La Douleur Exquise

It basically smells like Rochas Femme and Portrait of a Lady having an amorous spider fight on Lesbos. Then Patchouli starts perving on them. But it's also not that AT ALL. So it's finally here, Eugen's fragrance brand and I was privileged to be one of the guinea pigs, testing the water with acerbic, hard to please, so called 'reviewers'. This fragrance is perculiarly rosier at a distance than it is close up, on skin. On skin it's a sensual, spicy thing, at least to begin with. So honestly the rose is very measured, has some sweetness in the form of a pear type top note, then the twinkle of iris or violet to it, powdery in a slightly oldskool manner, there's a faint note of cumin or something giving that effect and then balmy resinous warmth. It's not a typical amber (did someone mention myrrh?) because it's much darker than the usual sweet benzoin or biting labdanum amber, also, myrrh and patchouli play very nicely together, especially in a composition so gentle as this one. The woody patchouli which follows is not obtuse or chocolatey, it's quite angular (for a while) and often thought to be synthetic smelling but that is just the way some patchouli oils are. All hangs cohesively with a kind of softness on the skin. The wearing experience is much more dusty and dusky and with a sombre tone, than perhaps my description would have you believe. Exquisite really is the word and I'm not just soft soaping and bypassing my critical eye because I consider Eugen a pal and because I really like and respect the people behind this brand like Antoine Lie, and Atelier Francais des matieres those high expectations made it have to work harder if anything. But this perfume has delivered. I think due to the name and the inspiration, there's a feeling that it should be more bombastic and impactful, but just think for a second about the sorts of perfume Eugen enjoys. Chanel for starters, I mean they sort of exist in a whole chic, echelon all of their own, and this is perfume which glimpes that aesthetic, it's not trying to wow you with the latest 'niche' fad or starfish notes or cannabis or grab your money because it's a Youtuber fragrance. It's about painting with a familiar palate to convey emotion, and for me, it does just that. Do not mistake refinement for banality. My particular enjoyment of this could be down to the fact I'm in the market for a rose at the moment and one which is not sweet or trope laden, and has a patchouli with some bite but also has dreamy, pussycat drydown and classic perfumery nods, and frankly this perfume has all those things. So good on Eugen and everyone involved for creating something really great with a meaningful brief. I know something of what this perfume means to him and where it's come from artistically, emotionally and that makes it all the more meaningful to me personally, and that's the only valid reason I might agree with as to why I connect with the perfume and why I could be a little biased. Speaking objectively, Antoine Lie has been involved in two other brands I can think of in recent years, in Eris and Les Indemodables, both of which I raved and gushed about, with no vested interest, so it stands to reason that a similar brand will also tickle my fancy. What I do find remarkable, is that each of these brands are distinctly different, as good as Les Indemodables are La Douleur Exquise is not just Les Indemodables MKII, it's not more of the same. Okay quality and artistically sure, and that's a good thing, but it's still a unique prospect and that is credit to Lie and Eugen. I can't wait to see what else this brand has to offer because this is a strong first outing for me, without being all shiny shiny, look at me, I think this will slowly plod on and grow in stature. I genuinely love it anyway, great perfume, take my money!

Way better than portrait of a lady. It's more complex, it lacks the fixative overdose, it's darker and more juicy. It's a very dynamic perfume, offering different wafts as time goes on. The performance is stellar and all of the listed notes are there. There's a warm, resinous, pissy skank underneath which reminds me variously of Le Lion, Attaquer le Soleil and 8 88, although the perfume doesn't smell like those ones per say. It has the hallmarks of an Antoine Lie perfume, and makes me think if only he'd had access to these quality ingredients when he made the ELDO and CDG scents (some of which I like, but not love), they could have been exquisite, because the synthetic, screechy, pseudo-spicy elements of those perfumes are gone here, instead making way for sumptuous photorealistic spices and animalic depth. Regarding the name, it makes me think of some line spoken by a sexy brooding vampire, and what better name for a darker than dark perfume with a blood red dripping rose and smouldering funk. Isn't it some sort of orgasm reference too? Not sure, but I think it's a very fitting name. Update: hmmmm now I'm an hour or so in, it's fallen a bit flat to be honest. It's a real shame as the opening was spectacular but, while it's still going strong, the drydown is getting a bit boring. I'd rather a perfume be more ephemeral than fall apart into something persistant but not great. I am now getting a strong, woody base that I know is gonna start to piss me off. It's beginning to remind me of the drydown of Toy Boy, which I can only stand until it properly dries down, then I run to scrub it off. Such a shame.

Natural rose Natural iris Natural castoreum Natural patchouli Natural oppoponax Natural labdanum The juice color is rich and yellow. Not many brands are using high quality naturals like this, and of course boosted with some synthetic materials I’m sure. No colorants have been added to the fragrances. The materials found in Les indemodables fragrances are the same materials used in Les abstraits, and the same perfumer. I mention this because it’s evident by the quality. Antoine Lie is very familiar with those materials, but now Antoine Lie is working under the creative direction of the brand owner who goes by the name Eugen. I’ll start off by saying there isn’t many 2022 releases I’ve tried, but this is the best by a mile. This does NOT smell like Frederic Malles Portrait of a Lady. 0% I’ve worn this everyday for 4 days straight and I can’t wrap my head around it, because I’m getting something new at different stages every time I wear it. Depending on temperatures outside and inside. That being said, iam picking up on every single note here. Every note takes a turn through out the wearing. Sometimes I get more rose. Sometimes I get more castoreum. Sometimes I get more resins. Sometimes I get more spice. Sometimes I get more patchouli. This fragrance is a chameleon, and because of the frequent changes I get excited to smell my arm to see what else I might pick up on. The main accords I get in order Floral Resinous Leathery Spices Powdery Smokey Animalic Natural Balsamic sweetness Amber Iam very excited to see what’s next. Congratulations and best of luck, eugen.

I have never rushed so quickly from "spritz the 2 mL sample atomizer" to "purchase a 100 mL bottle from the official website." I'm a sucker for counterintuitive (or downright naughty) rose-based fragrances. My main rotation includes Xerjoff's Deified and Ensar Oud's Rugosa. I'm happy to welcome La Douleur Exquise into my collection, where I intend to keep it in heavy rotation. La Douleur Exquise comes courtesy of Antoine Lie--a rock star perfumer in his own right--who has worked at houses ranging from Armani to Versace to E'tat Libre D'Orange to Les Indémodables. In this fragrance, our renegade genius presents a seemingly demur duo of Bulgarian and Turkish rose only to unleash their animalic wild side in short order (by way of an intoxicating amalgamation of castoreum, oppoponax, and labdanum); a devilishly smooth iris maintains this union as it all writhes and churns atop a mattress of patchouli. Over the course of his long and august career, Antoine Lie has created several classic fragrances, a few of which are bona fide household names. And yet, from Les Abstraits--an unlikely little scrappy startup (which I think was borne from a YouTube channel?)--emerges his arguable masterpiece. La Douleur is a celebration of the rose: its delicate beauty; its unflinching carnality; its 'come-and-get-some' appeal to all wearers without regard to sex, gender, or orientation; its bold projection that refuses to be ignored; and its subtle nuances that take hours to discover. This is what happens when an inspired concept is executed flawlessly. True art. 10/10.

As La Douleur Exquise is often compared to Portrait of a Lady, I’d like to explain why I don’t really see the similarity between them. Even though I own and enjoy POAL, I’d like to add LDE to my collection for a completely different take on the rose. First, there’s a kind of musty heaviness in POAL that I don’t find in LDE, which feels much airier and lighter. Second, POAL has a distinct sweetness coming from its fruity notes, while LDE strikes me as much drier and dustier. Third, the patchouli in POAL is far more pronounced, whereas in LDE it’s interwoven with a subtle castoreum note.The castoreum in LDE is by no means skanky or animalic; rather, it gives it an elegant edge. It’s used sparingly (though I clearly detect it) in a way that somehow enhances the fresh aspect of the rose. For me, the castoreum here is a game-changer. While POAL-beautiful as it is-can sometimes feel quite oppressive and over the top, LDE has a subtle elegance that makes it wearable for many different occasions. It’s already on my to-buy list for 2026, alongside Des Cendres. Belle Âme-another lovely creation by Lie-isn’t really within my scent profile. But if the brand ever decides to release smaller bottles, I might just pull the trigger on that one too.