L'Artisan Parfumeur - Noir Exquis

Picture: Terrace of the café on the Place du Forum in Arles
in the evening,ca 16 September 1888
Painting by Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
Wikimedia commons

Noir Exquis is a fragrance in the gourmand style created by Bertrand Duchaufour, as most of the latest fragrances of L'Artisan Parfumeur.

Noir Exquis starts with dark vanillic, nutty slight flowery and soft spicy notes enlighted by a green, fizzy spicyness. The first section of the accord described reminds me of a paler version of the almond-vanilla bomb Montale Amandes Orientales. The second spicy part with soft spices brightened by the fizzy, a bit sharp green, spicyness reminds me of two fragrances from Carner Barcelona, most of Rima XI, the soft spices and comfortaura and Palo Santo especially when it comes to the green, spicy notes. As Noir Exquis dries down the pleasant, comforting spiciness remian as also the green fizzy vibe as a balance. The vanilla is pleasant and not too sweet, it's a fizzy vanilla in the style of Annick Goutal Vanille Exquise, maybe the Noir Exquis name isn't a coincident. Noir Exquis is overall quite linear in style, even if it also becomes woodier in the basenotes with a warm sandalwoodnote of the australian type, a bit herbal, not as smooth as the indian. Heliotrope also adds a cozy, familliar, very pleasant flowery, sweetness in the second part of the fragrance.

Picture: Noir Exquis
Photo: PR L'Artisan Parfumeur (c)

Noir Exquis is a moderate sweet gourmand in the contemporary caféstyle as Rima XI mentioned above and also Frederic Malle Dries van Noten, Noir Exquis just seems to be some years delayed. Just as the other Dries van Noten and Rima XI it is somehow light in texture despite it's gourmand character, the gourmands of later years are not as heavy and dense as the gourmands of the 90s-00s. Noir Exquis is a unisex comfortfragrance, easy to wear and appropriate for autumn, winter and early spring. Sillage is medium and longevity for more than a day.

Rating: 4
Update January 2018: Rating 5 This is a really good gourmand fragrance, the more I'm wearing it, the more I'm appreciating it.

Notes: Chestnut, orange, orange blossom, coffee, maple sap, ebony, heliotrope, vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample to test

Carner Barcelona - Palo Santo

Picture: Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens)
Photo by Haplochromis (cc) some rights
reserved, Wikimedia.com 

Palo Santo is the latest creation of Barcelona based perfume house Carner Barcelona. Palo Santo means holy wood, grows in South America, is related to frankincense, myrrh, copal and is burned as incensesticks. Palo Santo in Catalan is also a fruit, persimmons.

I don't know who the perfumer is which has created Palo Santo, anyway the fragrance starts with the comfortable, likable, gourmand, light sweet-spicy accord which characterize the house of Carner. In Palo Santo rum and a sweet, herbal accord, soon complemented with a smoky vetiver opens the fragrance. The opening and to some extent (se below) reminds me of a gentler and smoother version of Parfumerie Générale Querelle. Palo Santo behaves different in the middlenotes in different wearings. The smoky, a bit sweet vetiver is the dominating accord once I wear it, in another wearing the vetiver is gentler and a green, slight herbal, fizzy accord appears and creates an impression of green, burning incense. When Palo Santo reaches the basenotes it becomes sweeter, it's like smoky slight caramelized vetiver. This first stage of the base reminds me of another great Parfumerie Générale creation; Cédre Sandarque but in a lighter and less extreme form. The more Palo Santo dries down in the basenotes, the more vanilla steps forward and it morph to a nice vanilla supported with the smoky vetiver as a contrast.

Picture: Palo Santo
Photo: PR Carner Barcelona (c)

Palo Santo is a good everyday perfume for the colder months, it's a bit too heavy and sweet for summer, except cold, rainy summerevenings. Palo Santo is strong and has to be applied sparingly, if not it becomes almost cloying. The sillage is medium and longevity for more than a day.

As mentioned above, Paolo Santo has a special contemporary gourmand aura typical for the houses fragrances at least from Rima XI and El Born. The sweet, spicy gourmand vibe was not as present in the first three fragrances of the house, D600, Tardes and Cuirs. Of the three fragrances of later years, El Born is definitely my favorite not just in smell, I also find it in a better harmony on skin than Palo Santo.

Even if not smelling similar there are some similarities that makes me think that those who like By Kilian Light My Fire  with its sweet vetiver touch also would appreciate Palo Santo.

Rating: 4

Notes: Artemisia, rum, milk, guaiac wood, tonka bean, vetiver, vanilla, sandalwood.