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!

Another really similar scent to the unsi we burn back home. A variant of it that’s more heavily frankincense leaning. Pale and pure and raw and daunting. I burn this variant when I’m not entertaining anyone and just need to feel something. This smells like what a velvet cloak smells like in a room that’s had a lot of it burning. The velvety thickness is almost nutty or I guess candle waxy as others have put it. I can see how honey is perceived too. The scent has a rounder plush shape as it enters my nose. The first few minutes are a bit scary though I thought I’m sure ppl r gonna think I didn’t wear deodorant but I get compliments easily so it’s not that challenging. Again we have to remember sometimes scents come off more challenging to us because we examine them closely. But to many passerby’s they just smell it in the air and don’t think too deeply about it. The only scents I have trouble with in public are the chypres lol but people really like frankincense perfumes probably bc it’s a timeless classic scent that is sacred to every culture on earth basically. #Worldpeace ✌🏾

A powerful perfume with a medieval charm. There's a beautiful contradiction in the play of incisive top notes + atmospheric incense and cedar; a marriage of two distinct melodies into one hypnotic symphony of scent. I love the bergamot-cumin-basil (I don't get any lavender) but anyone who dislikes cumin should stay well away; this is it amplified, evocative of focused, animalic effort. I love the effect of the golden-hued incense with this sharp pungency. Inhaling this conjures imagery of a passionate sorcerer in a dark, candle-lit chamber. My mage is surrounded by cedar chests and lovingly carved bowls, deep deep in the heart of a mossy forest away from any chance of disturbance. This is a perfume best worn for intense, creative work in solitude. It's an enhancer. It would be lost in a social situation, as would a grimoire... at best misunderstood, at worst reviled. Perfume for appreciative perfume-loving types. Distillation: atmospheric scent incisive and diffused contradictory

deep rather than broad- sexy and subtly luminous, like hallucinogenic moss pressed between the pages of a medieval X-File. i’ve found the longevity to be 6 to 7 hours in autumn and winter, but am unsure about siliage and projection, as i wear this one only for myself/when i’m sure nobody else will be around! (for any who may be wary of a stale sweat accord that can accompany cumin notes, i’d say this scent is still very much worth sampling- the bergamot really freshens the overall composition.)

Grimoire is the perfume of sorcery: a perfectly blended concoction of olibanum, cumin, resins, herbs and dust particles. After the animalic opening settles, there’s an easy going creaminess to this scent that I find appealing. If Grimoire were to cast a spell, it would not be out of malevolence. No, this scent is all about the earth, nature and falling in love. Impressive performance from just one spray, Grimoire sums up all the reasons I’m addicted to discovering new perfume.

A beautiful and nauseating perfume, quite the contradiction. The burst of olibanum and cumin really hit you right at the beginning. Olibanum has always had a cold, metallic, and citrus quality to me. While artistic, it's nearly unwearable for me at this point. But the drydown - oh, it's beautiful! The cumin and cedar combine to create the scent of a log cabin, its walls warm from the fireplace. Spellbinding. A friendly witch's cabin.

Usually cumin gets way to prominent on my skin and I smell like a packed subway without AC. And this is a cumin bomb, but it's soo pleasurable, smooth and creamy with the resins and oakmoss. I love it! Something to try if cumin or oud gets too much like BO on you, like for me with Salome and Songe d'un Bois d'Ete. On the other hand, my partner that loves Salome (on himself) was not impressed by this one.

Sublime fresh herbal opening that slowly warms up into a horsey and incensy scent. The contrast between the aromatic notes and the dirty cumin lightened by the incense is fascinating, perfectly balanced and executed. This perfume literally blooms on my skin in cold weather and stays with me all day long. The more I wear it the more I enjoy it. I'm in love

Turns out this is perfect for church. I don’t really go to church, not on a regular basis. But they had a Sit in Silence event, and while I sat there, Grimoire suddenly made sense. I love Coven and this is its less approachable sibling. Not something I’d wear in crowds, but just for me.

I get the bergamot right away...but it gets softened by sweet incense/woody/musky notes...it gets musty?...yes there's a sense of oldness mixed in with the fruit...very interesting and very wearable...

I own and love this fragrance but it always has a distinct affinity with furniture wax or floor polish when I wear it.

Anatole Lebreton scents usually lean towards the super-loud and one-note, but Grimoire is subtle and complex. A light, dry incense with a bit of cumin skank, and a refined, classical feel. A few minutes in, it sweetens slightly and makes me think of herbal honey, still on a backdrop of dry mossy incense. And then we settle into Oakmoss World: black, peppery, incense-inflected, grimy oakmoss, with just a lingering aura of (abstracted, pleasant) sweat. Even later in the drydown, Grimoire warms up and becomes a slightly sweetened earthy cumin aura. And later still, it goes back to a honeyed-herbal-medicinal vibe, gold-green and strange yet soothing. This is a weird little fragrance. I think it might almost be an heir to old-school earthy, mossy chypres (Rochas Mystere, Halston) except that it’s sheerer, less “perfumey”, and more incense-dominated. Grimoire twists and turns; it doesn’t hit you over the head with a strong personality. It feels “modern” in that it’s made of different overlapping facets in equal balance; neither minimalist nor symphonic, but more like chamber music. (Luca Turin calls it an “olfactory sonata”, which gets at the same quality: a graceful little contraption.) Definitely my favorite Anatole Lebreton so far; despite the chypre DNA, I think it reads as unisex.

#1284 in my "Tour de Fragrance" Got this as a decant. When I first pulled the stopper the blast of cumin had me thinking I wasn't going to be a fan, but on the skin that cumin blast blended in quickly with what is a mild, mossy and pleasant olibanum scent. I gave Andrea Maack's "Coven" to a girlfriend, as she liked it more than I did. Coven smells mossy like this, minus the incense, so if you're a witchy woman that finds this is too churchy, Coven would be a good option for you. This mostly reminds of some incense candles I bought on ETSY from a company appropriately named "Midnight Mass", that feature incense, balsam and smoked citrus. This scent is very mild-mannered, stays in the background, so certainly not going to be anyone's signature scent. I probably wouldn't wear this for casual wear, or in a day-to-day business setting, but okay for formal events where the seating is tight, like an orchestral performance, as it's inoffensive in close proximity (because the performance is unimpressive. It'll make it through a dinner date in cold weather. Not a summer scent for sure.). The price I'm finding isn't great, $120 for 50 ml, which is a lot for something I would not wear that often, so not a priority buy for me.

The name made me expect something much more dark, opaque and grim, yet it is well justified - Grimoire is a kind of magic, sparkly yet mistical. The reviewer below said it - it's a spell cast, but it also has a healing, purifying quality - olibanum and a pack of herbs, spice and moss. The spell is here not to deceive, enchant, but to reveal, to unfold. Another powerful dimension I get from Grimoire is a remarkable perfume history reference; to my nose, it's an aromatic fougere of an old-school fragrance that feels almost like a hommage to Roudnitska's Eau d'Hermes (minus leather). Perhaps less casual than Roudnitska's masterpiece, but still very similar - cumin seems to have this dissolute effect on different noses, here it perfectly unites sweet, mellow notes (lavender, elemi, musk) with more masculine side (olibanum, woody, moss). Despite of everything, Grimoire is not a difficult fragrance to wear; it balances nicely with balmy, spicy, subtly sweet, a bit green, a bit dirty, mossy - impression is uncommon but calming. On moments it's almost refreshing with lots of character. Another time it's deeply reflective, melancholic, solitary..

I kinda blind-bought this one after smelling it only on fabric, and it's such a good surprise. To my nose, it's a lot of olibanum, basil, and lavender in the opening, with a woody/mossy dry down. They gave me the little booklet with the perfume, and it's made to evoke the garden of a monastery, the crypt, and the books, witnesses to these lives devoted to spirituality. It works pretty well; to me, it does evoke a little convent in the mountains in Cyprus where the sisters are making honey and soap and spend the rest of the day praying and doing chores. I love this idea of the spiritual and material word, reunited in a sunny garden. On skin, it's really beautiful, especially the basil, which is not culinary at all; it's a touch of green that keeps Grimoire from being another olibanum scent. The cumin is nice in the drydown, it's not too strong to me and it makes for a pretty surprising fragrance that's not linear at all.

Loved the opening and thought I might be in for something akin to Fate Man by Amouage after that waft of cumin, and blasting of piney citrus, incense. The drydown is much more of an olibanum dominant affair though and my critisism....a little too much so. It's a bit linear for me but I have to say either the accord or most likely the olibanum used is of excellent quality, it really does shimmer with a silvery goodness and in lesser hands may not be a liable perfume (despite being fantastic material) but here it's sheperded to a much finer and more polished place than the usual crop of indy, incense perfumes. I like it, but I'd like it more if those spicy top notes stuck around a little longer and if it really put the boot in and cracked up to 11, I'd probably rave about this perfume and it's lovely olibanum centric themes.