Promise Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle 2017 Parfum
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Of uncanny scent memories and the shade of the apple trees
There's a mystical, spooky thread running through my perfume days. It comes out of nowhere. There he is apparently waiting for me, while the earth is turning before him and the days go by. When he opens the door to my consciousness, he rings with the self-evidence of a DHL messenger. Then suddenly a scent appears on the cognitive screen that I haven't smelled for months. So I order a sample for a new test, and not infrequently that composition makes it into my collection as a bottle or larger filling. I smelled Promise briefly in a department store last winter. That's it. And now it stands as 10ml travel spray next to my other fragrances. The mystery thread has struck again with full force. No defense.
Promise starts with an apple. Not a sentence that would win any literary awards, but at least it's true. Not a fresh, crunchy apple. Not green and crunchy, not part of Edeka commercials. It had already been lying near the trunk of the apple tree for some time, deep red and in its ripeness well on its way to the apple beyond. But it can still be eaten. Why people experiment with wood varnish near an apple tree, I do not know. But that is the situation - I am only the rapporteur here. This somewhat pungent metallic smell lingers in the background and recedes in intensity as the scent progresses. Just like the apple I mentioned.
The sun has long since retired. There is nothing cheerful, nothing sweet and certainly nothing Tutti Frutti. There are already indications of what will be important later: A dark, heavy carpet of earthy woodiness makes its way through the opening. Wafts of smoke drift through the air on the horizon. Something alcoholic resonates. There could also be a wooden barrel hidden in the immediate vicinity, in which an apple brandy was stored for a long time. Perhaps too long.
The start is in my opinion the most challenging part of Malle's promise. Maybe one reason for the rather restrained reviews here on Parfumo. Objectively speaking, I would have rated them higher - as objectively as one can look at something like that. The complexity of the scent is comparatively limited. Which does not detract from the complexity of the fragrance. In my opinion, the latently fermenting fruitiness of the apple in particular withdraws and makes room for an oud-like impression. The earthiness of patchouli coupled with the dark woody scent of cypriol and the slightly animalistic edge of beaver's horehound are responsible for this. Labdanum lends rather restrained warmth. I think this is a very smart solution. In comparison with Frédéric Malles The Night, 100ml will cost "only" 275 Euros instead of the 1,100 Euros. And the best: I like it much better.
After the aforementioned main development, the dark, smoky, somewhat bitter oud impression remains with a good deal of stamina. I do not perceive the rose components separately. With this fragrance one can expect a good deal of depth. The "fruitiness" resonates as an echo. A certain smokiness remains, but fits in willingly. I perceive the fragrance as very broad, with high volume, almost a little juicy.
The dose makes the poison here. Low doses, perhaps under textile, Promise is well wearable for those who do not feel disguised with it. Primarily in the evening and at night. Cold temperatures are not only welcome here, but part of the job description. My Travel Spray will last a long time thanks to the power and special nature of the fragrance. The application possibilities are limited, but there must also be scents for special moments. Although I am not a great expert when it comes to Arabic scents. But here I have the impression that marketing really goes hand in hand with the product. The fragrance shows edge, leaves the terrain of the western habit and stops.
I like Promise best after the 30-minute mark and I can only recommend to give the fragrance time. Just as the haunting thread gave me time to prepare myself subconsciously. For pome fruit lying in the shade of the apple trees, saying goodbye to our reality. For wood varnish experiments. And to one of the most interesting oud impressions I've seen in a long time.
Promise starts with an apple. Not a sentence that would win any literary awards, but at least it's true. Not a fresh, crunchy apple. Not green and crunchy, not part of Edeka commercials. It had already been lying near the trunk of the apple tree for some time, deep red and in its ripeness well on its way to the apple beyond. But it can still be eaten. Why people experiment with wood varnish near an apple tree, I do not know. But that is the situation - I am only the rapporteur here. This somewhat pungent metallic smell lingers in the background and recedes in intensity as the scent progresses. Just like the apple I mentioned.
The sun has long since retired. There is nothing cheerful, nothing sweet and certainly nothing Tutti Frutti. There are already indications of what will be important later: A dark, heavy carpet of earthy woodiness makes its way through the opening. Wafts of smoke drift through the air on the horizon. Something alcoholic resonates. There could also be a wooden barrel hidden in the immediate vicinity, in which an apple brandy was stored for a long time. Perhaps too long.
The start is in my opinion the most challenging part of Malle's promise. Maybe one reason for the rather restrained reviews here on Parfumo. Objectively speaking, I would have rated them higher - as objectively as one can look at something like that. The complexity of the scent is comparatively limited. Which does not detract from the complexity of the fragrance. In my opinion, the latently fermenting fruitiness of the apple in particular withdraws and makes room for an oud-like impression. The earthiness of patchouli coupled with the dark woody scent of cypriol and the slightly animalistic edge of beaver's horehound are responsible for this. Labdanum lends rather restrained warmth. I think this is a very smart solution. In comparison with Frédéric Malles The Night, 100ml will cost "only" 275 Euros instead of the 1,100 Euros. And the best: I like it much better.
After the aforementioned main development, the dark, smoky, somewhat bitter oud impression remains with a good deal of stamina. I do not perceive the rose components separately. With this fragrance one can expect a good deal of depth. The "fruitiness" resonates as an echo. A certain smokiness remains, but fits in willingly. I perceive the fragrance as very broad, with high volume, almost a little juicy.
The dose makes the poison here. Low doses, perhaps under textile, Promise is well wearable for those who do not feel disguised with it. Primarily in the evening and at night. Cold temperatures are not only welcome here, but part of the job description. My Travel Spray will last a long time thanks to the power and special nature of the fragrance. The application possibilities are limited, but there must also be scents for special moments. Although I am not a great expert when it comes to Arabic scents. But here I have the impression that marketing really goes hand in hand with the product. The fragrance shows edge, leaves the terrain of the western habit and stops.
I like Promise best after the 30-minute mark and I can only recommend to give the fragrance time. Just as the haunting thread gave me time to prepare myself subconsciously. For pome fruit lying in the shade of the apple trees, saying goodbye to our reality. For wood varnish experiments. And to one of the most interesting oud impressions I've seen in a long time.
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