Or et Noir

I recently purchased the 30 ml./1 fl.oz natural spray of the parfum, I believe this bottle to be from the mid 2000's, opens with a blast of rose immediately followed by a heavy duty geranium, the drydown seems to last forever, amazing tenacity all the while with various rosy notes on a base of clean amber and white musk, I was hoping for a dirtier deeper red rose although the entire life of this fragrance is very demure & proper as opposed to other rose soliflore's. The notes from Caron claim there are 3 different rose absolutes contained within this perfume with a Anatolian white variant that one seldom encounters with other rose centric extraits, I do like this offering from Caron, as stated a powerful rose dominant formula that hopefully will remain in Caron's repertoire for many years to come, it is a huge like for me, a rose lover in all it's many forms and variants, not sure if geranium is mentioned in the listed notes but I'm positive I could detect it's rosy goodness in the opening and lasting for quite awhile before blending in with the natural damascenes, also lilac is listed as well although deftly hidden within the rosy melange and emerges at the start of the initial dry down, it is there but not overly obvious, Caron use this floral note in many of their other fragrances notably the earlier extraits such as Fleurs de Rocaille and her sister of more modern times Fleur de Rocaille (a parfum of un-limited floralcy) I digress 'lol' Yes lovers of high quality rose heavy frags should hunt this down as I have a feeling this may be axed in the near future, these golden oldies were of a specific time, aficionados of Caron's urn fragrances should try this rare & glorious perfume before it is no more!!!! You won't be disappointed...

I am that juncture where I feel zero satisfaction discussing the so-called "decline of perfumery." I haven't the desire to lament what once was and mewl over reformulations. I approach a perfume, I smell it, and if I like, that's all that counts. True, there are times where I feel a bit sad that a classic has been rendered into a phantom of its former glory, but then I behold the miracle that fragrances released over a hundred or more years ago are still in production in any form at all. So, I spare myself from the beard-stroking at all costs. The 2017 version of Or et Noir parfum seems like it would be one of those Caron purists would wrinkle their nose in disappointment, but I smell this and the magic is here—and that is enough for me. It feels like a deep red cellophane with light shining through, with the folds of rose, shifting from soft tea-rose petals to greener geranium to burgundy damascones. There is this silhouette of lilac, peripheral but discernible, as if one is in the rose garden in an arboretum, with the lilac corridor just around the bend. The feel as it progresses is luscious like wine, round and velvety, yet not heady. There is the woody, mossy underline that feels quintessentially Caron to me—dignified and slightly austere. Or et Noir (gold and black) seems intended for one who comports themselves depending on the setting, but isn't afraid to make a statement. It's heaven compared to the drippy, syrupy, clumsy fruity-rose scents flooding the market today.

2019 Currrent Or et Noir extrait & edp review. Ive experienced the Caron vintages. I dont care what anyone says about they arent modern etc..They dont have to because they were iconic. Caron is now a slave to IFRA regulations and judging by this entry much lighter and streamlined. A lemony rose opens the new Or et Noir, then changes thru the varities of roses with a much lighter caronade. Its still there, but only as a whisper instead of its sturdy backbone found in the vintages. The parfum is rosier than the edp. The edp has more silage and tends to dip to the base notes faster than the extrait. Or et Noir isnt as sweet/ambery as Rose by Caron. I keep catching beautiful whisps of rose facets like a ghost playng hide and seek with me. Id put the quality on par with modern Lubins or Patou Heritage collectons. Nice, but no eye rolling moments. This leads me to the pricepoint. Its all relative to ones income, however 1oz of extrait with a sprayer will set you back $255. The extrait is the better buy of the two. It will take a few more wearings to determine if this was a worthy buy. Ill add to my initial thoughts once im familliar with it

Perhaps my favourite scent of all time, full of dark, enticing roses and a gorgeous, ambery base that gives it very good longevity. Alas, my precious bottle is almost gone, and it seems Caron no longer make it. Maybe the IFRA regs have made it impossible to produce now, so potent are the rose notes. If you love it and can track any down (for a reasonable price, not thousands of pounds!) you should go for it. I am still searching for a replacement with anything like the beauty and elegance of Or et Noir.