Eau Noire Cologne (2004)
by Christian Dior

It's all a question of degree, I suppose. I don't like Immortelle unless used sparingly, not a great fan of full-on lavender (except crushed in hand) and I can take or leave anice and deep vanilla. I have also never liked New Haarlem enough to purchase. Taking all this into account and the truly skanky, nose twisting opening notes in this fragrance, it's gonna be a thumbs down for sure. I gave it some time though and it blossomed into a fantastic amalgam of curry powder, lavender, licorice and vanilla, which works like a dream.

Stop Press -- Try and test the new Hermes exclusive addition for men -- Santal Massoia (I think) -- it's the best sandalwood scent I've experienced in ages.Ridiculously priced though.

Jo Malone is back with 4 new fragrances, best of which imo is Polemo -- a contender to Guerlain's Pamplelune. Simply stunning accord of grapefruit and lime, which lasts for ages due to a huge sparlkling dose of aldehydes.

28th December, 2011.

A new favourite. Popped in to try Dior's Granville and fell head over heels for Eau Noire instead. After the initial burst of lavender which quickly dies down, it turns into a rich, wonderful scent that puts me in mind of Liquorice Humbugs and Single Malt whisky (of the luscious caramelly kind, not the peaty ones). To my nose the scent feels warm and comforting - the perfect winter's perfume. Yet reactions around me were unexpected - my husband declared it 'too dark' for his liking and my teenage daughter's independent verdict was 'gothic' . Now, gothic for me would be Etro's Messe de Minuit or Shaal Nur, not something as sweet and soft as this, which mellows beautifully as you wear it (with excellent lasting power). So I guess this is really one you need to try out before taking the plunge, but I for one am hooked on it!

16th December, 2011.

Being myself an Immortelle freak I expected to dig Eau Noir but, unfortunately, that didn't happen. Where Sables pushes to the very limit the boldness of Helichrysum by introducing a massive dose of amber, Eau Noir focuses on its gourmandic/syrupy aspect adding a liqorice effect and a strong vanilla base that bring this composition towards a cloying territory that's very far from my taste. The remarkable lavender note experienced during the opening it's too volatile to properly balance the fragrance sweet heaviness while the general syrupy vibe leans somewhere between the coca-cola effect and sweetened stale coffee.

When I'm looking for a Helichrysum based composition I go for Sables, 1740 and Fareb. A semi-disappointment.

11th November, 2011.

it smells like chartreuse (green)!
i mean that in a good way. it's dark & broodingly sensual, and could be pretty damn sexy (just make sure yer other half digs it - mine doesn't :(
immortelle fans (sables, chypre noir, etc) will like this a lot.
quite an astounding amber-vanilla drydown; the quality is top-drawer.
could only come from un nez francaise....
8/10

28th October, 2011.

When I first smelled a sample of this, it was like nothing I had sniffed before. It didn't even smell like a fragrance to me - I got this overpowering licorice-y fenugreek blast. At the time it seemed like something I should sniff to broaden my palate, but I didn't think of it as wearable at all. Now I love it. When I bought a bottle, it was my biggest purchase to date.

Helichrysum (that fenugreek-ey note) dominates the composition throughout its development. I find it like sweetened licorice or anise, maybe. I can see the curry analogy at times, but that's not the first impression I get. At first, it comes on very strong. It's unapologetically in-your-face, with the helichrysum brightened and amplified by something else - the lavender, maybe? I'm not sure, as I've never smelled helichrysum on its own, but it's sharper and projects more at the start than it does at dry-down.

As it dries, starting after about 1-2 hours, it softens and sweetens. I think this is the effect of the vanilla, but not sure. I'm not great at picking out notes, and I think the composition in general focuses so much on the helichrysum that it's hard to pick anything else out. It lays much closer to the skin after a few hours.

It's a fairly linear composition that develops as variations on the main note, modified by the other components. It starts bright bold and loud, and ends sweet and soft, but still with a sharp edge.

On me, it lasts about 5-6 hours. It's too much a one-note composition to be a masterpiece, but it's beautifully crafted throughout.

I strongly advise against buying blind, though. It's strange enough I can easily see how many could hate this.

Rating: 9/10

23rd October, 2011.

Syrupy, sweet, spicy, smoky,with a bit of wood in the backgound and very very intense. I get why some people love this fragrance but I don't want to smell like this for more than 5 minutes. Impressive but definitely not for me.

21st May, 2011.