Illusion Captive

Elegant fresh bergamot and quiet fig provide a fresh, transparent, somehow quenching opening. The fig is dry (not dried). It has a watery, delicate feel to it. A freshly cut fig that is not at all sweet, which makes for a characterful opening that lasts around 10mins. Then, slowly appears a super delicate jasmine and rose. I'm quite surprised. It leans pink, but not on powdery. The rose does have a little sweetness. Cinnamon is like a mere dusting that hovers throughout. Again, delicately presented, it’s warm, but only just, and this is needed because cedar wood begins to make a strong presence from early on. It gives a serious vibe to the whole thing, stopping the pink rose from becoming overly patronising. It’s not super dry, but dry enough to counteract the rose and jasmine. It seems to carry that watery presence that we found in the opening fig note. Reminds me of the cedar note in OJ’s Ambre Royal, only slightly less dense and more fluid. High praise. Jasmine grows and begins to take a greater presence than the rose. Accompanied by the cedar it’s beautifully fresh. Jasmine/cedar and rose/patchouli interplay quite lovely and I get the impression that the composition transitions in and out between clean whites and light pink roses back and forth. Labdanum brings something earthy into the background, it's a lovely addition that adds something more organic to the rather transcendental aesthetic overall. This is not at all bombastic jasmine, patchouli, and spices as the notes might suggest. It is completely ‘open’ and clear. The sparkling ‘clean feel’ of the cedar is such a winner. It pulls the whole much closer to unisex than I had initially expected and works beautifully later on with the judicious use of myrrh/benzoin. Not sure why the community have voted patchouli so highly in this one. The overall aesthetic is Jasmine/cedar with patchouli lending a little thickness here and there, never up front. Furthermore, rose takes a much more prominent place in this composition (and is listed on Lalique's website), yet isn’t listed in the notes above. Top quality and highly unexpected. I like that. 8.5/10

Chypre scent, which has a classic, luxury vibe but it is also very vivid and chic. At first, the fig note is gourmand: bit sauer by bergamot, however rich, juicy, with tasteful spiciness. The flowers -jasmine- are green, indolic and warm because of the cinnamon kiss. I love the combination very much. Goes very well with the labdanum-patchouli base. Tonka bean keeps the scent dark, wild - just as much as sweet, soft vanilla allows. I am amazed, it is captivating. I'd like to have it - and the glassery, wonderful art-deco inspired bottle is the next reason...

Interesting smoky scent with some unusual waxy and slightly animalic undertones. It t has a nice sweetness which is similar to honeycomb type of tart and slightly sour sweetness. It’s a unique scent with dominant balsamic notes, very pleasant one!

Wow... I can't imagine that the way the labdanum shows up in the fragrance's opening is how the perfumer envisioned this perfume to behave. It's like a streaker running past an elegant garden party, shocking everyone, and then disappearing as fast as they appeared. Once it's gone, the string quartet starts back up, and everyone goes back to sipping their champagne at this very elegant affair: soft, sweet jasmine, crisp, classy cedar, a hint of myrrh, and a whisper of vanilla. Gorgeous, but very soft, very light. The labdanum is nothing more than a memory, hearsay from the people gossiping about the earlier scandalous appearance. I'm not going to lie; I'm slightly disappointed in this fragrance. I had faith in the perfumer's ability to combine fresh notes with warmer ones as she did brilliantly in Extrême Pureté by Grès. I had faith in the notes; there's nothing there that I don't like. I had faith in the absolutely stunning bottle. I expected so much and got so little.

The bottle is stunningly beautiful! The fragrance is not. Or maybe it's too advanced for my nose? Or just too assertive for my taste? Review of another full bottle blind-buy fail. UPDATE The opening is so thick with patchouli and labdanum, I can not handle it. The bottle is so devine, I just can't wear this overwhelming scent!