Les Merveilles - Soussanne Keiko Mecheri 2012

In keeping with the characteristic style of the house of Keiko Mecheri, SOUSSANNE is a very smooth and relatively subtle floriental perfume. The longevity is good and the sillage bigger than expected. The sweetness, too, is undeniable, making this a perfume much more likely to be worn by ladies than by gents. I would not actually classify this one as unisex, and the name, too, suggests that it is not.

I recently tested the perfumes of Linari, some of which are in a style similar to this one, but I think that SOUSSANNE is better than those. Still, there is a familiar feeling to the blend, and the opening stages really remind me of the sandalwood vanilla designer floriental genre. The difference is that the materials here are beyond reproach, and this creation does not smell like any specific iconic perfume familiar to me.

Things begin to diverge as time progresses, and the drydown, which I detected only fully the morning after, on my cat's fur, has a spiciness which to my nose is reminiscent of The Different Company ROSE POIVREE. However, in this case it is pleasant. Since I've now brought HRH Emperor Oliver into this review, I may as well report that he seems to like SOUSSANNE quite a lot and became very frisky and affectionate when he first caught a whiff of me wearing this perfume.

I do not detect much in the way of oud in this composition except in the middle stages. The florals are tightly woven together so that I would not immediately identify either rose or lily in this perfume, though I am confident that they are both there--especially since SOUSSANNE is said to be "bespoke"! The concentration seems closer to parfum than eau de parfum, it seems to me. Overall, this strikes me as a fine floriental perfume which is probably best suited for wintertime, although I would not say that it is cloying or overly dense. Very Mecheri-esque, it seems to me.

The Emperor gives this perfume two enthusiastic paws up!

If you love the smell of the Moroccanoil Argan Oil Hair Care line and you want to smell like this all day and night. Soussanne is the perfect layering agent. This is a slightly powdery white floral woody musk with a little something extra going on that give it a complex balmy feeling, To my nose it also smells kind of freshly showered and smoothly groomed without any harsh soapiness. But it is filled with that lily and datura floral arrangement and the base brings enough oud to add an oily sensual trail behind the florals. I think this makes an excellent day into evening uncommon signature scent for a woman and I believe it will take the right woman through Fall, Winter, Spring- I am not sure I would want to be sporting this one in the think humid heat of the Summer, but again it has something kind of clean and white flowery about it, that might just work for a sensual evening scent in the Summertime as well.

Not 100%, but who cares. And I also don't know what belladonna is supposed to smell like, and what that is supposed to represent, is it even an apple actually? Whatever, Soussanne is liked.
I find Soussanne to be so elegant and subtle, despite all the power it holds within. It has moved in as a miniature for me, as the bottle is simply too expensive; the Bespoke Collection plays in an extreme league, as a student one is at a disadvantage, but whatever. All the more beautiful is Soussanne. The interplay of power and subtlety is reflected in the intertwining of longevity and sillage. Great longevity, restrained sillage. Simply elegant and noble.

Soussanne radiates pure beauty, and yet the fragrance does not lose any tension or attractiveness. The quality is also at home in the upper leagues of Keiko Mecherie's Bespoke Collection; just as I was convinced by Cuir Fauve, so I am also convinced by Soussanne.

The pyramid is actually irrelevant to me. Because belladonna, uh, can you eat that?, no idea if it's included, and Oud is also a no-show. So if anything, then the most harmless and subtle variant of it. The main concern of Soussanne is its tasteful and even robust, vehement floralness. The great thing about it is that the floralness is equipped with counterplayers, so that there are no disturbing imbalances. The large structure "Soussanne" is chiseled like in stone, or rather: chiseled floralness with a slightly synthetic wood touch. The scent is completely dry and tends to be cool and rough. The fragrance notes seem to be taken apart and then reassembled anew and unused.

The floralness here is just how I love it, but have never smelled it exactly like this before. Soussanne is coated with a certain synthetic quality, a chlorine-swimming pool note, scusi, but it can't get any less poetic :) The powderiness is tangible. It goes hand in hand with the synthetic quality infused into the fragrance. And with powder, whose tones are somewhat borrowed from a synthetic aesthetic, that is exactly the taste of the Flui. Both voices are equally represented for a long time. The synthetically inspired powder and the floralness.

As much as it convinces me, it has so few hooks. The fragrance progression does not make any unexpected antics and simply does not want to disturb the artwork. Soussanne is full of cautious abilities, as the floralness is not at all intrusive, but is softened and channeled by the powder.

What is given to the base springs from the same restraint as the powdery floralness. If one wants to let it pass as a base, it can be said that it only differs by a nuance. The powderiness recedes a bit over time. Soussanne becomes a touch more down-to-earth and a bit broader. Although Soussanne is just as characterized by elegance and beauty as it is distinguished by grace, it is neither aloof nor pretentious.

You are always new to me.
The last of your kisses was always the sweetest;
the last smile the brightest;
the last movement the most graceful.
John Keats

Fluidentity has described it beautifully. Soussanne captivated me as well, even during the first test.
She holds her power back subtly, but her grace is almost tangible. To put it in the words of a song:

When she passes by, it seems like a fireworks display,
before a sky it is her that I notice.
Her royalty is worth only a king.

The rose gives the lily just enough room so that it cannot become too dominant. I don't really perceive oud, and thorn apple is also difficult for me to define. Musk and sandalwood give it a warm depth. It is a truly special and unique fragrance, floral but not playful.

When I sampled Soussanne today, the line from "Suzanne" by Cohen came to mind: and the sun pours down like honey...
So wonderfully soft, sweet, and sun-warm is the scent.

It harmonizes with the scene by the river, so evocatively described by Leonard Cohen.
Soussanne is just as spine-tingling as the music.
It has something transcendent with the full tuberose, paired with the soft rose, making you want to dive completely into it.
The sweet gourmand notes are comforting like a hug.
Amber adds a touch of melancholic longing.

I am captivated by the scent, which completely envelops me.

But the glance at the price tag brings me back to reality.
The little treasure set aside with a sigh, for I fear domestic "comments".

While driving home through the crowded city, I receive a call from my husband - if I liked a Mecheri, I shouldn't hold back.
Can the man read minds?

Tomorrow I will make my way again - to the place by the river.