Anouchka Revillon 1994 Eau de Parfum

Yes, I was looking for you, my dear Anouchka. But only for certain occasions. For veeeery, veeeery special occasions. When I'm so fed up that I want to jump down people's throats.

But let's start from the beginning.

I am now old enough to want to pull the duvet over my head on my birthdays. I also refuse to blow out candles anymore, because the sight of a birthday cake that looks almost on fire makes me --let's say-- nervous. In other words: I have been of legal age for quite some time.

However, if there were a trophy for having to show ID, I would have a whole party cellar full of them. You stand firmly in life, have experienced, seen, and gone through quite a bit. You carry responsibility, you are a "whole person" -- and yet you are treated like a kid at every turn.

No, I don't want to be coy here. Nor do I want to claim that it wouldn't be somewhat reassuring. But -- why do I still have to be addressed informally by the gray men behind the bank counter? Or be invited for a Coke by little plumbing apprentices in their first year? Aaarrrgggh....

Yes, sometimes I am overtaken by pure aggression, it literally pulls my last nerve. Then I reach for "Anouchka"! "Anouchka" is by far the most grown-up fragrance I have in my collection. (Except for Chanel No. 5, but I use that very, very rarely, as I am simply not worthy.) Not that I have a particular fondness for bubblegum scents: I do favor playful flowers and fruits, but I have no fear of "Rive Gauche," "Paris," or "Trésor." Still: "Anouchka" is the most serious scent that has ever touched my skin. A little pinch of categorical maturity from the bottle.

A bright yet bitter woodiness, a seriously robust spiciness, heavy, dignified, "perfumy" floral notes without even a hint of playfulness. Wow, I believe "Anouchka" is almost a chypre (but without a chypre head). The woods and oak moss dominate from the very beginning; here, only the name is sweet.

I am surprised myself that I wear it. I couldn't do it every day, because in the long run, "Anouchka" would overwhelm and exhaust me. But sometimes it has to be. Out of defiance, out of anger, out of protest. Out of joy in aging :D.

P.S. Chanelle is so right: It is so good and so underrated.