Modanité

This fragrance is a night out in another era, that ends in wild drunken sex. Although this scent doesn’t have a vintage feel to it - in fact it feels very contemporary - it is reminiscent of times gone by. Of evening dresses and people smoking everywhere, of cigars and pipe tobacco, of secret sexual innuendos. The subtleties, the sexiness. It’s a timeless scent that breathes both elegance and sophistication, as well as the underlying raw sex appeal. The opening is elegant and pretty. It’s the only time the rose really stands out to me. It’s a sweet, full rose that stops just short of being jammy. I don’t really pick up on the pink pepper much, but I think it adds to the character of the rose. The tobacco is the star of this fragrance throughout and it starts soft and blonde, but deepens more and more throughout. The opening is the most floral and perfume-y part (although I wouldn’t describe this as a perfume-y scent). The opening is elegant, sophisticated and pretty, but the tobacco already warns you that times of drunken debauchery are ahead. Throughout the heart this scent sweetens and becomes more and more honeyed. The patchouli comes forward more during this stage. Even though honey isn’t mentioned as a note I could swear it’s in there; it’s almost as pronounced as the honey note in jpg scandal. This fragrance is a lot more scandalous though. Where the opening is a beautiful lady getting ready for her night out, the progression afterwards is more reminiscent of how her night might escalate. Cigars are being smoked, there’s drinking.. my guess would be rum.. at times the scent is almost boozy.. there are secret hints. She’s attracted to someone.. a gentleman.. he arrived riding his horse, a faint smell of leather from his saddle clinging to him mingling with the smell of his cigars.. They do end up having wild forbidden sex, because ladies and gentlemen, the dry down of this scent smells like sex. Not in the sense of being alluring and sexy (although in a sense it definitely is both), but like walking into a room where people have been having sex for hours.. there’s a very alluring ‘sex sweat’ note which is absolutely addictive. It makes me feel naughty, and classy at the same time. It has the same kind of forbidden ‘bad girl’ vibes that Shalimar must’ve had in the 20s. This is the scent of a lady who is sexually liberated, in a time that that wasn’t done. She goes back to the party in her elaborate dress after her wild sexcapades, the smell of sex still clinging to her body, mixed in with her perfume, other than that only a few loose strands of hair tell us what she’s been up to. All in all an amazing scent for those of us who are not afraid to smell a tiny bit dirty. I agree with spumyland that this fragrance absolutely fits with Frida Kahlo. I have the travel collection 30ml dropper bottle. The dropper works really well and the bottle is absolutely stunning. Although this fragrance is very sweet, I think it could work very well for men as well, as the leather and tobacco do give it a slightly masculine edge.

I just noticed this is listed as a men’s fragrance. It’s very sweet though and is perfectly unisex. There’s nothing in this that shouts masculine. Perfectly wearable for both sexes.

This is a genuine fragrance, with a mature character with a solid harmony where the ingredients all shine by showing off without overpowering each other. There is a beautiful fleshy and infinite rose among cigar tobacco, iris and tobacco flowers. On the skin I mainly get a shiny and spicy leather in the opening then above all fat and fruity with very good osmanthus. Strong traces of cedar, sandalwood, tons of barbershop-style patchouli accompanied by tonka and a drizzle of vanilla. Although the stele is relaxing, retro floral and fruity with a weighty rose and a more feminine hint, it has a character.... Frida Khalo-style, where cigars, leather and patchouli complement each other in a single aroma. A Frida... on vacation in Paris..;-) A concept of masculine and feminine notes in a single well-crafted perfume, as they work great here. Others with this feature could be Antonio Alessandria's Amado Mio and Pehanligon's Much Ado about the duke. Even if the rose is not my favorite flower, Mondanité is well made, has a nice fruity and powndery drydown with a small animalic hint of leather that is always alive. High quality and good!