Encre Noire Sport Lalique 2013

I could have sworn there was mint in here, a lot of mint! ;-) But once again, my nose has let me down. After all, other plants also contain menthol, such as lavender, and cypress at least has camphor-like compounds. Either way, ENS reminds me of the candy mentioned in the title with its DNA. I actually find that quite cool, as it presents a completely different form of a sport fragrance, and the freshness elements primarily found in the top notes last extremely long.

I've never dared to approach the original version of Encre Noir because I thought it would be too earthy, too dark, and too musty for me. Maybe I should still take a chance on a blind buy (since it's hardly available at Douglas & Co.)!? The sport version might not work for spoiled perfume gourmets, as it is quite a boldly composed scent, but it scores points for its uniqueness. And since I always operate under the motto "like / don't like," regardless of price and rating, I give ENS a thumbs up!

Under the ethereal freshness dome, vetiver and woody notes provide the necessary grounding for this fragrance, which otherwise might be too one-dimensional. To stick with my allegory: These are like the wooden planks of a fishing boat, which, at cool temperatures, is more likely to be docked in a sunlit harbor rather than drifting around in stormy seas. So, top scent: original and pleasant. It clears the nose! :-)