What are some of your favorite fragrances that develop in an unpredictable manner on your skin?
In perfume, as in other spheres of life, some of the most interesting effects happen when there is a bit of dissonance. Or when the accords are slightly off balance. A blast of wintergreen in the top notes of Serge Lutens Tubéreuse Criminelle is a shock, but it makes the tuberose feel even sweeter and more languid. I love the strange development of Frédéric Malle Une Fleur de Cassie that goes from wet paper, to honeyed powder to warm musk. The earthy darkness of patchouli offsets the rose and amber sweetness in Chanel Coromandel. The lack of perfect balance is the very reason for their appeal to me.
Photography by Bois de Jasmin, a balancing cherub, rooftop decoration.
75 Comments
Anne Sheffield: Hello Victoria! I hope you are well. I love the milkyness of Premier Figuier of L Artisan Parfumeur, whenever I wear it I can t stop sniffing myself. It has an milky soft almondy feels mixed with the sharp green leafiness of the figue leaves ( to me). I have a similar feeling with Cristalle EDT. It has a sharp green sent and an almost darker sort of “rotting grass” sent on me. And I love it! I also really love Shalimar Parfum Initial. It s soft Opening on me moves into slightly burnt vanilla. And it keeps moving between this softness and this burnt vanilla. August 4, 2012 at 9:18am
Victoria: Shalimar Parfum Initial has such a nice contrasting development–from fresh to powdery iris to caramelized vanilla. I also agree on your other choices, which pack some surprises.
Hope that you are having a nice weekend! We went on a short car trip and it was such a lovely sunny day. August 4, 2012 at 3:58pm
Lucas: Hello Victoria! Have a good weekend!
I agree with you on Tubereuse Criminelle. It’s strong and develops in a twisted manner. I don’t really liked my sample on my but it certainly was unpredictable.
The unpredictable perfume for me was also Annick Goutal Nuit Etoilee. I didn’t expect it to go from pine and a cooling mind to a warm scent reminding a campfire air. That’s a disonance. August 4, 2012 at 9:38am
Victoria: I’m jealous of your experience with Nuit Etoilee. Sounds like it worked really well on your skin. August 4, 2012 at 4:00pm
Lucas: Yes it did! That’s too bad that Nuit Etoilee didn’t work this good for you! August 5, 2012 at 6:03am
Victoria: Oh well, I have plenty of other AG perfumes that work. Can’t win them all. August 5, 2012 at 1:00pm
Lucas: Agreed! I also have few AG that don’t work for me. August 5, 2012 at 1:16pm
Ariadne: I want to live where there are dancing cherubs on the rooftops! Fab pic! August 4, 2012 at 9:42am
Anne Sheffield: I ll come with you! August 4, 2012 at 11:28am
maggiecat: I want to come too! August 4, 2012 at 3:50pm
Victoria: Come and visit and I will show you more. 😉 August 4, 2012 at 4:03pm
Victoria: Thank you! The decorations on the rooftops can occasionally be so surprising–a ship, a rooster, a cherub. I don’t see them so much in Brussels, but in the Flemish towns they are common. This pic is from Leuven, which is a beautiful university town about 20 min from Brussels. August 4, 2012 at 4:02pm
Isabelle: Dear Victoria,
I discovered a few months ago Tubéreuse by Annick Goutal… When I tersted it, it was interesting on my skin but not extraordinary enough to wish to own a full bottle of it.
But one day in June, here in Berlin, the weather suddenly changed and turned into a storm… the very hot atmosphere started to be a little bit more fresh and I realized that the scent of Tubéreuse on my skin was getting deeper, softer, somehow creamy and very sensual… incredible!
I just fell in love with this perfume because of the unexpected way it melted into my skin while the storm was exploding. A beautiful experience… so each time I feel that a storm will soon arrive, I can not help spraying Tubéreuse and the same beautiful scent develops all around me.
Best regards from Berlin,
Isabelle
p.s.: I’m french, I lived in Italy and now, since 13 years, in Berlin… I hope that Brussels reveals its secrets to you and that you will make this place “yours”, with wonderful experiences, dear memories to be. About your post “Perfumed Comfort”… Marron Chic by Nez à Nez is for me a very soothing, contemplative and comforting perfume. I just loved your “connard-canard” linguistical experience… I have lots of funny stories about my french-german language (one of the bests is when I said “my difficult mother” (in german “meine schwierig Mutter” instead of my mother-in-law (in german “meine Schwiegermutter”)… Everybody around laughed, asking me if my mother-in-law was really so difficult… August 4, 2012 at 9:44am
Victoria: Isabelle, thank you for your comment and for your story. I really laughed out when I read about “your difficult mother.” Well, at least we attempt speaking, mistakes or not! The only way to learn. 🙂
I now want to try Tubereuse. For some reason, I missed it, but being a tuberose lover and a big fan of Annick Goutal perfumes, I know that I should try it.
Hope that you’re enjoying Berlin! August 4, 2012 at 4:10pm
Isabelle: Hi Victoria !
Knowing now that you are a tuberose lover, I’d really like to know your opinion about Tuberose by Keiko Mecheri.
I’ve bought this perfume after having tested it a whole afternoon and was in love with it. But unfortunately, almost immediately after having purchased it, I found myself completely rejecting it, in such a strong way that I asked myself if the bottle I had purchased was okay or not.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to test it again in a shop: absolut no go for me! 🙁 I never had such a strange experience before.
Now and then I try again the Mecheri Tuberose I have here at home… difficult… Since I have my Tubéreuse by Annick Goutal, I have the feeling that I slowly come closer to the Mecheri’s version – as if I was “learning” to smell a tuberose scent. But this is a very weird experience.
I too love Dominique Ropion’s Carnal Flower and Mona di Orio’s interpretation of this fascinating flower (Tubéreuse / Les Nombres d’Or) is also very appealing to my nose, because of its unusual “freshness”.
So what’s happening to me with Keiko Mecheri’s tuberose, that I liked so much at the very beginning? Have you already had such a strange experience?
Have a wonderful Sunday, kind regards from a rainy Berlin (where, yes, I very much enjoy living – but the first 2 years have been hard, especially because of the language…)
Isabelle August 5, 2012 at 8:32am
Victoria: I haven’t tried most of Keiko Mecheri’s line, and after falling in love and then being overwhelmed (not in a good way) by one of her gourmand perfumes, I no longer explore it. But I should. It’s just that no place around me carries the line.
But as to your experience, yes, I’ve had something like this happen to me too. It might be a good idea to put your bottle aside for later and revisit it at another time. If you loved it in the first place, chances are that you might like it again. August 5, 2012 at 1:06pm
Nikki: Isabelle, how funny, the difficult mother, instead of Schwiegermutter I tried to tell my Dutch mother in law that in French it is Belle mere, beautiful mother! Berlin is a great city, I studied at the FU. Will have to try the Tuberose again!
Dans tes Bras by Editions de Parfums is an interesting one, it smells like mushrooms first and then develops into the scent of a soft embrace of slightly humid skin.
V, be happy, you are in Brussels. NY is so hot now and humid! August 4, 2012 at 10:08am
Victoria: I agree on Dans tes Bras, Nikki. I remember being very surprised by how it developed on my skin. Not at all like the opening accords led me to expect. August 4, 2012 at 4:11pm
Isabelle: Hi Nikki,
yes, our french “belle-mère” is not bad 🙂 and my students are often very surprised when I tell them our way to say “mother-in-law”…
Dans tes Bras… is on my wish-list since a long time. Something like a kaleidoscope on my skin!
Kind regards from Berlin – hot and humid too today, but I guess less than NY,
Isabelle
p.s. testing Interlude Woman by Amouage right now… a very very surprising scent, very “chaotic” at the beginning, and after a while, all the different components seem to gather into a more typical “Amouage harmony”. August 5, 2012 at 8:42am
rosarita: As always, an enjoyable post and comments! I like Gris Clair for it’s cool/warm contrast and the way it shifts back and forth all day. Also Kenzo Jungle l’elephant, because different facets of it’s baroque spiciness are revealed at different times, depending on weather & my skin.
I always enjoy your photos, too 🙂 August 4, 2012 at 10:59am
Victoria: Thank you very much! Just something that I caught. I realized that I don’t look up enough as I walk around. 🙂
So happy to see Kenzo Jungle l’elephant mentioned. It’s one of my favorites–a cardamom-sandalwood delight. And true, very surprising. August 4, 2012 at 4:13pm
Suzanna: Les Nez Manoumalia! Although some find it jungly, the ripe fruit note on me smells like a freshly opened can of Dole peaches (in heavy syrup) and a jumbled up dark spice and powder concoction. It lasts for a day at least with a somewhat less sweet floral/fruit drydown that is exactly how I imagine a Gaugin (slightly primitive, full of bold color) to smell. August 4, 2012 at 11:02am
Victoria: Manoumalia is such a strange, beautiful perfume. I got a box of mangoes the other day, and at one point I realized that they smell a bit like Manoumalia–jasmine, ripe fruit, decay, musk. Very heady! August 4, 2012 at 4:14pm
Anna Minis: Sa Majesté La Rose! Initially it is sour, sharp, ”yellow” on my skin, but the drydown after± an hour is worth waiting for: fresh, soft roses. I smell it even the day after. Have a nice weekend and be happy in Brussels!Do you have a better house now? August 4, 2012 at 11:38am
Victoria: Still the same situation with the apartment (meaning we don’t have one yet), a sore point really. 🙁 But I hope that something will work out towards the end of the month. August 4, 2012 at 4:17pm
Elena: Bvlgari Black is such a contrast between the soft, comforting vanilla base and the industrial notes! I don’t wear it too often, but I sniff my bottle every few days. So fascinating, and so wearable at the same time. I have a sample of Dzing! and it reminds me a bit of Black with its easy to like base with sort of odd notes juxtaposed. I think it might do much better as a spray, though. It seems a little flat and muddled to me dabbed. I’m eagerly awaiting more replies to this, perfumes like these are so fascinating to me even when I wouldn’t wear them. August 4, 2012 at 11:49am
Carla: I love Bulgari Black and Dzing!. They are similar indeed. Dzing! is softer. I prefer Black because it has more straightforward leather. Can’t wait for fall to wear Black again! August 4, 2012 at 12:53pm
Victoria: Elena, have you tried Le Labo Patchouli 24? If you like Black and Dzing, you might enjoy it too. August 4, 2012 at 4:25pm
Elena: I have not tried it, I am just hearing about it from you now! A “weird, smoky leather,” or so I read… As I have yet to meet a leather scent that I don’t immediately like, this is going on my sample list. I will probably order a sample of Bandit as well, since the Neiman Marcus SAs looked at me like I had stepped in something foul when I asked about it. Jungle l’elephant has just jumped to the top of my to-try list too. How can anyone resist such a great name? And cardamom buns are one of my favorite treats. I am half sold already. August 4, 2012 at 6:55pm
Victoria: Elena, I’m only too happy to sway more people towards Jungle l’elephant! I always worry that Kenzo might discontinue it now that they gave up making real perfumes and starting churning out the same boring compotes as everyone else.
And I also love cardamom buns. With some coffee and strawberry jam… Or just by themselves! August 5, 2012 at 12:57pm
Carla: My recollection of Tubereuse Criminelle is that the wonderful bizarre minty opening is quickly replaced by a very well done white floral. It wasn’t even really a development to me. It happened in the first half hour. I guess I’m always more intrigued by the perfumes that change after several hours. Seville a l’Aube did that. Scent EdP by Theo Fennell is my holy grail scent because it’s never the same and really changes over time. Sorry, I’m too lazy and not talented enough to go into details right now. Iris Silver Mist changes a fair amount on my skin and always fascinates me. It goes from green to soft, a kind of incense. August 4, 2012 at 12:52pm
Victoria: That was one of the reason I fell for Seville a l’Aube. At first it was such a bright, bubbly orange blossom cologne, but then a few hours later it was a sultry oriental. It’s a pleasure to wear it. August 4, 2012 at 4:26pm
Carla: Is the photo from the Grand Place? Terrible what I’ve forgotten. I lived in furnished apartments at les Sablons for three months seven years ago. Really enjoyed it! But on my most recent visit to BXL I was reminded that it really is a very dirty city. Sorry to be negative. I may prefer Amsterdam! August 4, 2012 at 12:56pm
Victoria: It’s from Leuven.
Coming from NYC, I don’t really find Brussels any dirtier, but because of the constant rains its buildings have this dull, grey color with splashes of black (mildew??) It gives the whole city a rather worn look. I guess I like my cities with a bit of patina and grit. August 4, 2012 at 4:24pm
Sofie: Hi Victoria, I guess you mean the black on chalk stone buildings? It’s not mildew but a reaction of car exhaught fumes with the top layer of the stone. It forms a hard, grey-black crust. You will notice more black and more damage on buildings lining a busy street. Sometimes restorstion is attempted, but the crust has to be chopped away and then, the soft chalk is exposed again for anew reaction.
I’ve lived in Leuven for a couple of years, studying. Happy memories. Got married in the town hall as well, more happy memories 🙂 November 30, 2014 at 11:24pm
Sofie: Restoration :-/ November 30, 2014 at 11:25pm
Victoria: Wow, your wedding must have been like a fairytale! That townhall is so splendid.
(And thank you for explaining what the substance is!) December 1, 2014 at 8:12am
MB: By far the most unpredictable scent in my collection is Tilda Swinton Like This by Etat Libre d’Orange. It is downright weird. But gloriously comforting. It’s as if David Lynch and Frank Capra co-directed a scent. It is probably the most addictive scent I own. I can’t explain why – I literally spend the day inhaling myself – and I do mean “a day” because it’s staying power is impressive. It’s got some ginger and pumpkin notes mixed with what Scotland smells like outside Tilda’s front door. V, I’m sure you can elaborate for the reader’s further edification! It’s also the perfect scent for autumn into winter. Can’t wait! August 4, 2012 at 1:09pm
Victoria: You know, I find Like This weird and compelling. What makes it so strange–the rose, the gourmand notes? I didn’t try to parse it out too much, but I’m enjoying it all the same. My guess is that it’s the contrast between the milky woods and piquant spice that gives it such a surprising twist.
And it feels perfect for fall. I already unearthed my decant in preparation for cooler days ahead. August 4, 2012 at 4:28pm
Joan: Patchouli 24 smells acrid when sprayed, but warm and spicy on my skin. Poison also smells a lot more wearable after an hour or so. August 4, 2012 at 1:36pm
Victoria: Agree on both! Poison smells of grape juice to me at first. I prefer it after it settles a bit. August 4, 2012 at 4:29pm
Elisa: DSH Tubereuse also has a somewhat surprising transition from the herbal topnotes — which to me smell like parsley stems! — to the heart and drydown which is a really lovely woody tuberose with just enough sweetness.
I also love the surprisingly dirty drydown of Putain de Palaces, though I guess given the name it shouldn’t be surprising … August 4, 2012 at 2:06pm
Victoria: You always tempt me with another new (to me) DSH! 🙂 August 4, 2012 at 4:30pm
Dl: Lutens’ De profundis definitely. I wear it only in the morning to let it bloom throughout the day. Its transformation from green floral bitterness to the weird surprisingly sweet incense in the end never ceases to surprise me. August 4, 2012 at 2:56pm
Victoria: I was almost shocked by De Profundis, because every stage was a surprise. It was exciting to try it for the first time, and even now after several months of wearing it, I find something new to enjoy about this perfume. August 4, 2012 at 4:31pm
Emma: Serge Lutens Miel de Bois for its raw animalic honey and dry woods that smell like Johnson Pledge on stereoids! August 4, 2012 at 3:03pm
Victoria: Johnson Pledge on stereoids! Emma, that’s a good one! 🙂 August 4, 2012 at 4:31pm
maggiecat: I sampled Chanel’s Coco today on a test strip and my first sniff confirmed my idea that it was a loud, 80’s old-fashioned scent. Later, I wondered what the warm, intoxicating feminine smell that wafted up when I opened my purse was. You guessed it- Coco. No wonder it’s a classic. And now I can’t wait to try Noir! August 4, 2012 at 3:55pm
Victoria: Coco’s drydown is beautiful! Which is why I love the body cream. It skips the top notes and goes straight into Coco’s heart and drydown. August 4, 2012 at 4:32pm
Anna Minis: DSH Tubéreuse—–What does DSH mean? I want to try that one. Thank you! August 4, 2012 at 4:04pm
Victoria: It stands for Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, a small American perfumer. August 4, 2012 at 4:16pm
Perfumista8: Like Elena, I find Bvlgari Black to be a shape-shifter of a perfume. I love it. I find the same of SL Jeaux de Peau (spell?). I think it’s the first one where I noticed that it sort of fades in and out throughout its tremendous longevity. August 4, 2012 at 4:13pm
Victoria: That’s such a great expression–a shape-shifter of a perfume.
When I first smelled Jeux de Peau with all of that toasty-bready sweetness, I was sure I would hate it. But once it settled it was an instant love! August 4, 2012 at 4:34pm
Daisy: i love the contrast in Annick Goutal’s Les Nuits d’Hadrien. The almost bracingly bitter citrus blast and the soft, smooth drydown of sandalwood, musk and vanilla.
It’s one of my favorites. August 4, 2012 at 4:16pm
Victoria: I haven’t smelled Les Nuits d’Hadrien in a long while! You’ve reminded me that I need to revisit it soon. Eau d’Hadrien is one of my favorite citruses, although I’m not as crazy about after the reformulation (technically, they didn’t subtract anything, only added more citrus, but it smells different to me). August 4, 2012 at 4:35pm
Patt: Canyon Dreams by Keiko Mecheri starts out with a bright, citrusy opening then morphs into a beautiful smoky incense after 30 minutes or so. I just love it and would own a full bottle instead of my small decant if it weren’t so expensive 🙁 August 4, 2012 at 4:37pm
Victoria: I’m not familiar with that perfume, but it sounds very interesting. Smoky incense is enough to capture my attention. 🙂 August 4, 2012 at 4:51pm
Patt: It’s part of her Bespoke Collection. Another one I liked in that collection is Ambre Mirabillis, a nice woody oriental. August 4, 2012 at 5:18pm
Victoria: Ambre Mirabillis sounds even more interesting, considering that I recently have been craving more amber. August 5, 2012 at 12:46pm
Meg: Tokyo Milk Arsenic doesn’t just develop on my skin. It develops on my tongue– I get a distinct saline taste in my mouth every time I spray it on. The strangeness of tasting salt while smelling sweet never gets tired. August 4, 2012 at 11:25pm
Victoria: That sounds fascinating, Meg. Another perfume I haven’t tried, and the one that I’m adding to my list. August 5, 2012 at 12:59pm
Lynne Marie: Happy Weekend Victoria!
I remember the first time a perfume did an unexpected about-face on me – I dabbed on a bit of Estee Lauder Private Collection which at first seemed to be this gigantic overpowering 80’s big shoulder-pads floral but still sort of pretty and I thought OK, floral, I got it ( I’m still learning to distinguish individual notes.) Thirty minutes later it morphed into a completely arid, spacious, slightly woody scent that was cool and powerful and I thought “where did THAT come from?”. I still giggle now when I remember how surprised I was at the change, the two smells seemed so completely opposite. Unfortunately I can never wear Estee Lauder fragrances, they all seem to contain a common mustiness or frumpiness that is unappealing to me – something about how they react on my skin or maybe it’s the lingering effects of a former schwierig Schwiegermutter who daily drenched herself in Youth Dew ! August 5, 2012 at 10:13am
Victoria: I can see what you mean! Estee Lauder perfumes, especially the older classics, do have a similar undercurrent, and if you don’t like that musky-mossy note, it can be a turn off. An unpleasant association doesn’t help either. August 5, 2012 at 1:08pm
Rose D: Interesting topic! I have had a few surprises recently; for instance By Kilian Bamboo Harmony. Reading the description, I thought it would be a traditional citrus cologne rounded by a splash of tea. When I sprayed it on my wrist; that was the last thing I found. It turned out to be a floral with a strong character. It smelled like the petals of a blooming flower that is drenched in blood-orange juice. I cannot get enough of it ever since.
Another big surprise was Annick Goutal Musc Nomade, which was a blind buy. After reading so many blog posts that described the smell from bland to non-existent, I had serious doubts whether I had made a good purchase (after all, its price range is not exactly affordable). When the mail arrived and I tested it, I found exactly what I was looking for: a sensual musk that is not openly dirty. Lasting power? No complaints, it lasts all day. Sillage? Also great (my mother can smell it across the room and I have to be careful not to spray it more than I should).
Still, there is a fragrance that keeps me guessing: the original Agent Provocateur. To my nose, it is bold and overtly sexy. To my mother, it smells like roses and baby powder. August 5, 2012 at 6:21pm
Victoria: I guess it depends on what you catch first in AP–the rose or the animalic part. I find it sexy and bold too. The rose is there, but what I notice first and foremost is the patchouli-leather accord. August 6, 2012 at 7:31am
Patt: Love the boldness of the original AP! Haven’t tried others in the line though. August 6, 2012 at 8:06am
Victoria: The new Petale Noir sounds interesting, but the rest of the AP line (other than the original) doesn’t sway me. August 6, 2012 at 10:09am
Lisa: SL Un Lys is one fragrance that continues to surprise me. I purchased a large decant from TPC, and I’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of it. I typically can’t pull off white florals, at least not the ones that tend to be strictly linear — these fragrances tend to feel too “proper” for my personality (I gave away a FB of Creed Gardenia recently). But the addition of vanilla and musk give Un Lys more depth and make it smell more “approachable,” almost cuddly. Love it! 😀 August 6, 2012 at 2:08pm
Victoria: Cuddly is a good way to describe Un Lys. I see it more as a lilac perfume rather than a lily, but either way, it’s one of my favorites. August 6, 2012 at 2:29pm
Lisa: Creed Jasmal — oops! Apparently, my brain doesn’t function on only one cup of coffee. :O August 6, 2012 at 2:41pm
Zubi d’Nova / Melissa de Blok: For me the surprise came today.
I recently bought SL Cedre after multiple testing at a department store. I don’t remember liking the opening, but after half an hour, I smelled each part of my arms, and was thrilled with one spot. Thought back, realised it was Cedre, and drove right back to buy it.
Fast forward to the day I wore it, and it literally made me queasy. I dont know if it is the tuberose or the cinnamon or the mix of the two, but it was yucky.
Today I randomly sprayed it while cleaning, and what do you know… this might be something I can get used to. From cinnamon tuberose, to cinnamon wood, to a resiny rum-like drydown. August 6, 2012 at 3:44pm
Victoria: Lutens do have very rich drydowns–all of those sticky-sweet balsamic notes! It takes time to get used to them, and I’ve had similar experiences with many SLs, including Chergui, Cuir Mauresque and Cedre. August 6, 2012 at 4:25pm
Zubi d’Nova / Melissa de Blok: But that’s what I love about Serge Lutens! 🙁
Cedre on me, is powdery – not at all sticky-sweet, which I ADORE. I think it is the cinnamon tuberose combo. August 6, 2012 at 6:53pm
koray: Absolutely Frederic Malle Noir Epis. Has been the biggest suprise for me. Suprising interpretation of rose, orange and clove. Even my experience was my first niche fragrance line..Lucky 🙂 August 7, 2012 at 3:45am
Victoria: A very good choice to start experimenting with the niche! It smells so dry, spicy and very elegant. August 7, 2012 at 4:35am