Chypre Palatin Parfums MDCI 2012
2
Powerful. Powdery. Puzzling.
I was absolutely itching to try this after hearing the GLOWING reviews of it on one of my favorite podcasts, Les Oderants. I believe it was described as "the most beautiful perfume I've ever smelled" by a bystander on the day one of the hosts was wearing it. And I both get it and don't.
This opens with the, to me, curious and amusing baby powder/soiled baby's diaper effect that I associate with many old school legends, like Chanel No. 5 and Shalimar. It quickly becomes a haze of pretty florals, none of which I can readily identify. This is where the powder settles in and, on me, it persists through to the very drydown. I can't complain too much since I adore a powdery scent, but some may find it too much. Notes like the lavender and the mandarin orange peek (and I do mean peek) through to wave at one's olfactory receptors before flittering away to hide behind the powdery haze. The thyme also comes out to play in the early third by sprinkling the composition with a bit of savory aromaticity.
That's it: this is about all that happens for me that is identifiable. From then on, had I not looked at the note pyramid I would've assumed Chypre Palatin is linear, as I get nothing but sustained, elegantly intense, beautifully blended purple-ish powder. None of the other listed notes stay for long enough, or even come out, for me to be able to understand why some call this fruity or complex or leathery. I don’t get it!
It is undeniable, however, that the fragrance is lovely and well executed. I wanted to keep smelling it, seeing if it would turn into something else, but oh so happy with what it already gave me. Once I imagined this on a masculine paramour, it was game over: I would absolutely want to dive back in for more and more. This is where I... sort of... get it!
I'm at the point where I'm starting to revisit fragrances from early in my fragrance journey and finding beauty and complexity in them that I couldn't perceive at first with my less experienced nose. I can't wait to come back to Chypre Palatin in about a year's time!
This opens with the, to me, curious and amusing baby powder/soiled baby's diaper effect that I associate with many old school legends, like Chanel No. 5 and Shalimar. It quickly becomes a haze of pretty florals, none of which I can readily identify. This is where the powder settles in and, on me, it persists through to the very drydown. I can't complain too much since I adore a powdery scent, but some may find it too much. Notes like the lavender and the mandarin orange peek (and I do mean peek) through to wave at one's olfactory receptors before flittering away to hide behind the powdery haze. The thyme also comes out to play in the early third by sprinkling the composition with a bit of savory aromaticity.
That's it: this is about all that happens for me that is identifiable. From then on, had I not looked at the note pyramid I would've assumed Chypre Palatin is linear, as I get nothing but sustained, elegantly intense, beautifully blended purple-ish powder. None of the other listed notes stay for long enough, or even come out, for me to be able to understand why some call this fruity or complex or leathery. I don’t get it!
It is undeniable, however, that the fragrance is lovely and well executed. I wanted to keep smelling it, seeing if it would turn into something else, but oh so happy with what it already gave me. Once I imagined this on a masculine paramour, it was game over: I would absolutely want to dive back in for more and more. This is where I... sort of... get it!
I'm at the point where I'm starting to revisit fragrances from early in my fragrance journey and finding beauty and complexity in them that I couldn't perceive at first with my less experienced nose. I can't wait to come back to Chypre Palatin in about a year's time!
BerryTerry
