FranZan

I love iris butter à la Celine "Black Tie | Celine" and therefore wanted to test more fragrances with this component. It was obvious that I should take a whiff of Orris Tattoo. Allegedly, only this note is included. I can't judge if that's true. It doesn't seem that way to me. Other reviewers/statements mention a synthetic wood note, which I personally perceive, if at all, rather in the background and it doesn't bother me.

Unfortunately, Orris Tattoo is not quite what I expected. I had wished for warm, soft, buttery iris butter. One that you want to sink into. This is more of a (albeit very subtle) masculine iris butter that leans more towards freshness. Luckily, I don't smell any carrots, but I almost wish for them because I simply miss sweetness and warmth here.
I'm not really a raw material freak, and there will surely be different iris butters, and depending on the combination they are in fragrances, they will come across differently. Therefore, I do not exclude a false expectation on my part.

From the house of Parle-moi-de-Parfum, I also know "Milky Musk/39 | Parle Moi de Parfum," which I once owned but then let go as a bottle in the souk. It too was somehow different from what I expected. Milky - yes, okay. But more in the direction of milky-synthetic wood and musk. Not a bad perfume - not at all. But for me, it is also rather masculine due to the strong musk note.

What do I want to say with this? There seem to be fragrance houses that just don't suit me well. I've already discovered a few. Unfortunately, Parle-moi-de-Parfum belongs to that category as well. Which of course doesn't mean that I won't try another fragrance from them someday - thanks to curiosity.

The scent is beautiful. That’s the first thing to say. A wonderfully warm enveloping fragrance that shines especially in the cooler seasons.

I associate it with being snuggled up, elegance, closeness, and a (not pretentious, just warm) gold.

You can tell the fragrance has a high quality. It is both complex and finely intertwined. Yet it does not present itself as inaccessible, but rather as a unity.

At the beginning, there is a brief spiciness from the absinthe - I personally find it a really cool note that I want to explore further.
Soon, a touch of very gentle powdery cocoa comes in, which spices everything up together with a delicate iris sweetness. I can still faintly smell both in the base.

Styrax (which is listed on many perfume sites instead of frankincense in the base) adds a balsamic-sweet (but only lightly, not cloyingly sweet) component. Allegedly, it has a calming and balancing effect. And that’s how I feel when I’ve applied the fragrance.
By the way, I’m glad I don’t smell sage.

I have taken the fragrance to my heart. I can easily imagine it moving in with me. A wonderfully touching scent.

Powdery-sweet-spicy.

Update: It’s moving in with me!

As I am currently considering converting my sample of Lethe into a full size (so to speak), I want to take a closer look at the fragrance before making a purchase. I already find it great - exceptionally beautiful, in fact. But a closer inspection is definitely worthwhile for me (and maybe for you too ;-))

The opening is herbaceous-fresh - just as the combination of lavender and bergamot suggests. Unusual, beautiful, and "real."

After a few minutes, the (light) woody part of the heart note comes into play. Cashmere and cedarwood make the fragrance soft, gentle, and woody. If the scent were to remain like this, I would probably find it too boring and possibly too masculine.
However, I know that patience pays off here. Because as I already mentioned in my statement, after half an hour, an incredibly beautiful, complex, profound (but never heavy) unisex fragrance reveals itself, which I somehow find Scandinavian. This association comes from the following points that I connect with Lethe:
- Understatement
- a sense of aesthetics
- transparency + lightness/airiness in design
- a certain freshness (which is not necessarily cool) and
- Nordic elegance.

Strangely, I hardly smell any vanilla in the base. However, I can imagine that it, together with tonka, forms the balancing warm part of the overall composition - but without pushing itself into the spotlight.

I think the color of the bottle fits well, but it could just as easily be an earthy purple. Not a garish one, but a delicate lavender-like soft purple.

Conclusion: After the first tests, I found myself sniffing at my wrist repeatedly. I notice how I keep trying to grasp the fragrance, to understand what makes it so special to me.
I now believe that this special quality is the interplay between lavender and tonka, whose lovely sweetness beautifully balances the ethereal oils of the fine herbaceous lavender here.
The result is a fragrance that is fine, clear, and somehow fluid and elusive like mercury.
Perhaps some women might find the lavender-herb-ton too much - even though it is fine and delicate. Therefore, for me, it’s “only” 8.5 instead of 9. I would have liked to smell more tonka/vanilla.

I have just rediscovered Lethe for the autumn.

Wow: What a beautiful start - one of the most beautiful scents I have had the pleasure of smelling so far: peppery, soft, leathery, spicy, smoky. Incredible - so beautiful!

Then the kitten becomes softer and, after having gotten a few sprinkles of incense while playing wildly in the church, comes to cuddle in your lap.

Babycat develops into a wonderfully warm vanilla-incense scent (vanilla dominates) after about 20 minutes. The (very delicate, light, soft) incense ensures that it doesn't become too sweet. In the background, a light suede scent thread floats, which occasionally makes an appearance.

If I could wish for something, it would be for a wilder kitten - it would have been so great if the subtly smoky-peppery aspect lasted longer than just 20 minutes. That would have absolute signature potential (next to my beloved "Crème de Cuir (Eau de Parfum) | bdk Parfums," of course) :-)
And speaking of that: The wild suede note is somewhat similar. Crème de Cuir is fruitier, but just as elegant. In "Le Vestiaire - Babycat | Yves Saint Laurent," the vanilla is more present.

By the way, Babycat has similar vibes to Eau Duelle Eau de Parfum: incense-vanilla. However, in my opinion, Babycat makes it more elegant, beautiful, and refined.

Conclusion on "Le Vestiaire - Babycat | Yves Saint Laurent": A beautiful, finely delicate kitten that I will definitely have in my lap for the autumn/winter someday.

Meow

PS: I see certain similarities to "Vanagloria | Laboratorio Olfattivo."

It makes me smile: The carrot seeds in the base give me vibes of carrots that have been forgotten in the fridge and have become a bit soft.
However, that subsides and transforms into a gentle and - I absolutely agree - futuristic fragrance that is situated somewhere between a very delicate bloom and a pleasantly natural sweetness/spiciness. I haven't smelled anything like it before.

It remains pleasantly understated and close to the skin while it is still detectable.