Charlatan

Charlatan by Fort & Manlé Parfum is a beautiful, complex scent and before I read the notes list here, my nose detected a very sweet rose, jasmine, leather, perhaps saffron or even civet, something which smelled like green banana skin, something fruity which I couldn't pin down and in the dry-down, a sweet sandalwood base. I even thought that this fragrance reminded me slightly of Shalimar in its denseness and oriental exoticism. The image that formed in my head was of elaborate Indian gardens, on the edge of the jungle. Roses bloom, blessed with frequent rains. the rich scent of wild fruits hangs thick in the moist air. A leopard prowls, scouting its prey in the undergrowth and the scent of the ripe damp earth is everywhere. Life abundant. Now having the benefit of reading the notes pyramid here, I understand that this luscious floral masterpiece has an opulent rose which is front-and-centre in the composition but made sweeter and more dense because of notes of pear and chocolate. The heart of Charlatan does smell like green bananas. An unripe carbohydrate scent; fresh, green and slightly chalky. When I saw the notes pyramid, I realised that I had been smelling the scent of tuber. Tuber is the note which gives Tom Ford's Black Orchid its grand and slightly earthy aspect and although it's not used in the same proportions in Charlatan, it certainly does add grandeur, the same way that oud does. To my nose, also adding to the depth and fullness of the florals is osmanthus in the base. Osmanthus has a rich, perfumed-orange-crème feeling when it's diluted, but when you smell the essential oil alone it smells like a floral leather. Here it somehow renders the florals more 3D and sharp and definitely adds a leather aspect to the whole composition. As the fragrance dries down, it leaves a sweet woody trail of sandalwood, amber and vanilla. Charlatan is for lovers of dense, oriental florals and will suit rose lovers of either gender. For me, it's a fantasy scent and immediately conjures up striking images in my mind of the exotic, the grand and the splendid. It is palaces, It is wild animals. It is cicadas chirping at a deafening pitch in the tree canopy and it is romance in a foreign land. *Disclosure: I have been given samples of this product. As ever, I only write reviews of products which I enjoy and can wholeheartedly recommend. Amended version of review published at thescentgentblog, May 14, 2017

A bouquet of flowers, left on the floor by a man who had visions of a future with a woman who decided to leave - a tale of a man who came through strong, but not without a single act to remind the woman of how he now feels. He doesn't feel the feelings he did when he purchased the flowers and the bouquet, now wilted and ripe with the smell of slow decay, is his vengeance, not a plea. 'Charlatan!'it screams, with not a bit of yearning. For this reason, and the smell itself, I will constantly think of Black Orchid by Tom Ford. Both present a totally different look into the romantic floral genre, for lack of a better phrase. Fort & Manle have routinely released solid fragrances with stories of lore and history to back them up and this fragrance knocks many of them to the side in its bold and purely emotional assault on what many of us know conceptual perfumery to be. For this reason, it is not a happy fragrance. Nor is it a sad one. It opens in a very lovely way, reminding one of Mr Bojnakopf's Purple Hat and moves into a very camphorus territory, as Black Orchids does. Judging from the notes the two share in common, I can only assume that this is the 'tuber'. Osmanthus, that is also listed, is a note that up until recently I was very unfamiliar with. In Hermes' Osmanthe Yunnan, it smelt of red jelly beans. In this, and Bojnakopf, it smells very strongly of alcoholic dried fruits. Nothing to be toyed with, very strong. The jasmine and rose pair together with the other notes and create something purely wilted. They aren't fresh at all, the exact opposite. Beautiful, but dying. Listed dark chocolate I can detect, but wouldn't have guessed just from smelling it - although there is a distinct bitterness to it. Ironic. The amber, to me, is a very cola like amber and reminds one of the strong, heady amber found in Youth Dew. However, this is much better blended and doesn't repulse me like the modern Youth Dew does. All in all, it's an exceptionally well put together fragrance containing chiefly naturals (to my knowledge) and small amounts of synthetic ingredients as per the brand's preferences. Not for someone who wants to drag people in, but for someone who wants to be independent and strong.

This, to my nose, opens with a very obvious pear note, but I'd say it swings more "dessert" than "orchard": it's not the sweet, crisp juiciness of a fresh pear, but more the rich, mouth-watering scent of a warm poached one. I also get some very beautiful, almost honeyed jasmine, as well as the darker, animalic, earthy facets of the tuber. As the perfume settles, the vanilla starts to develop as well: it's quite a true-to-life version of it, very much the scent of a vanilla pod rather than a vanilla custard. The rose I can't smell individually, but I can also tell that it's there, it sorts of plays peek-a-boo throughout the evolution of the perfume. The chocolate I only get as a kind of general impression: a moreish, sweet-bitter, creamy edge. I'm very impressed by the osmanthus in the base notes; the apricot-floral-leather elements it brings to the perfume just tie everything together with an elegance that speaks to true mastery. I usually dislike gourmands and white florals, so I was a bit hesitant to dive headfirst into Charlatan, but I have to say I am more than pleasantly surprised. Someone here said there's a sense of grandeur to it, and I agree: this is not the kind of perfume you wear casually. It won't overwhelm you or cloy you, and I wouldn't call it loud, but there's no way you won't be noticed if you wear it - it just has so much personality. It's intriguing and beguiling, and the more you wear it the more it pulls you in. Maybe it's partly because of the marketing, but as I wore this I kept thinking about Arsene Lupin, the gentleman-burglar whose adventures I devoured during my childhood: you know better, and yet, somehow, you will be won over before you know it. Charlatan indeed.

Tart pear, dark unsweetened chocolate and a dry rose. This is not a sweet perfume, in spite of the notes. At a distance, this is quite nice, but up close, there’s something bitterly medicinal about this that is slightly off putting yet interesting because I can’t put my finger on what exactly that overtone smells like... Vinegar? Tomatoes? Something acidic and maybe vegetal. Then later it almost drifts in a...I shudder to even say... fecal direction. Mind, this is with my nose to my arm, and luckily about a half hour in it settles down and is fairly addictive at every distance, but that’s a bit of a scary ride to get to the smooth sailing bit. I do not see the comparison with TF Noir de Noir - some notes may be common but they’re not even cousins to my nose. The whole dark aesthetic to this line is very appealing to me, and the decay behind the beauty is what is so intriguing and simultaneously challenging in this perfume. The following day I tried it again, and enjoyed it more. The scent it left on my robe was still present in the morning and was very original and lovely, and certainly quite long lasting. Over the course of the week, I fell in love! You must give it a try in all weather and all moods. I am now loving the rough, earthy sweetness of the dry down and even the tart fruity opening and I have made friends. Very original and clever and like many works of art, full appreciation requires a bit of studying. Charlatan is an interesting but challenging fragrance and for those of you who, like me, enjoy the thrill of a blind buy, this would definitely not be a safe one, so get a sample first to make sure it works with your chemistry.

Yo have recived the Discovery set of this brand and i am just loving this perfume. As i had seen many reviews comoaring It with noir de noir by Tom Ford i thought It would be more in the floral side bit charlatán is for me difinetly on the gourmand side. The fragance has a very sweet and nice character... It is like a caramelized pears with chocolate dessert, dressed with some black roses water. Last weekend i went into a libanese restaurante for Lunch and i ordered one of their most typical desserts made with roses water...and this remember me a lot to this moment! I tried It thinking of Tom Ford but finalle i am thinking more of the density and comolexity of Francesca bianchi perfumes and overall with the masterpiece black by puredistance, they share lot if vives. Maybe the biggest issue comes with the performance. For being such an intense smell the sillage is maybe a bit too soft although the longevity is alright. Just in case the quality of the perfume is bigger for me, bringing It directly yo my wishlist. I think It is an unisex scent perfect for night use with not very Hot weather. Scent: 9.5 Longevity: 7.5 Sillage: 6 Quality/price: 5 Originality;: 9 Versatility: 7 Global: 9.5