Cuir Velours

This is my favorite perfume. In the entire world. Thus far, anyway. I couldn't even review this one because I loved it so much that I didn't know how to review it. I'll just try to be objective here, as it is the only way to keep calm and not go crazy. The one problem (gasp!) about this that I recently discovered is that I can only wear it in the spring. This is so disheartening to me, and I am afraid it is due to this that it may lose its place as my #1. It needs to heat up on my skin in order for me to experience the love. When I first spray it on, OR when I spray this in the fall, winter, or in any environment where it is dry, it doesn't "turn" on me the way it should. It doesn't need to be hot out, but there needs to be a quiet heat that makes my skin a little moist in order to get the effect I want. And when it blooms, boy is this a masterpiece. This is TRUTH in a bottle. It magically does its thing, and in addition, it makes events in my day go especially well. My special someone goes obsessive without realizing that it is my perfume. Its memory influences months after the experience. To me, when this perfume WORKS, this is a combination of immortelle, suede, leather, labdanum, and an x factor which i like to think of as "Bloom", which is what makes this special. They all mix together and put me in a honeyed trance. It blooms mid-day and then lasts all night, until the next morning. Unfortunately, the only notes that come out in the winter or dry weather on my skin are bitter tar, leather, sour tobacco, and a slight peppery nuance. I don't dislike these notes, but together in this perfume, they are not pleasant to my nose in the wrong season. Even with this problem, I rate this a 10/10. The times that it works for me make up for when I can't wear it. It is that good when it blooms.

After testing Corpus Equus, the other leather-dominant Naomi Goodsir scent, I wanted to compare it to this. They each are very different takes on leather. Where CE was a challenging animalic woody leather, Cuir Velours, the earlier release, is an interesting (and unexpected) sweet suede scent. It is another artistic, avant-garde scent from this house, and is utterly charming and quite wearable. CV opens with an unexpected sweet immortelle note that competes with suede for dominance. That said, it is wonderfully cohesive, and utterly compelling - unlike anything I have tried before. Naomi Goodsir perfumes are creative at the best of times, and CV is no exception. It is primarily sweet and fruity with some stickiness underneath. It complements the realistic smooth suede accord beautifully, if making for an unpredictable combination. As it develops, the tobacco emerges, more hay-like than smoky, adding a nice counterpoint to the sweetness. The incense that emerges at this stage adds both smokiness and a balsamic undertone that complements the suede-immortelle accord nicely. The sugary-boozy rum is evident here, realistic but restrained, complementing the sweetness and amber. The suede and sweet immortelle remain, and it fades to a dry, sweet amber skin scent. Sillage is moderate and longevity is long-lasting. It is unisex despite the sweetness. It is an autumn/winter scent, best worn for evening occasions. A wearable olfactory artwork, CV is a beautifully-balanced scent comprising very smooth suede alongside rich sweetness. It isn't cloying or overly sweet (and I'm not a lover of sweetness in perfume in general). I find this deeply satisfying, an unusual take on sweetness that feels grown-up and luxurious, yet utterly cool. 4.5/5.

The opening of Cuir Velours is gorgeous; tobacco and leather support a beautiful beautiful boozy fruit set of top notes. Peachy, rummy and a quick flash of something that smells to me like fresh strawberry. The actual fruit, with its tartness intact, rather than a sugary candy idea of strawberry. All of this is given loft by the incense note. The balance is so good that the whole thing sings as a rich whole. The fleeting fresh fruit notes give way to a more raisiny rum fruit note and the smokier tones of the incense and tobacco. The effect is warm, sexy and sophisticated. The transition it does make is into a softer, amber version of itself. The leather, smokiness and incense remain subtle but detectable, overlaid with a softened version of the boozy fruit heart of the fragrance. The balance of this fragrance is noteworthy, with all aspects working in harmony. Cuir Velours is sexy, perfect for nighttime and cooler weather, when something warm and smoky is called for. I get fantastic sillage and longevity from this fragrance. When I initially assembled the pump action spray that ships with the bottle, I thought the spray result was a little mean at first, but in reality I wouldn't want anything more. The strength of this fragrance is very much an Eau de Parfum. All in all a great investment and this winter I have been wearing this a lot already.

On my first wear, it was a sweet immortelle bomb with almost no leather. (Maybe it needed more time to settle?) I'm very glad I gave it a second chance because this time, the notes were exactly as listed. The heady mix of syrupy immortelle, leather, and rum dries down to a soft suede topped by a more powdery immortelle. This scent doesn't strike me as gourmand at all, and I appreciate the hint of powder because it counters immortelle's urine tendencies; however, this drydown might be too feminine for lovers of other leather fragrances. The sillage is fairly intimate and the longevity is over eight hours. This is the second Naomi Goodsir I've tried after Nuit de Bakelite, and I noticed that both fragrances seem to eschew subtlety in the opening in favor of a more compelling and long-lasting drydown. To me, this is a good thing, because who doesn't want to smell nice for longer? However, this is a brave move when many perfumes are acquired based on 30 second impressions, whether from influencer highlights or a test strip spray in a store. As with Nuit de Bakelite, I suggest you try a small amount on skin; you may be pleasantly surprised.

I discovered this somewhat hidden gem during my earlier obsession with immortelle. Here, it feels herbal and unexpected, adding that perfectly imperfect moment that makes the whole thing interesting. Boozy, sweet rum notes bring a warm and luxurious feel to silky smooth suede that reads classy and restrained, all the while complementing what is a deliciously different, and dare I say restrained take on tobacco. Labdanum is on its best behaviour, with no funk and no bite, just well-mannered and suggestive, with the slightest hint of smoke. It sinks to the base of the composition and carries it through an elongated drydown that’s rich, syrupy, and perhaps slightly leathered. There’s sweetness from start to finish, bordering on that burnt sugar, resinous vibe, but never cloying and never threatening to tip into gourmand territory. I really like this. It’s an easy wear, and even though I’ve long moved on from my little immortelle phase, this remains a favourite in the genre for me.

Cuir Velours leather is a very kind, good, more than a musky leather is a soft suede and sweet. The fragrance feels quite linear and very little evolution. Since the beginning feel a pleasant note siempreviva rum and, below, the snuff that clarifies and adds a spicy soft suede this nice and sweet. The effect of labdanum is very soft and pale only provides warmth, but note that incense itself feels quite. This incense is not toasted, only a smoky soft that when mixed with musk favors a note as dusty, very similar as a whole to fragrances with olfactory style result D600 Carner, Dior Homme, Silver Iris, etc. The excellent quality, with good length and moderate wake. The composition is very good and convince RASQUINET again with the result. Rating: 7.5

People! I LOVE, LOVE!! This fragrance! Scent wise this is really what I was hoping to find in a fragrance however did not expect to find it in Cuir Velours. To me this is a boozy sweet Suede yet still soft type of fragrance. I'd give the entire composition a perfect 10. HOWEVER, in the projection and longevity department I feel it unfortunately lacks more strength. Projection in my opinion is just ok. When to me this is definitely a scent which is worth being a projection monster because I would like everyone around me to smell this, and they will thank me for it. And longevity wise this lasted me about 5 hours, maybe six on a 19 degrees Celsius day. Who knows, maybe in much colder weather this would perform better. I hope it eventually would!

Second sample of my discovery set. This is beautiful. Sweet, sexy and musky. The leather here is not animalic at all to me, more like shoe leather (suede), very clean. The tobacco is not smoky here, it's a dry tobacco, uplifted by the sweet amber. It's slightly boozy but not a drunken, harsh way. It's a very sexy, attention-grabbing scent, definitely suited for night outings and ideally dressed up. Lasting power is decent, on strip I still smell it 2 days later, on skin I got an easy 6 hours with decent projection. I tend to really enjoy what Julien Rasquinet does and again, he does not disappoint here.

This is undoubtably the smoothest leather you will ever smell. The sweetness in this definitely isn't for everyone and wasn't what I was expecting when I first sprayed this but I've quickly grown to adore it. The fragrance isn't as leathery as I was expecting either but I think it's for the better as it's done in such a mature and subdued way. Don't get me wrong it's probably the most prominent note here but unlike other leather fragrances it isn't in your face with that new car sort of smell. Sweet, smooth and superb 10/10

(edited 9/4/15) this is lovely from first sniff. it goes on oriental suede and then the labdanum comes out on the drydown. (insert smiley emoji with hearts for eyes.) i particularly love suedey scents and this one does not disappoint. it gets a bit of an effervescent boozy quality from the rum and tobacco i am guessing. i really have to say i love the incense and labdanum in this scent. i only have a sample of this, but the sillage is pretty subtle even when i slather it on, which is really my only complaint.

Mmmmm, this is a yummy and silky-smooth suede. It's quite different from the other scents in the Naomi Goodsir line (except maybe Or du Serail, but only in its mild sweetness). However, it does make me think of her comments about the fragrances being based on texture. The immortelle is less spicy than one might expect, and it kind of feels like there's a bit of iris in there. I also detect a tiny bit of raw honey, I think. A little sweet, but not sugary. I think this might be my second favourite. Lovely!

I received this perfume as part of a sample set and was willing to dislike it based on some of the less positive reviews here, but I just can't. This is some really potent stuff and seems much more oily than most fragrances (I can see where I sprayed it on my hand) From the opening on Cuir Velours envelops you in a cloud of lush suede, wax (crayons!) and booze. This is friendly yet voluptuous leather, very seducing. I am a man but can just as easily picture this on a woman. Very unisex.

Opens is very clean and powdery but it quickly sweetens up Aromatic suede and tobacco that comes off just a tiny bit smokey In the back are also some boozy hints The fragrance is uniquely sweet with immortelle and labdanum which comes off almost like a dirtier cinnamon The suede is well incorporated and blended with the other notes and it presenting very smooth, subtle and elegant At the same time it's also aromatic with tobacco and some incense smoke

This is quite literally Christmas in a bottle for me. Maple syrupy immortelle on a base of soft suede, lightly spiced and softly herbal. It smells like being wrapped up in your favourite scarf, holding your partner's hand while strolling the Christmas market illuminated by hanging lights. Wafts of whatever sweet and delicious confectionery is being prepared down the cobbled road swirl around the cold air to greet you. 100% gourmand IMO.

This one is something different very complex and deceiving very much a sweet suede with a bit of labdanum with a lot of immortelle making it herbal and spicy. Definitely never smelled anything like this before very devisive. Overall: 7.6/10 not super wearable but could be a unique scent to try to wear on certain days

What a pleasant fragrance is very wearable. I wish the horse smell of scent was more present and stronger, this is more like a incense rose and leather than a beautiful horsey 🐴 ( haha ) great stuff I love this one I wish it was a 100 ml because for a 50 ml is very expensive.

This is it. This one is smooth, slightly reminds me of a perfume my 7th grade crush wore. This is deep, smooth leather with a refined boozy smoky sweetness, its very abstract. This is something Tom Ford would make back at their peak years.

This perfume is pure olfactory refinement! A subtle cocktail of delicate leather, rum, pipe tobacco and immortelle. It is a virile, highly elegant yet gourmand perfume that I discovered thanks to Radjur Real Deep Kool on youtube.

I would describe this as candied leather. It's sweet and smooth, it really feels like wrapping yourself in a blanket made of suede and cotton candy. Absolutely stunning, I love everything this from this house!

Something about the playful, sweet, boozy accord reminds me of Pierre Guillaume's Paris Fidji.