Or Noir Pascal Morabito 1980

Hm, yes, Or Noir. Hm, yes, a chypre. Apparently, I am currently in a phase of courage, or is it just a phase of curiosity...? First vetiver, my tricky topic, which I have avoided for years. I faced the opponent and found pleasure in it. I gained a successful new perspective beyond my comfort zone of soft, cuddly scents.

And now a chypre, oh dear, oh dear... Chypre is also a topic that I have kept at a distance for a long time. Even terms like "punchy" and "crunchy," which are often overused, leave me feeling defensive. And now this: Or Noir.

I don't know it. I read something about it on Parfumo once. I don't remember what. I believe some people thought it was *really* good. And now it’s here in the well-known surplus purchase clearance market, you know, the one with the incredible low prices even for perfumes. Of course, at an incredible low price.
Those were my thoughts when I saw the golden box there. And then: oh, I’ll take that with me, I'm in a buying mood.

First, there was an unwieldy, bulky, heavy bottle, with which you could easily hammer nails into the wall. Then I looked it up on Parfumo: yikes! It’s from 1981...? A floral chypre...? *Shock horror* But now it’s bought, so it will be tried.
To be honest, I took my time trying it out. I simply didn’t dare. What if I come across as loud, dominant, strict, and um, overripe? And possibly all at once? All those things that I am not or simply do not want to be?

Or Noir starts with a citrusy-soapy-spicy-green nuance, not unpleasant, although for my nose it’s a bit of an adjustment, as such scents haven’t reached me for decades.
I also have to note the often-feared hairspray note. Or Noir makes a strong entrance, yes, but not overwhelming. Not scratchy either. So nothing is booming here, which is good (for me).

The deepening of the scent sets in slightly delayed and subtly. The citrusy freshness recedes but remains at the edges of the scent, while from the center, the soft velvet rises. Dark velvet. Dark green velvet. Slightly bitter, yet soft. Not sweet. Dense. A bit earthy. Right on the skin, it is even more beautiful than as a cloudy impression (which is rather rare; I usually experience it the other way around). This velvet stretches its tentacle-like arms, becoming denser and longer, reaching outwards and wrapping around me.

The sillage is good, but not, well, booming ;-). I don’t find it very floral, although I do recognize a certain floral conglomerate, nicely mixed, nothing stands out individually; I don’t recognize anything.
I also cannot recognize the undead, decayed leaves, graves, cemeteries, crypts, and other morbidities, although I would assign this scent more to late autumn seasonally. Despite the darkening and velvetiness, I perceive no abysses here. Or Noir is a calm scent, but not a sluggish or heavy one. The changes in the scent progression are exceedingly subtle, and I only reluctantly deny it the attribute "linear."

I am sure that musk is also present, not just because of the softly lingering hairspray note in the background, but mainly due to the fine creaminess that rounds off this somewhat grumpy fellow's sharp (gold) edges.
And that is probably what makes me like this scent so much. Yes, I like it, I like a chypre! - I like this balancing act that Or Noir performs with its harsh initial freshness, which transitions into dark, soft velvetiness; I like the elegant thread that runs through the scent, fresh like oak moss, keeping it safe from moldiness, dark swamps, and other gloominess.

I must admit, however: it is still not a new favorite. Perhaps it just needs a little more time to be perceived as suitable for me. But it has wedged its angular golden foot in my door and opened it a good crack for the chypre genre. With 100ml of EdP, I have all the time in the world ;-).