Reviews of Stoned (2006)
by Solange Azagury-Partridge

I own and love Solange's other fragrance 'Cosmic'. The 'thing' that distinguishes Cosmic is that it's a bona-fide high-quality modern chypre, which is as rare these days as a family sedan with a small-block V8. It's sister 'Stoned' doesn't have a similar claim to fame, but what sets it apart from the typical fragrance is the unbelievably sharp construction (something else rarely found in modern fragrances). What's more, Cosmic's materials are superb and the notes are rich and warm.

Stoned is a classic floriental. The initial rose/jasmine accord has a touch of citrus and quite a bit of powder behind it. The floral accord is exceedingly pretty and just sweet enough - it never enters ditz territory. The first time I sampled Stoned I remember enjoying the initial notes over the course of about a half hour then going about whatever I was doing. When I next sniffed my arm nearly all floralcy was gone, replaced by a dry vanilla. Over the next few sampling I paid better attention and was uniformly impressed with the crisp movement from citrus/floral to a restrained vanilla. From the vanilic heart Stoned gets progressively more sweet, concluding with labdanum/amber base. As with the entire composition, Stoned does not project and stays close to the skin, but you can tell that this isn't a quality issue because the basenotes are as strong and distinct on the skin as the topnotes - this was clearly intended to be a discrete fragrance without loud sillage. In this aspect Stoned is different from many feminine orientals that tend towards the loud and bold (Coco, Shalimar, etc.). Stoned is an oriental that can be worn with subtlety.

Solange Azagury-Partridge is a high-end jewelry designer. Accordingly the Solange perfume bottles are themselves works of art. Stoned comes in a gorgeous red glass globe with a large buddha figure as a stopper. I've only seen pictures of the Stoned bottle, but I can attest to how striking the Cosmic bottle is in person. Therefore part of what you're paying for with the high retail price is the rare bottle. Even though the 100ml cost of the Solange fragrances is the same per/ml as that of the typical niche (Lutens, Parfumerie Generale), the price will stop a lot of people from considering a purchase. Perhaps if a bottle of lesser quality were available such that the cost came down there would be a lot more buzz about both Solange fragrances.

A beautiful bottle, an outrageous price but a very underwhelming juice. Stoned is sweet, powdery and doesn’t particular project much. This is simply a modern (but still poorly executed) Shalimar dupe, without any real edge.

Save your money and buy a bottle of Shalimar perfume extrait instead.

[Original submission date: 18 December 2008]