The Afternoon of a Faun

This is the third of Ralph Schweiger’s creations that I loved at first sniff. I bought this blind despite warnings to the contrary. I have no regrets. That said, I can see how it would not be an easy love. It’s definitely not a crowd-pleaser: my dad told me I smelled like paint. I almost asked him what kind of paint he’d been sniffing so that I could get some for myself. In his defense, I had oversprayed--but it was only 3 sprays! Be warned: this is strong, and the sprayer on the 100ml bottle is quite enthusiastic. I believe it was the oakmoss that my father noticed, as that can have an astringent, almost pissy, smell in excess. But don’t let that deter you! This fragrance is amazing. In moderation--no more than 2 sprays--Afternoon of a Faun is beautiful. I do not know if I have ever smelled anything quite like this. It is equal parts a throwback to classic perfumery and olfactory post-modernism. It smells like Schweiger took a classic rose chypre, drenched it in immortelle, and added a heaping dose of coumarin funk. From the very first spritz, this is all about the immortelle, oakmoss, rose, and coumarin, in that order. Faun’s rose is a jammy rose, very prominent (why is it listed so far down in the pyramid? It’s a mystery), its jammy depth intensified by the maple-floral scent of immortelle. The resulting sweetness is contained by the coumarin and oakmoss, never allowing the perfume to veer into gourmand territory. Schweiger pulls off an incredible balancing act here with the sweet and the savory elements, creating a perfume with PATHOS. I’ve been wearing this nonstop since it arrived: about five wears. I still don’t quite understand it. Yet Faun is seductive enough that I am compelled to keep wearing it, to sniff deeply, to listen closely to the story it is trying to tell. The temperatures here have been about 30-40 degrees American with a lot of humidity. I’m not sure that this is a good spring or summer perfume option as I feel that higher temperatures might overemphasize the sweaty nature of coumarin. I can’t wait to wear this in the fall. The composition is perfect for a New England fall: it smells like walking in the woods when the foliage is in all its red and orange and yellow splendor. The sun is peeking through the trees, and the light has that golden quality it gets in the late afternoon at that time of year. You hike by a maple grove, and the sap from the trees mingles in the air with the smell of all the undergrowth decaying into fresh, loamy soil. Somewhere far away, someone is burning a wood fire (the incense note, which subtle but still present). This wafts--definitely more than an arm’s length!--and it LASTS. I put some of this on at 7 in the morning--and I can still catch whiffs of it on my wrists now at midnight. It’s faded down to a skin scent, something like a caramelized celery (lovage? I really want to say that the coumarin in this comes from lovage, which is one of my favorite eating herbs) but still detectable, with a hint of richness from the resins. Absolutely incredible performance, which goes to show that it IS possible to create a powerhouse with modern ingredients and sell it at a reasonable price. The best part about it is that Ralf Schweiger composed this with Justin Vivian Bond, who identifies as nonbinary! In the fragrance world, gender is everywhere. There are strong gender lines in perfumery, which can be uncomfortable for a person with a complicated gender identity like myself to navigate. Afternoon of a Faun is for the queers! It is neither feminine nor masculine: its chypre heritage was equally popular in both men’s and women’s perfumerie for decades. I love being able to buy a perfume developed with the input of a nonbinary person, and I hope more perfume houses follow Etat’s lead and start developing fragrances especially for trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer fragrance enthusiasts!

I've read several reviews of The Afternoon of a Faun and they are all terrible. Of course they all reference Nijinsky's ballet, and make some attempt to try to align the perfume's visionary artistry and execution with the artistry of the choreography, and they fail. Sorry, I have no intention to insult, it's just the truth. At the end of each piece I find myself more confused than when I started. So, I will forget what I've read and make my own attempt - likely in vain - to describe what's going on with this perfume. What you need to know about this perfume, at least to what my nose can understand to be going on, is that it is trying to setup disparate and difficult notes alongside each other in such a way as to create a pleasing symmetry. It's sort of like a Picasso or a Dali painting: individual, specific images or sections of any work by either artist is going to look "wrong." "That's not in the right spot." "That's not the right color." "That's not the right shape." "Why is her eyeball over there?" "What's that supposed to mean? It makes no sense." "Why was the stroke so heavy there?" And yet when you pull your focus back to take in the painting as a whole, it works... brilliantly. The most legendary of artists have challenged us while presenting something pleasing in its entirety. So, if you haven't seen the ballet on which this perfume is inspired, don't worry - you'll still be able to understand what The Afternoon of a Faun is trying to do if you're familiar with the concept I've described above either in classical visual arts or auditory arts. What will be required of you is the ability to not hone so far onto a specific note that you miss the forest for the trees, which is difficult with this perfume in particular. This perfume takes many notes of really rather unfortunate and challenging natures and juxtaposes them in such a way to make them beautiful; the sum is really much greater than the parts. The opening of bergamot, pepper, and cinnamon f*****g stinks. The myrrh, immortelle, and iris of the heart smell like a compost heap, mostly comprised of someone's vegetable garden, with the lid suddenly lifted after many months and the gaseous plume hitting you square in the face. Pile that on top of the leather, incense, and musk base and you get a stale fart born of a big meal of Indian food. And yet... align all of these notes at just the right time and what you get is sort of a powdery anisic chypre. Warm, deep, mysterious, and alluring. But, it is also a bit standoffish, pushy, rigid and strong, giving-way very slightly in parts as if you have accidentally found chinks in its armor. It's your favorite wonderfully colored and warming wool blanket that if draped over you in just such a way can be a touch itchy. The Afternoon of a Faun is one of the most thought-provoking and emotionally confusing perfumes I have smelled, and it will be a rare or special occasion that I will feel the desire to wear it... and I think the perfume is fine with that. It seems to have the attitude of not giving a damn if I want to wear it, or like it, or not. It's brilliant.

"Afternoon of a Faun" is the name of a french poem which was performed as a ballet dance by Nijinsky in 1912. When Nijinsky danced the story, he created a scandal! This Perfume has a woody, earthy floral smell. The focus point of the aroma is on reminding the forest atmosphere and uses the mix of oakmoss and immortelle for this target. Of course the bold scent of myrrh converts it into the unique case among other woody perfumes. Also I can feel a little leathery and powdery notes that try to make perfume sexy. This perfume can satisfy classic perfumes fans and has an old classic sense in the background. . (فان/faun : موجودی افسانه ای با نیم تنه انسان و شاخ و پاهای بز) . "بعدازظهرِ یک فان" نام شعری فرانسوی اثر "استفان مالارمه" هست. این شعر روایتگر رویای یک فانه. رویای گردشی عصرگاهی که فان در اون به چندتا حوری برمیخوره و از روی هوس دنبالشون میکنه اما تنها چیزی که در نهایت نصیبش میشه شال یکی از حوری هاست ... . این شعر در سال ۱۹۱۲ توسط "واسلاو نیژنسکی" به شکل رقص باله اجرا شد و به دلیل محتوای شهوانی و صحنه هایی با مضامین جنسی که با رقص باله ی کلاسیک تعارض داشت باعث ایجاد جنجال، رسوایی و اعتراض شدید مخاطبان و منتقدان شد. تصویر روی جعبه و لیبلِ عطر اثر "لئون باکست" برای همین اجرا طراحی شده و نیژنسکی رو با گریم و لباس فان نشون میده. . و اما بو... رایحه ای زمینی چوبی بر عطر حکم فرماست و ادویه جات و گل هایی که رز از همشون برجسته تره پس زمینه عطرو خوش آب و رنگ میکنن. عطر با توجه به داستانی که الهام بخش ساختش بوده با بهره بردن از نت هایی مثل خزه بلوط و ایمورتل (که بویی علفی، تلخ/ شیرین و خاکی داره) بر فضای چوبی، جنگلی تاکید میکنه. اما مُر با بوی صمغی ترش و شیرینش برگ برنده ی عطر برای تبدیل رایحه از یک عطر چوبی گلیِ معمولی به رایحه ای متفاوت و یونیک ظاهر میشه. در این بین رگه هایی از چرم و پودر هم سعی در نفسانی جلوه دادن رایحه میکنن اما خیلی در هدفشون موفق نیستن. . ترکیب حس سبز و تلخی گالبانوم مانند عطر با چرم و کمی شیرینی گلی من رو یاد عطر شنل N19 وینتج میندازه و کلیت رایحه کمی برام یادآور بوی حنا هست. عطر حس کهنگیِ آشنایِ عطرهای شیپغ و خزه ایِ کلاسیک رو با خودش داره و میتونه کلاسیک دوست هارو راضی کنه اما نمیشه گفت مطلقا کلاسیکه. . طبع رایحه معتدله و گزینه خوبی برای مصرف در بهار و پاییزه.

wWOWw! Now THIS is a "Special" fragrance! Absolutely GORGEOUS and incredibly unique! Starts very Green and Rose forward reminding me slightly of Moschino's ToyBoy but ONLY in the immediate opening, this soon becomes almost bitter-green, but not in an off-putting way. The Rose note really dances in and out of my senses and its truley intoxicating! Theres a slight Dry, green grassy herbal accord/note with a Mossy nuance. As this begins to dry-down the Immortelle note becomes more descernable and adds a slightly semi-sweet almost buttery richness whuch adds real depth along with the Incense, jasmine and the persistant Bergamont note (IN THE BASE?!😲).. Genius!! The Bergamont in the base keeps the whole composition smelling "Bright" and contrasts BEAUTIFULLY with the rich, syrupy and dry grassiness of the Immortelle.. MAN! this fragrance is really stunning and a work of art! Its been a very long time since Ive been this excited with a purchase, let alone a freakin' blind-buy! A truley Unisex fragrance imo possibly leaning masculine although the beautiful Rose note never really goes away. Dare I say this may be my favorite pick up thus far? The performance is awesome (Thank God!) Ive blind-bought so many fragrances which boast of having great performance which end up practically being skin-scents, but NOT The Afternoon of a Faun! Excellent longevity 8 hours on skin and next day on clothes with slightly above-average projection. I am LOVING this unique scent! So happy with my purchase im honestly thinking bout grabbing a back up even though I already own nearly 200 fragrances! Its THAT good! Plus as we all know, reformulations siply NEUTER our fave fragrances, but it seems as tho The Afternoon of a Faun hasn't suffered much (IF) it has indeed been reformulated. My very first fragrance from Etat Libre d'Orange and I am SUUUPER IMPRESSED to say the least! One if my ONLY 10 out of 10 fragrances next to Ramon Monegals Min Patchouli and a couple others in my collection. I adore this modern Chypre fragrance!

I should preface this review with the fact that 'The Afternoon of a Faun' is without a doubt, my favourite perfume on the planet. It opens with a blast of spicy-sweet green notes, something boozey, and a certain dank earthiness - almost musty. This is a case of the notes adding up to something greater than the sum of their parts. I can smell the steely, earthy orris, the sweet, inky immortelle, the leather, the resins, and the citrus. Altogether though they create a truly bizarre and wonderful olfactory impression. At once damp, dark, dank and green whilst retaining a slight fresh edge, something wild and untamed. As the heart develops the leather and moss join the ever-present immortelle and the frag takes on a drier, dustier face. The orris continues its earthen march and the fragrance reminds me of crushed leaves on a dark forest floor - warm and ever-so-slightly damp. Hints of rotting vegetation, animal musks and musty leather. This has orris that isn't carroty, immortelle that isn't syrupy or curry-like, pepper that isn't overwhelming and harsh. They've somehow managed to take notes that by all logic should clash terribly and made them dance together in one big, debaucherous orgy of leaves, trees and wild things. Sillage is surprisingly good. It's not going to knock anyone out, but you'll catch whiffs of it frequently as you go about your day. Longevity is excellent, and the projection stays strong for a long percentage of wear time. An odd, contrary imp of a fragrance. Enjoy with fine food, fine wine, and the embrace of a fine lover.

From reading many reviews I assumed I would be able to predict the general vibe of the fragrance, but this one surprised me nevertheless. Immediately I noticed a resemblance to Olympic Orchids Ballets Rouges, a mouthwatering yet angular rose chypre that also happens to have a ballet related name. They share a velvety, jewel tone impression with a big dose of inky, cool oakmoss and tangy, herbal spice. Formal, dramatic and timeless. The mood is high summer, high noon, but in the deep shade. A sun-baked, dry grass impression and a cool, dark oakmoss/rose vibe come together to evoke 70s era films where sunny outdoor scenes were blindingly bright, bleached looking and overexposed while the shaded scenes appeared overly dark in comparison, creating an eerie but beautiful contrast. Afternoon of a Faun's languorous, romantic yet dark summer mood evokes Picnic at Hanging Rock. Mr. Schweigers usual soft, civilized plushness is felt throughout. Wonderful! A new favorite for me, and one which doesn't render Le Mat redundant at all, which thought it might.

The Afternoon of a Faun – A flamboyant, sweet immortelle. I recently revisited an old official sample I had tucked away for years, and was surprised by how bold this composition still feels. The opening is a dense mix of myrrh wrapped in burnt sweetness and dried-fruit richness—somewhere between Chinese red dates and Middle-Eastern dates . The immortelle here is quite unlike the one in Annick Goutal’s Sables or Dior’s Eau Noire . Those are dry and restrained; this one is flamboyant, honeyed, and almost syrupy, leaning heavily into that caramelized dried-fruit sweetness. Beneath it sits a soft rose and a touch of light orris root, giving some floral lift to the dense resinous body. As it dries down, an ISO-E Super-like incense note gradually takes over—which, to my nose, feels somewhat intrusive and distracting from the rich immortelle accord. Still, it’s an interesting take on the sweeter, more extroverted side of immortelle—both strange and memorable. Rating: 7/10

The Afternoon of a Faun brings a massive dose immortelle and oakmoss-- bitter, herbal, green, and unique. It is a scent of contradiction for me, alternating between mutually exclusive impressions: bitter/pleasant, morose/optimistic, verdant/parched like the yellowing foliage in the high desert around me, timeless/brittle old man, aloof/playful... Undoubtedly, this isn't a fragrance for everyone, especially those with more conventional tastes. However, it is undeniably evocative, full of contrasts, and a great example of immortelle in modern niche perfumery. Quick note: I have not smelled the latest batches of this scent, but I don't relate to claims that it is strongly rose-forward. For me, the immortelle is absolutely front and center, partnered with oakmoss. The rest of the notes add texture and depth, but don't dominant the two aforementioned notes, though they may may ebb and flow during this scent's complex lifecycle.

chi come me ama Yatagan e quella ristretta serie di profumi maschili a lui simili e astratti non rimarrà deluso da questa creazione. purtroppo ho solo un piccolo campione di questa delizia che incorpora tutto quello che per me di buono si può rintracciare nelle fragranze maschili, un po' old style e dandy, lontanissime dai territori dei machissimi e freddissimi accordi che al momento (da anni invero) vendono tanto e fan sembrare, all'olfatto, gli uomini tutti uguali. qui si gioca tutto sui contrasti: sulle prime l'impressione è verde, erbacea e un tantino agrumata (muschio di quercia, lime e un tocco di rosa fresca), poi spuntano pepe nero e cannella sorretti da elicriso, timido invero ma per questo strepitoso, fino all'assestamento più balsamico e un po' cuoioso con incenso e mirra. l'evoluzione è dunque tra il fresco (non gelato nè a base di conifera!) e lo speziato, per finire sul resinoso. ottimo!

From the reviews and description I half-expected this to be a lot more challenging to like, but for me it’s easy to like. Probably because it’s the kind of thing I generally do like: herbal, mossy, earthy, citrusy, and green, done with a lot of elegance. In fact, it smells kind of like Chanel No. 19 on me, except slanted more masculine-style; a little more spice and leather than 19. The sharper, fresher green notes also remind me of the blackcurrant leaf in L’Ombre Dans l’Eau. “Vegetal” is a good word for this one (I do see the hint of celery), and I’m especially liking how it smells as it lingers. The immortelle comes out just enough to make it a bit sweet, while it stays green and juicy, not cloying. I’m kind of adoring and coveting it as it develops. Huh. Next morning a pleasant sweet-celery still lingers, faintly, and I really do like it. Funny.

To me this is a lovely modern green chypre and yes it is aromatic, too. Think "Dioressence" but not so dry: warmer, wetter, grassier (freshly cut), and a bit fruity. I keep on thinking lime green, mustard wallpapers with psychadelic patters of the 60ies and the wild parties that go with it. However you can equally play Dee-Lite "Groove Is In The Heart" and dance your socks off to it, until you find someone you fancy and you just step outside the terrace into the freshly cut lawn and start wet kissing on a late spring crisp evening when the first roses have just come to bloom. (You have both just drunk your 2nd bottle of Sauvignon Blanc). If only those big black resin designer glasses weren't in the way, you'd actually enjoy being snogged by a geek. Oh now they are playing "Cantaloop" by US-3 (funky). 10/10 for originality. Colour code: LIME GREEN

This opens with a familiar spicy rose combo, very similar to other ELDO spicy roses. The opening is huge, but the perfume quickly becomes very polite. No immortelle so far There are three distinct phases for me, the first rosey one lasts and hour or two. Then comes the one some people are saying is difficult. A warm, resinous, skanky sort of glow comes out, with way less florals. It doesn't necessarily smell like patchouli but it puts me in mind of a dirty patchouli with very animalic resins. I can see that this might seem pissy to some, but it's so close to the skin, I can't imagine it offending anyone. Then finally comes the immortelle at around 3 or 4 hours in. By this point everything else is gone and it's pretty much immortelle and a hint of a mossy, woody base. I love the perfume, but it's surprisingly quiet given how long it lasts.

So, Faun is a forest god from Roman mythology. In this in mind I was very eager to try THE AFTERNOON OF A FAUN, I've loved creations by ELDO before and this is yet another wonderful composition. I can't tell a single note that stands out as this has a perfect composition with all the notes. This reminds me of a sunny day in forest. This is not just a scent of pines and such. This is the smell of trees, wood branches, soil, leaves (the green ones in the trees and those below your feet) and even mushrooms. It feels so weird yet so inviting and interesting. I was literally sniffing myself all day long even though I cannot imagine myself wearing this on daily basis. This is clearly worth a try. Excellent silage and it stayed on my skin for more than 10 hours. I do think though that this will compliment a male skin more.

This is not going to be a substantive review, sorry :) This is the most enchanting fragrance to me ever. I can't tell why, I can't even say much about the notes cause as soon as it reaches my nose I'm transported into a different space and time, unable to focus and put my thoughts together. I can only say that somehow this fragrance evokes memories of most peaceful and cheerful moments of my childhood. I see myself sitting in a high grass of some meadow full of flowers, herbs and weeds all bathed in the afternoon Sun. It made the soil warm and the air is dry and everything that grows sets it's essential oils off. A bit spicy, sour, geranium-like. Just a trail of incense to make it dryer. This really is the smell of Sun itself :) Beautiful, unique and most of all bright. This Immortelle is simply magic ❤

A stunning photorealistic recreation of a hayfield in late summer. Dry, vegetal but fresh with threads of sweet rose running through it as well as the dark but sweet shadows of incense and leather deep in its interior. I know it’s a tribute to the Nijinsky performance but I think of it as Afternoon of a Fawn, as in an infant deer. I live next to a farm with large hayfields and I see the mama deer with their babies come to bed down there in the evening. Probably to get away from coyotes in the woods. Sometimes the mamas leave their babies sleeping there while they forage for food. I imagine this is what those sleeping baby deer smell like. It’s absolutely delicious, it has a very innocent and natural feeling with no gender connotations at all, and is easily worn and appropriate for anyone at any time.

Difficult to describe it... Perhaps with a music video ? watch?v=6oYmc9WTdSs (Faun - Egil Saga) Forest, beautiful voices of the 2 singers, pagan music... Well, it's pretty well summarized, in my opinion. Animalic, deep and warm. But very aromatic and floral, with a powdery background. That's it for me... The Immortelle (beautiful name for a beautiful flower) is powerful, and supported by the bergamot. A floral-citrus combo on the top, with another duet on the background composed by incense and leather, dear to EldO. For completing this, all is well included by spices all-around, as cinnamon, myrrh and benzoin. So here it is, forget all you know about fragrances, this one is very unique. A faun is half-human, half-animal, this perfume is half-earthy, half-floral. Half-loved ? No... ENTIRELY LOVED !

The afternoon of a faun invites you to a complex mix of a theatre and a mystical forest. You can smell the wooden floors and polish of an artistic theatre, and the citrus and mossiness that dress the autumn forest floors. Alongside this, there is also some sensuality about this perfume, a greatly alluring scent (although it may not be the case for many). It reminds me of an antique shop with a warm, citrusy, mysterious incense. There is also a hint of rosiness and leather, which is only revealed once it has settled into the skin. This perfume overall knows how to leave a statement and memory, for I have never smelled such a unique fragrance before. I would definitely recommend this perfume and own a bottle for myself, it is such a special, addictive smell that doesn't hesitate to play it safe.

On my skin, this is a beautiful, perfect Chypre Floral fragrance. It is very authentic, green, herbal, a bit bitter, slightly powdery, dry but not too much so, a bit sweet and more floral in the dry-down. It is simply gorgeous. Very feminine to my nose. Immortelle, oakmoss, soapy rose, orris root, incense, leather, and some bergamot in the opening are the notes I detect from this loveliness. I don't smell any of the wet leaves, celery, or sourness of any sort here. To me, this is the smell of a sunny forest in the time of Indian summer. Longevity (10 to 12 h) and sillage (quite heavy for the first few hours) are both very good. So happy with this one. Very classic and extraordinary. Just wow!

I absolutely loveeeee this fragrance, it's so special and unique. It's so beautiful to come across such a fragrance in a sea of repetitiveness even in the "niche" world. Having said that I was really worried this could be discontinued so I reached out to Etat Libre d'Orange and they confirmed to me that it will be part of their collection for years to come, so really good news for anyone worried like me! This is what they told me: First of all, thank you for your interest in our brand. Let us reassure you, our beloved The Afternoon of a Faun still has beautiful years ahead. That said, we will always announce any future discontinuation on our socials so make sure to stay updated :)

The flavours in here are such an unusual combination that I am not sure what attracts me to it. At first the temptation is to knock it back and complain of "oldness" but in fact its the scent of antiquity which keeps bringing me back to try it again, every ten minutes or so. Its the smell of musty flowers in a vase of brackish water. That must be the helichrysum: it reminds me of old chrysanths that nobody removed from a hospital bedside. But the peppery backlash against the delicacy of the bergamot and the incense, makes it modern, mysterious and dark, gives it depth and staying power, draws you in with enchantment, wanting to know what it will smell of next time you sniff.