Eau Noire

Eau Noire, or Black Water, originally composed by Francis Kurkdjian in 2004, was later ruined by Dior over the course of reformulations like they have most of their fragrances, and then they invited Captain Kurk back to re-reformulate their Collection Prive again to try to get them back into shape (2022). It must have been an interesting discussion between Mr. Kurkdjian and the powers-that-be at Dior and LVMH when they asked him to rescue some of his own fragrances. At any rate, a perfume with a name like Black Water at the hands of Captain Kurk is sort of a foregone conclusion to guess its style. You know what you're going to get: something sweet and veering towards gourmand. More recently anyway, I swear the man has no idea how to do dark, brooding, seductive, sad, sexy, angry, or anything else on that side of the emotional spectrum without making the perfume sweet and foody. He's done this I don't know how many times - think Grand Soir and Absolue Pour Le Soir as just two examples of many. Does he have a food fetish? Is he one of those people that considers food for enjoyment to be the deadly sin of gluttony? Seriously, a good friend or family member of his - if you're reading this - please check-in with him to make sure he isn't diabetic. His dark and brooding fragrances (or whatever description should be used on that end of the emotional spectrum) give me this hilarious image of him skulking away to some dark, dusty, out-of-sight corner of his home and stuffing his face with sweets, growling and purring like a beast trying to gobble up tasty treasures before anyone notices. Anyway, onto Eau Noire, which to my mind is misnamed: I think this should've been called Eau Violet or maybe Eau Pourpre. I instantly and easily see a dark royal purple whenever I smell this perfume. I'm sure Noire markets better. First minutes after application on skin I get a beautiful mélange of herbs and lavender. The lavender, in particular, is gorgeous, leaning into lavender's floral side rather than its herbal side. These dry down quite quickly to - guess what?! - an anisic or fenugreek accord, and vanilla! Ding ding ding! Put some points on the board for me, I was right, Captain Kurk is letting us witness his food fetish again! Give him some points for stylistic consistency and predictability too, I guess. However, unlike most of his other dark food-fetishistic perfumes, this one is actually fairly dry instead of obviously sweet, relatively speaking. What sweetness there is seems to come from the anisic/fenugreek accord, which actually makes me think it's more fenugreek - like the root bulb of the fennel plant, fresh and juicy with water and plant sugars, has been cut open before my nose. Some are saying this accord is immortelle; tomato, toe-mah-toe, but to me it's not immortelle since it has that sweetness that you don't get from the leaves of helichrysum. The vanilla is really quite dry and extremely, tastefully, marvelously smooth, evocating dried vanilla bean rather than a vanilla extract for baking. As the perfume continues to dry down, soft spoken and very smooth cedar and leather have more stage presence. They are so quiet and so smooth they are almost like whisps or shadows of cedar and leather. Circling back to the beginning of my commentary, just for a moment: after a couple of hours with this perfume you also get confirmation of one of Captain Kurk's mandates from Dior/LVMH with the re-reformulation, which is to stretch the materials as long and far as they can go. For an EdP the longevity, projection, and sillage are so understated you could say the performance is disappointing. I love an understated, calm, and quiet perfume just as much as anyone, but this version of Eau Noire - like most of Kurkdjian's own fragrances from his namesake brand - seems to be quiet and understated for the sake of using as little of the expensive olfactive materials as possible in order to increase profit margins, rather than underutilization for stylistic effect. One could argue that Black Water is meant to be like water, and therefore shouldn't have much strength or performance, but honestly that argument feels like a cop-out with what this perfume could do while still staying on message. This personal preference aside, and it is just a personal preference as I'm sure many people will validly disagree with me, it's a gorgeous perfume. It really is. Warm and inviting, yet a bit standoff-ish, preferring the warm glow of candlelight at night to the sunshine of the day. Though I might be a bit let down by the overall performance, I want to keep spraying it and spraying it and spraying it all over myself until I can't take any more - just like Captain Kurk in his dark corner where he indulges his shameful fetish for desserts.

Speaking of oddball concoctions, here is one that I love and is among my most worn perfumes and one that I somehow never got around to reviewing. The one and only Eau Noire. It is worth mentioning that there were three iterations of this fragrance, originally composed by Kurkdijan in 2004, then slightly tweaked by Demachy when Dior launched its "La Collection Couturier" in 2010, and it was later reformulated yet again by its original creator. I happen to prefer the early Demachy version over both the Kurkdijans, as I find it to strike the perfect balance between Fougere and Oriental. The original "Cologne" was heavier on spices and fresher, while the latest version steers more into the dry-smoked woods territory and tones down the blast of spices and heavy licorice. That being said, I have to give credit to Kurkdijan for creating such a unique and memorable fragrance. He is no doubt one of, if not the most overrated nose in the industry, but he outdid himself when he created Eau Noire. Despite my love for Absolue Pour Le Soir, I think Eau Noire is the best thing he has ever done, and for my taste, the best thing that ever came out of the house of Christian Dior. What makes this perfume so exquisite is how it takes the most incompatible accords and blends them into something that not only works but manages to entice, inspire, and be completely original. Who could have ever imagined putting together greens, lavender, thyme, fenugreek, coffee, black licorice, vanilla, and wood? These are the most prevalent notes and accords to my nose. I don't get the people who call out Immortelle as one of the major players in here. As hard as I struggle to fathom that, I can't. I'd say fenugreek is to blame for the "curry/maple" feel in Eau Noire, and people get confused or regurgitate what others say. Eau Noire doesn't display the usual facets of Immortelle. But that's just my opinion. The perfume is built of two halves, the Fougere and the Oriental, linked by this most peculiar accord of Black Licorice. The latter is not your licorice root nor the star anise, but an actual "confectionary licorice" accord. Indeed, like those dark-hued candies you might have tried at least once as a kid. If you didn't, you've missed out. I happen to love them and naturally, adore their showcase in Eau Noire. It is strong, and if you don't like that flavor, you can safely avoid this fragrance. It's omnipresent and connects the two parts of the composition. It starts as a green, spicy fougere, with a strong display of thyme and perhaps myrtle, lavender, and green-wet grass. This part lasts for a good while before you start to pick up the Oriental elements underneath - the vanilla, the coffee, and the smoked woods that give off a "faux" leather impression at times. The coffee note is another major player in Eau Noire, and while I struggle with it in most compositions, I thoroughly enjoy how it is showcased here - think of a caffe latte, not the beans or the black coffee accord. The more it goes down into the base, the more of the woods, vanilla, and latte accord come to the forefront, but the green aspects, the fenugreek, the licorice, and the lavender hold their ground, albeit in the background. I believe the combination of fenugreek and vanilla helps to create the "maple syrup" impression that surfaces later in the development. And even after many hours, when Eau Noire finally settles down as a proper Oriental perfume, you can still sense the juicy and tart green aspects and the licorice cutting through the fuming woods and the steaming latte. Eau Noire is one of those "love-it-or-hate-it" perfumes with no in-betweens. The one thing, however, that cannot be contested is how exquisite and iconic an olfactory work it is. Technically flawless, a seamless blend of all those notes that don't belong together yet works like a finely tuned musical instrument without ever feeling jarring, while creatively original with no resemblance, played by a musician that nowadays is in his hour of fame but worst moment of creativity, for the few ears longing for good music, the type that stirs emotions. IG:@memory.of.scents

Okay lets talk about Eau Noire shall we? Casting my mind back to mid/late 2000's and trying Eau Noire cologne for the first time. ANECDOTE ALERT!!!! (I'll keep it brief I promise;) So this was several years ago now, and I'm at the Dior counter and I've got my heart set on buying Ambre Nuit (after trying most of the range extensively) and then Eau Noire goes and throws a spanner in the works. I got Ambre nuit in the end but this gave me a banquet of food for thought. The lady on the Dior counter told me that "I'd never guess what notes were in this fragrance!" I didn't relish being put on the spot either after sniffing out lots of things previously my nose felt a little burned out! Anyway... regardless she sprayed it on a card and wafted it around for a half a minute or so still claiming "You won't get what it is." she also told me how this particular scent had been revered and highly acclaimed in the fragrance world as a masterpiece. I was thinking... well let me smell it then!!! Haha Even before she did and three feet away from me, I could smell it and instantly I exclaimed..."Coffee!!! It's coffee isn't it?" To which she replied No! I'm glad to see it listed in the notes on here and I feel somewhat vindicated! However, when quizzed I couldn't really tell what was going on with this fragrance, it's very odd I got cedar too, slightly herby and a dark creamy thing...all of which she said No to. (But are included on here and in Dior's own bumf!) As soon as she gave me clues like "It's the same colour as your shirt..." (Purple) AH HA....Lavender and as soon as she said it became so clear and strong which reminded me slightly of Un Homme de Caron but so much darker an better in every way. Took me a while to get the licorice but as it settled down the notes balance out perfectly and become clearer. So do I like this fragrance? Yes I have to say I love it, such a strange combo of prominent Lavender, Licorice and coffee with the herbiness of thyme and a sappiness of cedar and a kinda spiced curry leaf. I'm totally sold on this fragrance it's great! Lasts well on my skin too as I've tried it a few times now. Luckily she gave me 15ml(I must be a charmer) worth of samples of this one alone so as soon as I get it in an atomizer... I will wear it properly. To cap it all I discover that this fragrance is by one of my favourite perfumers Francis Kurkdjian...and frankly I shouldn't have been surprised. Hats of to Dior yet again...I will definitely be adding this superb green juice to my collection at some point.

A very unusual fragrance. It really belongs in the category of dark gourmand perfumes. Right from the opening, black licorice is extremely prominent. Dense and heavy, with the chewy impression of anise candy, yet at the same time carrying a strange coldness. Herbal notes such as thyme appear quickly, followed by vanilla, coffee, and immortelle. The opening makes you pause because it combines the cold bitterness of herbs with dark sweetness and a brief touch of spice. It does not resemble the clean brightness of typical lavender fragrances, nor the straightforward sugar and cream style of conventional gourmands. The sweetness here feels darker, more like black coffee, licorice candy, caramel, and maple syrup blended together. Immortelle is the key element in the composition. It is exactly this note that transforms Eau Noire from a lavender scent into something much harder to classify: a dark herbal gourmand. Lavender still runs through the entire fragrance, functioning almost like a cool thread woven between the licorice, coffee, and immortelle. Because of the lavender, the sweetness never fully collapses into syrup. I think the opening may immediately push some people away, but after about an hour the fragrance reaches its most beautiful stage. At that point the balance becomes extremely refined. Up close, the layers of black licorice, coffee, lavender, and vanilla are clearly distinguishable. From a slight distance, however, it turns into a dark cloud of coffee caramel sweetness with herbal coolness and a faint shadow of leather. In the drydown, the coffee slowly fades while immortelle becomes more noticeable again. What remains on the skin is maple syrup, dried plants, licorice, and a touch of wood. Anyone who enjoys immortelle, licorice, coffee, herbs, and dark sweetness will probably appreciate this fragrance greatly. Personally, I think it works much better in cold weather. In heat, the maple syrup aspect of immortelle becomes amplified and can feel sticky. In colder temperatures, the layers remain clearer and more controlled. A fragrance with a very strong identity and memorable character. Longevity and projection are both very good.

Finally posting my side-by-side comparison review of all three iterations of this -- the original FK 2004, the middle Demachy remix and the new FK 2022 release. They are all recognizably Eau Noire, but despite what some have said (or conjectured) below, there are pretty substantial differences between them. In terms of scent profile, in my opinion the 2004 original is the most spice forward, dark and interesting. Even though I never felt like it smelled like actual curry, I can see where that comes from. But it only lasts a short time before the licorice-coffee-lavender chord starts to blend in, making it very enjoyable and not at all food like. The 2004, even though "technically" EdC (I have no idea what % it was, but it was called "EdC") smells the richest and lasts the longest. The sillage is somewhat beastly, especially given the scent profile and lasts forever on skin. The Demachy remix is noticeably lavender forward. The spices and licorice are dialed down quite a bit, but they are definitely still there. As a result, this one seems the most fougere-like to me. It is fresh and aromatic, less deep and less mysterious than the original. This has great longevity good sillage. The 2022 FK re-remix is my least favorite. The spices have returned to their original level (but the mix of them seems different and not as good) and the lavender is dialed back. Unfortunately, it now has a burned, singed facet to it that I don't particularly enjoy. The immortelle, while prominent in all three, seems most prominent here, casting a very dry aspect over the composition that is also not ideal. This is also the quietest of the three. I ended up using up a full 2 ml decant for a day of testing as I found that even a liberal application faded to a whisper after two hours or so. And what's up with the anemic natural color!? The green juice was 100% part of the allure!