Top Notes 
Balsamic notes
Clementine
Heart Notes 
Spices
Almond
Base Notes 
Styrax
Tonka bean
Vanilla
11/23/2011
Apicius
224 Reviews
Apicius
Helpful Review
2
A very tender fist in the eye
On the recommendation of Coriolon, I appoached the Elixir Charnels scents today - by visiting the new Maison Guerlain in Berlin. It is just a small niche in a mainstream perfume shop, but the most important exclusives are there. However, some scents seem to be missing: Sous le Vent, Vega, and also Mouchoir de Monsieur.
The Elixir Charnels perfumes are presented as ladies scents, but at least with Oriental Brûlant, we do not have to be so strict. Okay, there is an interesting floral-fruity start, which is kind of ladylike. But when you get through this, Oriental Brûlant shows itself as quite typical, however minimalistic Guerlain. So again, this is about vanilla and tonka bean, just as you may expect from something "oriental".
At this really cosy, somewhat chocolate-like note, some things are added that I would describe as slightly aquatic, even almost salty - and this is what makes it charming. This is neither unique, nor new. Guerlain copies itself: may I mention that oriental aquatic with the beautiful name “L’Instant pour Homme Christaux d’Agrumes” ? That variation of L'Instant pour Homme is much more vigorous than Oriental Brûlant, and also citric. By the way...also Martine Micallef commented on this concept with something beautiful: "Avant Garde"!
Oriental Brûlant is diffident: forget the too volatile top and middle notes, then you have the concept of bringing together harshly contrastive notes in a very tender way. With so much understatement, you could easily do without the top and the middle. Nothing remains of it anyway, so it is rather out of place. Dazzling the customers with promising top notes usually is not the style of Guerlain.
This scent is not enough for me, especially as the delicate aquatic impression cannot keep up the pace towards the end of the development. Oriental Brûlant is so much discreet that it modulates a persons' own scent rather than giving its own statement. With such discretion, one might be reluctant to call it a forthright "perfume".
There is one thing where oriental Brûlant is ahead of the other two perfumes mentioned. The combination aquatic plus oriental or gourmand is quite strenuous. But with its discretion you will not feel tedious about it, although it fits like a fist in the eye.
Oriental Brûlant has beauty. But beware of the the top and heart notes when you test it - they hide the real character during the first half-hour.
The Elixir Charnels perfumes are presented as ladies scents, but at least with Oriental Brûlant, we do not have to be so strict. Okay, there is an interesting floral-fruity start, which is kind of ladylike. But when you get through this, Oriental Brûlant shows itself as quite typical, however minimalistic Guerlain. So again, this is about vanilla and tonka bean, just as you may expect from something "oriental".
At this really cosy, somewhat chocolate-like note, some things are added that I would describe as slightly aquatic, even almost salty - and this is what makes it charming. This is neither unique, nor new. Guerlain copies itself: may I mention that oriental aquatic with the beautiful name “L’Instant pour Homme Christaux d’Agrumes” ? That variation of L'Instant pour Homme is much more vigorous than Oriental Brûlant, and also citric. By the way...also Martine Micallef commented on this concept with something beautiful: "Avant Garde"!
Oriental Brûlant is diffident: forget the too volatile top and middle notes, then you have the concept of bringing together harshly contrastive notes in a very tender way. With so much understatement, you could easily do without the top and the middle. Nothing remains of it anyway, so it is rather out of place. Dazzling the customers with promising top notes usually is not the style of Guerlain.
This scent is not enough for me, especially as the delicate aquatic impression cannot keep up the pace towards the end of the development. Oriental Brûlant is so much discreet that it modulates a persons' own scent rather than giving its own statement. With such discretion, one might be reluctant to call it a forthright "perfume".
There is one thing where oriental Brûlant is ahead of the other two perfumes mentioned. The combination aquatic plus oriental or gourmand is quite strenuous. But with its discretion you will not feel tedious about it, although it fits like a fist in the eye.
Oriental Brûlant has beauty. But beware of the the top and heart notes when you test it - they hide the real character during the first half-hour.
BrianBuchanan
