Rien

I apologise for the lenghty commentary, but the events related to this perfume were numerous and... STRANGE!!! Prologue: I got a sample of Rien several months ago from a reputable source. I couldn't understand why so many people described this perfume as arsh and even likened it to Anthaeus in the "remind me of" section - which I immediately down-voted. What I got from smelling it both from my skin and paper was that "second skin" effect that the press release mentions. Mostly aldehydes in the top, then amber, iris supported by the perfect type and dose of incense + something musky. That's it. I loved it and promised "you will be in my collection, baby!" Day 1 (or "I'm in shock!"): Fast forward to today, my copy of Rien was delivered to me, I eagerly unwraped my box, opened the bottle, sprayed it on and... what the hell is this!? The liquid in my bottle smells mostly of oak moss, leather, something violet-like and a very coarse resins mixture. Hell, I had to go back and vote for Antheous right away, though Rien probably smells more like Quorum at this stage... I reached for my still half full sample vial and spayed it on the other arm. No, I wasn't mistaken: these 2 are not the same thing. I don't know what happened, if there are 2 different formulations circulating, or maybe some of the raw material have unconsistent quality and properties depending on year of harvest... I haven't the foggiest idea. All i know is that I thought I made an informed purchased, but it turns out I practically made a blind buy. Could it be that this is a new batch and it needs to rest? 1 hour in and the differences are still abyssal. I'll update this review as the perfume developes on my skin. 2 hours in and I can definetely smell something very similar to the composition of the sample shining through, moss and rugged leather still going strong, although weaker that before. At the 3-hour mark the 2 versions smell very similar, but not identical. The one from the bottle still has mossy, leathery and almost piny notes. Well, that was quite a long journey. I would have never picked this one up in store. Instead, I would have most certainly thrown the blotter away before Rien could reveal its best side, (that is at least 2.5 hours too early). Honestly, 3 hours is a very long wait... But the thing that astounds me the most is how in my sample the mentioned rugged notes are totally absent. Even if it were old or had been stored in unappropriate conditions, how could a whole block of notes disappear? Are there 2 versions of Rien? After those 3 long hours I like the version from my bottle better: it's more interesting and complex, and despite being smokey it's as cozy and pampering as the sample version. Such a far cry from what you smell in the first 2 hours! Still, 3 hours...!!! Day 2 Major update: I stand by what I said yesterday because it was 100% true, yesterday, and partly today. However, maybe due to the fact that when the perfume was delivered to me it was freezing cold, today I found that even if the opening is still harsh and completely different from my sample, the transition into that very lovable part I talked about yesterday is much, much quicker: 15/20 minutes or so. I've been wearing Rien all day and God is it good, and comforting and charming. I kinda want to make it my signature scent now. I'm very, very, very happy to have it!!!

First impressions. To my surprise, from the cap, I instantly get a strong rose note. But in the opening, something completely different -- a cold soapy aldehydic blast that has some floral aspects and a weird "chemical" smell (bandaid, radishes, superglue, or something similar). Too many notes to really distinguish what is going on, but I like the complexity of it. In the mid phase, a cold incense accord appears. The combination of incense, aldehydes and florals reminds me of Guerlain Encens Mythique. But it's not a stuffy or churchy incense (like in CdG Avignon or Montale Full Incense) and is very smoothly blended. To my nose, the incense is not a central accord here, and all the reductionist nag champa talk is blown out of proportion. I do get some rose. Something spicy. Very unisex. There is indeed a civet-like animalic note in the background that you might get from Kouros, but the effect is more similar to Amouage Gold Man. The latter also has aldehydes, incense and florals, some kind of oriental muskiness, and is quite similar to Rien, also in terms of leaning towards unisex. Kouros, on the other hand, is much more abrasive, sour (the infamous "urinal cake"), aromatic/herbal, dense and masculine (due to the barbershop connotations). So yes, if you like Kouros, you probably like Rien, but not necessarily vice versa. As it dries down a bit more, it warms up and I get some cumin and leather, rose, something ambery. But there is never any real sweetness to it, which I like -- just enough to hold it together and ground the composition. In the "Reminds me of" section I see Bandit upvoted, and the dry, slightly spiced brown leather (with aldehydes) is a bit similar indeed, but everything else is different. Bandit is a green leather chypre, dry, bitter, aromatic and dense. Rien is much more easygoing, has an accommodating oriental vibe. By the same token, it is slightly similar to and different from Cabochard Gres -- Rien has similar old school leather and aldehydes with florals, but no green and bitter notes to speak of. I like it very much, but I'm not blown away with surprise. Some of the more baffled negative reviews must be coming from people who are not familiar with old school fragrances. There's nothing shocking or polarizing about Rien. If you like some of the fragrances I mentioned, own something from the Aramis line, regularly wear something from before 90s, have a soft spot for chypre fragrances in general and are OK with fragrances lacking sweetness, it could even be blind buy safe. It is a well blended and clearly modernized version of many greats from the past and a kind of homage to them. Two thumbs up, for the effort and for the result.

So, this one is weird. I have been wearing it dor some time now and I mostly get aldehydes and incense for days! Oakmoss, cumin and styrax are also noticeable. "Nothing" starts with a blast of aldehydes and incense. An overload for the first 20 mins. Then the oakmoss and styrax join the party. It stays that way for maybe 2, 3 hrs and then the amber and some smoky nuances come forward. Rien is fairly linear as there isn't a dramatic change from opening to drydown. The end result is a incensy, aldehidic, oakmossy olfactive cocktail with a dab of smoke and light amber. Nothing scary, pissy, super smoky or animalic for me, it's actually super wearable on my skin. 100% unisex too. I don't get leather here though. Absolutely no "realistic" leather note , such as in Tuscan Leather by TF, Gucci Guilty Absolute by Gucci, Black Musk by Montale, so if any of you are looking for a leather bomb, look elsewhere. Personslly, I would have liked the aldehydes toned down and leather amped up, because at times this turns almost soapy on me. 😶 Performance is ok, far from beastmode- 4/5 hrs on skin with an armslenght of a projection for the first 1,30 hrs. After that it stays within a amall scentbubble around the wearer, but it's still noticable for maybe two more. I see it appropriate for autumn, winter, chillier spring days, as it can get heavy in warm temps. The quality is there though, as it has a very smooth opening and transition. Nothing feels synthetic in the composition 👌 It's fine, I guess. Didn't blow my mind. This will be first and last bottle, as it's only a "like" for me. The aldehyde overdose just doesn't make any sense to me, as it truly prevents it in taking a more natural resinous and darker development. It"s the same thing as being able to run a marathon, but say "fuck it" and stop halfway for no apparent reason. It kinda feels artificially smothered and muted! It can be found for a bargain price. I bought Rien for the equivalent of 65 bucks for a 100ml tester. I personally wouldn't pay more than 80 dollars for it. Definately isn't one of my favourites from the brand. I don't really get the hype that Rien is an animalic, leathery beast. In conclusion- an incense, aldehydic bomb with some smoky, ambery, oakmosy nuances. Borderline soapy at times. For the fans of aldehydes. No leather, no florals, no patchouli. Rather linear. Suitable for autumn, winter, some chilly spring days. Unisex. Wearable, agreable and not challenging at all. Can be dound for a bargain. 7/10 Edit: I get it now. The aldehydes are indeed needed as they elevate and provide some "air" in the composition. One of my favourite frags ever. Blasting it throughout the cold season.

ELDO's sense of humor is as eclectic as their perfumes. Sometimes irreverent and downright crude, other times tongue-in-cheek and intellectual. In the case of Rien, the joke mostly takes the latter form. Rien, meaning "nothing", is the exact opposite of what this fragrance is... or is it? Antoine Lie rooted through his cabinet of perfume curiosities, found all of the most common and most pungent materials he had, turned each one up to their maximum potency of Spinal Tap 11, and smashed them together. If something smells like everything, well, then it mostly smells like nothing, right? A person rambling on to make a point, providing context ad infinitum, to try to say everything, then in effect they say nothing. If a perfume could be a contrarian, it would be Rien. The philosophical and rhetorical aside, what does it smell like? Glorious. In a way, Antoine Lie sort of "failed" in the quest to say/be "nothing" by saying/being "everything" because he has miraculously managed to make all of these disparate ingredients work together to have a common voice. Incense, rose, leather, labdanum, oakmoss, patchouli, balsams, vanilla, cumin, black pepper, and massive aldehydes - strange bedfellows indeed, but then Jekyll and Hyde both shared the same body after all. It's powdery, floral, animalic, green, leathery, earthy, spicy, and amberic. What glues it all together in my opinion are the overdoses of rose and aldehydes. The aldehydes are cranked to the maximum, the rose is dense and pungent, the soft green and woody moss their wingman, and together they have this effect of weaving throughout the perfume to cuddle and soften the cruder and dirtier earthy, leathery, spicy, and animalic notes. Give the perfume a big inhale and the powdery florals and greenness hit you like an enveloping cloud, but then, as the cloud parts, that animalic spicy earthiness hiding in the depths gives you a big mischievous grin. Jekyll & Hyde, for sure. Or It looking up at you from sewers. I can't say I understand how this works, and, in a way, I guess you could say that's because it doesn't actually work. But I'll be damned if I cannot stop wanting one more intoxicating sniff. What Antoine Lie has accomplished with Rien is truly original, a massive success through absolute failure. That's a paradox I think Etat Libre d'Orange would certainly appreciate.

I wear my sadness, or nothing at all. I’ve developed a rather spiritual relationship with Rien. It’s the first fragrance I’ve encountered that I find beautifully sad. Mind you, I’m not suggesting that as a flaw. I hadn’t realized it before, but sad fragrances are necessary. Most of my favorite perfumes are dry, fresh-spicy, and generally suited to daytime wear, yet I am not a cheerful person. Where my usual fragrances tend to help me rise above myself, Rien serves both as a space of comfort and a form of protection. One review I came across compared the scent of Rien to the smell of a funeral, and I cannot think of a better description: the leather interior of a hearse (vividly so), combined with the distinctive scent of those intimidating yet reassuring perfumes worn by ladies of another era. In my mind, Rien fuses both images into one. That is the magic of this creation. Rien smells divine, yet it is not welcoming. It feels intensely warm on the skin, yet it does not invite companionship. That is the beautiful paradox I find in this potion. So when I take my dog out at night, pepper spray in my pocket, Rien helps me feel better—more assertive, more armed. It speaks for me (Rien is very vocal). It says: I am not here to joke around. I’m not your fake baddy Paco Rabanne guy, nor your vanilla-scented buddy, I might be fragile but I cut like a sharp broken glass. Likewise, when I’m feeling blue, I usually avoid wearing perfume so as not to stain it with difficult memories—except for Rien. Rien embraces darkness so completely that it magnifies it without disguising it, and that is brilliant. I have not smelled the Intense Incense version, and I’m not convinced there is much point in altering a creation that is already perfect. Besides, a single spray of Rien lasts until you wash it off, so there is hardly any need to aim for something even more intense. I should also note that, with France currently enduring a historic and seemingly endless heatwave, this is a fragrance I greatly enjoy in hot weather. It never becomes cloying and actually develops remarkably well in the heat. That said, like any very powerful perfume, I would not impose it on others—and if someone finds it overwhelming, then they are already standing far too close to me. Off with them!