Reviews of Film Noir
by Ava Luxe

Basically a pleasant and smooth leather after a briefly pungent opening accord that is very rubbery/fuel-like. The leather accord never reaches the depth of luxury of something like a Chanel Cuir de Russie or Knize Ten, but it's a good leather nonetheless. I'd like to try the extrait version of this - if there's more emphasis on the heart/base the leather may come out even more smoothly.

This was a blind buy and my first time ever trying an Ava Luxe, so I had no idea what to expect. The top is a serious WHOA! The opening is very animalistic and has the 'jet fuel leather' type of accord you find in Carion en Avion. On paper this gassy note lasts a while, but on the skin it settles quickly into a subtle and light leather accord. This leather may be one of those conglomerations of notes that create the effect of leather, but to my nose these notes are so well blended that it smells just like light leather.

It remains like this for quite a few hours, and I figured it would just fade away as a light leather. However, the base really opens up and even sweetens.... I get hints of rose, tonka, and coumarin - I'd even swear I get hints of fruit/berry, though this may be the rose.

To smell the top notes and then the base, you'd never ever think that it's the same fragrance, such is the massive difference between them. There is some real artistry here, and I'm glad this blind buy was successful. I'm now really looking forward to checking out more from Ava Luxe.

I was quite prepared to love this, but alas it's the first from this wonderful house that I dislike. Opening blast of plasticky licorice, then it morphs into cheap leather. I like leather but this feels too much like a hodge-podge of weirdness. Still, points for creativity, so I can't give it a full thumbs down. I'd rather encourage something weird than boring...and this is definitely not boring!

Haha. Indeed the one would expect an interesting and complex fragrance (just look at those notes!) but no; very very linear, almost single note, thin yet quite creamy suede leather scent. Somewhat similar to Donna Karan Fuel and Daim Blond, but not as rich.

The other reviewers have Film Noir nailed: soft leather scent that’s basically linear. It’s strange to look at the list of fourteen notes in the pyramid, and try to figure out where all those notes went. It just doesn’t seem any more complicated than the soft leather suede note. OK, tessera is right about the somewhat hay note; that’s in there, all right, but olibanum, tobacco, and civet? I’m not smelling them, although I’m not saying they aren’t there. I never did like leathers very much, but for some reason I was expecting to be totally impressed by Film Noir, but a soft suede leather just doesn’t do it for me. No Oscar for this one, I’m afraid.

A little dirty, a little leather, something funky more like Mick Jagger than Mickey Spillane about this. I am not sure I would want to be caught wearing this. I am not sure I could live up to the "wild side" ambiguity. Courtney Love could do it though, absolutely. Someone should sent it to her, and a little Cafe Noir for when she wakes up sometime the next day.

Is that leather I smell? Another strange note, similar to the inside of a automotive repair shop (industrial lubricant?). Very nice longevity and the industrial / rubber and/or latex notes fade in the dry down. Yes, I think the mint smell I got earlier is the spruce

I love strange scents - this is strange but also sultry. Film Noir is everything the Comme de Garcons Synthetic Series WANTS to be: unique, strange and modern. The sweet notes in this scent play backstage to the odd notes - and I like that. Did I say it has amazing longevity too?

Very appropriately named too, it's dramatic, dark and classic.

Wow. I wanted to like this just for the name and the scent description, but it is pure Rabbits on me. I'll explain: My friend has pet rabbits and the house often smells pleasantly like alfalfa hay, warm silky fur and a touch of rabbit feces (just a touch, and they're hay eaters, so it's alot like faint horse) This is all Film Noir did on me. Rabbits. Not offensive or bad, just very very weird and not something I want to walk around smelling like. I'm going to give my sample to my rabbit-owning friend.

Chypres have always intrigued me. After all, my first adult perfume, Mitsouko, is a chypre. I had high hopes for Film Noir - the name itself is so evocative. A rainy city at 2am; a lone musician practising his saxophone in a seedy motel room lit only by the flickering neon sign across the way.
What I got instead was...hospitals? The initial blast was distinctily medicinal; not so much film noir as ER. Perhaps it was the spruce, but that medicinal smell dominated on my skin. After several hours it softened slightly and became a little more mellow, with a hint of something dirty (but in a good way). However, it never really developed the ambery glow I get with chypres like Mitsouko or Aromatics Elixir, and whilst I found it interesting, I found it difficult to like.

Yum yum, this is the sexy sultry leather Madame X failed to be on my skin. Clearly a leather scent, almost single note, but a sweet and powdery leather with slightly citrusy topnotes. I get a hint of florals and an almost gourmandy tone but mostly this is about the leather. Perhaps a bit like the feminine version of BPAL's nice, dry leather/bergamot scent Severin.

Smooth indeed - luxurious and evocative. On me the rose bloomed over the leather and I got a whiff of tobacco. VERY "Brown Derby"!!

A smooth unisex aroma with notable leather/suede tones. Good longevity and sillage. I could swear I detect an oudh note in there. Perfect for those who love Chopard Madness, Michael for Men, or the Montale Oud fragrances.