Or et Noir (1949)
by Caron

A truly gorgeous rose that has become one of my favourite scents. The opening is quite sharp, with the rose shining through clearly, but the perfume softens in the drydown to a rich floral chypre. I don't know what Caron puts in this scent to substitute for oakmoss these days, but whatever it is, it works. I absolute love it!
Like BayKAT, I consider it one of my "signature scents", the others being Caron's Rose (now discontinued, but I have a small vial of the extrait which I' m hoarding), N'Aimez Que Moi, Parfum Sacre and La Rose de Rosine. Bliss for winter evenings, in or out, but also highly wearable in warmer weather. Perfumes of this quality are becoming quite rare, and although Caron is rumoured to be discontinuing Or et Noir, so far it's available through their boutiques. I hope it always will be, as I'd always want to have it in my collection.

11th December, 2011.

Deep, dark and luscious, OR ET NOIR is a classic rose soliflore destined for the lady who lives on the edge yet loves being the center of attention. Definitely not a rose for the blushing bride.

26th September, 2011.

Another great Caron classic that gets very little attention! The comparison with Malle's Une Rose is valid and definitely recommendable to explore for yourself. I find that Or et Noir is superior, a more harmonious and better balanced composition that excels, like a grand extrait should, in the base. Or et Noir opens with big sillage with a very authentic deep velvety red rose. 1-2 hours into the wearing I can more clearly detect (rose) geranium as a note. From a confectionary point of view, I agree it gradually develops from yummy Turkish delight (don't be afraid, it is not too sweet!) to the most equisite marron glacé, which is an absolutely delicious shift. 2-3 hours into the wearing the sillage is comfortable and more redux compared to the opening. Surprisingly, longevity is fine, but not exceptional like N'aimez que moi's (which remains discreet throughout its development).
Or et Noir is rumored to be discontinued in the nearer future, which is neither confirmed nor denied by Caron at the moment (August 2011). I would strongly recommend to sample this in connection with N'aimez que moi as both play on different facets individually but remaining strongly related. Rose, another fountain extrait, IMO the least interesting of the three, is discontinued now, but some bottles are still available in Paris.
Or et Noir makes a superb, classy and grand evening wear and would be an incredible loss if lost
eventually. This is IMO the queen of rose parfums, which has obviously fallen out of favor in recent years with ever changing preferences on the market. Get it while you can!

28th August, 2011.

On my skin, this is mostly a deep,swirling, plush rose soliflore . Gothic rose. Darker in concept, than Une Rose by Malle but quite similar. Romantic - a dangerous rose to love !

21st July, 2010.

I recently received a decant of this luscious extract. I have to admit that it wasn't love at first whiff, but I've stuck with it over several weeks of testing. It's interesting about the Caron scents; it's rarely a first-whiff love affair for me. And I can never really figure out how one day, it's funk and weeks later the scent assumes a new identity. I've come to believe that most Caron scents require my olfactory bulbs to rearrange themselves; odd image, but it fits. Perhaps it's like acquring a taste for, and enjoyment of, good music, art and food. It takes time.

Or et Noir fits this process for me. I now find I love it in all this hot, humid weather I'm living through now. The scent is what I might charactize as a "creamy rose". No edges, no pushiness; rather, this scent is rounded, soft and almost diminutive, except that it's got great sillage and lasts all day on me. I can see why other viewers referred to its wine-like depth and smoothness; like a good Merlot.

Or et Noir is definitely from another time --- 60+ years to be exact. It's a sumptuous counter to our current facination with ozone, sea air, grapefruit, figs and chocolate. Or et Noir is a tone poem on the theme of "rose" that I've grown to love.

21st July, 2010.

This is one of my top five scents. It is so pure, so well done, and so rich it's hard for me to find words that do it justice. I consider this one of my signature scents, along with L'heure Bleue, Mitsouko, and En Avion.

This is a dark, gothic rose-geranium combo. I've smelled geranium oil before, and prefer it over rose, actually. It is a 'non-flowery' floral, more on the woody side, and is very soothing.

This scent is very 'smooth', there is nothing 'airy' or 'twangy' about it. Like Vintage Vogue, I too think of 'wine' when I wear this, a deep, dark red, like an Argentine Malbec. This lasts all day on me, it's an 18 hour fragrance. However, I find that it wears better when 'dabbed' than 'sprayed'. Somehow spraying it interferes with the smoothness factor.

9th February, 2010. (Last Edited: 20th March, 2010.)