Le Messager Courrèges 2023

My fragrance collection is actually quite summery and citrusy, a little green, sometimes tart. I like classic colognes and anything that conveys a dignified freshness. Lyn Harris seems to appeal to me, rugged cliffs in Portugal with a view of the sea, clear air.

Finding a fragrance for the colder months of the year has therefore proved to be a bit of an undertaking. Companions who ultimately had to move on included Dior Homme Intense (2011), almost classic, but somehow too tiring for me in the end, Vanagloria, love at first sight, but only for a few months and Iris Malikhân. The latter was quite similar to Dior, a little less rough, but after a while almost as tiring due to its syrupy persistence.

I also need air to breathe at some point. Subtlety is more important to me in perfumes than mega longevity and sillage. Especially as I wouldn't necessarily describe sprayed-on lips with bold make-up and huge eyelashes as timelessly beautiful or aesthetic.

As the majority of common winter fragrances are too strong for me, my enjoyment of fragrances has been severely stunted recently, apart from a few splashes of Neroli to remind me of warmer days. Until I came across this fragrance in a small perfumery in a small town. At first, a leather accord that is completely unisex and neither particularly pithy nor overly creamy. And it fades quite quickly, which I think is a good thing, because otherwise it would probably get on my nerves. Instead, a pleasantly restrained vanilla emerges more and more, which is not as sweet as some others. Everything is framed by a citrusy veil that is reminiscent of Opsis in its silkiness.

For me, this is an ideal winter fragrance. Warming, never too sweet, with a longevity that lasts throughout the day, becomes very skin-deep at the end and never overwhelms me or others. The combination of leather and vanilla with bergamot does not create an inky accord for me, but it is an interesting twist that rounds off the perfume and ends my search for the time being. Until a new winter fragrance introduces itself to me.