Cologne Blanche (2004)
by Christian Dior

This is the smell of snow and powdered almonds. I want to spin and spin, fingers in the air, reaching for the brooding sky, snowflakes silently muffling everything around me, until I can longer even hear my own voice call out. This weird and wonderful scent seemed to vanish next to its dark and melancholy Eau Noir sibling, but it’s voice is angelic, almost to pure to be heard by mere mortals. The bite of citrus is the snap of winter under the delicate dusting of almonds and sugar. Yes it is a little chilly, but like a winter kiss from frozen lips it is the impression that lingers and later warms the heart.

9th September, 2010.

COLOGNE BLANCHE comes across like a Dior attempting a Guerlain, its smooth almond-tinted vanilla with a hint of herbs and a whisper of lavender(?) reminding me somewhat of a tamer Jicky. While not quite as powdery as the Guerlain the sillage and projection are classic Dior. Exquisite! A modern beauty with an old world charm brought to you by the highly talented Francis Kurkjian.

24th April, 2010.

The opening is so very, very powdery (to the point that I sometimes choke) and I cannot smell any orange blosssom. However, the real magic of this scent is in the drydown - it's warm, sweet, super sensuous and a skin-hugger. I really like this one when I wear suits for work because it is understated with low sillage and I feel it's unexpected for an office/professional environment where most men are wearing Calone-laden fresh/fruity/aquatic things. Much like Dior Homme I feel like a million bucks when I wear this, though I feel that Dior Homme works better for evening use than this would.

13rd April, 2010.

I just love those olde-fashioned aromas of citrus and herbs in the top note, florals and heliotrope in the middle note and oakmoss and woods, oakmoss, tonka and musk in the bottom! It's very elegant and light-footed, and very decent - rather on the dry and cool side. Not really an innovation, but a masterpiece of perfection.

3rd October, 2009.

Christian Dior Cologne Blanche

I have really enjoyed the first two scents of the trio commissioned by Dior Homme creative director Hedi Slimane in 2004. The other two Annick Menardo's Bois D'Argent and Francis Kurkdjian's Eau Noire were both wonderful and I was curious to see if Cologne Blanche would continue the winning streak. Cologne Blanche was created by M. Kurkdjian, as well, but this is entireley different in style than Eau Noire. Where Eau Noire plumbed the depth of immortelle befitting a scent called "black water". Cologne Blanche works the other side and is very much the yin to Eau Noire's yang. Cologne Blanche plays with the lighter accords and feels like a summer breeze coming through sheer curtains into a room with a rotating fan in the ceiling. It starts with a refreshing citrus pairing of bergamot and orange to give depth to the bergamot. The heart is an herbal breath of freshness blown in through a sprig of rosemary but also made spicy with a hint of pepper. The base is one of the more subtly sweet uses of vanilla I've worn to date. This vanilla sneaks in to the room on tip toe and never overwhelms but slowly and serenely announces its presence and over a long period and eventually becomes the dominant accord. There is a moment of divine balance between the herbal green of the heart and the sweet of the vanilla that is Cologne Blanche at its best. Cologne Blanche is a close wearing scent that has a good deal of longevity and I find it to be a great warm weather scent because it comes off fresh on me without resorting to the ususal notes and accords that make up that genre of cologne. Cologne Blanche makes it a perfect three-for-three for the Dior Homme trio on my scent scorecard.

19th July, 2009.

I'm going to blame my body chemistry off the bat, because no one else is complaining of a souring of the powdery vanilla base this one has. The favourable notes in the base are obscured by something difficult to describe, but whatever it is calls to mind the bar my parents owned in my formative years. Mild vinegar? I'll give this a neutral grade because while I wouldn't wear it again, I don't find it objectionable.

29th June, 2009.