Cé Noir 2023

BerryTerry
04.01.2024 - 11:44 AM
1
9
Pricing
10
Bottle
8
Sillage
9
Longevity
10
Scent

Beautiful in the cold, breathtaking in the heat

Beyoncé made a mistake releasing this in the northern-hemisphere cold seasons.

I tested this first on a crisp fall day, and the scent was... pretty. The clementine at the top was evident, even if after a while what was left of it was the juiciness it contributes, but without its aroma. The honey is an evergreen, providing a sticky texture throughout that was welcome, but could at times become a bit sharp. The jasmine and the myrrh take center stage about a half-hour after spraying, sometimes jostling for attention and other times entering into an uneasy harmony. The amber is there, beautiful and pleasant, attempting sometimes unsuccessfully to create peace. I sprayed conservatively that day, I never became anosmic to the fragrance, but after a while it did settle and stayed close to my skin.

A few weeks later I tried this elsewhere, on a warm, humid day, and the fragrance literally SINGS (no pun intended). The scent becomes vibrant, bewitching, and elegant, but still playful (perhaps finally commanding the reputation of the woman who curated it). I don't want to call it linear, but it's amazing how you can feel the influence of almost every note (even the citrus opener!) through to the very end. The clementine is sweet and bright at the start, but instead of fully fading away, you can feel it here and there throughout the heart and some of the drydown, injecting a very slight, interesting citrus kick to the composition. The jasmine becomes belle of the ball, dancing beautifully with every note from start to finish. The honey melts into the amber to create a dark, seductive foil to the lighter, still persistent notes. The fragrance is no beast, but it does succeed in creating a nice scent bubble around you.

I was very resistant to the idea that some fragrances shouldn't be worn during certain seasons until Cé Noir. Now I understand that it's not about what you will smell like to other people or whether certain notes don't "match" a certain season, it can very much be about how the fragrance will behave.

This northern Summer 2024, with Cé Noir, I fear I'll be unstoppable.
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