Grimoire

Well I'm sorry, it will take a long time to read because I will be able to write pages on Grimoire as it is inspiring for me ... Grimoire is a magnificent perfume and curiously it reminds me also of a hated and intriguing perfume: Rien (from ELDO ). On the one hand I find it extremely mysterious, attractive as well as repulsive (well not too much otherwise I will not have bought it), let's say that it is not a mass appeal, it is undoubtedly very niche with all the finesse of work, but also with all the risk that it does not please. I find it sweet (not sugary), and of a 'benevolence' and if in this Grimoire we find tales inscribed on parchments: they tell us authentic stories of Nature, secrets buried under this damp and cold earth and in the high perched ivy ... they are linked to these constructions which by dint of holding on to take over the soul of men and a little of their scent without any shame ... I find there odors of patchouli, damp earth, saliva, of soap, and aromatic plants lying around. Handcrafted incense burns in the heart of a forest where ancient trees rise above the dark, damp and dusty carpet on which their roots overlap and cross. The slow smoke escaping from a chapel supports the singing of the monks but accentuates the mystery of this sacred place ... it is a meaning hidden from the men perhaps who will not listen but it is a melody that carries us away if we pay attention. The empty monastery, henceforth, is only so in appearance because wherever we look these stones speak to us, make us feel what once was ... incense persists on the damp walls and the foam colored with spices is adorned with a perfume that we would like to take with us ... meditation in these places is quite indicated but while we are heading towards an exit in ruins it seems, we come out impregnated because we are so linked to these ancestors so devoid of material but not spiritual! There is precisely a spirituality in this perfume and an almost naked humanity, a still vivid memory which teaches in our modern life all the lived experience it has had ... it is a mystery, and if the pages of this Grimoire are cold, all the spells it contains are still burning with life This perfume is sublime, you just have to agree on one thing, the hidden entrance must be sought through a dark, almost suffocating opening ... it went to tap into this cold and dusty Grimoire, our beautiful memory! Thank you Anatole for creating and sharing it

Rarely you find a fragrance that seriously shock your mind. Yes this fragrance really deserve more attention. I give to it 5 star. A Grimoire is a book of magic spells and invocations. Every single witch has to have one where to write her personal sorceries. Here the goal has perfecly been reached. When you smell this fragrance you are immediatly transported into a magic obsure realm. Harry Potter? Lord of the Rings? Could be. Maybe it is so for the youngest generations. I was a child in the 80s so with Grimoire I see pictures of Conan the Barbare, Excalibur, Labyrinth. It is somenthing that connect with your unconscious probably. Personally I also see the house of the mother of a friend of mine, she was passionate in astrology and tarot, and when we were teen we use to go to her house to discover the secrets of our future. The house, full of ebony wood furnitures, indian carpets, burning incenses, had that smell. Is the first think I have thought when I first smelled this creation. I add than the vial of Grimoire it was in a little bag with about other 15 vials I received. The sachet fall on the floor. The only vial which breaks is Grimoire. What a curse! I imagine this fragrance floating inside the studio of the Count of Cagliostro, Nostradamus, Leonardo da Vinci, even Merlin. Open an ampoule with a green liquid slowly boil inside and Grimoire is the scent that you expect to smell. To simplify this is mainly a woody spicy dark green incense fragrance, one incense really gothic without be churchy or waxy neither common. Disquieting cold sulfuric flowers sleeps inside the bottle. If you want to feel 100% Maleficent for one night this is your perfume. A real little masterpiece, simple, artisanal, but finely orchestred. An experience you must have.

Grimoire opens with a strong cedar, cumin and olibanum, as well as short-lived winks of a lovely sweetness (from basil maybe? unclear). Early stages also have some light lavender that relatively quickly turns into mostly powdery aspects. Overall, Grimoire actually lands warmer and softer on my skin than anticipated. Cumin doesn't tend to turn into body odour on me so I guess I'm lucky there :D Now, I initially got interested in Grimoire as it was mentioned in a bunch of posts and recommendations for gothic, religious-themed fragrances and I'd love to honour the legacy of my Catholic shame with a fitting perfume, something dark that evokes the feeling of empty cathedrals and such. I legit have no clue as to why Grimoire might have ended up recommended in these posts because there's nothing dark or gothic about it. What it does evoke is the vibes of a bunch of monks cramped in a dusty monastery (which, from what I know, was closer to Grimoire's goal). We've got herbal aspects, spices, woods, incense and a warm, musky amber base. The drydown comes even closer to evoking skin with, dare I say, some subtle hints of animalics, and the overall effect is this: cuddly monks. I swear, it makes me think of happy, plump monks who would welcome you in with a bowl of hearty stew and sit around the fireplace gossiping and sampling Father Albert's latest batch of mead. While I don't really know what occasion I might wear this cuddly monk perfume for, I am definitely enjoying my sample a lot! End stage drydown is a pleasant, sweet ambery musk. Performance: minimum of 7-8h longevity and the upper end of moderate sillage (I'd say strong sillage for the first 2 hours).

Definitely a weird one, and not one I go to often, but whenever I do, it's always an experience. It has a bright-ish citrus opening, but that disappears almost immediately, replaced by a sort of roasted - not burnt - and slightly sweet/balsamic, but bitter and very dry potpourri for the remainder of the time. It's not cooking spices for me as much as it is dried herbs and spices that smell nice, and then caramelized. I don't seem to be nearly as affronted by cumin as most people, and enjoy things like Al Oudh and Les Jeux Sont Faits, FWIW. I'd say it does some justice to the idea of a book of spells, but not completely. It is quite dry and dusty, and does smell like some of the ingredients have been sitting on a shelf for a long time. Maybe a little bit of leather would have topped off the effect. If you're offended by cumin and cooking spices, then you can easily pass on this. If you like artsy scents with lots of spices (Villoresi's Piper Nigrum in the original bottle comes to mind), then you might like this. A very original and personal perfume, and not exactly easy to like, but it certainly doesn't smell cheap. Would probably please people into fantasy, gaming, cosplay, eyes of newt, etc. The obvious season for it is autumn, but I've worn it in all seasons and it still works. More niche than most. For interesting spell-casters of both sexes.

Smokey, fresh, spicy incense. Not your gas station or wellness shop incense, but ceremonial grade, unprocessed resins and saps that require a smoldering coal puck to burn, obtained from a botanica or wild-foraged. Greenery under moonlight, where light and shadow alike possess a silver glimmer. The aromatic herbs, moss-covered woods, and lavender edge the profile into dead center unisex while incorporating some of the most masculine leaning notes, including cedarwood. Grimoire lives up to its witchy name, a sensual fall trance-state scent. Fans of Andrea Maack's Coven that find it too esoteric or avant garde for public wear will be pleased to sport Grimoire's offering, something of a lovechild from the fantasy union of Coven & Passage d'Enfer. My sample is a dabber, so I can't speak to projection or sillage. The longevity (again, from a dabber) is mild, with the sharper woods and resins tapering off to a lightly-incensed soft patchouli & musk within a few hours. I purchased a sample of this in spring, and vowed to wait until October's macabre season to smell it, which I'd highly recommend if what drew you to this scent is the name!