Oh, what a dark, juicy, spicy treat this scent is. I'm supposed to be sampling fall scents, but this one catapulted me straight into winter, into the holidays. The notes in Bois de Paradis are:Top: Bergamot (Aedes)/citrus (Parfums Delrae site)
Heart: French rose, blackberry, fig (PD site), spices (PD site, listed as cinnamon on Aedes)
Base: Woods and amber
This isn't an oriental per se, but with the spice and amber, it qualifies at least as much as Chinatown does, and it does a far better job (in my humble opinion). The citrus is joined wholeheartedly by the cinnamon at the top. I say this is "dark" because the juice quality of this scent is heavy and thick, mulled with the other notes to create a rich fragrant brew. For some reason I think of Dickens (Except, well, I don't care much for Dickens. But in this case, I mean it as a compliment. Really.), and children with oranges in their stockings on Christmas morning. (Uh, like that ever happens anymore. Can one shove a Sony Playstation into a sock? Give me back the days of oranges, chocolate, and books.) To me that signifies a timelessness. I'm afraid the rose was lost on me, and the woods aren't very strong. (I wonder if this is a rosewood or something light...I didn't get any cedar. If it's sandalwood, it's not very prominent to my proboscis...ha! I just cracked myself up. How sad.) But the amber--I can still smell it faintly on my wrist, like a faded memory of the previous year's festivities.
(Today I am Queen of the Aside.)
*photo from Parfums Delrae
