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01/20/2019
Anarlan
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Anarlan
Top Review
46
Distance and seduction
Dioressence belongs to a family of fragrances which, when viewed superficially, has something formal, distant, perhaps nostalgic about it, although I would prefer the term timelessness. Thanks to the generosity of dear Parfuma Antoine and a lucky coincidence, I have recently come into possession of a sample or two of vintage versions of great old Chypres. A wonderful opportunity to make a symbolic knee fall in front of one of the columns of this fragrance family, in this case Dior´s "Dioressence" in the unreformulated version, I suspect from the eighties or the early nineties.
The characteristics of this fragrance family do not seem to fit at all with the currently popular tastes of the mainstream. It is possible that such fragrances will experience their little renaissances again and again when the world of synthetic, sweet, superficial nosecatchers revolves too quickly around you like a fairground carousel.
I count myself, the inclined reader may suspect it, himself to the flock of chypreoncles and aunts. And that had been the case from the very beginning of my enthusiasm for fragrances, without me having the slightest idea of it, and had obviously been put into my cradle - by whomever. My first and eternal fragrance love is a classic Herrenchypre, and many fragrances I appreciate belong in this category.
How can you recognize this family of fragrances, whose name derives from a creation of the same name by Francois Coty in 1917? How can you put into words the characteristics of this family of fragrances for which I have chosen Dioressence as my representative? This was the question that drove me to Parfumo right at the beginning of my time, and I think it takes a different approach than a nomenclatural one to try to understand what constitutes a chypre.
If one looks at the nightly starry sky in a cloudless night, its beauty and the sheer overwhelming of the sight cannot be measured by naming the constellations one sees. The situation is similar with chypres. The components of the citric head, the flowery or herbaceous heart and the mossy-woody base to pray for do not describe the kick in the solar plexus and the delightful rubbing in the nose when you have one in front of you.
Freely associated, I get the following impressions: Chypres are more serious, disagreeable distance keepers. The formal and abstract aspects of the fragrance image are emphasized. They convey the feeling of brittleness and astringency, the timbre in minor rather than major. Some great representatives like Mitsouko have a certain, sometimes almost heartbreaking melancholy, without having a single fragrance component to which one would ascribe this mood per se.
You notice that you are dealing with "perfume", not "smell of something" or a mixture of smells that wants to trace natural or environmental impressions. They are artvoe constructions that lead to an unlikely and surprisingly beautiful impression of otherness, so different from the world around us. Whom colours help: Green and grey tones. If you want to get some impressions of nature: the roughness of moss and lichens when you stroke them. Anyone who needs an association with clothing: Press fold. For cineasts: Film noire. Life phase: Adulthood. Definitely no childhood and no youth.
When combined with other fragrance categories, such as animal notes or oriental spices, very attractive contrasts can result from the relative astringency and distance of a chypre and sensual, erotic opulence of civet, beaver geil and Co..
Dioressence has all these characteristics of a chypre. The citrus head of bergamot is quickly wrapped with a fruity orange note and a certain waxy sheen of fruity aldehydes, which immediately gives the fragrance a certain weight and makes it clear that this is going to be a great appearance. A certain musty, green-sour resoluteness is present immediately after spraying on, without one knowing what creates this impression, but it is immediately clear: This is a chypre. Almost imperceptibly, a potpourri of wonderfully interwoven floral tones develops from this, which can hardly be distinguished. I mean to smell out carnations, like those that used to bloom in my grandma's garden, very lively and intense, bright, full of light. The much quoted bliss is now there. The oriental sidekick is made of cinnamon, which is very well perceived and which together with the ambered benzoe tones and vanilla, which have their appearance in the base, turns dioressence into an oriental chypre.
The base, and here I think the fragrance plays its best and most seductive card, is a wonderfully woody-moosy, slightly darkened affair, very powdery, slightly earthy-smoky. The fragrance still gives me a noticeable light rubbing in the nose, typical Chypre halt. At the latest now I would unconditionally recommend it to every chyprist, chypriot, chypriker and chyprene of both sexes without reservation.
Is the fragrance suitable for men? Oh, the lame, unnecessary subject. If he is too feminine, may he contribute his own Y chromosome. Works perfectly!
The characteristics of this fragrance family do not seem to fit at all with the currently popular tastes of the mainstream. It is possible that such fragrances will experience their little renaissances again and again when the world of synthetic, sweet, superficial nosecatchers revolves too quickly around you like a fairground carousel.
I count myself, the inclined reader may suspect it, himself to the flock of chypreoncles and aunts. And that had been the case from the very beginning of my enthusiasm for fragrances, without me having the slightest idea of it, and had obviously been put into my cradle - by whomever. My first and eternal fragrance love is a classic Herrenchypre, and many fragrances I appreciate belong in this category.
How can you recognize this family of fragrances, whose name derives from a creation of the same name by Francois Coty in 1917? How can you put into words the characteristics of this family of fragrances for which I have chosen Dioressence as my representative? This was the question that drove me to Parfumo right at the beginning of my time, and I think it takes a different approach than a nomenclatural one to try to understand what constitutes a chypre.
If one looks at the nightly starry sky in a cloudless night, its beauty and the sheer overwhelming of the sight cannot be measured by naming the constellations one sees. The situation is similar with chypres. The components of the citric head, the flowery or herbaceous heart and the mossy-woody base to pray for do not describe the kick in the solar plexus and the delightful rubbing in the nose when you have one in front of you.
Freely associated, I get the following impressions: Chypres are more serious, disagreeable distance keepers. The formal and abstract aspects of the fragrance image are emphasized. They convey the feeling of brittleness and astringency, the timbre in minor rather than major. Some great representatives like Mitsouko have a certain, sometimes almost heartbreaking melancholy, without having a single fragrance component to which one would ascribe this mood per se.
You notice that you are dealing with "perfume", not "smell of something" or a mixture of smells that wants to trace natural or environmental impressions. They are artvoe constructions that lead to an unlikely and surprisingly beautiful impression of otherness, so different from the world around us. Whom colours help: Green and grey tones. If you want to get some impressions of nature: the roughness of moss and lichens when you stroke them. Anyone who needs an association with clothing: Press fold. For cineasts: Film noire. Life phase: Adulthood. Definitely no childhood and no youth.
When combined with other fragrance categories, such as animal notes or oriental spices, very attractive contrasts can result from the relative astringency and distance of a chypre and sensual, erotic opulence of civet, beaver geil and Co..
Dioressence has all these characteristics of a chypre. The citrus head of bergamot is quickly wrapped with a fruity orange note and a certain waxy sheen of fruity aldehydes, which immediately gives the fragrance a certain weight and makes it clear that this is going to be a great appearance. A certain musty, green-sour resoluteness is present immediately after spraying on, without one knowing what creates this impression, but it is immediately clear: This is a chypre. Almost imperceptibly, a potpourri of wonderfully interwoven floral tones develops from this, which can hardly be distinguished. I mean to smell out carnations, like those that used to bloom in my grandma's garden, very lively and intense, bright, full of light. The much quoted bliss is now there. The oriental sidekick is made of cinnamon, which is very well perceived and which together with the ambered benzoe tones and vanilla, which have their appearance in the base, turns dioressence into an oriental chypre.
The base, and here I think the fragrance plays its best and most seductive card, is a wonderfully woody-moosy, slightly darkened affair, very powdery, slightly earthy-smoky. The fragrance still gives me a noticeable light rubbing in the nose, typical Chypre halt. At the latest now I would unconditionally recommend it to every chyprist, chypriot, chypriker and chyprene of both sexes without reservation.
Is the fragrance suitable for men? Oh, the lame, unnecessary subject. If he is too feminine, may he contribute his own Y chromosome. Works perfectly!
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BeHumble
