Courtesan (2005)
by Worth

Red Berries, very tart. Sweet juicy pineapple. Just enough tang to make it quirky, and yes I smell the pungent sea salt note. I won't lie, it is fruity. It reminds me of teenagers on a beach: Musky BO, fruit body spray, sea water brine. Kids that went swimming, dried off on the beach, got a little sweaty after some time in the sun and then tried to hide it with fruit-scented body spray. As unpleasant as that sounds, it really isn't. It brings to mind mixed drinks while watching the sun go down on the beach. Others have said that this couldn't be for summer. I think it IS summer in a bottle (instead of the usual pineapple/coconut-laced beach scent, they used raspberries/pineapple), and therefore perfectly fine for summer nights. Maybe not for the heat of the day, but great for night. Test it if you get the chance and decide for yourself. I won't buy this, but I did think it was pleasant enough.

Courtesan opens with a hint of the fuzzy, sexy notes I associate with Bal à Versailles, but it is as if watered down BAV leftovers were reheated in rich,spicy sauce. I find Courtesan way too foody for me, and for its name. Makes me appreciate the unblushing animalic blast of Bal à Versailles. In fact, it’s as if the two names were switched at birth--kind of like Greenland and Iceland.

I agree with Mocachoc's review. I have been very impressed by this perfume, finding it complex but not muddled, elegant but not snooty and I very much like the slight salty note that leavens it. The notes listed sound like they should create a cacophony, but they don't. It's smooth and interesting and develops well over a number of hours, lingering pleasantly on the skin.

Looking at Twolf's comment, I think I would save it for cooler and less humid weather. I am reviewing it in autumn and it's perfect at this time of year.

I have a suspicion that this perfume may be another Tocade - one that becomes a popular hit purely because it smells very good. I hope so.

Very very sweet, a bit musky and ambery in the drydown. I see it worn as a winter scent but not in the dog days of summer. Was hard for me to identify specific fruit -- just sticky syrupy concoction. Expected more of it.

From the concoction of notes advertised you would think this was an awful sweet mixture of fruit. What I get is a little musk and a little fruit. It is quietly beautiful. And very sexy, slighty dirty and salty. I'm glad I own a bottle. Perfume Posse has an excellent review of it.