Oeilleres L'Objet Parfumant

I received a sample of this over a year ago as part of a very generous stash of samples from a fellow Fragrantician with whom I did a sample swap, and since they all came in identical vials I decided to do a blind test for each, applying them without prior knowledge of name or brand to allow a total absence of bias. Many of them were niche, many of them expensive and unusual Oeilleres, however, was one of the few that instantly made me sit up and go ‘wow’ It’s that time of the year again where I’m itching to buy perfume as a gift for myself so I decided to return to the vial of Oeilleres. As luck would have it the vial was not tightly sealed and in the few minutes it lay recumbent on my bedside table most of it drained out. So now I and my bedside table are wearing an overdose (probably over a milliliter) of Oeilleres and the expeireince is wonderful (and quite different depending on material surface) On the table (and now on the book which I’ve placed on it, quite fortuitously Gore Vidal’s ‘The Season of Comfort’ which is happy soaking up the scent) it is immediately green and herbal. The comforting chamomile tea aroma really predominates on paper, with a cardamom and honey nuance which gives it a very carefree air. In a way it is pretty fortunate that of all the scents I could have spilled and needed to mop up with my hand, it was Oeilleres - plenty of other perfumes, even beautiful ones, would necessitate a good few minutes at the sink making like Lady Macbeth if accidentally encountered in quantities greater than a couple of sprays. This smells like something a brand like Aesop might do as a scent for a hand cream when they want to convince the customer that they are ‘fragrance-free’ - distinctly natural and yet luxurious - that expensive ambient spa scent redolent of vacations in exotic locales. The outdoors is definitely encapsulated in a bottle here - but more the agrestic outdoors, tamed by the human hand: hay bales, mown grass, maybe a distant cow pat. It speaks of the benevolent bounty of nature rather than the scary wild wood. Definite reminders of that scent which prompted me to join Fragrantica - Memoir D’Une Odeur. That one too, is noted for its chamomile-centred profile, but Oeilleres ultimately wins the quality contest. On skin, however, is where it really blossoms. And the artistic intention of Roberto Greco begins. What were once showy blooms are now desiccated and indistinct in texture or colour from stems or leaves; the hiearchy of beauty once dominated by the flower no longer exists now that life and moisture has left them. The vase water from which they nourished their vibrant petals has gone stagnant. But unlike corpses, this isn’t a crypt of cold, decomposing things. Dead flowers still maintain their eternal life force; if anything, the bloom has to fade for fecundity to take over, Oeilleres unveils its sensuality on skin and becomes primarily a birch-infused supple suede rounded off with one of my favourite resins, benzoin, with enough heft to site it well within the realm of ‘manly man’ perfumery for those of the male persuasion who are terrified of inadvertently wearing the olfactory equivalent of lacy panties. Also, for all its conceptual aspirations, Oeilleres manages to not come off as pretentious in the slightest because it genuinely is a beautiful wearable scent without any jarring oddity.. no single component deliberately pokes its head out to proclaim a ‘theme’, but once you know the backstory, that sweep from fresh and herbal in the initial application to intense leather becomes all the more vivid. Spray some on both skin and fabric to allow that beautiful hay aspect to tinge the leather throughout its wear and maintain its true intent. P.S. I woke up in the middle of the night ten hours after first applying it liberally to the crook of my arm, and detected something very familiar. And then it occured to me - the drydown, only when liberally applied (probably four sprays in the same area) bears a striking resemblance to Hermes’s Bel Ami. So yes, definitely a classy gentlemanly fragrance in the drydown. Projection isn’t strong, but a delight to smell up close.

I have been hoarding Luckyscent samples of this one, after missing out on my opportunity to purchase the last available bottle before it got snatched up - while I was checking out! Thanks to some amazing people in Fragcomm, I was able to order a bottle from Paris, so in celebration of putting my search for this to rest, I will now review, Oeilleres - my scent-of-the-day as I go to close on a home - a first in my life. I'll cut to the chase now - this is a truly beautiful perfume. There are perfumes that are stunning, divine, transportive, artistic, emotional, unique, and special, and then you have perfumes that are *beautiful* - a descriptor often overused. In addition to this being all of the aforementioned, this is one of those bottles that is truly, to its core... Beautiful. I'm not a fan of cumin in perfume at all. The sweaty, hot, sour body odour notes it can often lend typically ruin a composition for me. Here, though, we see it used in a different way. It's very, very detectable, but it lends this soft, hazy warmth, that I can only describe as an early autumn morning, transitioning into midday, with the breeze winding down and allowing the sun to cast a gently warm glow over a meadow - and you know, in your very soul, this is the last warm day you'll experience all year. Broom is a funny note. I typically can't describe it, but it gives the same effect in everything I've smelled it in. A dry, dusty, almost grainy dried tall grass with a hay-like coumarin and musky floral undertone. Here, it's bolstered by pollen, which is one of the keys to this composition, lending a sweet dusty vegetal nuance - almost fennel-like, which replaces what green notes would typically contribute. It also brings a little bit of spring and summer into this otherwise agrestic early autumn perfume. I get eucalyptus as more of a heart note, as its intensity in the opening burns off pretty quickly, giving way to cumin. In the heart, it isn't an astringent or medicinal eucalyptus E.O., but rather, reminds me of the eucalyptus groves in late summer, as they drop their buttons and the bark begins to peel and curl - the cool mentholic woody scent that fills the air as the sun heats up. Finally, the chamomile - a flower that grows in many places, often not far from eucalyptus and the agrestic aroma of sun-baked hay, lavender, broom and pollen that all define a particular time of year in a particular type of place. The chamomile isn't tea-like, rather, it's a dusty-sweet, dried bud that's crushed between your fingers and flies away in the breeze. It pairs brilliantly with pollen. Everything I've described lies on a bed of soft, fuzzy, almost furry musk. I understand it to be a botanical musk interpretation, but the eucalyptus, pollen, and cumin work to give it an *almost* Siberian deer musk quality. It really stays on the skin and slowly unfurls, winding down and down and down, until you're left with the airy, fluffy remnants, much like the silky threads of the milkweed pods that open, as autumn draws nearer and nearer. I could go on and on describing notes and accords, and it'll do very little justice. To me, this is the embodiment of the changing of seasons. The languid haze of late summer, right as autumn sets in. The drying flora, taking on a faint golden cast. The buzzing country meadows and fields, slowly winding down, as the winds begin to shift. A picturesque pollinated portrait. The gorgeous glow of goldenrod. An assimilation of antiquity and anachronism. A narrative of nostalgia with a hazy halo. Oeilleres is a masterpiece of artistic perfumery. A genuine gem. A perfect perfume.

Oeilleres is the first perfume in the current line of three, released in a limited number by photographer Roberto Greco. The nose behind this is one of my favorite perfumers, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, the master of Agrestic perfumes, creating once more, an agrestic wonder. Roberto calls this perfume an anti-floral, but also a half-animalic perfume. To me, it is certainly anti-floral, as it shies away from using any tangible floral materials, opting for the shrubs, the "flowers" of the fields. But the other part of it, to me, comes across as a portrayal of the inevitable decay and death of living matter and the inevitable process of the body's degradation. Behind the conceptual, however, Oeilleres is an agrestic perfume through and through, and a beautiful one at that. And there is something in the base that almost comes across as "alive". It really makes me think of waking up in the morning, before sunrise, and taking a stroll through the fields, starting and getting the work done early for the day. The early morning air is crisp and cool even during Summer, and so is the bracing opening of this fragrance, as eucalyptus and lavender provide an almost mentholated, fresh, and cold opening. But as the sun's rays start to warm up the landscape, so do the spices, mostly cumin with its humanistic smell, again, hinting to the human condition, and then the various field florals like chamomile which supports the eucalyptus and its medicinal flavor but also bringing in a more soothing touch, broom, clover, and sweet hay. Pollen permeates the air as insects start their rounds from flower to flower. The heart of this perfume is all about the dry, herbaceous, sweet, and honeyed aroma of these beautiful yet misunderstood plants. In the base, smoky resins, and lots of musks, together with cumin come along to create the impression of leather, or rather, human skin. There is also a strong oiliness to the perfume at this stage, which only helps to ground that imagery. Thick, sweaty human skin. Wrinkled, and sweated by the hardships of fieldwork and ages. The evolution is steady and certain, and the composition is vivid at all times. There is beauty in nature, and there is certainty in decay. If you ask me, I always preferred the field florals and the shrubs to roses, tuberose, or jasmine. I find more comfort in them, and maybe that's why I love agrestic smells so much. IG:@memory.of.scents

The best part of Oeillères? Its disarmingly beautiful dry down, whose radiant grace evokes that last hot day of an Indian summer. Yes, the opening must be overcome, that's undeniable. You have to apply the essence and let it develop, be patient because within the next hour, a vortex of astringent, leathery, green, dry, animalic, and indolic scents forms around you. But give the perfume time to travel the necessary distance so that it reveals its secret to you. Only the deserving will obtain it, because many will abandon the race, overcome, without asking for their rest; a matter of natural selection. Oeillères won me over because it masterfully summons opposites in a composition that appears completely improbable but ultimately results in the transmutation of the ugly into the beautiful, of the chrysalis into a butterfly. A chronological unfolding close to Fréderic Malle's oriental tale The Night but here in a bucolic autumnal register. Oeillères sets off in an infernal, bitter and suffocating flight of brutal, primary and visceral scents, then after multiple torments, however necessary for the birth, it is the timid emergence of a floral charm saturated with maturity on the verge of fading, from which is born as if by "miracle" (dazzling and unexpected acceleration of a natural process) this astonishing olfactory metamorphosis letting the repulsive fade in a fierce struggle for its survival in order to finally preserve only the fusion of the most glorious and solar parts of the materials in their decomposition for a descent towards this divine Fougère embalming the end of afternoons in paradise. Oeillères (2017) is the synthesis between an already existing perfume, the mystical Tabac Tabou (2015) and the upcoming one prefiguring the animalic and racy universe dear to the perfumer, Ruade (2024).

First of all thank you Roberto for sending me a sample of Oeillères. Of course curious as I am I had to seek out more info and I learned that the perfume Oeillères was part of an Art Project by Roberto. Also had to look up what the word Oeillères actually means. As I found out oeillères are blinders worn by horses. Now of to the fragrance. The first spray of Oeillères is a very herbal blast. I cannot really determine what it is exactly, But it's fresh and warm at the same time and very natural and animalic. Also very different from anything I smelled before, but at the same time Oeillères definitely has the Marc-Antoine Corticchiato signature. The first time I sprayed Oeillères the opening was too overwhelming, but after testing several time I must say I especially like the opening. After the first blast Oeillères slowly transforms into a warm and easier to wear fragrance. Nothing sharp, but very balanced and refined. Oeillères smells green like fresh herbs and with my nose glued to my wrist I can definitely smell the fresh chamomile. (I might be focussed on it, because I used to pick wild chamomile when I was a kid. My mother boiled it into a brew for my older sister so she could rinse her white hair.) The chamomile is nicely blended with other herbal notes creating a lovely fragrance, although unisex I feel it's leaning more towards masculine. Oeillères also has a slight barbershop smell to it, at least the middle part does. In the drydown the scent mellows into a warm scent and eases the animalic qualities (but is still slightly present) and it just smells nice, warm and inviting. This stage is definitely unisex. Projection is close to the skin. Very unique fragrance.

I am surrounded by pollen, propolis, weeds and reeds, all manners of flora and fauna, as if to escape from the madness of humanity. The sun warms my face, I learn what a zephyr really is as it attempts its escape in the cool air, and chamomile, daisies, asters, tansy, yarrow, gesticulate and release their comforting, sedative balm. The sound is that of Eastern Bluebirds, Red-Winged Blackbirds, Bobolinks, Tree Sparrows. There are desiccated wildflowers and herbs, faded colors, and all is hazy and languid. I am sitting on a bale of hay with timothy grass in my mouth and a tear forming in my eye as I watch the cows ruminate in the pasture with their sweet eyes. "Misguided angel hangin' over me Heart like a Gabriel, pure and white as ivory Soul like a Lucifer, black and cold like a piece of lead Misguided angel, love you 'til I'm dead" -Cowboy Junkies Oellières grows more animalic and visceral over time, but ever more beautiful. Styrax and castoreum, unctuous, oily, furry, musky, adorned with sweet clovers. The chamomile calm persists and all is textured, impasto painted, tactile, running one's fingers over the beauty of impermanence: blossom inevitably leads to decay, and the cycle begins again. To wilt is as beautiful and precious as is to bloom. As dusk swallows the day, I hear the whip-poor-will. If one enjoys raw naturalism in fragrance and the more agrestic qualities of Yatagan, Aromatics Elixir, the styrax heavy dry down of Bel Ami, they will likely appreciate Oellières.

I just received my bottle of this little masterpiece, a truly original work of olfactory art. The expression of "anti-flower" really makes sense here as the scent is floral without representing a specific type of flower. Instead it's the representation of the whole spectrum of a flower; earth, growth, blossom, withering and decay. This turns Oeilleres int a highly conceptual and philosophical piece of art; a thought provoking and associative fragrance that portrays the fragile being of a flower in the perspective of our own human flesh. Oeilleres starts off with a herbal blast of chamomile, a touch of eucalyptus and a distant lavender. Quickly it transforms by letting hay and cumin notes take centre stage, but it never turns sweaty, thanks to the earthy contributions of the mushroom and pollen notes. Eventually a mighty styrax takes over, lending a leathery aspect to the composition. All the way through the drydown Oeilleres transforms and morphs with my skin, all while it stays true to it's conceptual foundation. It keeps conveying its story, expressing something about humanity, which is what I love about this level of perfumery. I can't compare it to anything, it takes its own sovereign position in the span between classics a la Caron (Narcisse Noir and Fleurs de Rocaille come to mind) and avant-garde perfume art. Superbly done, Roberto Greco and Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, BRAVO!

As happens here, a relentless heatwave, with lovely sunny days one after the other, has given way to a fall-like cool and rainy day. Inspired by the excellent commentary of Sergiey Borisov that recently appeared here on Fragrantica, I dug out my bottle of this incredible artwork by Roberto Greco and a nose whose work otherwise is unfamiliar to me. Floral in a way that other florals just are not--but still redolent of an unexpected bouquet of flowers, Oeilleres is utterly unique. I love the hint of camphorous eucalyptus and the loamy mushroom dankness that undergird the florals. I absolutely adore the musky and animalic base that grows as the scent progresses and elevates the entire composition to a thing of surpassing beauty. I am not driven by compliments, but the fact that I have received two unsolicited "you smell great"s since I put this fragrance on today seems to prove that this scent is indeed wearable in public where others can experience it as you come near to them--this scent is not a major projector. It does have an extended life on my skin, however. Yes, smelling this fragrance is an experience unlike most others in perfumery. And what a special, lovely experience it is. Oeilleres is remarkably wonderful. Try to find it and get your nose on it if you can. You may not love it as much as I do, but the experience will be unique, of that fact you can be sure.

Oeilleres has a wonderfully sharp, herbal-dry opening. The chamomile + lavender have a nice tea-sachet feeling, and the whole thing is tingly and buzzy and earthy. The eucalyptus gives a sweet-sharp camphoraceous aura around the “outside”. A few minutes in, the cumin stage is a warm, subtly rusty aura, not very skanky. I definitely get a dense, dusty-yellow pollen-and-dried-grass effect. It all blends together seamlessly into one hazy hum, a true “skin scent” or extension of your being. Oeilleres is a lot like classic 70s chypres like Mystere and Aromatics Elixir, but without the high contrast. No black oakmoss or smoky incense; no rose; just the subtle middle notes of dry herbs and cumin and musks, in shades of golden brown and rust. I like this strategy of “zooming in” on one subsection of a classic perfume: it’s monochromatic in a wearable, modern way, but richly complex in texture. Of course, Oeilleres is catnip for me — I have a special place in my heart for chamomile, and I’m obsessed with bitter-herbal and musky scents in general. Might be worth buying a bottle someday. Easily unisex; wearable for anyone with a yen for the autumnal or earthy.

This perfume knocks my socks off. It is not for everyone, but it is for people who love contemplative complex herbal, slightly animalic and a bit resinous perfumes. It is like a nice dry whiskey - but not the smell, just the feeling. Like a walk in the brambles and underbrush through a field of late summer flowers and hay. It has an undercurrent of rotted sweet soil. It is a mind trip through a calm place, meditative and present. I can’t stop smelling it because it is centering to me when I need to de-stress. It is big in the opening, the animalic undercurrent is quiet but present, very very slightly leathery but not prominent, and mainly herbal. This is a tonic for all the overblown same smelling fragrances that are a miasma in many niche shops, and is not just an anti flower, but an anti perfume to me. It is a work of art, but beauty is in the nose of the wearer here. I fell in love at first sniff, and go back to it multiple times a week to clear my head. I am so happy to have discovered this.

This was a blind buy for me; I ordered my bottle simply because I've long been a fan of Marc-Antoine Corticchiato's work. Oeillères definitely bears his signature, and at the same time reflects Roberto Greco's stated vision to an amazing degree. I think this could appeal to people who enjoyed Cuir Ottoman, but especially to those who enjoyed Cuir X, which M-A Corticchiato created for La Parfumerie Moderne a few years ago. It's a strange thing to say, seeing that the two perfumes don't share any notes : but of all his creations, Cuir X is Oeillères' closest sibling to my nose. Different bodies, but with a common DNA. I'm so glad I took a chance on this fragrance. It's very original, yet I don't find it challenging to wear at all. This neither feels retro nor modern to me. Just when I was getting bored and thinking that no new perfume out there was likely to surprise me, this came along.

Such an atmospheric masterpiece of a perfume! I can never imagine owning a bottle as the number of times I'd want to actually smell LIKE this are few and far between, but I always need to have a sample of it around for enjoying at contemplative times. Perfect for an outdoorsy walk on a crisp, cool day surrounded by dry grasses and wilted wildflowers and perhaps some animal pastures! The cumin is used in a super fascinating way. In the absence of a glut of resinous, incensey notes, it feels more green and aromatic than spicy and sharp. The overall impression of chamomile and broom is of dried but still honeyed flowers. Coumarin lingers in the background but never comes to the fore. Perhaps if it was ever so slightly sweeter, I might be tempted to purchase it, as I could see it be a bit more versatile that way, but more sweetness would ruin its austere and wholly original charm.

EDIT: I’m not a loser anymore thanks to another member on here making my dreams come true💘! Unfortunately for all of us losers that are nursing samples until they hopefully re-release this one, there is really nothing else quite like it. If you’re dying for something until you can snag a bottle somehow, you may enjoy Dryad by Papillon in the meantime. It is different of course, but has a strong, dry, agrestic and herbal feeling that may keep you occupied. Tabac Tabou by Parfum d’Empire (made by the same perfumer) is probably the closest, to my nose, to Oeilleres (a tobacco-ed version) and worth a sniff. Fougere Bengale is also worth looking at, and Je Suis un Homme (but also impossible to find!) But I’ll just be over here crying until I can get my hands on a FB.

Amazed. Wasn't sold on it at first but I kept coming back. I've always held a romantic image in my mind of sunset in a hazy meadow in early fall, the light illuminating the plant matter billowing up from the grasses and goldenrod as they die back after going to seed. This captures that idealized sensation. Associations with Aromatics Elixir aren't necessarily wrong, but aren’t really right, either. This is more deep, butch, modern, and wearable.

Gorgeous. I got a sample to try it and then immediately ordered a full bottle. It just smells so familiar. It’s definitely floral, but rather than big, blousy roses or fleshy flower petals, it smells like clover and hay, pressed wildflowers and pollen. This is also the frag that got me interested in niche scents, so I have a real soft spot for it

That’d be sweet if they did a surprise limited rerelease in the middle of my shift at the brokest moment of my life the day before payday

best perfume in the entire world. always looking 4 a backup, pls pm if u ever want to sell urs

It started with instant love, for a vibrant, yellow/green aromatic scent - but it morphs into a completely different, dark and growling beast. It did start with a kind of Aromatics Elixir vibe, but one which is modern, unisex, bright, herbaceous, truly aromatic and magnificent. I’d thought I’d found my dream scent and was transfixed with smelling it. Rich resins started to come through, giving a darker, mystical and ancient nuance. At this stage I was still loving it, as its creation is awe-inspiring. But an hour in, the animalics began, and they totally took over. I’m now about 12 hours in and it’s a pure animalic scent which doesn’t quit. It reminds me of ‘Sticky Fingers’ by Francesca Bianchi, which also had me hooked on its contradictory allure between the sublime and the funky animal musks. This is niche perfume artistry at its best. So if you want something of unique quality, then this is it, BUT you must love animalic musks. Even if you don’t, the scent journey that this takes you on, is worth experiencing for any fragrance lover - for this is quality perfume art.

A most curious agrestic smell. One is greeted by a bouquet of dried flowers and savory herbs, leavened with a medicinal hint of an aromatic plant. Definitely a sere, autumnal mood... nothing in this mixture suggests green or growing plants at all... everything is fragile, crisp, crumbling, crackling and brown. As you can imagine, this creates a very autumnal mood, when leaves are brown, yellow and red. I seem to picture French dried culinary herbs, handfuls of them, ensconced in dust-laden blown glass bottles... inside a dark, candle-lit cabin in the woods. In far drydown, one perceives the subtle warmth of culinary spices... maybe some cumin, cassia... undergirded by a warm sandalwood and a vegetal musk of some sort. ŒILLÈRES is niche to the max, and will not appeal to everyone, especially not perfume beginners. You'd wear it when you are feeling a very personal, wistful harmony with the dried brown vegetation around you in autumn. I'm not sure I could ever wear it, as I frequently get unromantic nuances of "brown paper grocery bag" and "tan-colored masking tape". But the perfume is a unique, bold artistic creation that serious Perfumistas will want to sample. I confess, ŒILLÈRES reminds me in no way, shape or form of AROMATICS ELIXIR-- they're not even in the same reality plane-- and I have to wonder where other reviewers are getting that...? I wonder what olfactive family ŒILLÈRES would belong to... In farthest drydown, it takes on a subtle leathery quality, but I detect no oakmoss, bergamot or patchouly which might make it a chypre.

It starts with a mixed smell of dog fur, hamsters and rotting vegetables. Camphor, cumin bomb, eucalyptus, leather, animalic, vintage lavender and sweet chamomile. Like a field in the sun that was trampled by wild boars the night before. This is thick, strong the first hour but fails to hide an ancient flavor pollen aroma which is enhanced by stirax, broom, mushrooms and sharp musks. This is blistering green, tough, raw to wear and with a tough, old-fashioned streak. It has the dusty earthy density of a smoky cone of incense. The drydown looks like a powder from the last century before becoming a hand soap. Although at this stage it is very portable, I do not find it satisfying enough in the final smell. If you love vintage furry teddy bears you will love this one. It is animalic, medicinal and unusual even if the finish is sweet,elegant, clean ad already heard. Fun for me, certainly tiring for the perfumer, but personally I prefer it to an art exhibition, not in a bottle.