Noir S.T. Dupont 2006

Disclaimer: I am an older gentleman of advanced retirement age who has applied fragrances for personal pleasure all his life. I have neither an analytical nose and professional background knowledge, nor the urge to remain as objective as possible in evaluations, as far as this seems at all possible with fragrances.

When Axe Dark Temptation came on the market, I myself had long since reached an age in which I was far more enthusiastic about good food, than for new acquaintances. Besides, I had found the great love and really the best woman in the world long ago, and unfortunately had to mourn her far too soon. Due to this fact, I shopped for my first Axe product more in the prospect of its cocoa-like profile than in terms of the idea of bouncing around downtown like a rock star.

Still, my then-grown sons had to grin when they spied the relevant merchandise in my bathroom during a visit. "UUh, Dad's hitting the town...," they commiserated. Yes - the Axe effect was on everyone's lips at the time thanks to the omnipresent adverts, although the chauvinism celebrated there honestly also just seems ridiculous in retrospect.

Now the dark Axe products have me aromatechnisch not really deeply disappointed, but the durability of the fragrance was naturally rather low.
The blind purchase of S.T. Dupont Noir was able to surprise me all the more positively.

The somewhat undifferentiated-dubious top note can be safely passed over, since it evaporates anyway very quickly, but should mention all the more the successful subsequent composition, in which I truly develop the feeling to wrap my "I" with a delicate touch of nougat chocolate.

Cloves and hazelnut seem anything but synthetic in the dryout, and actually manage to fix a cocoa-like aroma profile on the skin. I speak here, of course, not of a sugary sweet amber oud bomb from the high-price segment, but just when the latter are a little annoying due to the weather or weariness, then you will find a more than pleasant, light alternative with S.T. Duponts Noir.

Especially in the warm summer months, in which the favorite chocolate varieties of the delicatessen are not delivered, one misses them all the more passionately, heavy fragrances too much wear, but you feel no desire at all for something citrus-aquatic, the hour of Noir strikes.

My recipe:
A long shower with Dark Temptation shower gel, then some skincare with the Chocolat
Hand & Body Lotion by Bettina Barty (yes - I know dear cosmetics professionals that you should really only use ph neutral soap in the summer), and then fix the cocoa profile with S.T. Dupont Noir.
If you then still crown the whole thing with an appropriate breakfast (cough...Esze...- yes - grandfathers can also be child heads), then the day can only succeed.

The glossy black, monolithic bottle is particularly well done in this product, by the way, which was the real reason for my blind purchase at the time, and the more than silly low price comes as icing on the cake.

Bon appetite...