L'Elégant Parfums MDCI 2021
1
Unimaginative melange of resins and spices. Too expensive for what it offers.
L’Elegant is the third perfume that I am testing from Parfums MDCI. Everything I tested so far has an old-fashioned density and complexity that don’t fit my tastes. But this is a very personal dislike and may not inform anyone else on the quality of their perfumes. I have never come across anything from the perfumer Irène Farmachidi before. The review was written based on a sample of L’Elegant from Jovoy Paris.
MDCI website lists incense, saffron, cardamom, black pepper, iris, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, davana, sandalwood, musks, tonka bean, labdanum, cistus, oud notes, and cashmeran as the ingredients in L’Elegant. All these notes are probably there in the opening at various levels, but cumin is the only on that stands out on my skin. There is a leather-like accord in the beginning, perhaps arising from a combination of iris and saffron. L’Elegant is not sweet on my skin, nor is it particularly elegant. What I get is a dark resinous fragrance with cumin and some unidentifiable spicy notes, something like a less sweet and less interesting version of Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero. The heart notes are all the notes mentioned above, but sinking slowly as time passes. I don’t smell much sandalwood or oud in L’Elegant. There is also no perceptible progression in L’Elegant through time. The base notes and dry down on my skin are non-specific resinous notes with a touch of sweetness.
The performance of L’Elegant is very good on my skin, though it is a monotonous resinous scent throughout. The projection is not very strong, as can be predicted for spicy woody perfumes. I can smell the resins on my skin for about 6 hours. It should work fine as an office perfume, though not a very attractive one.
I really miss the point of L’Elegant, especially at that price point. The elegance that this perfume strives for is effortlessly achieved by Jovoy Private Label or the much cheaper Lalique Encre Noire a L’Extreme. I wish the perfumer had removed some of the notes to create a more distinct personality for this perfume. Sadly, I cannot recommend L’Elegant because it lacks a clear identify or goal. It also costs more than two hundred dollars for 70 ml. We have many better options at that price range. Perhaps, L’Elegant may appeal to those who prefer Amouage-style incense fragrances with a dominant cumin accord.
MDCI website lists incense, saffron, cardamom, black pepper, iris, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, davana, sandalwood, musks, tonka bean, labdanum, cistus, oud notes, and cashmeran as the ingredients in L’Elegant. All these notes are probably there in the opening at various levels, but cumin is the only on that stands out on my skin. There is a leather-like accord in the beginning, perhaps arising from a combination of iris and saffron. L’Elegant is not sweet on my skin, nor is it particularly elegant. What I get is a dark resinous fragrance with cumin and some unidentifiable spicy notes, something like a less sweet and less interesting version of Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero. The heart notes are all the notes mentioned above, but sinking slowly as time passes. I don’t smell much sandalwood or oud in L’Elegant. There is also no perceptible progression in L’Elegant through time. The base notes and dry down on my skin are non-specific resinous notes with a touch of sweetness.
The performance of L’Elegant is very good on my skin, though it is a monotonous resinous scent throughout. The projection is not very strong, as can be predicted for spicy woody perfumes. I can smell the resins on my skin for about 6 hours. It should work fine as an office perfume, though not a very attractive one.
I really miss the point of L’Elegant, especially at that price point. The elegance that this perfume strives for is effortlessly achieved by Jovoy Private Label or the much cheaper Lalique Encre Noire a L’Extreme. I wish the perfumer had removed some of the notes to create a more distinct personality for this perfume. Sadly, I cannot recommend L’Elegant because it lacks a clear identify or goal. It also costs more than two hundred dollars for 70 ml. We have many better options at that price range. Perhaps, L’Elegant may appeal to those who prefer Amouage-style incense fragrances with a dominant cumin accord.