Cierge de Lune Aedes de Venustas 2016

“Aedes de Venustas” means “House of Beauty,” my old Latin dictionary even suggests “Temple, Chamber, and Room” for “Aedes,” but the formulation “Temple of Beauty” feels like the far more beautiful alternative to FLUI. And how is the temple named “Cierge de Lune” constructed?

CdL engages in a precious experiment. CdL possesses a sparkling richness of facets, a golden depth, and a dark side. The scent does not get lost in pedantry but steps forward boldly.

In terms of nobility, CdL is a fulminant. Every nose knows what it is meant to represent, a sparkling, shiny representative from the house of “Aedes de Venustas.” Almost all of them are like this, whether Palisandre d'Or or Copal Azur, they are all true treasure chests found on enchanted and untouched islands. Every Aedes de Venustas is infused with charm, uniqueness, and luxury.

The architecture should not be measured and scrutinized to the exactness; a somewhat opaque veil should remain over Cierge de Lune, making it intriguing and attractive. At least one can reveal this much: The architecture is anything but banal; it is characterized not only by a monumental and elegantly curved vaulted cellar but also by a magnificent sun terrace.

Many truths make up the architecture of Cierge de Lune; there are so many different ways to dress a scent in words, probably infinitely so. But how does one wish to approach this architecture?

One can cautiously approach the architecture of the treasure even further. A proper Xerjoff expression has been worked in. No lesser scent than Shunkoin lends a precious touch to the olfactory design of Cierge de Lune. This feminine vanilla, which contains wonderful depths, defines the typical treasure chest quality of the scent. The contents of the treasure chest are staged in such a way that one wants to reach in and touch them. The powdery and especially the sweet aspects can also be compared and distinguished against the backdrop of this fantastic scent from the Join-The-Club series.

The peppery and robust elements are probably not in the Shunkoin manner, as the composition from XerJoff is too mild and delightful for that. Yet somehow FLUI could not shake the feeling that this drive had been smelled before. Perhaps there is a nuance of Serge Lutens' architectural style in the form of Fumeri Turque? There, beeswax is prominently featured, definitely stronger than here, which is quite understandable, but I cannot dismiss a certain trace of vanillic beeswax. No beeswax screams out from Cierge de Lune, and the scent should not be unmasked as a copy; FLUI merely wishes to uncover the magnificent architecture of the scent and admire it in its own tower-high glory through my description.