Spectre 596 - 154 - Potrait of Darkened Spice Alûstre

"Spectre" is a good name for it.
The delicacy of hawthorns punches the spiciness of cardamom, and in the end the whole opening felt as if I was smelling a whole bottle of perfume - glass included - and not only a decant. Intriguing!
Then, thyme becomes the main character - a delicious herbaceous fougère note that really gets a lot of my attention. After all of that, subtly, subtly, it comes the lilac. The nutty and spicy opening leaves its place to something more floreal and delicate, almost evanescent. I don't know, but I feel like I'm looking at a bell jar where flowers and plants are growing but I can't touch it... Everything feels as if it's slightly muffled, but on purpose. Intriguing...!

Upon the first spray, I was greeted by thyme galore - herbal and spicy, I did not realize this would be a fougere. Although, I am not complaining. The cypress adds to the moist herbal quality of the opening, but as the scent dries, it become less spicy. It turns almost 180 degrees, becomes slightly soapy, nutty, and with a faint lilac undertone. When I say lilac, I do not mean the realistic sweet lilac akin to e.g. En Passant but rather a recognizable whisper of lilac without the sweetness, similar to the one in Nosferatu Eau de Parfum . This transformation does maintain the herbal fougere-like character. Naturally, it is wonderfully blended, as Duchaufour never disappoints.