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Picture: Sultan Selim III holding an audience in
front of the Gate of Felicity.
Oil on canvas, Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi, Istanbul,
Wikipedia commons |
Cuir Ottoman is created by ISIPCA perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato for his own perfumehouse, Parfum d'Empire. Parfum d'Empire is a house that produces first class perfumes to decent prices (to be niche) also after the re-packing, and it also seems to, slight revison of the earlier fragrances. When it comes to Cuir Ottoman, revision is definitly the case at least to my nose when comparing the first version launched in 2006 with the new one.
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Picture: Cuir Ottoman (old)
Photo: PR Parfum d'Empire (c) |
Cuir Ottoman starts leathery-floral, the newer one airier and with more flowers than the older one. After a while the old one becomes a bit smokey, supported by a rubbery note, slight similar to the rubber in
Bulgari Black. The rubbernote is intricate and surpringly shifts between the rubber and a note similar to something to a flowery bubblegumnote. When the new version developes, the higher octaves of the scentscale and the more flowery impression remains. Instead of the rubbery note in the old version, I smell a note close to gunpowder balancing the flowerinfused leather. The new version is a tad more feminin in style, more elegant than the more masculine tougher and rougher old version, somewhat like the elegant Chanel
Cuir de Russie compared to the masculine
Knize Ten even if not smelling the same. As Cuir Ottoman dries down in the still leathery basenotes, I find new and old version becoming more alike than in the earlier stages, even if the old version is a tad more spicy and deeper.
Cuir Ottoman is a very good leather fragrance in the basic classic style that every fragrance wardrobe needs. Not demanding or or particularly innovative but a well made and well balanced leather in a timeless style. When writing this review, a grey autumn Sunday, I slightly prefer the old version, which with its a bit darker facetts is suitable for autumn and winter. But if the testing was performed in spring/summer I maybe would prefer the new version.
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Picture: Cuir Ottoman (new)
Photo: PR Parfume d'Empire (c) |
Cuir Ottoman is appropriate for most occasions (apart from working out) and seasons (though not in the hottest summer). Longevity is good, for more than a day, and sillage is somewhere between close to medium. To conclude, Cuir Ottoman is definitely a leather to consider when adding a classic "Cuir" to ones wardrobe.
Rating. 5
Notes:
Iris, jasmine, leather, vanilla, tonka bean, incense
Thanks to Fragrance & Art for a sample of the new version
I hate when companies do that! And niche brands shouldn't be doing that at all! :( It doesn't matter if a perfume gets better: how am I supposed to know something has changed?!
SvaraRaderaMaybe it's not the intention of a perfumehouse to change how a certain perfume smell. Maybe the ingredients smells different comapred to almost ten years ago as there have been new regulations since then which has altered how a note smells, Today I percieve the perfumenotes in general as airier, more transparant then five-ten years ago, just as they are watered down and that creates the more fleeting sort of "hard to catch" perfumes which are common today. Than of course, I guess that also nichhouses, after some year review their fragrances to find out if they could develope them both when it comes to structure and balance but most of all; to better comply with the the common taste.
SvaraRadera