Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
10/01/2023
Elysium
817 Reviews
Elysium
Helpful Review
4
As Dark As Dante’s Infernal Pitch
Pine Tar, a singular keynote blended in this concoction, is a substance obtained from pine trees that has been used since ancient times for creating a water-repellent, protective barrier on wood. Pine tar is a dark, tacky substance produced when heat and pressure are applied to pine wood to decompose it. Depending on the species of pine used, tar may have a different colour and odour. A resinous, smoky scent envelops and subdues, descending into the languid heat and darkness of pine tar, burnt wood, and leather. Unexplored Noir fits perfectly as the pine tar accord is somewhat unexplored as an ingredient in designer perfumes. And it's pitch black, or Noir as the French neighbors say.
Unexplored Noir is really so mysterious, alien, and unknown. Tested on the paper strip, the smoky, gummy, liqueur accords that characterise this essence immediately emerge. On the skin, it opens with a boozy roar of warm spices. Marion Costero freshly crashed the pink pepper with just a hint of cardamom, which is supportive and not primary here. Balmy and minty facets are not noticeable. Around this spiciness is a bitterish, liqueur-like, dense, slightly burnt aroma, that of toasted sugar. It has implications similar to liquorice root, but at the same time, it is pungent, like fresh resin dripping from the bark of a conifer. A toasted and burnt accord emerges on the base, like the aroma released when we melt and caramelise brown sugar on the fire. It’s not buttery like a sticky browned butter salted caramel but like a crunchy frosting. The opening promises to be warm, like a camel-coloured merino wool sweater with a turtleneck, soft, warming, and enveloping.
Time goes by, but this burnt edge shows no signs of diminishing; on the contrary, it acquires a new dusty, powdery, and sweetish nuance. These new colours take shape from iris tubers dried and burned by the sun, crushed, and reduced to an excellent powder, like iris talc. The warm and woody notes of the cashmeran molecule intertwine the powdery aspect, so silky and creamy. Only a few minutes have passed, and Unexplored Noir gives me many unknown sensations. Even if floral notes of iris and violet participate, the heart does not appear excessively flowery. The sticky, rubbery, and burnt nuance I felt at the beginning is now more conspicuous, pleasantly smoky, gloomy, and slightly medicinal with tanned leather quality. It is the smell of pine tar, which smells pitch-black, dark and bitter, acrid, smoky, oily, and petroleum-like, not unlike roofing tar, or the asphalt as they roll into the streets. It does not smell fresh, like crushed green pine needles or newly sawn pine lumber. Pine tar has a distinct, resinous smell. People often describe it as woody, earthy, and slightly smoky. I don’t get any pine-like or piney aroma.
The perfume does not change much from the heart to the dry-down. There is a slight hint of patchouli, but nothing reminiscent of the opulent oils of the 70s. The creamy notes of sandalwood combined with caramel bring to mind other trendy perfumes, including the recent Spell Caramel and Nocturnal Life. However, Unexplored Noir remains a unique perfume and not a reinterpretation of those. What remains as sillage is a trail of browned and smoky woods with sweetish and earthy tendencies.
Beautiful, unpredictable, surprising, intricate, confusing, and difficult. The genre of this perfume is right up my alley. Despite having a high intensity, full of dark and thick notes, the fragrance is not excessively brazen, intrusive, or annoying. The initial strength subsides within the first hour to become a sensual and intimate skin scent. On me, it is a perfume with moderate performance. I've to move closer to the hot point to smell it. Unsure about the sillage, as I need more wearing in a public place and gather feedback. The resins, spices, and woods make it suitable for the autumn months; the smell pierces the air, which becomes more humid and cold every day. I can wear it during the day, even in the office, as it does not project much but gives its best during afternoon, evening, and night events. It is safe for people who work in public places where fragrances are not tolerated, such as hospital or similar places. Marion Costero has done an excellent job “niche-like”with this new fragrance from Zara, added to the triptych released a few weeks ago.
I wrote this review on the fly based on a bottle I have owned since October 2023 (BC 32611).
-Elysium
Unexplored Noir is really so mysterious, alien, and unknown. Tested on the paper strip, the smoky, gummy, liqueur accords that characterise this essence immediately emerge. On the skin, it opens with a boozy roar of warm spices. Marion Costero freshly crashed the pink pepper with just a hint of cardamom, which is supportive and not primary here. Balmy and minty facets are not noticeable. Around this spiciness is a bitterish, liqueur-like, dense, slightly burnt aroma, that of toasted sugar. It has implications similar to liquorice root, but at the same time, it is pungent, like fresh resin dripping from the bark of a conifer. A toasted and burnt accord emerges on the base, like the aroma released when we melt and caramelise brown sugar on the fire. It’s not buttery like a sticky browned butter salted caramel but like a crunchy frosting. The opening promises to be warm, like a camel-coloured merino wool sweater with a turtleneck, soft, warming, and enveloping.
Time goes by, but this burnt edge shows no signs of diminishing; on the contrary, it acquires a new dusty, powdery, and sweetish nuance. These new colours take shape from iris tubers dried and burned by the sun, crushed, and reduced to an excellent powder, like iris talc. The warm and woody notes of the cashmeran molecule intertwine the powdery aspect, so silky and creamy. Only a few minutes have passed, and Unexplored Noir gives me many unknown sensations. Even if floral notes of iris and violet participate, the heart does not appear excessively flowery. The sticky, rubbery, and burnt nuance I felt at the beginning is now more conspicuous, pleasantly smoky, gloomy, and slightly medicinal with tanned leather quality. It is the smell of pine tar, which smells pitch-black, dark and bitter, acrid, smoky, oily, and petroleum-like, not unlike roofing tar, or the asphalt as they roll into the streets. It does not smell fresh, like crushed green pine needles or newly sawn pine lumber. Pine tar has a distinct, resinous smell. People often describe it as woody, earthy, and slightly smoky. I don’t get any pine-like or piney aroma.
The perfume does not change much from the heart to the dry-down. There is a slight hint of patchouli, but nothing reminiscent of the opulent oils of the 70s. The creamy notes of sandalwood combined with caramel bring to mind other trendy perfumes, including the recent Spell Caramel and Nocturnal Life. However, Unexplored Noir remains a unique perfume and not a reinterpretation of those. What remains as sillage is a trail of browned and smoky woods with sweetish and earthy tendencies.
Beautiful, unpredictable, surprising, intricate, confusing, and difficult. The genre of this perfume is right up my alley. Despite having a high intensity, full of dark and thick notes, the fragrance is not excessively brazen, intrusive, or annoying. The initial strength subsides within the first hour to become a sensual and intimate skin scent. On me, it is a perfume with moderate performance. I've to move closer to the hot point to smell it. Unsure about the sillage, as I need more wearing in a public place and gather feedback. The resins, spices, and woods make it suitable for the autumn months; the smell pierces the air, which becomes more humid and cold every day. I can wear it during the day, even in the office, as it does not project much but gives its best during afternoon, evening, and night events. It is safe for people who work in public places where fragrances are not tolerated, such as hospital or similar places. Marion Costero has done an excellent job “niche-like”with this new fragrance from Zara, added to the triptych released a few weeks ago.
I wrote this review on the fly based on a bottle I have owned since October 2023 (BC 32611).
-Elysium
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