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04/03/2022
Elysium
852 Reviews
Elysium
Helpful Review
10
The Old Delhi Spice Market Rooftop
Smelling Déclaration is like visiting the spice market in Old Delhi, the Khari Baoli (खारी बावली). This illustrious market can trace its origins back to 1650. At that time, the place was noteworthy for the salt well, where travellers used to bathe on the steps. As such, the market took the name of Khari ("salty") Baoli ("stepped well"). Today, the bazaar caters to traders from all over northern India, from distant regions of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh or Kashmir. They come with the specific purpose of purchasing from the Delhi spice market. But Khari Baoli is even the street name and the place where spices are stored, processed and traded. Workers are forced to carry bags full of asphyxiating aromas for more than twelve hours a day. The eyes get irritated and watery continuously. The workers try to protect their respiratory tract with water-soaked handkerchiefs, completely useless to the irritation caused by the spicy and savoury air. Most of the labour is not paid for the number of hours worked but at the piece rate and with a negligible wage for each bag transported.
And Déclaration has a lot in common with the Indian market: the sharp aroma of spices, the filthy redolence of sweaty labourers, the leathery smell of sandals and bags, the powdery one of flowers and impalpable fabrics, and the citrus smell of fruits by bigarade. If you are familiar with the mythical Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette, you will immediately recognize the hand of its creator, Jean-Claude Ellena. That thin thread unites them, such a flinty nuance, despite the two scents being different. An absolute masterpiece, a spectacular ecstasy of spices and citrus fruits, a dizzying bittersweet. I am astonished by this marvel, and I am glad I wore it at its release. For the sake of clarity, I've never been to that place. I researched the spice markets in India, and I came up with this. I inquired, and the description was the one I had in mind for this article. That's the power of scents.
My first encounter with Déclaration was at its launch, when it was released almost 25 years ago, a quarter of a century. It left me with vivid memories of its sexy vibe of fresh sweat oozing dry woody accord, which begins on a radiant herbaceous note, then takes on the spicy warmth of cardamom and cumin and supports its dryness on a cedarwood base. I liked it right away, for its being too dirty and impure. With leather, spices, and herbs, Déclaration is a magical potion, a lunar and perverse scent. Wonderful thousand-spice to be discovered calmly, which requires certain respect, a shiver despite its transparent air.
Let's dive into the cologne. It is a fresh, spicy, woody fragrance that reveals itself strongly and rises with the strength and majesty of cedarwood refreshed by cardamom. A very spicy masculine crowded with a rather original mint cardamom overload supported by a hint of bigarade and the leathery warmth of cumin suggests the smoky tannins of Lapsang Souchong tea. A flinty bitter orange opens the scene and takes the front stage. While spices rise from the start, a sweaty, leathery nuance of birch blends with the sour fruits and perhaps a touch of sour mugwort. The aromas of citrus peel are ranchy, even sweeter than grapefruit. It is pungent and turns towards spicy aromas; India comes to mind. The citrus peel aromas in Déclaration are raunchy, even more sweaty than grapefruit.
Déclaration's spices intensify, darken and dry as the perfume wears down. The jaw-dropping opening of cumin is often dreaded as sweaty, and indeed this is not a scent that recalls the lingering soap and lather of a morning shower. The spices intensify, darken and dry as the scent wears off, and this is the stage where that sweaty cumin emerges most, like after a difficult day. In the heart, I smell cumin, juniper and cardamom. There is a riot of cardamom and mugwort reminiscent of sage and chrysanthemum. It's normally described as fresh and spicy. And that's correct: after all, you get the itch of the cold spices like cardamom and caraway (as opposed to warm ones like cinnamon and nutmeg) and herbs, and the freshness of the citrus with bergamot, plus the delicacy of the florals. Then slowly, among the spices, the iris makes its precious appearance with that typical powdery note that softens everything, thus giving that impeccable touch of elegance that distinguishes this magnificent fragrance.
After the chaos and the clamour of the marketplace below, the rooftop is a welcome oasis of calm and tranquillity. The gentle woody base with a touch of vetiver now comes to the forefront. I pick out a touch of moss oak too. Overall, there was something very sensual about the composition at this late stage. It smelled raw, sexual and wildly exciting. The composition has clear transparency, not from ozonic or aqueous notes but from the dry and smoky woods that form the backbone of the perfume. The Iso E Super in the tones of cedarwood, a material with a dark luminosity, gives a sensual counterpoint to the luminosity of the top chord. What remains is the atmosphere of lasting warmth, made not easily by laundry moss but fanned out on dry, luxurious, slightly smoky woods, which manage not to obscure the composition but to play on lights and shadows like a photograph in black and white.
Cartier has a masculine scent that does not come off as brutish as most scents for men. For this reason, some females use it and enjoy it as well. It's a masculine slant, but it can work wonderfully on women. Indeed, we have a fragrance with strong masculine elements like spices, cardamom and carraway combined with the more feminine accords like floral, neroli and iris. Déclaration is different from the current offerings dominated by softwoods, laundry musks, and gourmand accords. So, I guess this is why Déclaration stands out today. It comes from a different era. Still, it doesn't feel dated to me. I suggest Déclaration to those who love spiced woods or citrus leathers, even if it is a mandatory stop for anyone interested in perfumes. It tastes of noble poison, freshly spicy. It is a pleasure to wear all year round; however, it is something special at the first sign of spring and in the warm autumn mornings. It reminds me of the unhurried elegance of afternoons spent strolling on a slow day. Warm, radiant and classy. Last, it has no connection with any of my wardrobe's scents.
I base the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since November 2017.
-Elysium
And Déclaration has a lot in common with the Indian market: the sharp aroma of spices, the filthy redolence of sweaty labourers, the leathery smell of sandals and bags, the powdery one of flowers and impalpable fabrics, and the citrus smell of fruits by bigarade. If you are familiar with the mythical Terre d'Hermès Eau de Toilette, you will immediately recognize the hand of its creator, Jean-Claude Ellena. That thin thread unites them, such a flinty nuance, despite the two scents being different. An absolute masterpiece, a spectacular ecstasy of spices and citrus fruits, a dizzying bittersweet. I am astonished by this marvel, and I am glad I wore it at its release. For the sake of clarity, I've never been to that place. I researched the spice markets in India, and I came up with this. I inquired, and the description was the one I had in mind for this article. That's the power of scents.
My first encounter with Déclaration was at its launch, when it was released almost 25 years ago, a quarter of a century. It left me with vivid memories of its sexy vibe of fresh sweat oozing dry woody accord, which begins on a radiant herbaceous note, then takes on the spicy warmth of cardamom and cumin and supports its dryness on a cedarwood base. I liked it right away, for its being too dirty and impure. With leather, spices, and herbs, Déclaration is a magical potion, a lunar and perverse scent. Wonderful thousand-spice to be discovered calmly, which requires certain respect, a shiver despite its transparent air.
Let's dive into the cologne. It is a fresh, spicy, woody fragrance that reveals itself strongly and rises with the strength and majesty of cedarwood refreshed by cardamom. A very spicy masculine crowded with a rather original mint cardamom overload supported by a hint of bigarade and the leathery warmth of cumin suggests the smoky tannins of Lapsang Souchong tea. A flinty bitter orange opens the scene and takes the front stage. While spices rise from the start, a sweaty, leathery nuance of birch blends with the sour fruits and perhaps a touch of sour mugwort. The aromas of citrus peel are ranchy, even sweeter than grapefruit. It is pungent and turns towards spicy aromas; India comes to mind. The citrus peel aromas in Déclaration are raunchy, even more sweaty than grapefruit.
Déclaration's spices intensify, darken and dry as the perfume wears down. The jaw-dropping opening of cumin is often dreaded as sweaty, and indeed this is not a scent that recalls the lingering soap and lather of a morning shower. The spices intensify, darken and dry as the scent wears off, and this is the stage where that sweaty cumin emerges most, like after a difficult day. In the heart, I smell cumin, juniper and cardamom. There is a riot of cardamom and mugwort reminiscent of sage and chrysanthemum. It's normally described as fresh and spicy. And that's correct: after all, you get the itch of the cold spices like cardamom and caraway (as opposed to warm ones like cinnamon and nutmeg) and herbs, and the freshness of the citrus with bergamot, plus the delicacy of the florals. Then slowly, among the spices, the iris makes its precious appearance with that typical powdery note that softens everything, thus giving that impeccable touch of elegance that distinguishes this magnificent fragrance.
After the chaos and the clamour of the marketplace below, the rooftop is a welcome oasis of calm and tranquillity. The gentle woody base with a touch of vetiver now comes to the forefront. I pick out a touch of moss oak too. Overall, there was something very sensual about the composition at this late stage. It smelled raw, sexual and wildly exciting. The composition has clear transparency, not from ozonic or aqueous notes but from the dry and smoky woods that form the backbone of the perfume. The Iso E Super in the tones of cedarwood, a material with a dark luminosity, gives a sensual counterpoint to the luminosity of the top chord. What remains is the atmosphere of lasting warmth, made not easily by laundry moss but fanned out on dry, luxurious, slightly smoky woods, which manage not to obscure the composition but to play on lights and shadows like a photograph in black and white.
Cartier has a masculine scent that does not come off as brutish as most scents for men. For this reason, some females use it and enjoy it as well. It's a masculine slant, but it can work wonderfully on women. Indeed, we have a fragrance with strong masculine elements like spices, cardamom and carraway combined with the more feminine accords like floral, neroli and iris. Déclaration is different from the current offerings dominated by softwoods, laundry musks, and gourmand accords. So, I guess this is why Déclaration stands out today. It comes from a different era. Still, it doesn't feel dated to me. I suggest Déclaration to those who love spiced woods or citrus leathers, even if it is a mandatory stop for anyone interested in perfumes. It tastes of noble poison, freshly spicy. It is a pleasure to wear all year round; however, it is something special at the first sign of spring and in the warm autumn mornings. It reminds me of the unhurried elegance of afternoons spent strolling on a slow day. Warm, radiant and classy. Last, it has no connection with any of my wardrobe's scents.
I base the review on a 100ml bottle I have owned since November 2017.
-Elysium
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