Perles de Lalique Lalique 2006

When I first acquired a bottle of PERLES DE LALIQUE, I overapplied it and completely overdosed on it, to the point where it took me more than a year to recover and muster up the courage to try it again. This stuff is very strong and potent. Do I like it?

I have a similar reaction to many of the Lalique perfumes, which always seem slightly unbalanced to me. As a result, it is very easy to overdo them and very difficult to hit on just the proper application. On lucky days, they can be really wonderful. On less lucky days, they can seem overbearing and tiresome. Another good example is FLORABELLA. Overapplied, it's a sort of suffocating orchid nightmare. Underapplied it seems rather boring, just a humdrum floral. When all of the stars are correctly aligned, however, it is a very nice perfume. But I digress...

Well, not really, because the same thing happens with PERLES DE LALIQUE. There is something just slightly off-kilter in this kooky peppery, woody, masculine rose perfume. Maybe that's the clue: this is at least unisex and it may indeed be the perfect floral perfume for men--better than L'Artisan Parfumeur VOLEUR DE ROSES, why? Because it actually does contain some detectable rose. Still, to my nose, the woody quality (it actually smells like rosewood, though that note is not listed in the hierarchy) in PERLES is much stronger than the floral component. And then there's the pepper. This is nothing like the harsh and super-synthetic pepper spray known as Marc Jacobs BANG. But there is quite a dose of pepper in this woody floral. So do I like it?

I guess that I can say that I respect PERLES DE LALIQUE. It has a somewhat stern quality which I associate with the house of Parfumerie Générale. It also reminds me a bit of Etro ETRA. These are of course compliments to those who appreciate PG and Etro. Alas, respect is not the same as love.