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Comments
· March 17, 2008 7:56 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· March 17, 2008 8:08 PM by
Dain
· March 17, 2008 11:17 PM by
Colleen Shirazi
· March 18, 2008 11:25 AM by
Dain
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Posted by Dain, Sunday, March 16, 2008 1:05 PM (Eastern)
Now for something modern, and easily the most unapproachable perfume yet sniffed, for this humble fumehead.
Isabelle Huppert telling off some hot guy (I think, that's too fast for me)
in La Pianiste, still one of the most fucked up movies I've ever seen.
in La Pianiste, still one of the most fucked up movies I've ever seen.
Oud Cuir d'Arabie is truly strange and unpleasant. The initial blast of burnt leather and wood, plasticky and medicinal, actually shoots past the aggressive and naughty into downright hostility. Brace your nostrils, everyone, this is the distilled essence of zombie, and it's not the attenuated smoke and mirrors effect of Le Labo Patchouli 24. Some time later, I had forgotten about it, and found myself distracted by some oddly compelling, pungent aroma, and couldn't figure it out (during testing, I am usually wearing several perfumes at any given time). Where was it coming from? What the hell is that? And then I realized it was Oud Cuir d'Arabie. By this point, it had softened into a true, smoky leather, black, of course, with cigarette burns, and just the softest hint of rose. Do you know whence our word for "assassin" derives? In medieval Ottoman culture, the most feared military elements were not, in fact, the Janisseries, but the Hashishin, a secret sect of trained murderers, who were rumored to ingest hash prior to pursuit of their target. Oud Cuir d'Arabie is that etymology in a bottle.
It is especially magnificent when layered with Coup de Fouet/Poivre; it settles Coup de Fouet's flightiness, while attaining a spicy exuberance that tones down the raw, charred opening. However, it violates my rule towards layering (choose elements that are desirable for their own sake), so I'm going to keep looking.
Labels: beauty notes, montale, perfume reviews
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March 17, 2008 7:56 PM,
Some of the Montales do that, they go through distinct phases, like the English weather. :) If you don't like it, wait an hour.
March 17, 2008 8:08 PM,
Brother walked in during testing, and
he was like, ew what smells funky in here? I guess this one is thoroughly disreputable.
March 17, 2008 11:17 PM,
Some Montales are kind of horrible. Sweet Oriental Dream was almost pure tobacco on me...not a soft hint of tobacco, but real tobacco. And Patchouli Leaves...I tried just a bit, but, bleh.
March 18, 2008 11:25 AM,
I got to test Sweet Oriental Dream, and I got no tobacco whatsoever, just this Middle-Eastern dessert thing. Funny how that works.
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