Lamplight Penance Chatillon Lux 2018 Parfum Extrait

Now this is a very complex piece of olfactory art. Wow, what a journey. This stuff smells different in the air, close on the skin, on paper, and it changes all the time. It has that same smoke accord you'd find in Lita, Rex, and Serin, but I prefer this one over the others, as it just conveys what it wants better. The story behind it pretty much tells you what you are to expect here. Buttery Daffodils, ripe peaches, dusty-old furniture, and of course, the smell of a burning lamplight, with the oil and everything. One of those telling-a-story type of perfumes. It is smoky, but not overly so, it has this oily texture to it. The fruits balance out the smoke and the dusty woods, but they are perfectly dosed, not too much, nor too sweet, and the daffodils are very buttery, and creamy, providing even better texture and a sense of the outdoors. The woods are dusty and smell like old furniture. I can't pick up a leather accord, but there is definitely a boozy, scotch-like nuance flowing through.
Blind bought this and I don't regret it at all. This is interesting, very complex, and unique. Big like.

EDIT: It also kinda feels like a child of Kiste and Serin lol:), so yeah, it's a weird one, in a good way.

An olfactory tribute to the latter life of Henry Chatillon, This fragrance is probably like nothing you've ever smelled. before: Sweet peach nectar and skin enrobed in the almost animalic and lactonic smoke of a burning oil lamp. Sweet berries tuned with the unmistakable twang of Ambergris swirl around you. Boozy notes of rugged Brown Ale and rich notes of rum ensconce the sharp florals of Daffodil. Heavy, rich mahogany is present as well, with wee hints of Red Cedar. Musk ties this all together.

Uncommented Fragrances No. 139

Anyone who has occasionally read my comments or blogs knows that I am a big fan of classics, and a glance at my collection is enough to confirm that. Now, classics have the disadvantage of being an endangered species. More and more are ending up on the black list of fragrances because they contain ingredients that IFRA classifies as problematic and which consequently are hardly processed anymore. One after another, the famous names are disappearing from the scene or being reformulated beyond recognition. The last option left is the meticulous study of the vintage segment, visiting flea markets, or relevant internet forums. Eventually, one is through and knows almost everything that the market offered in earlier times (digression: those who do not believe this may look at my tested list. However, I am very happy about any tips on previously undiscovered gems). But where does the future of fragrance lie when the past is well known?

Following Luca Turin, which I have (unlike several critics here in this forum) repeatedly done with profit, it becomes clear that the recommendations in his first fragrance guide (2008) consistently list almost all available classics: Mitsouko, Shalimar, Chanel No. 5, Jicky, White Linen, Eau Sauvage, as well as some modern classics like Cool Water and Timbuktu, to name just a few.

The second guide (2018), ten years after the first was published, was eagerly awaited by many, as after all relevant classics had been discussed, only the present remained to be examined. However, while several readers expected Luca Turin to turn his attention to the high-priced niche market, his criticism of fragrances from Roja, Orto Parisi, MFK, and others turned out to be unexpectedly poor. Rightly so, as it often seems to me. Since the current mainstream market offers few alternatives, the question arises where ultimately interesting developments can be found.

Turin recommends looking at small and very small manufacturers in his guide. Caution is advised here, however, as many of these backroom companies want to sell the willing customer everything they consider an exotic find. Nevertheless: Especially in this segment, there are one or two bright spots: Annette Neuffer, Baruti, Dusita, Francesca Bianchi, Jean-Michel Duriez, Mendittorosa, Papillon, Parfum d'Empire, The Zoo (I am only listing a few important micro-brands here, particularly those where I follow Luca Turin's judgment).

But what comes after 2018? Here too, a look at Turin's homepage can help and shorten extensive research into the latest trends on various blogs. The fragrances recently recommended by LT are as follows (with star ratings, while I skip the less well-rated fragrances): Andy Tauer Les Années 25 (5 stars), Frassai Teisenddu (4 stars), Chatillon Lux Lamplight Penance (4 stars; the reason for this comment), Masque Romanza (4 stars), Zoologist Tyrannosaurus Rex (4 stars). By the way: A Xerjoff described there received only one star: provocative, but understandable.

It also becomes clear that Luca Turin is turning to the outsiders, the micro-brands, the manufacturers, while expensive niche or mainstream fails. To make it brief regarding some of the names mentioned above: I also recommend Teisenddu and Tyrannosaurus Rex, find Romanza and Les Années 25 quite exciting - and was particularly taken by Chatillon Lux's Lamplight Penance. Not because I think this fragrance is better than the others recommended above, but because it strays far from most fragrances I know.

Lamplight Penance is, first of all, one of the few current fragrances that still knows a real fragrance development. Neither the postmodern niche nor the mainstream market focuses on development in 2019, but rather on monothematic recognizability. This can be understood artificially (in terms of clarity, structure, sobriety), but also economically (in terms of a quick purchasing decision: everything must be immediately present when I spray the fragrance on my wrist between the morning meeting and lunch). Lamplight Penance eludes this olfactory transparency and initially hides behind a sparkling, somewhat mineral opening, which, however, soon makes it clear that there is so much more beneath and within. Essentially, the fragrance is even overloaded, contains too much - and less would probably have been more. After the mineral notes, I perceive an alcoholic note and increasingly a density such that the aforementioned ingredients can hardly or only with difficulty be isolated. If I were to assign a color to the fragrance, it would be earth-brown, leather-brown, whiskey-brown, coffee-brown, wood-brown, balsam-brown, guaiac oil-brown, or the brown of an antique piece of furniture. I can hardly isolate bright fruits or flowers. Perhaps they play a crucial role in the overall impression, but that can hardly be said with certainty. After a while, the fragrance develops a fine balsamic sweetness (I wouldn't call it resin), with an animalistic tone (musk or a plant-animal note) that is not always entirely pleasant to me, but fascinates me, as is often the case with dirty musk.

By the way, I find that the fragrance performs better when worn on textiles. On skin, it develops more colorlessly. Caution is advised with light fabrics, as the fragrance is really brown and heavy and could leave stains. Since I am not a durability fetishist, but rather appreciate a subtle aura, I note that the fragrance may cling a bit too long, but is far from oily penetrance.

In the drydown, the fragrance is ultimately predominantly woody, with a balsamic note lingering for a long time. Other brown tones (coffee, whiskey) have then departed. The animalistic base tone continues to resonate. Not for fans of uncomplicated wearables like Sauvage / Bleu, not for fans of polished niche like Marly, not for lovers of pale synthetics like MFK, perhaps most comparable to the very substantial Rojas - or in a positive sense with the excellent fragrances from Annette Neuffer, even though these seem more charming to me. I would only grant the fragrance a rating of 7.5, but have raised it to 8.0 because the fragrance irritates me. I like that.

Addendum: The unusual name "Lamplight Penance" is explained by the manufacturer on the homepage as follows: Lamplight Penance refers to Henri Chatillon, a hero of the Oregon Trails, who retreated to the city after the death of his beloved wife, an Ogallala Indian, but repeatedly thought back to his earlier adventurous life while sitting in the attic in the light of an old oil lamp, surrounded by artifacts of his memories.