Poivre Sacré

Gave me tingles in all the right places. Caron's usual wonderfully piquant pepper note, here showcased in a mellower, more rounded and woodier setting than in either the pinker, more-femme gaudy twinkliness of Parfum Sacre or the more stripped-down manly minimalism of Poivre Imperial. So: this ends up in the totally happy place in between: that gorgeous pepperiness is given extra heft and bounce by the resins and wood, but still kept prickling away with a bristling heaping spoonful of other spices too. All cooks up a storm and lasts for a very respectable 6-8h on skin, yet somehow the effect is smooth and soothing, rather than a yelling spice-cupboard rampage. You could enjoy several servings per day without feeling overwhelmed - and others around you won't feel bombarded. Cumin didn't seem huge or sweaty to me; the whole ensemble tends more towards a sort of nutty-brown woody backdrop than a giant cavalcade of lurid clashing colours. Skews very very slightly male in my view but not enough to stop any lady with good taste from wearing and enjoying it too. A subtle masala mixed with a clever, restrained and sophisticated hand! Delicious.

I had three perfumes my whole life, one for the spring-summer, one for the fall-winter and one for the evenings and special events. The love for perfumes started in May this year with this one. I did love perfumes before, but Povre Sacre made me passionate about them, to find out how is it possible to have such a complex experience with a perfume. For me, Poivre Sacre takes me to a warm and opulent garden with no flowers, just jewels. I did feel the pepper and the frankincense and something more, strong, almost overwhelming. That made me wait for more than half a year. Passing the shop, testing it multiple times, I had the clear thought that I need it. It was the coriander, possible some cumin that made me hesitate but after a few tests I noticed I love the dry down, is warm, is sweet but not sugary sweet and still present. I feel the pepper all the way. It has everything I love in a perfume but in a very unique combination. I am not a collector, I am still learning about perfume but I had to start the reviews with this one. It all started with this one and, even though my bank account is not happy, I regret nothing.

This comes with a very personal touch for me right from the first spray. The peppery blast of frankincense opened the impression of a melodic hum reminescent of a monastic murmur during a vesper. But once it settles, the warmth behind it takes me out of the priesty solemnity and I get embraced by this diaphane, delicate vapour which has sublty continued to persist after a cooked down, forever stirred fruit consomme. I'm getting this velvety softness which I simply adore from cumin and saffron. The resin's cue gives a very distinct finness to its nuttinness. To me, the pungency comes from coriander not so much from the pepper. 9/10

This is absolutely mesmerising! Full of understated and effortless elegance, this smells of old money and tradition, kept and cherished through the centuries. Warm and melancholic resins in the centre, layered with fiery nutmeg, cooling coriander and saffron, and at the top there's ever-present tingling black pepper. In my perception this scent isn't monstrous neither in longevity, nor in sillage - it lasts around 6 to 8 hours and doesn't knock you off in its penetrative presence. But it is so flawlessly composed, rich and beautiful, that I don't mind to reapply.

Gorgeous fragrance for amber and incense lovers! Opens with an explosion of pepper and spices (I detect mostly saffron and nutmeg) followed by a sweet, resinous, ambery incense. I smell something smoky too, might be the guaiac wood. The more it dries down, the sweeter it gets on my skin. Longevity and sillage are moderate - I got a good 6 to 8 hours, with the last few hours being more of a skin scent. Mind you this may very in different temperatures. I love it!