Complice

Coty Complice in EDT form has a champagne effervescence to start, that leads to a blushing bouquet of spring flowers. Muguet, lilac, and narcissus are most discernible to me, whipped into a haze, far-away-eyed and lathered with Savon de Marseille. It's delicate, but not without intrigue (as I was repeatedly reminded from the sprays under my shirt). There is a tint of chypre-bitter, but layered with a light purple frost, growing more melancholy blue over time (orris and violet). This eventually drifts away to musks, moss, and vetiver, rather discreetly, but beautifully. The overall feel of the wear is like a silk scarf caressing cool skin, similar to that of Molyneux Vivre or Hermès Amazone.

I have this in EDP and although I like it, I find it hard to describe. It reminds me sometimes of Nikki de Saint Phalle which is another fragrance I have a hard time getting a handle on. At first Complice is a very, very heavy powdery floral on me with more emphasis on the aldehydes than I normally like. Aldehydes don't usually hang around that long on me, but these have real staying power. If I've been careful not to apply too much and I can wait long enough, the aldehydes fade and their powderiness gives way to the delicacy of the florals in this. That is when I start to enjoy the carnation, peach and rose and it starts to remind me of Saint Phalle. It's several hours before I can truly love this fragrance. that's when I start to sense the Orris root (one of my favorite scents) and benzoin, then the sandalwood and musk. If only it didn't take so long to get to the good stuff. It's like the chocolate bundt cakes mixes you used to get at the super market. The cake and the frosting were awful but they had this little bit of fudge filling that was simply divine. I used to spend hours baking the whole thing but pretty much throw it all away except for that bit of filling. That was the bakery version of Complice. The good part is so good in Complice I can't stand the thought of selling it or trading it away. It's just a tough couple of hours waiting for the drydown on this one.

Fragrance Review For Complice By Coty Top Notes: African Orange Flower Bergamot Peach Aldehydes Spices Middle Notes: Carnation Narcissus Orris Root Rose Lily of the Valley Lilac Base Notes: Vetiver Musk Sandalwood Oak Moss Benzoin Civet What a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Coty perfume. This is why I hold Coty with such high regard, especially their early fragrances. They became a joke later on but they were the world's premier perfume house at one time. This is a lot of things: floral aldehyde, floral fruity, floral musk, and chypre. The opening is a bergamot citrus and peach. The freshness is rather sharp and green and spicy. It becomes aromatic very early on. There is probably an unlisted patchouli note. The flowers in this perfume that most caress my nose is lily of the valley, carnation, narcissus and lilac. A garden of flowers. They are in no danger of turning too airy because the base notes are strong and give the scent a superb support and longevity. I can detect the creamy incense type note of benzoin, rich, dark, smoky. There's also oak moss in spades, vetiver and sandalwood. The final stage is pure musk and civet. Aromatic, unisex, sophisticated, very beautiful perfume.

Christ. Swooning. From the tiniest test from a vintage bottle. I appear to be completely anosmic to the top notes, which, understandably may have deteriorated with age, but what comes through after that is sublime. My eyes keep rolling back in my head. Exotic animalic floral with more than a hint of something else..... OK, it could be hospital sticking plaster. Or maybe the nurse who bandaged my foot up in 1966 was wearing complice - I don't know. It makes my head spin. I can handle the smell and taste of the gas they knocked me out with, just to feel this scent tying up my senses in silken ropes. Please, someone, bring this back out, in it's original form. No titting about with IFRA, let the Americans and indies loose on it. Hey, Manuel Cross, of Rogue Perfumery, this is right up your alley. I'm literally begging you. I'll show my bare bum in Harrods window if you do. Pardon me, while I swoon on a convenient chaise.

I inherited a very tiny old bottle, most of it gone. It isn't like anything I ever had before. My first thoughts were parchment, old linen. Then a sharpness, then some kind of ancient musk. It wasn't unattractive so I sent off for another vintage bottle - this time a spray. That, however, was different. A kind of sickly sweetness to it became the predominant note. It doesn't often happen but I couldn't wait to wash it off. Sprayed onto a handkerchief it seems to be nicer so I'm guessing this is skin chemistry. It's certainly distinctive and quite an odd sort of scent. Nothing modern about it at all.