Saturnalis

when i first tried this, way back a few years ago now, i honestly thought this kind of stank. i couldn't really identify anything from it besides the overall feeling that i didn't want it on my skin, and thus tried to wash it off and forget about it completely. trying it now, however, (curiosity will kill me eventually) i can at least pull it apart and identify / appreciate what i'm smelling, be that down to a wider appreciation of fragrances in general, the passing of time, some weird post-covid trickery; who knows.

i actually enjoy this now quite a lot. a waxy neroli with sparkly aldehydes open on first spray (the aldehydes in particular i find actually last quite a long while into the development of the perfume) that are almost immediately brought into orbit around a dusty, beautiful jasmine, dried and almost leathery in nature. i don't really pick up on anything animalic, per se, but i rarely ever do in so-called 'animalic perfumes'. this brings to mind instead a sort of faded glamour more than anything; a sparkling high that illuminates dust-filled, boarded off rooms that once held the grandest of soirees. you would find this perfume in a bottle there.

the base settles more into a spiced, peppery, even a little incense or stale cigarette-smoke-like musk, retaining the leathery nature found in the mid. without the light of the aldehydes (smelled from a distance they're still there - but close to skin they disappear) it becomes subsumed in a deep brown, grey and black darkness. now it does actually remind me of a vintage perfume i'm sure i tried in the past, but i cannot put a name to it. overall i'm glad i returned to this to try it. not entirely sure it's a love, yet, but it's a strong like for sure.

this does indeed evoke a powdery, soft sweetness akin to marshmallows on my skin in opening, but it's backed by a citric, slightly bitter and woody combination of neroli and petitgrain; it almost has a nuttiness to it not too far from vetiver. the citrusy notes die down quite quickly and the sweetness drastically tones down as time passes from the opening. the base is actually similar to what i find 'la peau nue' dries down to. (from memory at least, i haven't tested them side-by-side) it's certainly a reserved scent, to say the least, calming considerably from first spray. muted, powdery, slightly rooty notes (orris) with a shy hint of vanilla (hinting a little playdough / dollhead-like) persist on the skin for some time but at a 'nose-to-skin' level. it's perfectly pleasant, but this just doesn't take to me as much as 'la peau nue' did.

unfortunately for me, in the opening particularly, this kind of reeks of toilet cleaner and what said cleaner is used for, though thankfully not an overly dirty one. it just smells like a clean-ish public lavatory on my skin. the herbs with the citrus and honey, perhaps? that impression does begin to fade as time goes on, though doesn't ever disappear, with more powdery-leathery and spicy-dusty facets coming and going. in particular there are some flashes of a really lovely and plush ylang-vanilla in the background, but it still retains that 'fresh toilet cleanser' vibe throughout the wear-time that, for me personally, cheapens it severely. i put it down to skin chemistry and scent association.

i wrote a review of this years ago (2014!) on another website that was very unfavourable towards this perfume, but smelling it again now i can say that it's nowhere near as devastatingly horrid as i made it out to be. it still has facets of what i found back then, but it's not as honey-drenched and nose-numbingly powdery or synthetic-smelling as i remember. instead i find this to be primarily a menthol-y and fleshy tuberose with some fruity and spicy facets in the opening, coming from dry styrax (that remains a pillar through the composition), coriander and what i imagine to be blackcurrant leaf. i don't actually find it to be particularly honeyed at all, perhaps just hinting at it, which i find incredibly odd as that's basically all i could smell last time i tried this. the rose comes more to the fore as the tuberose loosens its grip a little, but remains in the shadows still, where chewy styrax and labdanum act as a resinous, dry platform. i do get a little of the bug spray smell i found in my first try, but it's not as forceful, long lasting, nor quite as apparent, instead blending in with the whole. by this point i actually really like it. it still isn't something i'd personally wear overall, but quite lovely all the same and definitely appreciate it more now.

bursts open as a dense maelstrom; vintage buttery lipstick, waxy iris cosmetic powderiness. a chalky, dry and sweet crumbliness of almond macarons. deepening leathery nuances, flecks of dried fruit osmanthus; a boozy, bittersweet liqueur. melts into smooth peppery white woods, growing musky, plush and ambery with the drydown.