Initiation

Soapy animalic floral - fatty and musky. The key word for this perfume is 'butter' - like vintage Chanel 5, Worth Je Reviens, Piguet Baghari, and Patou Joy, it has this fatty, butyric note holding all of the other elements together, which imbues the perfume with a very smooth, rich, well rounded feel. Just as butter improves almost all dishes it's added to, I find as a note it also adds a wonderful ripe fleshiness to perfume, embuing it with a human quality that harmonises beautifully with real human skin. Dairy is integral to our own natural aroma - at least for those of us that consume it. It exudes from our pores in ways we are likely unaware of. Indeed, the Japanese were so tormented by the smell of meat and dairy eating Europeans upon first encountering them in the 16th century that they called them 'bata-kusai', or 'butter stinkers' - a label which endures to this day. Slurs aside, dairy is mothers milk, all comfort and animal warmth. It is the fat of the land flowing with milk and honey. Its suggestion in perfume calls to mind all these things, good things - at least for this cheese loving Englishwoman. With the florals, there is also a connotation of old fashioned soap. This also makes sense, considering that soapmakers will have used tallow (often rendered from beef) as their primary ingredient. Fatty, warm, and musky, there is definitely a very pronounced animalic element (at least in my splash EDT) which most reviews below aren't giving the prominence that I would argue is due - though perhaps this is a quirk of my own skin chemistry. I find that this perfume is on a par with some of the most ferocious animalics I have in my collection, such as Bal A Versailles, Revlon Intimate and MaxFactor Primitif. Where some animalic fragrances have a sweaty note (Paco La Nuit for example), this one (as the aforementioned trio) is more like warm fur. It is not modern in the least, and has far more in common with fragrances from the 1920s - 1960s than anything else at the time of it's release and beyond. Lovers of vintage animalic florals, this is for you. I have enjoyed feeling very indulgent getting to know this beautiful, rich fragrance at Christmas.

So, so subtle. So, so smooth. So, so sensual. Deceptively "simple" smelling... but it isn't simple at all. An absolutely ancient looking boxed 50ml EDP I was very pleased to procure made me wonder: how many, many moons ago was this quiet gem discontinued? Somehow, for some reason, I'd imagined this would smell very Parisienne & proper - almost aloof -- a cooler, crisper, powdered tuberose & co. Twas a creamy-grey tone I had in my olfactive eye. Yet I was somewhat nonplussed to discover something quite luxurious-casual-chic to my nose (even in the summer heat), with a surprisingly sun-kissed, confidential warmth exuding from this almost excruciatingly soft(!) scent. French, yes, but more French film star of yesteryear settling into siesta in her cabaña overlooking Acapulco Bay (circa 1966) sipping an amber rum laced, canela sprinkled horchata -- or perhaps more accurately some fancy fine French sun cream slathered over her golden, nubile body by the supple limbs of a dark eyed cabana boy, lithe & tawny? I find INITIATION imbued with such a near-tropical sensation of daylight drenched, sultry - almost swarthy - anointed skin (perhaps it's the cabana boy I'm smelling!) when late afternoon embraces the early evening and the epidermis still radiates the energy of a vast incandescent sky... as delicious, buttery dusk flowers begin to bloom in the balmy magic hour... to ooze their nacreous thick nectars together. Tender is the twilight. "go West... Paradise is there... you'll have all that you can eat of milk & honey over there..." For quiet occasions & intimate encounters. ★★★1⁄2☆☆ Edit note: This is so very lush & pleasing I have been drawn to wear it publicly a few times now. It is exceedingly hot & humid where I am. And 'Initiation' has elicited multiple positive reactions from friends ... and even compliments from complete strangers! One cabby in particular was effusive in his praise. Perhaps 'Initiation' is more of an outgoing scent than I first estimated! And perhaps Summer is indeed its season to shine.

Initiation was released at a junction between sumptuous, opulent florals and cleaner, fruitier fare, and that is what makes it fascinating to me. It feels somehow both rich and sheer, striding along like a boulevard stroll under blue skies and ever so slightly humid June air. It's an amber that doesn't melt in the sticky heat and floods the senses. It's a peach bellini with ylang-ylang simple syrup and a gardenia garnish, a bit flirty, but mostly here for good, clean fun. A cameo of tuberose and heliotrope only slightly suggests the frivolous festoon of the wonderful LouLou, but it's mostly propelled by a light and lively rosewood and a honeyed panna cotta, all the way to a tender, yet not gossamer skin scent. It's cabochon smooth, and yet another notable beauty from the underrated house of Molyneux, who brought us gems such as Fête, Vivre, Quartz, and Gauloise.

I received a free vintage mini dabber bottle of Initiation along with another vintage fragrance purchase from Etsy. I had never even heard of it before, but I really liked it! It's a rich and deep scent, but not at all overpowering. I'm a sucker for a good rosewood or peach note, and Initiation has both. It's classy and more complex than today's fragrances.

Oh My! This fragrance is the most delightful surprise. I too found a vintage mini EDP and this fragrance is sheer heaven. This is what a well balanced and well blended floral should smell like. This is a gorgeously soft,slightly sweet endlessly comforting blend of fruits,flowers,moss,amber. Nothing dominates here it's just one endless pretty comfort zone. This is a very feminine scent with no sharp edges, nothing loud and never cloying. I'm not sure that this should be classified as an oriental. This has moderate silIlage and lasted a good 9 hours on my moisturized skin. Is this still in production? It's not listed on the Molyneux website, but new bottles are available at several etailers, Amazon and Ebay. I just may have to get a full bottle!!