Les Cocottes de Paris - La Castiglione

Picture: Virginia Oldoini
Countess of Castiglione (1837-1899)
Photo from 1865, Wikimedia commons

La Castiglione from Les Cocottes de Paris is inspired from Virginia Oldoini an italian Countess of Castiglione, who was an influential mistress of Emperor Napoleon III. She also supported the art of photography and ordered pictures to immortalizing important phases of her life and became a famous model in early photography. According to the legend, La Castiglione during the last years of her life, lived in a totally blacked apartment without mirrors in the Place Vendome. She refused to be remembered of her bygone beauty and she was just going out when it was dark outside.

The fragrance La Castglione is probably inspired from the later, dark years. It starts interesting, with an accord of pickled citron and the smell from an old attic, the old attic smell is a lighter and not as distinct as the in Parfumerie Générale L'Ombre Fauve. As L'Ombre Fauve is one of my all time favorites, this is a positive remark. Then other dark notes as a soggy patchouli and a well balanced liquorice steps forward founded in woody balsamic notes. Myrrh adds a cold and uplifting counterbalance to the dark and deep mix. There are also herbal elements that brightens which prevent the fragrance from beeing dusty and stuffy. In the basenotes La Castglione reminds me in spirit and appearance of Gucci by Gucci Edp

Picture: La Castiglione
Photo: PR Les Cocottes de Paris (c)

La Castiglione is a fragrance for autumn/winter good for evenings but also as a mysterious daytimefragrance. Sillage is close and longevity for a day. La Castiglione is definitly my favorite of the Cocottes.

Rating: 4

Notes: Mugwort, citron, copaiba, liquorice, patchouli, cedar, ambergris, myrrh, styrax

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to try.

Les Cocottes de Paris - Melle Cléo

Picture: Cleo de Merode (1874-1966)
Photo: Unknown photographer 1903
Wikimedia commons

Melle Cléo is the last in the trio of courtesans in the Les Cocottes de Paris line. The fragrance is inspired from Cleopatra de Mérode a famous ballet dancer in the Paris Opera who was linked to the king of Belgium, Leopold II. Cléo was also a trendsetter and considered as the most beautiful women in the world during the latest years of the 19th century.

Melle Cléo starts very sweet, it smells like a jammy rose together with a fresh, just baked, vanilla bread which is wrapped in a white, crispy, cotton kitchen towel. After a while a the juicy note of litchi arrives and adds a fruity vibe to the fragrance as also sweet flowers. The rare perfumenote of night blooming cersus which (according to Fragranticas database of notes) is a  tropical cactus plant with flowers which smell like vanilla, is probably responsible for the special smelling vanillic accord in Melle Cléo. Probably the cotton flower also is responsible for the fabric texture mentioned above. In the basenotes, Melle Cléo becomes less sweet, even if still almost edible. The just baked bread texture returns in the musky basenotes. There is also something that similar to a lighter version of the blurred biscuitnote which is a present undertone in some flower fragrances from ca 2006 such as Burberry London for her and Agent Provocateur Maitresse. As the basenotes dries down, Mello Cléo smells almost the same but an octave darker, it's also a note that is close to light fresh tobacco present in the late stage of the fragrance.

Picture: Melle Cléo
Photo: PR Les Cocottes de Paris (c)

The notelist of Melle Cléo truly mirrors how the fragrance really smells which is not very  common. Melle Cléo could by the first glimpse be taken as a mainstream, sweet, fruity floral but when sniffing it thoroughly the very special notes described above comes through, announcing that Melle Cléo is a very special creature after all.

Melle Cléo is appropriate year around and I can imagine it will bloom beautifully during warm, humid summerevenings. Sillage is medium and longevity very good, it lasts for longer than a day.

Those who likes fruity floral fragances as for example Eau d'Italie Graine de Joie and Robert Piguet Jeunesse will probably also like Melle Cléo.

Rating: 3

Notes: Rosewood, bergamot, litchee, night blooming cereus, ylang-ylang, rose, cotton flower, lichen

Les Cocottes de Paris - La Belle Otero

Picture: Agustina Otero Iglesias (1868-1965)
"La Belle Otero"
Photo: PR Les Cocottes de Paris (c)

Les Cocottes de Paris is a brand started by Anaïs Biguine who also started the Jardins d'Ecrivains brand, inspired by litterature and gardens, some years ago. In the new brand, the inspiration comes from some famous nineteenth century courtesans who were active in the french capital. La Belle Otero is the first of three fragrances to be tested, inspired of a spanish artist, Agustina Otero Iglesias, who is said to have "devoted her life to dancing, men, precious stones, gambling, parties and all above freedom". The fragrance is said to be an invitation to misbehave and I can agree with that when testing La Belle Otero.

La Belle Otero starts sharp, fruity, boozy, chemical, almost as something that could be a sweet fruity floral celebrity fragrance but less sugary. Than the fragrance becomes more flowery, the violet accentuated by a crispy narcissus takes the center. There is almost a lipsticknote present but without the characteristic powdery-creamy smell that is the lipstick standard. The fruity note is still present in the basenotes, balanced by sandalwood and with musk which reinforces the blend. There is something vaugly dirty and decadant glimpsing through the floral-fruity facade, like dirty underwear hiding under a brand new amazing haute couture gown.

Picture: La Belle Otero
Photo: PR Les Cocottes de Paris (c)

Strong syntetical violet and narcissus over a light sandalwood infused by fizzy. musky, fruity elements is the synthesis of La Belle Otero. It's a demanding fragrance with rough edeges but in the same time a somehow pleasant fragrance to wear. It's a dangeroues fruity floral, something dark and beastly are lurking in the background. I think the syntetic smell is a bit too much in La Belle Otero but leaving that a aside, this is a intriguing and in the same time happy and taken as a whole, nice to wear fragrance.

Those who likes fragrances as Rober Piguet Jeunesse, Eau d'Italie Graine de Joie, Parfums MDCI Cio Cio San and By Kilian Playing with the Devil (which is much darker) could probably appreciate La Belle Otero.

Rating: 3

Notes: Neroli, pepper, absinthe, ginger, fig, violet, musk, lavender, narcissus, buchu, lavender, iris, frankincense, sandalwood 

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test