Sudden Inspiration

Have you ever been uninspired by perfume, no matter how many new and wonderful creations you smell? Do you feel like your collection, no matter how large it is, has left you feeling bored? That is just my feeling this summer. New releases left me feeling bored. Newly discovered niche perfume stores fail to attract me. Even my old, reliable perfume store has not been able to keep me properly inspired.

What a delight, then, when I casually rifled through my work desk and found a couple of untested perfume samples from long ago. Some were bland and boring but one transported me to a cozy winter long ago. I could not place where I had smelled this scent before. The name, Mon Nom Est Rouge, was not familiar. The notes were, however: pepper, lemon, elemi, pink pepper, metallic effect, Turkish rose, geranium, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, incense, cedar, sandalwood, amber, vanilla, labdanum, patchouli, tonka bean and musk.

(photo via fragrantica)

I am not particularly attracted to the bottles in this line, though they are meant to be beautiful sculptures. The scent of “Rouge” is surprising and comforting at the same time. It reminds a bit of my signature scent, Masque Milano’s Russian Tea, with its leather notes, as well as the beloved (though not by me) Phaedon’s Avignon Rouge. The latter has an addictive incense note held together by velvet rose but while Avignon has a distinct unpleasant note, “Rouge” is all the good parts of Avignon without that messy note. The whole composition makes me feel like I am in an ancient Tudor room, full of dark red curtains and stained wood.

(photo via golondon.com)

The sillage and lasting power of this scent is not the best but I envision carrying the bottle with me to experience a fresh burst of the spice-laden velvet over and over. It is a welcome respite from the boredom that consumed me.