Top Notes 
Honey
Lychee
Bergamot
Heart Notes 
Heliotrope
Turkish rose
Vanilla
Base Notes 
Tolu balm
Tonka bean
Ambergris
Sandalwood
10/13/2013
Drseid
821 Reviews
Drseid
6
Some Things Should Remain Secret...
What We Do In Paris Is Secret opens with with rose-like lychee before quickly transitioning to its early heart accord of light rose and slightly almond-like heliotrope florals melding with dominant powdery vanilla and slightly sweet tonka bean from the base. During the dry-down the rose vacates as the powdery vanilla slowly recedes, unveiling smooth relatively sweet tolu balsam spiked sandalwood in the base. Projection is on the low side of average and longevity is average at about 7-9 hours on skin.
Being the Dominique Ropion fan that I am, it was with great anticipation that I tried What We Do In Paris Is Secret. It is with equally great disappointment that I quickly came to realize the composition was not going to impress. While I love rose compositions in general (and the Ropion composed Portrait of a Lady in particular), powdery vanilla has proved problematic for me, and unfortunately the rose near immediately couples with the powdery vanilla to form what can only be described as a baby powder-like accord that is relatively generic and completely unimpressive. If the development stopped here, I would be completely slamming the composition as a major dud. Luckily things *don't* stop there, instead the powder finally recedes and a beautiful sandalwood and Tolu balsam tandem takes over as the starring accord through the late dry-down, with the composition turning rather smooth and appealing late. The bottom line is the $110 per 60ml bottle What We Do In Paris Is Secret is far from groundbreaking and starts off unappealing, though finishes strong earning a "good" rating of 3 stars out 5. While I ended up liking the composition, I find it difficult to recommend as you have to wait a solid three hours before getting to "the good stuff," and that is a lot to ask of the prospective wearer.
Being the Dominique Ropion fan that I am, it was with great anticipation that I tried What We Do In Paris Is Secret. It is with equally great disappointment that I quickly came to realize the composition was not going to impress. While I love rose compositions in general (and the Ropion composed Portrait of a Lady in particular), powdery vanilla has proved problematic for me, and unfortunately the rose near immediately couples with the powdery vanilla to form what can only be described as a baby powder-like accord that is relatively generic and completely unimpressive. If the development stopped here, I would be completely slamming the composition as a major dud. Luckily things *don't* stop there, instead the powder finally recedes and a beautiful sandalwood and Tolu balsam tandem takes over as the starring accord through the late dry-down, with the composition turning rather smooth and appealing late. The bottom line is the $110 per 60ml bottle What We Do In Paris Is Secret is far from groundbreaking and starts off unappealing, though finishes strong earning a "good" rating of 3 stars out 5. While I ended up liking the composition, I find it difficult to recommend as you have to wait a solid three hours before getting to "the good stuff," and that is a lot to ask of the prospective wearer.
Dne
