L'Air de Rien (2006)
by Miller Harris

Well, on paper it sounded like something I might be interested in: "Jane Birkin sought to evoke the nostalgia of dusty libraries and old books". However, in reality, these fairly unusual qualities are almost completely eclipsed by the intense sugary powder of the amber, vanilla and musk. I really don't think these two elements go well together - mustiness and sweetness - and the sample bottle left me feeling a bit nauseous, to be honest.

I think it's sweetness marks it as feminine and although it's not a bad perfume overall, I can't think of a single occasion I'd want to wear this.

10th April, 2011.

Interestingly enough, I don't perceive this as a "dirty" or "skanky" scent... - but to me it is just what the name implies - RIEN. Nothing - more or less. It is VERY disappointing, given the commercial blurp on the sample telling me it is an "exquisite oriental with rich notes of French oakmoss, Tunesian neroli, sweet musk, amber and vanilla". I get a faint whisper of neroli on a blurred bed of musk coupled with a menthol-like, harsh top-note. Other reviewers talked about this scent in relation to sex - but does sex really smell like this?
Well, not in my experience. This is neither outstanding, nor shameless, but this has l'air de rien when I hoped it had l'air de tout.
3 of 10 points on my personal scale

9th February, 2011.

I’m astonished that I can tolerate and even appreciate this scent. Looking at the notes, I approached it with trepidation. It starts with a note which, although quite sweet, is interestingly spicy. The scent is luxurious and yet has a quiet restraint at the same time. Animalic and leathery notes from the musk appear. Suddenly the sweetness retreats, and a rather salty-mossy chord is evident. Finally, the drydown is quite powdery due to the musk. This phase starts quite dry but sweetens as some vanilla appears. Not my style, but I admire it.

9th December, 2010.

I kept my sample and came back to it after a month. This isn't a bad scent, it's just one that isn't my genre. I prefer this scent as a wafting halo; I don't want it right under my nose all day, but catching whiffs of it is nice

This is a white, poofy, powdery fragrance; I think of it as an 80's prom dress. I think I would like it more if it had a darker base, but thta probably wasn't the mood the artist was trying to evoke.

What makes it hard for me to appreciate this is heavy sweet note. You could almost spread L'air on a piece of toast and eat it; it's that strong.

I'm sure this has it's fans, it will certainly not offend anyone should you choose to wear it.

9th October, 2010. (Last Edited: 10th December, 2010.)

I've purchased a full flacon of this.

A most unusual modern scent, no other scent like it. What is interesting is that none of the notes suggest anything alive, living, growing, floral, fruity, green, edible; no, the entire scent is an exploration of inanimate, and even old things. this is not a pejoration, for the result is quite pleasing.

Bright, oleaginous opening notes--- again, devoid of any citrus or botanical or fruit allusions---- smell very much like the solid yellow paste wax used to polish parquet wood floors... mingled with a sweet pipe tobacco. A dryish amber emerges, rather masculine, wedded to notes of "stale joss sticks" (as Luca Turin puts it), a curious leather note reminiscent of a newly opened can of tennis balls; a hint of a musky, not unpleasant human fetor.

The drydown is a curiously intimate, pleasant, nutty funk, reminiscent of dirty human hair and a quaint, barbershop-py midcentury men's macassar, like WILDROOT OIL.

And there you have it! The end result is a pleasingly funky ambered-leather, with a tight skin-level sillage. Leans toward the masculine, but is surely unisex. The ultimate lazy Saturday afternoon scent to be worn with jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket.

Many have said that this scent reminds them of London in the 60's or early 70's. That is a very apt observation... I would agree that there's something "Midcentury" in L'AIR DE RIEN. Plenty of people will not like this scent; it's definitely for sophisticated noses. The pricetag is also quite expensive: $160 for 100ml.

9th October, 2010.

I was a bit timid to reach for this one (timid, but curious). Luca Turin’s allusion to “soiled underwear” didn’t appeal to me. I found it much better than I expected. L’Air de Rien is airy, boozy, and salty. A touch dirty. Vanilla and amber in the base. Nicely done, and certainly unisex!

31st May, 2010. (Last Edited: 5th June, 2010.)