Velvet Rouge

This is an extremely spicy scent...not for the faint of heart. It starts out with a prominent chili note, then the coffee and chocolate come in. The chili lingers throughout, and it dries down to a nice dark chocolate with a hint of spice. The opening reminds me of the heart of Serge Lutens Arabie, while the heart of Velvet Rouge reminds me of the dry down of Bond No. 9 New Haarlem. However, the dry down of Velvet Rouge is like no other perfume I've ever smelled--it is the loveliest dark chocolate mocha you can imagine. Velvet Rouge is sweet and spicy, and it comes on strong. It also has a pretty big sillage radius...my co-worker could smell it on me from across the room! This is not a "safe" fragrance, and should only be worn by the bold. I say that because it's kind of a love it or hate it fragrance, and others around you will probably comment. It's good to wear when going out at night, or some place you want to be noticed. (I probably shouldn't have worn it to work, for instance.) It also lasted a good ten hours on me. All in all, it is a very strong, unique fragrance with great sillage and longevity. Editing to add: Since writing this review, I have worn it a few other times and the strong chili has faded sooner, leaving just a spiced mocha scent. Also, I confirmed directly with Arte Profumi that the notes are chili, roasted coffee, cocoa powder, and licorice. No nutmeg, vetiver, or orange. (Even though I DO smell something resembling nutmeg--perhaps it was the licorice interacting with the coffee and chocolate.) I really am liking it more and more each time I wear it, and the dry down is unbeatable.

I was having a conversation with someone yesterday about how when you say NEVER or when you are totally opposed to something, the universe has a way of making you eat crow. So, I said I HATE patchouli. I can precisely remember the exact moment I decided I hated it; it was my first Grateful Dead concert in Berkeley (no joke). I think my senses went into overload. First, I found Sensuous Noir, which I love. It's a nice, warm, friendly patchouli. Then, PG Coze knocked my socks off, and now this Arte Profumi Velvet Rouge is I'll-follow-you-to-the-ends-of-the-earth love. All 3 of these feature the warm, earthy rounded patchouli. The Coze is patch with chocolate and wormwood. This Velvet Rouge is like a warm chewy patchouli soaked in chili drenched in pancake syrup and brewed into a dark espresso. It's super dark and sexy, like sitting in a dark café in Paris reading Tropic of Capricorn, then glancing over and seeing Henry Miller himself wink at you and inviting you to sit with him, and then you KNOW you're in for a long and interesting night......... It's like that. Like fun, sexy, trouble in a bottle. It smells simultaneously warm and dirty. It's very skanky, in a very very good way.

I sampled this with no expectations and it has surprised and enchanted me. First of all, I would warn that this has a beast of a projection even for me who tends to overspray due to chronic allergic rhinitis affecting my sense of smell at times. Trust me, this needs one spray at most to fill a room. I would add that it's definitely not for those with delicate sensibilities as there is nothing light or delicate about Velvet Rouge. This scent is a hot and pulsating affair between the notes of cocoa, coffee, vetiver and aromatic spices including chili. Dark bitter chocolate melds seamlessly with bold black coffee and the smoky almost leathery vetiver. Nutmeg blends its sweet aromatic self into the mix with some shavings of spicy chili on top but I won't say that the chili is particularly challenging/nose-tingling here. It befits its name Velvet Rouge, coarse yet supple and I would imagine the rouge being the exact shade of Chanel's Rouge Noir nail polish, made famous by Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Smouldering. Sultry. Virile. Adjectives I'll associate with this fragrance. If I haven't rained enough praise yet, I will add that the longevity is outstanding.

Nutmeg spices, and dirty vetiver The chocolate isn't a dominant or even the second conquered note in here, so as the coffee. The main notes in here are nutmeg, chilies, and dirty vetiver, as i sense some black pepper, and cumin. This is more of spicy than chocolate, most likely the spice with hints of chocolate. It's not really sexy as the creator said it is, it's just overly spicy and very like spice storage room than something that would smell sexy, and NO, it doesn't smell anything like "Piment et Chocolat" by DSH as "Piment et Chocolat" smells like chocolate and chilies rather than spice with hints of chocolates.

Velvet Rouge smells like a smoky love letter written in chili oil and spilled coffee. Spicy, shadowy, and a little bit possessed. Definitely not your everyday gourmand.