Oeillet Bengale

Rodrigo Flores-Roux is my hero. In 2002 he created the best of all times carnation-woody-spicy combo which was named Black Cashmere/Donna Karan and I loved and wore it ever since. In 2011 Rodrigo's Velvet Love by Dolce&Gabbana kept telling us the same story about black starry Eastern nights and carnation fields. In 2013 came out mind-blowing Sahara Noir, but I embraced it as a very good old friend of mine - younger sister of Black Cashmere, same smooth recognisable base of wild bedouin's tents with its sweet animalic scent of warm black long-haired goat-skin, and at last 2014 - Oeillet Bengale! For all people, who like myself, were long-devoted fans of Black Cashmere, these other tree fragrances are must-haves. I was always genuinely stupefied, when so many people smell in them "incense" or a "church". It is first and foremost smell of freedom, night gatherings near the fire and those super-soft and comfy sheepskins, that warm you inside and out and giving you the sensation of the nature, relaxation, openness, sensuality. You can speak your heart while wearing any of the named perfumes. Carnation is just a beautiful background of wildness that lets this warm spicy-woody base to shine. I just pray that Rodrigo will not stop there and will create few more masterpieces like these Fantastic FOUR.

I am of an age where the original Opium was my very favourite. The same age when if you bought carnations, they smelt of carnations!! These days this is rare to find. For my wedding day I had discovered Floris Malmasion (now discontinued) and loved it. But since then (and it's a long time!) I have struggled to find anything that comes close - despite trying many. But in January I was visiting a small niche fragrance boutique in Bristol and mentioned that I was always on the look out for a realistic carnation. The lovely lady there said she knew of one and sprayed Oeillet Bengale on me. Immediately I was transported back through the years to my old favourites. I couldn't buy it on that day but this week it is mine. I see that carnation does not feature in the list of notes and I read somewhere that this could be because people think of it as an old fashioned thing. That does not matter to me, I feel as though I have re-connected with something and I am very happy. So, for anyone like me who loves carnation I would definitely recommend giving this one a try.

This is a beautiful perfume, definitely more classic than I expected, but lacking that vintage-style, heady bitterness so it doesn't fall into true "old-fashioned" territory despite the fact that it centers around spicy carnation. Many classic orientals are hard for me to wear because they so often take on that quality. This one is very different and I would say much more universally appealing. The only disappointment for me is that the projection is weaker than I would like. Interestingly, not only Oeillet Bengale, but others from house that I have sampled also struck me as weaker than ideal. This one is sitting as a barely detectable skin scent/luxury soap trail 30 minutes after application. On the other wrist I sprayed Penhaligon's Bewitching Yasmine - the two happened to be sitting next to one another.. There is a major difference in projection and richness. I like Oeillet Bengale because it's unique and very pretty, but wish it had greater projection and longevity.

It starts with a burst of spicy rose. I love it and I wish it stayed with me a bit longer. Then it transfers to a subtle spicy soapiness. I get a blend of spices mixed with some cut flowers. Still clean and put together. I definitely get the balsamic note close to my skin. It revokes memories of stays in expensive hotels, visiting palastes. It’s beautiful. It’s sophisticated. It‘s a slow scent. In a way that I don’t think I would wear it to my fast-paced corporate office. It’s a UN, OECD, WHO scent. Family Trust office. Important, secretive. All in all, I love it and I wanna get the full flacon though I would probably only use it on special occasions or whilst in London sipping on my tea and enjoying 5pm snacks.

What a beautiful fragrance! Spicy, exotic, incense rose. This is soft, super aromatic , delicious, a little woody. Definitely leaning towards feminine for me. This is also light and airy, very versatile fragrance. Love it!