LicoriceRain

The fact that it seems linear to me isn’t a problem, but it certainly isn’t good enough to justify a purchase. Plum Japonais is a much better scent, but it also suffers from weak construction. The name “Noir de Noir” is pretentious and misleading: nothing “noir” about it. In fact, I think it’s quite… bright. If I were Tom Ford, I would be embarrassed by both the scent AND the name.

I have worn Desire (red) before, and loved the opening, but hated that sour drydown! But now I have learned to *appreciate* that sour drydown because it’s so well-blended, and because I have grown fond of teak, and have really always been fond of lime. But my fascination with sour notes has grown, especially since so many fragrances out there are sweet. But I think Desire is well-blended and VERY unique. And I think I can almost smell cinnamon, although cinnamon isn’t listed in the note pyramid.

Just because “chocolate” and “vanilla” are listed in the fragrance description doesn’t mean Piment Brulant is a sweet fragrance; there’s nothing sweet about it! In fact, I can’t smell any cocoa or chocolate OR vanilla. Not one ounce of sugary sweetness here, just a vegetable garden… FRESH vegetables. Fresh, but not in a soapy or “aqua” way. I know it has clove in it, but the clove note is so well-blended that it isn’t noticeable. Overall, a somewhat unique, although somewhat familiar, fragrance. Whatever their original intention, I give L’Artisan a Thumbs Up for duplicating the smell of a farmers market, and converting it into a surprisingly wearable fragrance.

Yes, it opens really loud, and I suspect the patchouli is mostly what gives it that paint smell. But in a couple of minutes, that fresh paint opening reveals the raspberry, plum, and apple notes that smell so good. It’s too bad they don’t last very long before the woody drydown starts. Thankfully, the cedar note isn’t as strong as the patchouli, which I think blends well with the vanilla, although I'm not crazy about patchouli in general. The opening, after that initial blast of paint, reminds me of a breakfast buffet with plenty of jam, but the drydown is woody and patchouli and reminds me of Home Depot. Overall, I think the fruit, vanilla, and patchouli blend is slightly interesting, and sometimes I like the smell of Home Depot. Yes, it reminds me of lumber, but BRIGHT lumber, if that makes any sense. I would describe this as a "happy" smell.

Since I already love Black Vines, and I like Fields of Rubus, I thought I would like Creature, too, but I was wrong. Creature isn’t bad, it just smells flat, and empty, and doesn’t seem to breathe. It reminds me of a child’s cold, plastic toy. Yes, a toy “creature”, made from scented, lime-green neon plastic. I can’t imagine an adult paying a very adult price for this.