Contre-Jour

Contre Jour hits with immediate authority. This is not a shy fragrance—it’s assertive, textured, and unapologetically bold. From the first spray, it projects a vibrant, spicy energy that feels alive, almost electric on the skin. What stands out is its unmistakable vintage fougère soul. Not in a nostalgic or dusty way, but in the structure: aromatic, slightly barbershop-adjacent, yet pushed into a more modern, intensified direction. The spices are sharp and luminous, giving the composition a restless, almost pulsating character. There’s a clear echo of Loewe Pour Homme vintage—that same refined spiciness, that masculine elegance with an edge—but Contre Jour feels denser, more concentrated, and more deliberate in its impact. Where Loewe glides, Contre Jour strikes. Performance is serious: strong presence, long-lasting, and definitely polarizing. This isn’t built to please everyone—it’s built to be remembered. Annick Menardo’s signature is evident: depth, contrast, and a kind of controlled chaos that turns a classic structure into something distinctive. If you’re looking for a safe fragrance, look elsewhere. But if you want something iconic, character-driven, and unforgettable, this is exactly where you should be. Trust Annick Menardo.

A true masterpiece. Building a perfume around immortelle, a material as complex as it is distinctive — and one whose scent I am particularly fond of — was not easy. Yet Annick Menardo rises to the challenge brilliantly by pairing it with a rose (rose water) that is fresh, sharp, slightly fruity, and also powerful. I feel like all the richness of this dune flower unfolds here : herbal and mineral facets, hints of sun-warmed hay, along with honeyed, spicy, citrusy and textured nuances. The encounter between these two floral notes, resting on a sandalwood base, lends the rose a velvety texture reminiscent of Portrait of a Lady. I'm amazed though that Fragrantica listed sweet in the main accords list, I totally disagree with that... The result perfectly fulfills the promise of the fragrance’s name: a perfume of contrasts, sensual and balanced, where masculine and feminine elements converse perfectly. With this creation, EDPFM is back to a genuine creative boldness. It must be tested on skin: on a blotter the rose tends to dominate, whereas on skin the solar immortelle expresses itself far more fully.

leave it to Annick Menardo to do an immortelle I love, the everlasting flower packs a dry herbal opening that is very pronounced herbal like dry woody smell, it's Solar floral note, at this point it's giving me L' Attarine SL vibe, about 30 minutes into the composition the rose begins to soften the sharpness of the immortelle and the composition softens and sweetens a bit. the rose is somewhat restrained, I'm guessing by dosing the rose extract with geranium. I hated Ganymede but love this one. After wearing for a week, I'm in love, how could two notes bring this type of elegance and minimalistic perfection, the immortelle must be molecular distilled, it goes a tad bit into the savory, curry like, but not Like Afternoon with a Fawn celery like notes, this is classier and smoother. when I first smelled I didn't care how much it cost, it hit the skin and it was love at first sniff....this is the same price as portrait. rose immortelle make the most unusual and beautiful accord. this is technically the last fragrance under FM. it's powerful.

This might be an Australian thing, I’m not sure... but there were these lollies we used to buy as kids called Fads that were marketed to look like a pack of ciggies. They were a powdery musk and had this distinct chalky texture. If you know them, or can at least picture what I’m describing, the opening of Contre-Jour is unmistakably “Fads”. The initial sweet, youthful rose sheds its jamminess early. It’s playful, and sets things up perfectly for what quickly becomes a much more serious perfume. The immortelle is dry and hay-like with this dusty pollen effect, like sun-dried flowers being lifted into the air. The narcissus, a gorgeous contrast, feels natural and earthy and stops the whole thing from tipping into something too heavy or cloying with its beautifully agrestic quality, all the while with flashes of sweet rose shining through the gaps. There’s a slightly powdery, toasted sugar kind of appeal that feels bright, but leaves space for its complexity to move in and out of the light deliberately left in-between.

Another masterpiece from the house. The composition is simple, however the ingredients are of great quality and feel expensive. The rose is vintage and dewy and the immortelle feels refined and classy. The genius of the perfumer lies in the development though. I do not get a typical development from top to base. I get an intimate fight between shadow and light of the two main ingredients. The opening is dominated by the vintage rose but that quickly changes. A battle between the immortelle and the rose then becomes the main theme. Sometimes you get clear immortelle and sometimes you get the punk rose. The blending and the shape shifting of the heart of the perfume between the two tones showcases the mastery of the perfumer. Eventually the yellow flower dominates. It feels like a hot August day in a Greek isle, going down a hill to reach a secluded beach. The dry down to me is expensive. Very interesting composition