Top Notes 
Guatemala cardamom
Somalian frankincense
Heart Notes 
Bulgarian damask rose absolute
Somalian myrrh absolute
Base Notes 
Peru balsam
Bourbon vanilla absolute
Malayan oud
Musicandarts
227 Reviews
Musicandarts
2
An excellent rose-oud-incense perfume without the pungent natural oud accord.
Fantasque is an excellent rose oud from Givenchy, interpreted using the unique aesthetic of La Collection Particulière. Perfumes in this collection restrict themselves to a narrow range of personalities through their use of a limited palette of notes. Noctambule is another rose oud from La Collection Particulière, which maintains a younger demeanor by eschewing incense and resins. This review is based on a 10 ml travel size vial that was bought directly from Givenchy. I am unable to fully confirm that the nose behind Fantasque is Pierre-Constantin Guéros.
According to my nose, Fantasque shows an inverted olfactory pyramid. Let me explain! I can smell most of the notes listed in the olfactory pyramid in the opening. I can smell oud, rose, incense and myrrh at the start. The cardamom note is weak in the opening, and you may miss it if you are not looking for it. The oud used in La Collection Particulière is listed as Malaysian oud essence. This is a westernized oud that is dry, without the sour sawdust smell associated with natural oud essence. Vanilla appears early in the heart notes, though it is listed as a base note. Vanilla is the strongest base note along with hints of the other notes. As the olfactory pyramid is a pile of bricks on the floor, I would list Fantasque as a flat oud, frankincense, myrrh, rose, oud perfume. There is some development as time passes, but it is more like waxing and waning of some notes, rather than a pyramid. The notes are too masterfully blended to worry about these nuances.
The performance of Fantasque is very good, but not monstrous. After the opening blast, it settles nicely on the skin. It lasts a 6-8 hours on my skin, though in the end it is mostly an amber vanilla. The sillage is excellent in the opening hours, and for some reason, projects the oud very strongly during the first hour.
Fantasque is one of the best rose-oud scents I have come across. It is a great fit for someone looking for an elegant rose oud without the pungent natural oud accord. Unfortunately, excellence alone cannot drive the decision to buy. Priced at $405 for 100 ml, this one sits at the frontier of credulity. For now, I will live off the 10 ml sample until I can swipe a full bottle below $300.
According to my nose, Fantasque shows an inverted olfactory pyramid. Let me explain! I can smell most of the notes listed in the olfactory pyramid in the opening. I can smell oud, rose, incense and myrrh at the start. The cardamom note is weak in the opening, and you may miss it if you are not looking for it. The oud used in La Collection Particulière is listed as Malaysian oud essence. This is a westernized oud that is dry, without the sour sawdust smell associated with natural oud essence. Vanilla appears early in the heart notes, though it is listed as a base note. Vanilla is the strongest base note along with hints of the other notes. As the olfactory pyramid is a pile of bricks on the floor, I would list Fantasque as a flat oud, frankincense, myrrh, rose, oud perfume. There is some development as time passes, but it is more like waxing and waning of some notes, rather than a pyramid. The notes are too masterfully blended to worry about these nuances.
The performance of Fantasque is very good, but not monstrous. After the opening blast, it settles nicely on the skin. It lasts a 6-8 hours on my skin, though in the end it is mostly an amber vanilla. The sillage is excellent in the opening hours, and for some reason, projects the oud very strongly during the first hour.
Fantasque is one of the best rose-oud scents I have come across. It is a great fit for someone looking for an elegant rose oud without the pungent natural oud accord. Unfortunately, excellence alone cannot drive the decision to buy. Priced at $405 for 100 ml, this one sits at the frontier of credulity. For now, I will live off the 10 ml sample until I can swipe a full bottle below $300.
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