Mont de Narcisse L'Artisan Parfumeur 2018

A misleading name. I was dismissive of this one at the beginning, but now I have come to appreciate it more, if I disregard the name. I still think it has nothing to do with narcissus. Where’s that hay-like barnyard-ish vegetal medicinal green smell of narcissus? Worth Je Reviens, Parfum d'Empire Tabou Tabac, Nicolaï Le Temps d'une Fête, The Zoo Everlasting, these are all great examples of the use of narcissus absolute in perfumes, with such a characteristic smell of this amazing ingredient.

Real narcissus absolute (from Laboratoire Monique Rémy) is probably too expensive for the budget L'Artisan Parfumeur has given Anne Flipo. So this one is just not it. Instead Anne Flipo made a sketch of certain aspects of narcissus: dry, spicy, leathery. But without the distinctive hay-like medicinal smell of the real deal. The end result is a smoky musky suede very much reminiscent of Hermès’ Cuir d’Ange. It smells nice. I do like it, but I feel I've been cheated by the name.

Mont de Narcisse opens with refreshing bergamot and transparent woody pepper, but soon turns darker with the addition of sweet tart, softly boozy and fleshly plums, and slightly smoky, phenolic birch.

These two opposite aspects are then quickly reconciled thanks to the appearance of the leather. Here, it's slightly rubbery, exhibits a hay-like nuance and a subtle saffron hint as well, but at same time evokes a supple, velvety texture, much like suede. The plum and birch feel like natural complements to the suede. Not only do their olfactory profile overlap, the contrast between the lusciousness of plum and the austere, dry, phenolic aspect of birch enriches the whole suede/leather effect.

The fragrance turns slightly more resinous and more suave in the dry down, thanks to the immortelle rounding it off with its adorable honeyed warmth and smokiness. The sillage is rather close, while the longevity is around 8 hours.

Throughout its development, Mont de Narcisse reminds me of Hermès Cuir d'Ange and Givenchy Cuir Blanc. The former, because the suede note in both fragrances are quite similar, but the suede in Mont de Narcisse is not seen through an ethereal veil of heliotrope nor is it adorned by flickers of cumin like in Cuir d'Ange. Instead, it feels darker and more lavish. Meanwhile, my reminder of Cuir Blanc is mostly due to that both open with lightweight pepper and fresh bergamot, then focus on a suede note. But again, Mont de Narcisse appears richer in layers thanks to the supporting trio of plum, birch and immortelle, while Cuir Blanc chooses white musk to create a cleaner, more luminous effect.

However, as much as I enjoy the overall suede fragrance that is Mont de Narcisse, I can't help but ask:

Where is the narcissus?

Sure, the narcissus might have played a role in summoning a hay-like aspect to the suede note, but it doesn't appear as a clearly defined note any time during the entirety of its development on my skin, at least not in a way that I'm more familiar with, of the enticing juxtaposition of horse, barnyard, hay, green sap and white flowers. Instead, Mont de Narcisse is a suede fragrance through and through. A very lovely one for sure, but for a fragrance whose name literally translates to "hill/mountain of narcissus", I feel a prominent suede fragrance is not what I signed up for.

As a result, I'd refrain from recommending Mont de Narcisse as a narcissus fragrance, but rather a slightly balsamic and suave modern fruity suede fragrance.

In the middle of Auvergne stands the Leather Mountain. It is privately owned and belongs to the descendants of a very successful leather goods mogul. Frédérick Narcisse made a fortune in the 19th century with leather goods of all kinds. A special trademark was his daffodil leather, which was perfumed with the finest scents. In his factories, practically everything was made of leather, from shoes, saddles, coats, and hats to furniture and lampshades. His leather became so sought after that he bought an entire mountain. A mountain as in "opposite of valley." A mountain from which he could look over his hometown. His former classmates should see what had become of him, Frédo the dwarf. He had often been teased in elementary school due to his short stature.

He had the Leather Mountain completely covered with daffodil leather. To this day, the leather is naturally quite worn, and plants are sprouting again between the leather islands. For example, daffodils. Which is not without a certain irony.

Since his descendants are not always at home and the fences have also been neglected, tourists occasionally wander onto the mountain. When the tourists sit around the campfire in the evening, they wonder about the leather smell.

I'm not really into leather scents, but I could imagine that Mont de Narcisse would appeal to leather fans. I don't find the leather too artificial. However, it is quite perfumed. The sillage is fortunately not very strong. I just find it strange to smell like leather unless you are wearing leather. But I'm not. I always think of leathery skin. Well. Maybe not suitable for high temperatures in summer, but that's for everyone to decide for themselves. Unless they are sitting next to me and leathering me up at 40°C. Then I might say something.

Mont de Narcisse can be worn at work if you work with leather or leather goods, are a leather goods representative, or wear leather anyway. Maybe it's also something for men who want to appear daring or at least sporty ("I usually wear a leather suit," "I just came from the rodeo and had to take care of my saddle") or something like that. But I'm not familiar with that. In leisure time, it's nice when you're riding a motorcycle through Auvergne, or riding a horse through Auvergne. In the evening when you're sitting by the fireplace on leather stools. There are certainly also occasions to wear Mont de Narcisse for going out: patent and leather (but only leather without patent). I don't mean a gathering where people paint their shoes and handbags. But maybe that exists too.

I bought the fragrance blind when it was on sale for 78 Euros (I know, it's silly) and I have to say that, although I quite like the scent, I regret it because I hardly ever wear it.

The scent itself is very leathery and I find it smells a bit like a volcano, also with a very pronounced smoky note. After the initial leather boom, the daffodil slowly comes out and develops floral notes in a beautiful interplay with the smoke.
I think the perfume paints a very nice picture of a flower meadow growing on a volcano after an eruption. However, one must consider whether they want to smell like that.
Especially for young people, I think the scent is not very suitable, but it is very different and I find it fits well in my collection.

A bit like a bouquet of flowers and herbs picked in summer, now dried, from the forest on the hill, tied with a thick leather band. In the end, it’s almost just cloying leather. In the base note, I also subjectively perceive a kind of birch tar quite strongly, even though it is not listed here. In the heart note and towards the end, it becomes almost unpleasantly numbing - I suspect this is partly due to the immortelle. Overall, during the first test, I constantly had the underlying impression of smelling more like a kind of medicine - not that it necessarily smells like usual preparations, but rather it’s an almost unconsciously adopted attitude towards the perfume.
An entirely intriguing scent that is worth exploring a bit further - I suspect that it is perceived noticeably differently on different days.