Desir Noir

Desir Noir is a very unique take on the gourmand category, it gives it a “city” feeling. Which I have not really felt or seen in gourmand styled perfumes. you are greeted by a thick layer of orris,, made somewhat dirty from the fumes of smoke, it somehow plays nicely into the scent, as Iris rounds the edges for these known to be intense notes.. it is very refined, and seems to be much more smoother sweeter as time progresses. The Iris and orris will dominate in this perfume, but as mentioned,, the sweetness and complexity begins. These powdery florals have a hook into the world of sweetness, tonka. It helps reach deeper into the rest of the composition.There is also a great use of musk, sweet, slightly animalic but has a woody characteristic, much like a sandalwood. It evolves and plays with other notes in this perfume. The musk finally chooses it’s stay with a honey note, that is fairly realistic and whole, it is beyond sweet floral hints,, it is a full honeycomb,, elegant,, powerful. It is a statement,, yet so tame. Although the honey itself seems to be holding characteristics from a nuttier gourmand ingredient, cacao.. this perfume behaves in a linear matter, so you can “walk around” and get to know each note personally. I am happy that I am able to dissect and fully understand each property of the scent.. it is always a pleasure but not always done as good as it is done here. So some perfume landscaping skill was needed. The somewhat contrasting scents become a harmonious picture which follow these words: The perfume definitely takes me to an imaginary place, I imagine a rather mysterious woman, possibly a chain smoker, wearing a dark lipstick, but her scent,, does not coincide with the cold city she is in.. she is a flower, in the cold sterile world.. alone with her charm. Yet unscathed,, reluctant to be taken by the storm of depression in her city.

AHHHHHHH YUMMY GOOEY WOW WOW I tried a few different Sylhouette Parfum samples and wasn’t loving them, so I was starting to lose hope—then WHAM, this masterpiece comes along! It starts with a slightly off-putting, strong smokey floral scent, but within seconds, it settles into a gorgeous, sweet iris and honey fragrance with just a whisper of smoke and musk in the background. The honey and iris blend is gooey and sweet, reminding me of those old orange blossom-scented Strawberry Shortcake toys—almost too synthetic in its floral sweetness. But then, the smoky musk draws you back in, adding a mature, complex twist that keeps you hooked. I love how it’s both girly and sweet, yet still has a certain maturity to it. I literally can’t stop smelling it! It also lasted all day at work, all the way until I went to bed, and I could still catch a faint trace of it on my wrist when I woke up. It’s expensive, but totally worth it! That being said, my boyfriend says it smells like a powdery, dusty, old lady who smokes. I don’t really get that vibe because the smokey aspect isnt that strong to me, but I’ll admit, the iris itself does lean more "mature lady," so maybe not a safe blind buy?

My second time blind-testing this fragrance and it has affirmed its place on my wishlist. This evokes a regal, raven-haired dame and the lingering scent of her pale cosmetic powder. It is a dry orris with an exquisitely shadowy iris and a just a soupcon of ultra-dark, smoky cocoa. Nuanced and sexy, very boudoir, and an absolute love.

I think Desir Noir is somewhere between the powdery and smoky effect of this scent, none is dominant. The honey-tonka bean combination makes a great supporting role for musk and iris to create a sweet-nutty effect. The orris and smoke also reminds me of Imaginary Authors' O, Unknown! but less smoky and less tea. I think this one would be better on female because Desir Noir reminds me of Blondie character from Wong Kar Wai's "Chungking Express".

A little Interlude Woman in the top + a little Kilian Back to Black in the base, but it's really interesting and I like it <3