Absinthe
by Slatkin

I can only speak to Slatkin's Black Fig and Absinthe as it appears in a bath soak, but I give that product my highest review. A small amount of the clear, thick liguid produces an abundance of very pleasant long lasting froth and bubbles. The fragrance is rich, warm. not sweet, not floral, deep, stimulating, memorable, and long lasting as it fills the tub and room in which you bathe. The scent lingers close to the body after the bath. I would describe this as a male scent only because it is so different from all the citrus, aqua fragrances we are sold a "unisexual." My wife likes it, and I believe women would wear it nicely in a cologne. There are no notes I do not like, and this fragrance does not need to introduce an agressive scent in order to dry down into a pleasing, rich offshoot of a scent I did not like at the top--something I find many fine creations depend on for their complex result. I would not call this a linear scent, nor is it very complex, but it is very rich and deep, and quite interesting enough just as ii is. If I found it in some variation in a cologne, I would buy it if it smelled close to this bath product. A very appealing and high quality creation.

26th September, 2009.

I can't better Somerville Metro Man's review of this, so I won't dare try. But it is spot on, and I can tell you this fragrance has a magnetism about it that reeled in the compliments like no scent I've owned before or since. It can be too much, and needs to be worn sparingly... years of dabbing on what was left of a large decant made for ample application. But, oh so lovely and dark!

28th April, 2009.

This is NOT absinthe and fig. It is a completely different fragrance. Its by Christophe Laudamiel and one of the most evocative fragrances I own, now sadly discontinued. It doesn't smell like absinthe, rather like a journey to Les Folies of the 19th century and a barstool next to Tolouse Lautrec, as he offers to buy you a taste of the green fairie.. One of my all time favorites

8th March, 2009.

Slatkin & Co. Black Fig & Absinthe

Christophe Laudamiel was tasked with creating a line of frgrances for Slatkin & Co. Black Fig & Absinthe is the first I've been able to test and if this is any indication of the rest of the line I'm going to be digging around in bargain bins. Slatkin & Co. was acquired by the parent company of Bed, Bath and Beyond and the fragrance line has been placed in limbo. Which is a shame because at least in this case this scent desereves to find a wider audience. Until now, when I think of fig scents the green fig of scents like Diptyque's Philosykos or L'Artisan Premier Figuer were the standard. In Black Fig & Absinthe, M. Laudamiel creates the polar opposite of a green fig. Right from the top this fig is the note of a concentrated fig paired with a deep currant that brings to mind a dried fig in all of its depth and power. Anise is the next note and it is the perfect transition between the intensity of the top and the base. In the heart this becomes very similar to Lolita Lempicka au Masculine as the anise really does take over for awhile. Once the anise pulls back; the wormwood, medicinal quality of absinthe comes in and adds a new facet to what has come before. This is a powerhouse of a scent with each phase of it carrying a longevity to it that allows a colognoisseur to truly savor the entire development at a leisurely pace. I can't tell you how much I hope that the powers that be realize what a gem they have on their hands and eventually re-release this one, I know I'll be first in line on that day.

7th March, 2009.