Faces of Francis Vilhelm Parfumerie 2023
2
Most unique release of 2023
In a year where niche perfumery was flooded with cheap designer vanilla and many imitations of (and those taking inspiration from) Ganymede Eau de Parfum, the most unique fragrance release goes to Vilhelm Parfumerie.
Make no mistake about it, the blend quality of this fragrance is not entirely there as the scent smells quite synthetic. But it is the accords being combined where the uniqueness stems from. Pistachio has recently been a very trendy note, but this takes that note in a completely different direction. As the scent first opens in the air, it smells (on top of being synthetic) sweet and aldehydic. The pistachio note is done somewhat well and has a creamy feel to it, but everything else is quite rough around the edges, leaving me with the impression that this scent is structured like a Marc-Antoine Barrois gourmand (of which there aren't any for those wondering).
Up-close the multitude of accords is very much noteworthy. The scent is both woody and rubbery, with the styrax bringing a mild animalic flair and the driftwood adding smoky tones. The aldehyde tonalities have somewhat subsided. The overall scent structure reminds me of something like Écrin de fumée as there are synthetics, there is sweetness, and there is an underlying woodiness. I will note Faces of Francis has little spiciness, so for the comparison to make sense, you'd have to exchange the tobacco note for a woody one to have the comparison make sense.
It's hard to rate this as the non-synthetic wafts of creamy pistachio are great, but I get those every 1-in-10. Therefore, I cannot rate it above a 5.0/10. Expected longevity is in the 8-9 hour range and the sillage is largely moderate (7/10) with potential for strong. If this was done in smoother fashion, it likely would've made top 5 on the year.
Make no mistake about it, the blend quality of this fragrance is not entirely there as the scent smells quite synthetic. But it is the accords being combined where the uniqueness stems from. Pistachio has recently been a very trendy note, but this takes that note in a completely different direction. As the scent first opens in the air, it smells (on top of being synthetic) sweet and aldehydic. The pistachio note is done somewhat well and has a creamy feel to it, but everything else is quite rough around the edges, leaving me with the impression that this scent is structured like a Marc-Antoine Barrois gourmand (of which there aren't any for those wondering).
Up-close the multitude of accords is very much noteworthy. The scent is both woody and rubbery, with the styrax bringing a mild animalic flair and the driftwood adding smoky tones. The aldehyde tonalities have somewhat subsided. The overall scent structure reminds me of something like Écrin de fumée as there are synthetics, there is sweetness, and there is an underlying woodiness. I will note Faces of Francis has little spiciness, so for the comparison to make sense, you'd have to exchange the tobacco note for a woody one to have the comparison make sense.
It's hard to rate this as the non-synthetic wafts of creamy pistachio are great, but I get those every 1-in-10. Therefore, I cannot rate it above a 5.0/10. Expected longevity is in the 8-9 hour range and the sillage is largely moderate (7/10) with potential for strong. If this was done in smoother fashion, it likely would've made top 5 on the year.
NicheOnly
