Putain des Palaces (2006)
by Etat Libre d'Orange

I wanted to like this better than I do. The concept of a ditzy floral top hiding a raunchy animal bottom isn't bad, though it's certainly been done plenty of times before. Unfortunately, neither the top nor the bottom are particularly striking or engaging here . The rose/violet top has a weird singed note in it -- over-processed hair? burning mattress? -- that seems like it might develop into something interesting, but ends up fading into the general muddy mess of the base. The face powder note is quite recognizable, but for me it's a smell I've always disliked. The sweaty "animal notes" are certainly there, too, but it's not sexy sweat. It's like the sweat of a heavy, exhausted body. If this is a high-priced call-girl, this is not what she smells like on her way to a date, or even during. This is what she smells like at the end of the night, back in her apartment, smoking a cigarette and too tired to wash her make-up off. Altogether, this scent conjures up exactly what the name implies to me -- something that is supposed to be glamorous and exciting, but ends up a little unhappy and entirely conventional. If that's what the perfumers intended, bravo -- but I don't want to smell like this.

I think this will turn out to be one of my top favourites of this year. It is a floral but it also has that incense or animalic note from Rien that is just incredible. In Rien it is there with nothing else to make it a little bit prettier and more wearable, it's an aquired taste and hard to pull off on a day to day basis. PdP has the art aspect of Rien, the complexity and art is in there but it is made more wearable by the florals. It is balanced wonderfully well and there is a harmony between the easy pretty side and the edgy notes. I get tons of compliments wearing this as well and for me it'sd a perfect combination between something you can wear daily but that won't bore you either.

There is something slightly animalic and raunchy in the beginning. It smells a bit sweaty, and I almost could swear there should be a dash of cumin in the mix. But, perhaps it’s just those animal notes that are listed, some kind of, perhaps even yet not patented skunky compounds. Go figure.

Animalic vibe is capable to run though for quite some time, but when the flowers and mandarin are taking more ground this turns actually into a quite fresh and floral scent that is pretty harmless and definitely also little bit boring. Semi-sweet vanillic powdery base with berry-like scent (after many hours of application) is very pleasant at first, but then it actually changes eventually for being very irritating.

Kind of promising start leads into an utter disappointment. To me very tiring stuff after all, and perhaps even a tad too feminine for my tastes, too. Lasting power is very good, but that Oomph! Oomph! just isn’t there.

Let’s say 3 stars out of five

Putain des Palaces is a pretty violet and rose scent that is at complete odds with its ‘shock-value’ name. As with most fragrances by Etat Libre d'Orange, there’s also a leather accord somewhere in the drydown.

I can afford you but, to be honest, I’m not really that interested…

I'm not a big fan of the ELOs, but I adore this scent. What surprises me, though, is how no one can mention the lovely, lovely RAUNCH of this scent. Yes, it is powdery. Yes, there are florals. But on me this scent is pure sex, and I think naming it after an elegant whore is an apt description of what it is. Seductive, elegant, and dirty.

That said - weirdly, no one else I've tested this scent on seems to smell the animalic notes, even when they so incredibly powerful to me. Perhaps my nose is just overly sensitive? My partner does especially like this scent -- I wonder if the animalic notes register subconsciously as he describes the smell as "just pretty flowers" but it still does seem to have the desired effect. :-)

If you like your perfumes with a dash of raunch, you will love this magical stuff.

I like how the rose and violet seem to fight for attention in the top notes but the "face powder" note latches onto them and puts them in their place. A nice powdery floral. After a while it becomes a powdery woody leather. The leather creeps in and scares me a little but overall I find this perfume pleasing. As for the name, it's a good thing I don't know that much French.