LouBe

A lot of people mourn the discontinuation of this one. I respect that of course. But on me I feel it is a cloying cherry-tobacco bomb.

I got a sample of it a few weeks after my sister offered me a bottle of L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum. At that time it was still possible to find a bottle of Pure Havane at a reasonable price. I found out I had already a bottle of cherry-tobacco themed fragrance. Pure Havane felt redundant and I didn't chase it down.

This year I gave another try to my sample. I fund it overly sweet in comparison to L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum (which is already sweet). Time to make someone happy with what's left of my sample.

A lot of people mourn the discontinuation of this one. While I will eagerly spray L'Homme Idéal Eau de Parfum thinking of my beloved sister, I wil also mourn. RIP A*Men Pure Malt . But that's another story.

Being a parent is not easy. So much work, so much ingratitude. So I guess it's small change if they keep telling awkward tales about your childhood to your crush or your boss whenever they have the occasion.

My mother, when presented with a pineapple and someone who had not heard the story 30 times would tell with graphic details how I would spit pineapple chunks from fruit yogurts, when I was too young to simply say "Mum, really, I don't like pineapples". So embarrassing.

I don't know the real "Aventus (Eau de Parfum) | Creed" but I know there is pineapple there. Sorry guys, but that's a deal-breaker to me. So I heard of clones with or without this note. I even sampled CDNIM and thought, well, ok, why not. I got one bottle as part of a swap. (I am ashamed of how much better bottles I actually gave in this silly swap. I won't tell which for what. It would be even more embarrassing than my mum's stories.)

I gave it quite a few wears. But a leopard cannot change its spots. I maybe the only one here, but I do get an intoxicating, everlasting... pineapple note. And my mother would tell you, my dislike of pineapple is deep-seated.

I'll have to get rid of that bottle...

So I guess, that's two lessons learned. Trust your mother. And don't do silly swaps.

I have fond memories of this one. When my 8 ml decant went out, my girlfriend told me "This one is nice, maybe you should get a bottle of it?".
But I found the price quite high, it is a US-based niche company, and I can't find it by the discounters in Europe or in the second-hand market.

Yesterday late in the night though, I found myself musing online shops, idly looking for perfumes my relatives might bring me back from their US trip. And here it was, "FR/18 | A.N Other" bottles with a great Black Friday discount, from an Austrian shop, with free shipping to my flat Belgian land.

But... there was a catch. I just made vows. I just bought a bunch of bottles and samples for the cold season... and thus: thou shalt not buy any perfume before the new season.
I took a night to think about it. I was already making plans to buy it despite my vows, but, you know, not open it before springtime. Right? The price was so damn low. "It would be a sin not to buy it" (said the evil on my left shoulder).

When I woke up, I realised that there might be a last drop of in the decant. And indeed, I could squeeze a few drops of "FR/18 | A.N Other" on my wrist.

What a delightful opening. The "candied" watermelon is so gorgeous. I was carried away straight to this spring and summer ("and remember how your sweetheart liked it", added the evil ). But then the angel on my right shoulder cleared their throat : "well, well, well, isn't it your average blue frag ? Don't you have some very similar bottles already ? (I am not mentioning your vows, btw. I understand it is a lost battle.)"

I grabbed my bottle of Y Eau Fraîche and sprayed it on my other wrist. Not the same fragrance, but clearly in the same alley. The angel pushed their point: "well, you have Y Eau Fraîche and "Acqua di Giò Profondo | Giorgio Armani" and I seem to remember that your darling liked them as well. Don't use her as an excuse to buy new bottles before the time hast come."

It was a misty and cold weather today. My plan was to get a thick winter perfume to move along with my day. But the drive was strong to give my wrist a sniff and dive into this melon note, which indeed make this perfume special. The crafty devil wouldn't quit so easily. And I can assure you: the performance of this one is quite good on me.

I had no choice: I doused myself in Y Eau Fraîche. So much for the misty, cold day. But my virtue remains unscathed. For the moment.

If you are expecting a blue-ish Encre Noire, something a gothic killer whale may consider wearing, you are wrong. Here you are more with a dark vampire person who somehow survived the pale morning sun. They are doing a walk around the block, which by their standard qualifies as sport. After 15 minutes of effort, they come back to their dungeon, tease their older siblings Encre Noire Eau de Toilette ("go outside, you nerd") and Encre Noire à L'Extrême Encre Noire à l'Extrême ("can't you go out without your stupid skull cane, you dandy ?"). But then they lay politely in their own coffin beside them. Encre Noire Sport was always the eccentric one.

Seriously, Encre Noire Sport? It seems like a joke. And what next, an Encre Noire Eau Très Fraîche? So ok you have a citrusy opening, but then again it is your beloved inky vetiver, may be a bit less smoky than in the original indeed and a remaining grapefruit. The longevity is excellent on my skin, I got lovely vetivery wafts of it hours after spraying it. I get the association with Grey Vetiver Eau de Parfum (which I must admit I only tried once in a shop), which is a lot more citrus oriented than this one. And a lot more expensive.

As for associating this fragrance with sport, it is not really obvious. But I have a strange story here.
Last summer, with a warm but not too hot weather I took my folded bike with me in the train to get from the station to the flat of my girl friend in Brussels. I was proudly wearing Encre Noire Sport (read I was heavy on the sprays). The only problem is that from the station it is really
a steep rise. After 3 minutes you wonder if you didn't unconsciously start smoking 20 years ago, after 4 minutes you think you are old and you might not finish this damn hill alive. And of course I got lost. I was still alive when I arrived late, warm and sweaty as hell. But I was welcomed by a " you smell soooo nice!!!". And indeed there was a weird chemistry between my overheated skin and ENS which exhaled an unexpected sexyness. So maybe a sport perfume, though.

(Strange side story in the strange story. That evening came later the refined, slightly wacky friend of my sweetheart, a lady in her 50's. She wore a beautiful gingery-peppery scent, which was really great on her. We complimented her on how nice she smelled and asked her what it was. But... she had no clue! She bought it in a small shop in Brussels where she unexpectedly found perfumes for a cheap price. When she wears this beautiful scent, fellow ladies stop her in the street asking her what she wears. But she always answers that she doesn't know. And she seems sincere. Why she didn't take the time to check if some clue about the name might be found straight on the bottle, remains a mystery.)

But back to my slightly offtrack Encre Noire Sport review. After this biking experience, I have a special relationship with this scent. When I wear it I have often this conversation with my girlfriend
"You smell nice, she would say,
- Well, when you like it, it is...
- Why, I don't know, I lost track of your perfumes, you have so many!
- But when you like it is, it is... ?
- Ok I get it. Encre Noire Sport."

She gets it.

I tested it this morning. I liked it, and as often I was on the overspray side of the spraying spectrum.

But then my sweetheart came along. Her reaction was quite direct : "O my gosh, it's so thick and so sweet. Meh, I don't like it." And then with a perplexed, inquisitive look : "Wait a minute... Don't tell me you already wore it and I liked it!".

Given the circumstances, I was polite - or cautious - enough not to tell her, but I remember her liking Layton when I tested it.

I may try a one-spray strategy with this one, otherwise well, I guess it will be Layton then.