The fragrance starts with a photorealistic wonder berry. Wonder berries have a taste-modifying effect and enhance the impression of sweetness, among other things. So it is here, at least for a few minutes. While this is not particularly pleasant, it is an original artistic touch, and for that, I’ll give it a few points.
It continues in an interesting (but not good) way; the extreme sweetness dims down and eventually disappears into nothingness. Instead, a completely different scent impression emerges. From fruity-sweet-experimental, it turns into bitter seriousness. Just a moment ago, you were in the circus, and suddenly you find yourself in the entrance of a newly completed skyscraper, where the smell of new building materials mixes with the serious faces of people in business suits and expensive leather shoes, along with the non-smell of glass.
The next scene change is less abrupt; it’s more of a slide down into the underground of the skyscraper. Machinery noise thunders from the basement, it smells of chemicals and metal, everything is dark gray, no place for human life. I want to get out, but I can’t! Trapped and dazed by the chemical scent, I try in vain to free myself for many, many hours. Then, finally, the backdrop blurs, turns into gray fog, it gets quieter - the nightmare is over.
Only the coat I wore during this disturbing test continues to relentlessly exude the smell of chemicals and solvents. I have the unpleasant suspicion that even a wash won’t change that.
After being so curious about the scent, I later doubted whether I had picked up the right fragrance strip... I felt the same way about this perfume as you did. I kept reading the descriptions and comparing the notes with my own impressions - it didn't get any better.
A cold-gray, metallic-chemical accord overshadowed everything. This olfactory boundary experience actually makes me fear a retest.
Aside from the solvent part, it's a beautiful description of a fragrance. It makes me want to test it right away. However, since I've already been there, I find the scent pretty average. It’s heading in the right direction. Better than the whole floral and syrupy-sweet concoction you usually come across.
This perfume really seems to be perceived very differently. I feel like MissKatie; I could bathe in it, and for me, it's truly a work of art. I've been into perfumes for forty years now, and I just can't get into the modern fruity blends and sticky orientals. As an old Chypre fan, I can understand its classification in that category; it's a hyper-modern Chypre and for me, a magnificent example of Hermès elegance. It's fascinating how perceptions differ, and your comment adds to that.
I have the impression that there’s something in there that some people don’t notice at all, while others pick up on it much stronger. For example, I can't perceive Iso-E Super, but I can detect Ethylmaltol in homeopathic doses. Looking at your collection, we do have some overlaps, but overall you seem to prefer stronger scents than I do, and Chypre is rarely for me. Maybe that’s just it.
I just can't understand that... Was your sample off? It's such a wonderfully spicy chypre, without any sticky sweetness and, for me, no chemical scent at all. Sure, it's bitter and woody, but I think it has such a lovely warmth and freshness. It's a shame it didn't work out for you 😢
I can only agree - I find the scent chaotic, uneven, and unpleasant, artificial, sweet, then metallic and sour from the bergamot - I have a few fragrances from the house in my collection, but this doesn’t feel like Hermès to me.
Very accurately described. My nail polish remover is a mere orphan compared to this piercing fragrance brew that pokes uncomfortably into my brain folds.
A cold-gray, metallic-chemical accord overshadowed everything. This olfactory boundary experience actually makes me fear a retest.