Absolu

A beautiful, gooey benzoin after half hour..and it keeps getting more deliciously gooey and sweeter. It was supposed to be my signature scent but it is sadly discontinued. I still fantasize smelling like warm resins with an initial greenness so I've just bought 2 bottles from ebay. By the way, this smells NOTHING LIKE TOLU BY ORMONDE JAYNE. NOTHING. Can't believe 12 Fragranticans thought so. Rochas Absolu is sensuous and womanly. Tolu is amber with some initial citrus in a chalky way, to me more of a masculine chalky amber. I do not know how to appreciate Tolu, try as I might since I spent a bomb on it thinking it could replace Rochas Absolu, but I just don't and plan to sell it. Rochas Absolu, on the other hand, I will use sparingly because it is precious nectar extraordinaire. Well done, Jacques Cavallier. Edit: I have found a replacement for ABSOLU and I'm thrilled. It's YSL's CINEMA, another Jacques Cavallier creation extraordinaire. OK they don't have the same opening or mid, but the drydown is 95% similar... that same gooey sweet balsamic cloud. ABSOLU: Something botanical and green ➡️ sweet balsam/benzoin ➡️ thicker sweet balsam/benzoin CINEMA: Cola ➡️ Fizzy florals ➡️ sweet balsam/benzoin (95% similar to Absolu's drydown) ABSOLU is likely the more potent, but I'm not complaining. Hugs to you again, Jacques! Edit: Now that I'm more familiar with Cinema, I'm sorry to say that the drydown isn't that similar to Absolu after all. Bummer...I had wanted it to. But all the same, it's still a beauty. Not quite a match for Absolu, though. She will always regn as the balsamic queen.

Absolu is not really a mirror to its name, but it is a special fragrance that, thank Goodness, walks boldly away from all the over-sweet orientals available now. Instead, this is like rich dark, addictive molasses. It has a bit of sweetness to it, enough to make it warm, feminine, dark, smoky, intense, without being an obviously available (read easy to encounter on others) scent. The rich resinous smell is addictive for me - I love the smell as it says 'I'm not easy to find, I'm not everywhere, I'm not common'. I love to wear it, and seemingly so do the others around me. I bought it expecting something else, the classical vanilla--excessively sweet-drowned oriental fragrance, but am I glad it was not that - it is a tiny bit resinous and bitterish, but this is what makes it stand apart. I do like Kenzo-Jungle Elephant, D&G-The One, Dior-Dune, Chanel-Allure (to mention a few I thought this resembled according to reviews), but I far more love Absolu for its darkness, richness and distinctiveness. I am glad I have it, I enjoy it and I shall but it again and again.

The first spritz to explore a fragrance I give on my wrist; I am able to sniff close or far away and can or cannot pick notes etc. I did that with Absolu and thought: Well, quite boring. Today after work I've spritzed it on the decollete, where I usually wear perfume and this is a totally different experience: Wow, how sultry this is! Still boring in a way, but so nice, dark, sweet and a little nutty. Perfect. I am big fan of Jacques Cavallier. He has his own way of creating perfumes (for women). On paper they use to smell odd (so nobody buys), as a exploring perfume they are usually too linear (so the perfumistas dismiss them), BUT while wearing them they are so delightful, deep and make a woman smell phantastic and absolutely seductive. His creations need skin for development. I find him to be the best contemporary nose, sometimes he's a genius (Kingdom, Nu, M7), sometimes he's uninspired, but even than he creates better than average stuff. By the way: My boyfriend only reacts positively on Habanita and perfumes created by Jacques Cavallier.

How delicious! Absolu Rochas is a balsamic masterpiece (several people call it masterpiece, so I will join in) with strong sillage and super longevity. It is hard to deconstruct, because it is so well blended that I mostly smell the benzoins. There is some sharpness (from the cedar and the pepper?) and some fruitiness (from the orange?). I get no green notes. To me it is the archetype of balsamic perfumes. Absolu is of fantastic quality. If this came out on the market now, it would probably wear a hefty price tag. I have always used Absolu in winter time, but OceanPlusEarth recommends it for summer. So I left it close at hand when I changed from winter to summer scents this year. (I rotate my collection twice a year.) Curious to see how this wears in higher temperatures. EDIT: Now I have tried Absolu in warm temperatures, and OMG, it is even more delicious! It turns gourmand, very much like fudge or toffee. Reminds me a bit of Prada Candy. I will buy a back-up bottle of this.

A lovely subtle and unique perfume. The citrusy oil smell I associate with neroli comes to me first. And then a strong and beautiful wave of creamy benzoin and tolu woodiness. It's so rare to find a woody perfume that leans heavily towards the feminine - but to me that is what this does. As it dries down a sweet beautiful spiciness comes out. Everything about it feels deep and slow and resinous. It is not overpowering, but more darkly, quietly sexy. An everyday perfume in my eyes. Safe, unobtrusive, but a little mysterious. It reminds me very much of Moschino Couture (though less sweet... not that Couture is very sweet to begin with). My only further wish for this would be to add a volume UP dial. Wish it had bigger sillage and longevity. It fades quickly on my skin, turning into a warm, but almost nonexistent skin scent in about 2 hours.