Cadjmere 18
by Parfumerie Generale

I learned to love many of the Guillame's creations but I still have some "troubles" with Cadjmere. I'm not among the biggest fans of gourmands but Parfumerie Generale's interpretation of this theme is, usually, very unique and original. In Cadjmere it seems that Guillame was focused on the most "evident" aspect of this kind of fragrances: sweetness.

Creamy coconut, woods and sweet flowers on a ambery/vanilla base. Cadjmere has a few interesting aspects (a resinous vibe and some myrtle contrasting the general sweetness) but overall it's too conventionally gourmandic for my likes...

As usually in PG's compositions the quality is here so, if you're into gourmands, you might want to check this out.

29th August, 2011.

Cadjmere is one of my favorites that I can see getting a full bottle of once the decant runs out. It's a soothing peaceful creation that starts with an intoxicating slightly powdery spritz of creamy citrus woods, floating on a carefully blended bed of warm woods, amber, sandlewood, and vanilla. The coconut milk has been described very well below as being a woody husk coconut. It's the most subtle coconut accent I've come across.

There are a few other scents that I've since compared to Cadjmere like Tam Dao by Diptyque, Dior Addict, Oriental Lounge by The Different Company.

Cadjmere is superior to anything else I've compared it to, setting it apart as the best of its kind - a milky mildly oriental cypress/vanilla/tropical/woods.

It is a touch on the feminine side, but not overly so. I wear it for a zen-like mood, that has more of a foody/milky powder element than Kyoto by Comme des Garcons which is much more incense woods with no vanilla or coconut.

23rd March, 2010.

PG scents often take a little bit of time to kick in for me. Much like truly great music, there is too much going on to understand fully in one sitting. Cadjmere was no different. At first I found it too sweet and creamy, but eventually I came around to liking it. Now I see that what at first registered as cloying was actually cognitive dissonance between the sweetness of the coconut contrasting with the pungency of the Cypress resin. Once that discord was resolved my appreciation blossomed. Pierre Guillaume has a knack for this kind of thing, and frankly I think he is a genius.

12nd February, 2010.

This is one of those fragrances that I simply couldn’t understand the first time I tested it… I was a total blank. So, as is my habit, I put the sample tube back in limbo part of the sample drawer and went on with my life. Months later at my second testing the word “coconut” popped into my brain when I sniffed it. What I smelled was the hard, dusky-almost-dusty, shaggy/woody surface of a coconut after its fleshier exterior had been removed… just a little of the coconut meat/milk aroma came through, just enough to allow me to think that I might be smelling coconut palm wood (of which I have no idea of the smell). The woody dominant coconut accord was nice, but not intriguing in the least. The next testing gave me the rosewood that I had been seeking out combined with a amber/wood like scent that I assume is ambrette seed. There was also a bit of resinousness involved, but I just didn’t find anything exciting about the fragrance. I was bored with the whole idea of it until I realized that I had been getting it all wrong: I suddenly realized that this is a scent that I could easily live with: This is a dusky/woody, semi-resinous, semi-sweet, masculine-enough fragrance that is assertive without calling attention to itself. It exists as a comfortable fruity/woody background abstractness that, sprayed lightly, gives off an air of mystery without really giving its presence away. Off my skin I don’t get sweet and I don’t get gourmand. I get a woody dominant slightly coconuty background abstractness. Cadjmere has a firm sillage and a good enough longevity… I wear it with an extremely light application and I quite enjoy it that way.

1st February, 2010. (Last Edited: 2nd February, 2010.)

Notes (from Luckyscent): myrtle branch, sap, red tangerine, rosewood, Kenyan cypress resin, coconut milk, sandalwood bark, ambrette seed, vanilla.

Let me confess from the beginning that Cadjmere is not the kind of fragrance that I normally enjoy. It starts out as a kind of woody gourmand scent, with notes of dry toasted coconut and powder over vanilla and a sweet floral note. The name is just right. This scent is warm, velvety smooth, and somehow almost "stuffy," as if my nose were buried in a sweater.

Coconut, vanilla, and rosewood play out in a linear manner through Cadjmere's heart. They are accented by a dash of something camphoraceous (most likely the myrtle,) that leaves an occasional metallic glint amidst all of the velour. Unfortunately, I don't think that bit of glitter is quite enough to relieve Cadjmere of a certain ponderousness. I also find the toasted coconut note to be significantly out of balance, and it becomes tiresome to me after an hour or so.

I'm surprised to find the camphoraceous note holding on until late in the development, when it lends some much-needed lift to what strikes me otherwise as a relatively flat and conventional sandalwood and vanilla drydown. Cadjmere will no doubt appeal to lovers of sweet gourmand fragrances, but it leaves me smelling too much like a macaroon for comfort.

13rd December, 2009.

A creamy warm chypre that is aromatic and resinous. Spray some on a cashmere scarf in the dead of winter. I think some of the notes battle a bit and it isn't as smooth as it could be, but it's very nice and lasts all day.

7th October, 2009.