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Musicandarts
2
A beautiful patchouli and rose that is simple and inexpensive.
Jean-Claude Ellena argues that all the notes in the olfactory pyramid are present at all stages in the life of a perfume on the skin. He points out that the perfume will smell differently even in the opening moment if you remove a base note from the perfume. We feel the illusion of a pyramid from the waxing and waning of each note. Sonia Constant has created a delightful rose-patchouli that exemplifies this idea. This review is based on a 10 ml vial of Moonlight Patchouli that came in a three-piece travel set, which also includes Ambre Imperial and Bois d’Amande.
Moonlight patchouli opens with a delicious blend of all the notes listed by the perfumer in the olfactory pyramid, which are also listed on Parfumo. The main opening note according to my nose is suede, which disappears soon after. The listed opening notes, bergamot and pink pepper, are too fleeting to worth noting. I am not sure if these exist in Moonlight Patchouli at all. In a few minutes, Moonlight Patchouli manifests its true personality with its heart notes of rose and patchouli. The iris listed by the perfumer is not strong enough to be an independent note, but it could be helping the rose bloom a bit more. The ending - base notes and dry down – are the same rose and patchouli notes, though diminished in intensity. If I may simplify the pyramid, it starts with suede and immediately becomes rose and patchouli which goes on till the end. In summary, Moonlight Patchouli is a lovely rose-patchouli, beautiful enough to melt even the cold heart of the most strident patchouli-hater.
Moonlight Patchouli is a very good performer. It has a longevity of 8-10 hours on my skin, but mostly as patchouli and rose. It continues longer as a soft dry down. The sillage is good for the first few hours, though it does not project over long distances. The key notes are elegant enough to allow this fragrance to work in the office setting.
It is one of the best patchouli-dominant fragrances that I have come across. Don’t be put off by the initial blast of suede, which belies the beautiful rose and patchouli that follows it. Unfortunately, this perfume is no longer widely available. I wonder if Van Cleef & Arpels is planning to shut down its fragrance business, which probably has lower margin than their jewelry business. Moonlight Patchouli is a good bargain if you can get a 45 ml bottle under $50. There was a three-piece set of 1.5 oz sizes of Moonlight Patchouli, Moonlight Rose and Ambre Imperial for $120, which has already disappeared. But the three-piece travel set for $30 is a fantastic bargain and it is still available on Jomashop and other discounters.
Top Notes 
Pink pepper
Bergamot
Heart Notes 
Rose
Iris
Base Notes 
Patchouli
Suede
Zebra782
