Absolue d’Osmanthe

A very warm, resinous, honeyed osmanthus scent, as expected from the name. The plum adds additional fruitiness, the labdanum and tolu balsam, warmth, resinous, leathery facets. In order to fully appreciate Absolue d’Osmanthe you need to like equally osmanthus flowers and ambers/resins. These two accords play an essential part in the way that the fragrance smells, especially in the dry down. As with the rest of Black Collection of Perris Monte Carlo, the performance is top notch. It’s the kind of fruity floral scent that it’s more fitting for spring and fall wear, thanks to the considerable amounts of vanilla, amber and balsamic nuances. This is a very rich, complex, sweet, daring scent that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re interested in osmanthus, or an apricots fan, you’re in for a treat with Absolue d’Osmanthe! I got my bottle during Black Friday sale for literally half price off, so I could not be happier with it! Phenomenal, unique smelling, good performer perfume, full package served by Perris Monte Carlo as usual.

I got a chance to try this today after eager anticipation. So far, I'm not disappointed, but will have to wear it for a bit. So far: Strong apricot, suede facets, and sandalwood. I even thought I smelled white wine for a bit in the early stages. In a side by side, Auphorie Miyako is rougher hewn, especially in the opening, which I like, but find the sandalwood to be too pungent and unrelenting-smelling at times like ripe cheese. This perfume is smoother and more delicate in comparison, but comes quite close to Miyako in character, without the sharpness. The edges are smoothed by bits of vanilla and Amber, neither super obvious in and of themselves. I really like both, but Miyako remains in the realm of greatly admire. The Perris I can see wearing out of the house. I sampled the extrait, but I believe the black bottles are EDP. It smells like high quality materials. I agree with LANIER in that this is really a standout from their line, and I do like several of their scents.

The opening is very honey-sweet. The dry down is sexy and feminine, a little resinous and powdery, and somehow gives me a Middle Eastern vibe (labdanum?). I have osmanthus dried flower tea and live osmanthus plants in my yard, and I can say that this perfume does not resemble real flowers very well. However, my nose cannot get enough of it and it has become my bedtime fragrance. Every time I enter my bedroom, I want to take a deep breath of the smell and smile. One spray on my bedsheet lasts several days. My children don't like perfume and love the smell of fresh nature instead, but they actually like this one (Another one they like from Perris Monte Carlo is Mimosa Tanneron, which really smells like nature). I am not sure how I can wear it outside because I feel that it is too sweet for my nerdy serious personality, but I may get a full size just for the good mood it gives me.

Interestingly I was neutral about the opening— I was thinking it was a skanky patchouli but it’s not listed— as I found it a bit rough, like turpentine mixed with an earth smell. But Absolue d’Osmanthe is a real shape shifter, and within an hour it morphs into a smooth beautiful osmanthus amber scent. It was such a radical change from the opening that i momentarily forgot what I was wearing. Perris Monte Carlo is a house that flies under the radar for a lot of people. I think, at the very least, they take risks that other established and more celebrated houses don’t. Not everyone is going to like this perfume, many will dismiss it for the opening—which was not terrible in my opinion, but it is very interesting and on the challenging side. I loved the drydown so much that this perfume is between a like and a love.

Absolue d'osmanthe is a very powerful "hallucinogen" ... just a few drops of it and the intense fruity aroma of osmanthus envelops me and catapults me in exotic places: suddenly I am lying in a forest of blooming osmanthus trees next to the bark of plants with unknown names from which balsamic and hypnotic resins exude. A wonderful creation that persuades and seduces you. Love it “[...]You can not refuse the force of persuasion of the perfume, it penetrates into us as the air we breath, penetrates into our lungs, fills us, dominates us totally, there is no way to oppose it”. P. Suskind