Tender

felt like you're threading through a florist gardener when they seems to unable to pluck all the dead flowers while keep planting the new one and it create such hodgepodge of fleshy and decaying bouquet. the combination of that undefined mix of flowers, ink, and aldehydes are the prominent ones that i experience in the opening, creating some sort of salty yet vegetal impression (one of the prominent one that i recognise as tulip) that grew on me gradually more i adjust myself to that oddity, like when you receive those flowers that you couldn't pick out which they are wrapped by freshly ripped newspapers and somewhat the ink allured into their stems. for me those ink also helps to create more subdued transformation into spice (saffron) and resins in the dry down while also retains an unique olfactory experience, and it settles into intimate musk and somewhat woody notes amongst those transformation of notes as the name suggest, Tender demands more intimacy in-between those idiosyncratic gardenia, seamless search for freshness amongst the damp moss and kaleidoscopic flowers that you never heard one before you smell it by your instinct.

Tender is a beautiful perfume that is best appreciated on warm, humid days, where it can properly bloom. It smells like a lush, dewy, garden. I smell predominantly hyacinth, though I am not familiar with tulip. No rose detected, but I get occasional whiffs that strongly remind me of luxe and dry L'Autre Oud, despite the different notes, so I must be subconsciously smelling it. What I can smell is the waxy petals, stems and leaves, and even a bit of moist stones and earth. It smells alive. Saffron is pretty prominent, and it gives this garden some depth as it contrasts its own sharp, dry facets with the soft, sweet flowers. Here and there I can smell some bright frankincense, warm-skin-musk and pepper, though they are faint and mostly accent the more dominant notes. Unfortunately I cannot smell any ink. Tender is unique but still elegant and wearable. It has a really interesting warm and cold contrast built in, with so many layers and facets that come in an out of focus during the wear time. I think the resemblance in L'Autre Oud is in the contrast between dewy flowers and dry saffron, and both have a greenness to them as well.

Duchaufour is truly the master at making weirdly pleasant scents. The opening is a contrast between warm spices, rich woods, and delicate rosy florals. It then transitions into a weird flower, actually smelling a lot like honey, patchouli, and camphor. It gives a chrysanthemum effect. The woods remain, but their subtle presence allows for the other elements to act out still. On skin it's surprisingly performing, projecting well and also lasting a decent amount. Nothing nuclear, but much stringer than I expected in truth. Very well executed fragrance. There is something so mysterious and sad about this, it almost smells like a ghost.

Scent wise, I like Tender more than Scherzo, whereas Scherzo is obviously sweeter, Tender is more vegetal, the aspect brought forth by the ink note which reminds me of Byredo M/Ink (though here, it is more subdued), it is beautiful and realistic tulip scent. However, silage and longevity wise, Tender, like the name suggests, is very close to the skin, with moderate performance, which means this fragrance is to be used in private, quite meditative environment.

A very nice scent ,with a strange inky (pine/cedar) top-note, but i love this vibe. It makes it a little mechanical and handcrafted. I kind of make-up / lipstick opening. After this opening it becomes very powdery and a little vanille soft and sweet. What lingers is a soft and dusty vibe you will smell in some 'library' books kind of fragrances. There are some woody notes in it too. Overall i love it, but hate the sillage is so very weak.