Fleur du Mal

Not something I'd personally wear, but objectively I think its a good fragrance, especially in the context of feminine perfumery in general, its not the most unique composition in the world, but it stands out enough to get you noticed, and the artistry and craftsmanship like in other fragrances from DVN, are also on full display in this pleadant concoction. Its quite linear but like other "linear" fragrances from DVN like 'Rock the Myrrh' (a must try if you havnt already), it serves as a positive for this fragrance unlike the negative connotation usually attached to the word linear in perfumes; It's (on my skin) mainly an Osmanthus and Suede fragrance, with a fruity but not tart Peach in the back with sweet ambers and floral I can't individually pick out it wears very elegantly and positive if that makes sense. The Osmanthus in this does not feel old fashioned like some Osmanthus notes can be, intact it feels a lot more youthful and modern in this, possibly thanks to the Peach and to a lesser extent the Suede, and the Peach is only tart for the first few minutes of the opening, but after it settles down youre left with a soft Suede, Sweet and fragrant Osmanthus, subtle juicy Peach, and sweet amber florals in the base for the rest of the wearing. Longevity I got around 7 hours which is a sweet spot for me, with it being medium projecting for the first 3 hours then becoming quite intimate bubble its scent bubble, which is something this house seems to do well. Its bright enough and contrasted by the Suede enough to he worn in both Winter and Summer, just not the very extremes, bur other than that all is fair game, perfectly fine for dressing up or down too if thats your jam, in terms where it leans, it leans in a feminine direction but not all the way, even tho it's not my type of fragrance, as a guy I love getting whiffs of it, and might wear a sample of it from time to time just to smell it but on a Lady it would be divine. In conclusion definitely yet another good fragrance from DVN worth checking out, not one of my favourites but the quality and art is apparent when wearing this. 8/10

Here Quentin shows his sly, persuasive side. Because this one wasn`t love or like..it was simply addiction.It started inoffensive enough with a first sniff from the discovery set and it was a pleasant memory of a hair product from my youth (maybe a Garnier Fructis shampoo?).By that time I was madly in love with Soie Malaquais and even bought a FB.This one was...forgotten.And then the Evil Flower, surely the little sister of the EVIL RING started whispering to me. And like poor Gollum I succumbed every single time ...At first I noticed the juicy peach, then how smooth and perfectly blended the osmanthus suede combo was, then how the osmanthus had this apricot -like quality,then I even got an ambery touch.And snif by snif I became addicted..and didn`t even know WHY.I then went so far as to buy Louboutin ́s ,,Fetiche Le Cuir“ because it was listed in the ,,reminds me of“ category and it was much more affordable (at least on ebay) .Sadly, the only thing they have in commun is that they are both osmanthus fragrances, with ,,Le Cuir“ being a raw, earthy,sensual osmanthus-leather mix, while FdM is a subtle, elegant, refined osmanthut-suede combo.So I now had ,,Le Cuir“, the evil little sample kept whispering, I still didn`t want to buy such an expensive FB and was simply unhappy..And then the mirracle happened:my fragrance guru Demi Rawling made an YT-appearance in which she prised FdM as ,,a masterpiece“, ,,an underrated gem from DvN“ and confessed to be in love with this fragrance.Now my obsession with and addiction to the Evil Flower suddenly made perfect sense...and because when THE QUEEN of 3000+ fragrances told my humble self ,,this is the most beautiful osmanthus fragrances“ what could I do other than buy a FB the very next day?My Evil Flower, my preciousss...

At last!!!! An absolute triumph from this line. This is totally unique!!! (to me at least) What a great perfume, immediately grabbed my attention and frankly the bottle is my favourite out of this collection too, being purple and leopard print or whatever? I'm so glad it's good because this collection, although not shit, has not exactly overachieved so far. I just feel it's quite difficult to describe, doesn't smell like any osmanthus I know, but I suppose has a cool, airy, powdery thing to it. It's not really very leathery either and then BAM!!!! Very, very, sleek, suede leather base after a little time. I loved it, what a fantastic perfume. So I wrote that as an initial impression and as usual it's subject to making further notes when I've worn it more. It's no surprise, but also something of a stylistic shock to me that Fleur du Mal could be made by Quintin Bisch a highly prolific perfumer at the moment, modernising and sweeping through the industry, with his sparkly, cosmic, and complex style. This is not something I immediately attributed to him, like a Bois IMperial, or Teddy or a Barrois etc.... this a totally different kettle of fish and yet no less exciting. The way he's carrying on he's going to be one of my favourite perfumers working today. I can't wait to pop this sample on again and then I probably will buy a bottle. Even if this collection yields one thing I want to buy, I judge that as something of a success, being it's that PT Barnum thing that no doubt everyone will have one they really like from DVN.

Fleur du Mal is named after the iconic book of poetry “Les Fleurs du Mal” (The Flowers of Evil) by the French poet Charles Baudelaire. I originally thought it was misnamed but then I read the review that called it a “clean girl gone dirty” fragrance which I think perfectly describes it. Fleur du Mal has a pretty, fresh, juicy peach and osmanthus opening which progresses to a warm, ambery dry down with the sweetness from the peach and the florals and just a hint of something musky and animalic from the suede. I really do like it and although originally it seemed a little more generic to me than Soie Malaquais and Chamomile Satin which are both such original fragrances, I’m now beginning to pick up its subtle nuances and it is really growing on me and now I think I need another one of those beautiful bottles. Stolen peaches. Heady blossoms. A silk dress stained with peach juice. A hint of decadence and eroticism. Clean girl gone dirty.

An immediate transportation to 2002. Fleur du Mal provides the aura of a kinda kinky, whimsigoth boutique on Melrose Boulevard in the early aughts. There’s a bespoke pair of leather pants clad with straps and buckles. This shop is nothing without some corsetry, as well. The peach feeling is unbelievably juicy and so saccharine. Where this facet is uber-girlypop, the suede leans goth. I wonder if Hot Topic used to smell like this back in the day? I have a hard time describing the progression of this scent, mostly because I feel as though there isn’t much of one (which I don’t mind). Personally, this scent conjures up so much imagery—and I can’t tell if its because of lived or made-up experiences. Something about this reminds me of toys from the early 2000’s??? It also reminds me of Disney Channel Halloween movies. I can picture the intimidating goth big kids embodying this scent very well.