Eau My Sin

Mon Péché

Lanvin 1924 Eau de Toilette

Ingenious: here, "my sin" does not lead to ruin, but directly to heaven, a very sensual fragrance heaven at any rate. What need is there for another?
The word "sin" (Sin) has nothing to do with sense or sensuality, but with "but", to separate oneself, to close oneself off. In this respect, it would be a sin to ignore or push away sensuality! The theologian and mystic Teilhard de Chardin believes that the refinement of the senses is a divine task. So feeling, tasting, seeing, smelling and experiencing everything as intensely as possible... This fragrance invites me to do just that.
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Even the tingle of the top notes makes me almost feel the fragrance. Later, it becomes so sensual and powdery that I want to feel more and more with and on my skin and can't get enough... Like smooth dry silk on the skin, which has a certain heaviness but glides gently over the body like a tender touch. The jasmine and ylang-ylang used here create an almost tactile olfactory experience, like soft lips touching warm skin.
And I imagine tasting precious flower nectar from your lips... Literally drinking and tasting the scent of your skin...
There are many beautiful old advertising images for the looks; many of them show a black cat, first as a drawing, later as a photograph, always with a mysterious look, sometimes downright lurking. In the photos, the black fur looks like I would like to stroke it, but can't be quite sure what would happen then...
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My precious version is the EdT from 1969... I don't have strong aldehydes at the beginning, but nice clary sage and a little dark tart citrus peel and neroli. Pretty soon, flowers appear, and what flowers they are... beautiful lilacs in any case, narcissus, soft jasmine, lily of the valley, a very small amount of rose, so that I have the bright colors of a lush, large bouquet of flowers before my eyes. Later, the extroverted, luminous, cheerful scent gradually recedes due to the body heat; it first becomes indolic, lush, overripe, decadent, and then increasingly powdery with a very beautiful iris root. And again, I think of soft skin. The clove is really spicy and clove-like here, never pungent, styrax makes it resinous, later I have dry, powdery, unsweet vanilla and soft, fine musk. I don't find it very woody; I can't confirm the reference sometimes made to Bois des Îles Eau de Toilette (because of the aldehydic beginning against a woody background). Rather, the relationship to Narcisse Noir Eau de Cologne because of the beautiful civet-colored flowers. Because of these wonderful animalistic flowers, I understand that the fragrance has been advertised as the "most provocative perfume" since 1924.
My Sin is so sensual that it must have been shocking at the time. It is stunningly animalic. I almost want to say it's a very sexual fragrance, even horny - but then again, those words don't match its sophistication.

It is very complex - and yet very simple.
Light as silk lingerie, heavy as longing desire.
Wild and refined in the finest way.
A flowery animal.
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"you have to see, touch, live in the present, drink existence hot in the midst of reality itself. [...] You need oil for your limbs - blood for your veins - water for your soul - [...]. Bathe yourself in matter [...]. Immerse yourself in it, where it is most violent and deepest! Wrestle in its stream and drink its flood! It once cradled your unconsciousness - it will carry you to God!" (Teilhard)
Come what may. Cost what it may.
Yes!

I've saved this review for today. Darlings, there is sensuality to celebrate today! Firstly, this fragrance from 1924 is 100 years old this year. And I wish you all a wonderful transition into May tonight... quietly, or cheerfully sociable, or debauched, whatever!