dark and dirty scents - Take Me to the River and Maxed Out are in this group, as is Inevitable Crimes of Passion. Having said that, the brandy that your devilish seducer pours for you in the study brings an almost medicinal note. Perhaps it is the contrast with the earthy smell of the cellar, a rich and fertile loam. Perhaps the medicinal note or accord is what MsKayJae detects as herbal tinctures. I also found, like elledeelee, Cherry_Darling and MsKayJae that the brandy is prominent in the top notes, as well as persisting into the heart. I like to think that in this story, it is the mad, bad and dangerous to know seducer who doesn't come back from the cellar and the not-so-innocent ingenue is the one who sits back down in the leather armchair in the study and savours another brandy by the fire.

Smells so dirty, I cannot bear it. Wet earth, mold, rotting wooden floorboards. This reminds me of abandoned cabins where the roof has caved in and nature is recycling man's work back into the forest. Not a hint of citrus or gourmand notes to be found among the mildewed ruins. I don't want to smell like straight up decay. Scrubbed it off after 30minutes of suffering. Review of official spray sample that came free with purchase.

Definitely get the brandy vibe, but very woodsy / cocoa coffee beans and a small blast of freshness. Really enjoying this one, no mushrooms at all for me. More of a havana rum and woods kinda vibe. The opening is great, drydown nice a bit dustier, however after a good 3 hours (though kudos for the great longevity) I do get a strong note that is a little overpowering (oudi even maybe) but I can't complain it really does last.

Very very boozy brandy opening, it's deep, intriguing, and suited to my style. I get earthiness lightened by zingy citruses, and I definitely pick up on that hint of soily, mushroomy vegetation too! It dries down a little dusty, in a good way. Masculine leaning and very very sexy, it's an unusual fragrance on the market generally, and specifically a standout offering from this house. It's really, really good!

I don't know if its just me I don't get citrus at all just an earthy, woody perfume more linear than most of this brand. I like it a lot for its uniqueness I have never smelled anything like this but I'm not getting boozy notes or citrus at all.