Paradoxe

Back in the early 1990's, my Mom and I went "halfsies" on a designer miniature perfume sampler box, sold on one of the television shopping channels. I don't really remember much about the other scents, but I do remember Paradoxe. As soon as I opened the bottle, I told Mom, "This one is MINE!". The reason? Well, to me it smelled almost exactly like the way I imagined the perfume O is ordered to wear, in the classic erotic novel "The Story of O", must have smelled like. It is dry, mossy, musky (but not too much) and has one of the best leather notes I have ever smelled in a woman's fragrance. When I ran out I was so sad because this is an expensive scent. Since Paradoxe was launched in 1983, it could not have been the inspiration for O's scent, but I wonder if someone at Cardin was a fan of that novel.

This perfume is divine! Very rich and complex. It's predominantly incense-y on me throughout the whole wear time(1+ hours). Along with the incense there is a strong amber note, almost honey complexity. Then comes the oakmoss, then leather. The leather here is of a very warm nature, like an old suede jacket worn by a woman who wears Trussardi Donna or Magie Noire. Then comes the pepper, very slightly. This perfume gives no flowers on me. Maybe a bit of an iris, to tell you the truth. I like this perfume very much, although the longevity is not as good as I wish. I like to mix Paradox with Basic Black by Bill Blass, for they are 2 perfumes that are not long lasting on me. It works for me, but not for my husband....he tells me I smell like an old lady....:((((

It was a blind buy, I ordered it because the announce kept appearing on certain websites. I thought I might give it a try as it was a special offer... and WOOOOOH! The scent is fascinating. It became a passion of mine. Old-fashioned, not a light fragrance, but a true oldschool one. Incense, pepper, amber - so the scent is not definitely girlish. Though it is a "for her" perfume, I think it might be considered as unisex. Love it. A hidden gem that was so worth discovering!

♥️An oldschool chypre on my skin. Not a power bomb but non of the chypre kind of perfumes are. But i enjoy it very much. Chypre is an unisex scent i have also a few man chypre perfumes. But they are all much a like and i love them all. This is a soft chypre not a harsh one like elixer of Clinique. Longtivity and projection are moderate just for 2 hours than you will have to apply again.

Just received this today. Classic ...hidden gem...old-school. I get woodsy-floral chypre-ish....vibes. The true beauty of this...is during the development on skin...then the dry-down. In the same vibe/family of Eau de Caron (which I own and love)...and yes, a touch/tad whisper of vintage Cacherel Anais Anais....but way underneath,IMO Happy blind-buy here.

GAAAH! So smoky-peppery-weird, in the best way possible! I know I should wait a little longer before writing a review, but I love how freaking weird this is straightaway! (I've had it on one wrist for about 5 minutes.) It's so bizarre, and addictive, and... just really, really WEIRD. It smells like something from when I was a child, like a scratch and sniff sticker of pepper or something, or one of those scented markers but in the black scent? I dunno, I can't quite put my finger on it. I agree pretty much with everything said in the other reviews. Definitely unisex. Not even sure if I want to smell like this, or if it's sexy - it might actually be off-putting - but I don't care! It's making me super excited and I keep sniffing at my wrist like mad. (Even if it's on the verge of sneeze-inducing.) I get a lot of pepper, smoke (clean woody smoke, not ashy like cigarette smoke nor sweet-spicy like incense), kind of a non-tart citrus - bergamot I guess but I usually hate bergamot. I don't know, this is just so addictively weird but I kind of love it. Maybe that smell from when there was a truck with a tar cart thing, like if they were tarring a roof? Sweet-ish and clean but burnt. That's the best I can come up with.

Paradox isn't quite what I expected. This is soft, cool, and clean. This smells like I've just used a scented soap that has left behind an almost incensey smell. I was expecting leather/spice/smokey/pungent, but Paradox is quite demure, after the initial brassy blast. I'm not getting any flowers, or citrus. Maybe just a touch of lemon? But there is something that is bringing just the slightest touch of a dark juicy tone. It seems like a touch of black currant, plum, or even apricot? Paradox does get a little more herbal in the dry down, and becomes a touch creamy, from the iris butter. Over all, a very pleasant, not-at-all sweet, should-be-a-staple-in-your-collection kind of scent. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Houbigant's Apercu in the dry down...which seems odd. But Paradox has that same creamy/clean/herbal accord under the light leather and incense. I consider this a business/cool weather scent, a little formal, discreetly sensual. I'd be quite curious to see how this wore on a man- I suspect that it would be quite appealing, particularly when applied lightly. I do think that this might expand in an unfortunate way in hot weather, so experiment carefully!

This is a wonderful incense-dominant fragrance. As many of the other reviewers stated, very minimal florals with perhaps the exception of iris. I don't care for the opening notes at all. They're mainly citrus, and in my bottle they're either a little off or harsh, but they smell sort of cheap and thin. As soon as the leather and incense notes develop, the perfume really takes off and smells rich and full at last. They drown out the citrus notes, although the citrus does remain as a backdrop. As it dries down, it eventually becomes a sort of musky citrus again. The only other thing I don't like about my bottle is it's the parfum version and has the circle shape(that was really a popular motif in '70's perfume bottles). Once you take it off its snap-on base, you can't get it back on, and the circle is an awkward shape to keep in a drawer. It's attractive, though. Overall I really like this fragrance, and while it doesn't have a lot of projection, it's sort of low-key and cool and wearable for a lot of occasions.

I got a mini to try this Paradoxe out. Cute no-frills bottle, it fits the fragrance. Easy to love, not easy to describe! Opens with a balsamic & incense flavored soft citrus soapy smell, paradox of lemony, clean & light with the flavor of darkness & smoke, on a soft fuzzy cloud. It's the stuff I liked about Jicky, without any of Jicky's hard-to-wear funk. The leather is apparent in the beginning, and the lovely lemon is delicious, everything melds together so well, it's one of those *the whole is more than the sum of its parts* things. As Paradoxe dries it becomes more glowing than powdery. I like it! Fabulous leather fragrance that isn't too flowery or girly for my taste, and not too smoky or intense for everyday wear. (It reminds me a little of Cabaret by Gres, but without the rose part.. now I want to try it with different roses, to see if I can layer into something like that, for fun!)

Beautiful! This is what the french vintage is about! A sophisticated elixir, so be respectful it won't work if you're not in the right mood. Rich, ultra feminine for a confident women. You'll find a floral-soft and quite heavy accords throughout its development. A definitely citrus notes to start with -far from fresh and/or cheap though. Perfect for layering with ultra masculine scents if desired, you probably won't go wrong. Beautiful bottle. Great price. Minus points: -1 will leave yellowish marks on white fabrics -1 the stopper is cheap -1 NOT unusual, after 1 hour it will try to become No5 or maybe Blaze by Eden with very little success This is a MUST-HAVE fragrance for any collector! 7/10

Bitter-sweet incence, it's really lovely. I had some back in the day and completely forgot about it. I recently bought a bottle of the pure perfume and was immediately transported back in time. It's a well balanced fragrance - it's not "the one" I am pretty sure that search will go on until the end of my time - but it is very good. I love leather perfumes and this is pretty leathery but not in the same way that Caron's Tabac Blonde is (which IMHO is the best leather fragrance ever (vintage of course)). I am pleased to have it in my collection and think it's a nice intro to leather frags. The bitter note is countered by the sweetness and there is a perfect balance between sharp/sweet/spicy.

I ' m very happy with the blind buy of Paradoxe . I thank the reviewers below . I love leather in perfumes and Paradoxe also has another note I love : incense . It is easier to wear than the beautiful Cabochard in the original formula which has a much bolder personality . Easy to wear means to me that you can pull it off without paying much attention to what you are wearing ... But I wear even the spicy leather Fendi woman with no particularly elegant attire so you get a better picture :-) It certainly is much warmer and inviting than the amazing vintage Bandit .

Loud, proud, and still none too much when applied with discretion. It would be hard to overspray anyway, the atomizer spits more than it sprays. Still, it's wonderfully brun in effect to me, so classically and attractively brown in every fashion. Others report this smells powdery on me, which may be why I like how it stands around my body so much. This fragrance feels protective and sacred, even evoking the feeling of receiving a message from an ancestor. A good one to wear when nervous, very calming.

Paradoxe is a striking leathery chypre EDP with total unisex possibilities due to it hard edged 80's powerhouse feel. Very well blended, too. The notes listed feel accurrate and the overall effect is intoxicating if smelled from 5-6 inches away, but is way too intense when the nose is stuck right up in it and inhaled My vintage sample's top notes desintigrated quite quickly, but the heart and basenotes went on for many hours. Definately check this out if you like the dark chypre leather vibe.

Paradoxe is for true leather lovers. at first it reminded me a lot of Balmain's Jolie Madame, but only for a few minutes. Paradoxe is much smoother and subtler, with leather and tuberose as the most prominet notes. Although it's quite noticeable, it's not one of those in your face dragrances. Probably worn best in colder weather and with formal attire. I see some similarites in character with Miss Dior and Joy as well.

Looks like I will be the first one reviewing it as soon as it arrrives.

I just got this perfume. I purchased it online, without any tasting before. (In offline shops, of course, they do not sale this one). Before I got it, I was a little bit worrying, because lots of comments on this one are like :"Very heavy", "heavy chypre", "This is unisex", "Smells like something or somebody grilled". BUT..from my experience its absolutely nothing like this! I would say that on my skin, it sounds very similar to Cacharel Anais Anais(their old original version, not watered down one). I feel here similar accords of: hyacinth, ylang- ylang, jasmine. In the base they both also have musk, oakmoss (which I love)! Leather here I feel on the total start and a bit after, but its not dominant at all. Accords of a citruses are faint and I feel them hardly. So, Pierre Cardin "Paradox" is a flowery fragrance, with notes of moss and musk. It is feminine and not overwhelming at all. Also there is feeling of freshness here, but its not rough, the chypre element is very elegant and light. Will perfectly suit to anyone 27+. (its not fruity water after all). Impression about this fragrance is that..Im gonna use it anytime and anywhere-its very good and suitable for any occasion!

I have been wearing this scent for awhile now really. I have been really thinking, what else it reminds me and now I have got an idea finally. At the beginning, Paradox reminds me Guerlain Shalimar. (similar leather and retro vibe. Shalimar is stronger although. ) And after the Shalimar's vibe, it comes out old version of a Cacharel Anais Anais. (with its ambery flowers). Longevity is medium. Sillage is quite good. In the closed room or in the car, sillage can be enormously powerful (in a good way) for the first 1-1,5 hours then it calms down and after some time becomes a skin scent.

This is a very cheap chypre that I bought the other day in the 1st month of November and whilst it took me a minute to work out how I feel about it. I can say that it falls into that mossy, green, category I've been craving right now. And its such a nice alternative to the usual amber or patchouli heavy autumn/winter scents that I usually go for. Its complex, mature, formal and very old school French! Which was a bit of a surprise to me as I don't have anything remotely like that.. So its a bit of a wildcard. It has a sweetness as well as a grittiness and when compared to Cabochard, it is more rounded and smooth. As the floral middle notes keep it from being overly austere. However, I have mixed feelings about the projection. As It starts out huge which is very promising, but then it dies down fast. Really fast! So its kind of gives you a false hope that your fragrance will enter the room before you do, but it doesn't..But you do catch it on yourself which is nice. And it gives boss lady headteacher vibes with glasses, stockings, glasses, updo hair and a cane. Its quite decadent too and honestly could be niche, as the development on skin is quite interesting. I paid about £8 for it. So the price is very, very reasonable.

My first review was from a 1.7 oz bottle that was of yellow juice. I purchased a back up of this, and found a good deal on a huge 6.6 oz splash. The juice is more orange-tan-- and this juice is different and kinda better. Sweet ylang ylang woods, a hint of spice... Tiny bit of powder and light smoky incense. No real top notes because it's alcoholy for the first minute. I dig both juices but the yellow is more like Azuree/Cabochard/Mme Jolie/Empriente. This dark juice is smooth and sweet with barely any citrus or leather. This is an outstanding gem! I recommend whatever you can find. I hoping tho it's all the same formula and ages this way? This splash is on my wrist, and now after 30 minues... A creamy leather smoke. Still woody sweet. And later a soft Poison like incense. This does appear to act differently on skin versus clothing. And there are def stages/not linear on skin. Clothing tends to smell like the Cabochard/Bandit type. And I'm sure my super cold dry air is a factor. My final verdict on the EDP Splash- like mixing Azuree with Poison and then making it non-nuclear, smooth, ladylike, and interesting. I really really love this aged juice. Lasted about 4 hours on my skin.

Paradoxe de Cardin, 1983 eau de parfum version. First off, Paradoxe does not remind me of anything 1980s... Actually this bewitching leather chypre reminds me a bit of Bandit, though I find Paradoxe to be slightly more tender. The smoke and incense side of Paradoxe seems very subtle while the lemon and pepper notes are surprisingly bold. My lips actually tingled and felt hot when I first sniffed my wrist! With such strong initial character, its hard to pay attention to the softer notes at first. But over time the "yellow florals", kitteny musk, sweetish amber and cooling moss transform this beast into something of a Modern beauty- hard on the outside, with a hidden inner softness and underlying complexity. An unusual perfume that stayed under the radar and disappeared. Worth smelling if you get the chance, and the original bottle(the design with the frosted glass disc and the odd two-tone cap) looks terrific on display.

I had a similar initial reaction to ginandjewess’s review. Spraying the scent in the air upon receiving it, it was delightfully addicting and confusing, I couldn’t stop sniffing it! There is a charred, almost tangy quality that is just fascinating. But when I decided to spray it on my body the next morning, it was a bad move. Rather than smelling like I was trying a new fragrance, I smelled like I’d been stuck in a barbecue kitchen for hours. I tried scrubbing it, but it persisted, so I layered on a fairly robust floral hoping the notes would combine into something more balanced and perfume-y. The result wasn’t BAD, but I felt very self-conscious all day. When I drove in my car for a bit, the smoky leather smell filled the entire space like I was commuting in a smoker on wheels. I LOVE to smell this in and of itself, I just can’t imagine a time that I would want to WEAR it.

I agree with LittleRed in that this is not a feminine version of The Knize Ten or anything like that. Nor do I detect anything more than a hint of incense. And I agree with those who say it is unisex, as there are no strong florals or anything like that. If you want an "old school" leather that has been 100% tamed, this is one to consider. I bought one new and it was in the box. All the information suggests this is vintage, probably from the 80s ("new old stock"), so the top notes may have degraded substantially. Very nice if this is what you're seeking ! UPDATE: Two plus hours in and I'm getting a kind of smoldering, bitter, peppery, leathery incense. It's subtle but it's nicely done, and totally natural smelling. If the present formulation of Yatagan is too harsh, "synthetic," or strong, but you like the idea, the drydown of Paradoxe might be what you're seeking.

I have never heard of this?! I loooove oldie leather/animalic scents with a green/chypre flair. I ADORE Bandit! So I blind bought a 1.7 of this for a song! This is very similar to my faves, and yet I love it and absolutely need a back up. It's lighter than Cabochard, less ashtray than the EDT... smells similar to the EDP of Cabo just a tiny bit "less" everything. Also very similar to Madame Jolie by Balmain, except it's missing the wet lush violets. I get: Citrus opening, animalic flowers, and leathery incense. Sweet and smoky a bit in the drydown. Highly recommended as a cheap hidden gem for leather chypre lovers!

Another oft-overlooked leather floral chypre, Paradoxe starts off green with hyacinth and supporting florals with a shimmer of citrus, but as it dries down, its strong character is revealed. Pepper, incense, and a smoldering woodiness blooms on the skin, with a charming dry down that makes Paradoxe seem like it wouldn't be out of place in Aramis's line of gentleman's fragrances that were released in the 70s and 80s. Some aspects also remind me somehow of Goutal's Encense Flamboyant, dry, cold, yet smoky, luminous and wispy. It's well worth a sniff, and can be bought for a song.

This is well worth tracking down-its available for pennies and is a beautiful fragrance. It's very much of its time-spray very lightly because heavy-handed squirting is overpowering. I think it tends towards masculine (in as much as fragrances can be gendered). There's no sweetness, no overt floral notes-its all incense, warmth, slightly spicy leathery smokiness. It's similar to Chanel's Cuir de Russie-or should I say Cuir de Russie is similar to this, seeing as though this one came out 30 years ago.

I didn't know what to expect with this one. To be honest, I didn't anticipate something so nicely blended and easy to wear. I expected more of an eighties heavy hitter. It is noticeable but not overpowering in this way. The dominant note is leather from beginning to end with a bit of citrus to start, and the incense and florals adding some sweet softness and femininity. Quite a nice blend and well-made. You must love leather to wear this.

Just ordered another bottle after spritzing from my several years old bottle for the first time this autumn. All oakmoss, incense, and some leather. I'd forgotten how wonderful oakmoss and incense can blend with my chemistry. I hope the new bottle is not a disappointment at eBay price under $12. Happy day.