Eau Empire
by Rancé

A stylish fragrance -- the grapefruit seems to last a long long time on me -- the woody drydown is lovely, but the sillage is very shy. Eau Empire reeks class though and as far as I know only 4 were created in this range -- this was my favourite. For what it cost me, I can't complain.

An attractive, impressive fragrance: The opening is rather complex in that it presents green tea, grapefruit, bergamot, and florals which, at first, seem to rub each other the wrong way, but quickly merge to form a charming, unique accord. Greens are prominent in the middle accord, or should I say “green” is prominent. This middle accord seems very modern to me. It is supposed to have nutmeg, but I have not yet smelled it. The base is very subtle and quite beautiful: sandalwood and musk. It has rather poor sillage and longevity. Rance Eau Empire is a chameleon in that it is subtle, casual, sophisticated, classic, and modern at one and the same time. It has so many facets that what I mainly notice is a lack of identity. It’s a very nice scent, but I’m quite unsure its place in the scheme of things. A not so eager thumbs up.