Olympia Music-Hall Le Parfum Histoires de Parfums 2012

Don't know what to make of this as it is so soft on my skin/to my nose.

Starts with a flurry of bright citrus which turns a bit soapy. A nondescript floral comes in which develops very soapy on my skin. A touch of black pepper, quite noticeable, pokes its head up for a few minutes. A smokey, musky, nondescript soapy woody base flip flops with the soapy florals for an hour or so before becoming the skin scent with the occasional re-emergence of the soapy florals.

I'm getting a little birch tar (obviously just to my nose as I have no idea what goes into these mixtures) but only a tiny bit as nothing spills over into smokey bacon crisp territory. Now and then it smells a bit like suede but not all that much.

I'm not getting any discernable liquorice, chocolate, vanilla, incense. Maybe a touch of a dry patchouli but hardly anything.

I'm not getting much scent radiating to my nose, the fragrance isn't circulating the house (my son would let me know but of course he might not be able to smell it either).

I will try it again, because I find it quite nice, perhaps in warmer weather when it may behave differently. As it is, and having now read some reviews from around the internet which indicate that my experience is quite out of line with the general consensus, I don't know what to make of this - is it soft or can I just not smell it?

This is such a weird little perfume. I don't hear much about it, so I'm guessing it's rather a round-peg-in-a-square-hole kind of fragrance for the line - too abstract to describe in three words or less to rushed customers, but not weird enough for perfumistas to latch onto and champion as an example of the fifth art, or whatever nth art perfumery is supposed to be.

This is ostensibly a suede perfume. I suppose if I were to try to define the difference between leather and suede, I'd say there are rubbed out lines to suede that aren't present in the tougher, clearer leather note. Olympia Music Hall takes the softness of suede and gives it the rubber backing of a suede carpet. That saffron-led rubber and suede accord forms the beating heart of the fragrance, but I've left out the sparkling citrus notes at the top and the weird mélange of soapy, almost twee florals (peony, freesia, and lilac) which manage to massage this thing into something both abstract and likeable. Kind of like the soapy, hand wash-like peony note in Dzghonka adds to its sense of mystery rather than making it seem schoolmarmish and old-fashioned.

And there's a hefty dose of something animalic here too - not just the skin-like suede notes, but a rather sweaty, carnal musk and a dank patchouli, all very suggestive and torrid. The base relies on an opulent frankincense that manages not to smell Church-y or smoky, but rather like the waxy, cold, and rather soapy smell of the unlit, raw resin. If smelling like rubber, suede, snuffed-out candles, cold wax, handsoap, unlit resins, and the posy of flowers held for too long in the sweaty hands of an Austrian milkmaid sounds good to you, then give the totally odd but not objectionably weird Olympia Music Hall a fighting chance.

The Music Hall Olympia, established at the end of the 19th century in Paris, is considered a French cultural heritage and, more or less, a national treasure. At that time, numerous events of various kinds, such as circus, ballet, opera, and of course music concerts, took place here. Since its reopening after the war, not only well-known French-speaking artists like Edith Piaf, Jaques Brel, Charles Aznavour, Adamo, Gilbert Bécaud, Juliette Greco, and Dalida have performed here, to name just a few, but also international stars like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Louis Armstrong, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Madonna, and Lady Gaga, etc. ...
So far, there have probably been over 1,500 different artists and groups who have graced the approximately 2,500-seat hall adorned with red velvet.

The fragrance dedicated to this venue, Olympia Music Hall, reflects its packaging the legendary red neon sign in front of the building and the plush seating mentioned earlier inside the hall. The intention of Histories de Parfums was to pay olfactory tribute to the indescribable live atmosphere of the concerts, with their spotlight, the enthusiasm of the audience, and all the fanfare.

Well, unfortunately, I haven't been there myself, so I can't make any comparisons. However, if the performances at Olympia are like the fragrance, then I probably don't need to make the trip.

The whole experience starts off rather fruitily, somewhat quietly, with hints of aged mandarins and not-so-fresh oranges, only to shortly erupt into a spectacle of spicy flower power. Whether it's lilac, freesia, or even peony - it's all way too floral for me.
A little later, Olympia becomes a bit sweeter and a little greener - and still doesn't appeal to me.
The promised chocolate is hiding somewhere behind the fifth row, while towards the end, a mix of woody undertones and leathery nuances dominates. Classically soft, but also with some harsh interjections. The longevity, in my opinion, just barely lasts for a longer event, from queuing for evening tickets to the last encore, but in the crowd, the fragrance would easily fade away, as it comes across quite quietly.

Although I am a huge music fan, I don't really warm up to Olympia. I get the feeling that the fragrance doesn't quite know where it wants to go or what it wants to express. It's like a mixed bag with a musical blend of chanson, schlager, jazz, pop, and rock - all at once, out of sync and slightly off. Of course, it's all a matter of taste, and perhaps Gérald Gishlain wanted to capture the cultural diversity and history of Olympia, but olfactorily, it just barely works.

Not only is the name the same - I find this HdP smells very similar to this square chocolate variety. So if you count this among your favorites like I do, you should definitely check out this Olympia Hall of Fame or Music Hall.

I can almost directly smell the base here - little flowers, little fruits, hardly any citrus - but a lot of chocolate, crunchy cookies, alpine milk, vanilla, nuts, powdered honey, yogurt - just like the square Olympia bar. However, this gourmand dream is simultaneously destroyed and characteristically solidified by the dirtiest, rough elements like leather, patchouli, pepper, forest berries, saffron, or smoke. It almost reminds me of a few ELDO fragrances. It also reminds me of Tea For 2, where smoke also roughened a mild note!

Bottle: large letters - readable from 20 meters even without glasses ;)
Sillage: I found it suitable for a music hall - expansive and powdery-sweet.
Longevity: with 10 hours, longer than any performance in the namesake hall.

A slightly distorted and sultry gourmand - beautiful and so delicious!

As a relative newcomer to perfumes, I may not be the best suited to write the first comment on a fragrance, but for a first impression, it should suffice - for those considering testing it ;)

The first association that comes to my mind is "car." The top note greets me with leather and, on the other hand... rubber. It may not sound great at first, but!... if this is a car, it's one of the most exclusive cars I've come across. A Lotus, a Ferrari, a Corvette... I don't know, I'm not really into cars.

And this car is driven by a really rich, really hot woman. One who sits at the wheel in a minidress and high heels. And when she steps out of the car, her expensive, floral-feminine perfume lingers as a fragrant aura inside the vehicle. So I feel as if I'm sitting in this car that smells of expensive perfume..

And since the fragrance pyramid is upside down on my skin, the scent departs citrusy (which I find quite unusual and very pleasant) and close to the skin.

The fragrance seems suitable for both men and women at first, but I find the above classification accurate. I can hardly imagine a type of man who could "embody" this scent. I'm afraid it would be equivalent to a man who buys a fancy sports car and drives around with a woman 15 years younger... An appearance that tries so hard to be a ladies' man that it ends up not being sexy at all..
However, I wouldn't mind crossing paths with the man who can actually wear this fragrance ;)