Aedes de Venustas Eau de Parfum (2008)
by Aedes de Venustas

The panoply of notes listed in three distinct tiers for AEDES DE VENUSTAS portend something wild and complex, with both heft and depth, but unfortunately I myself find this perfume not all that exciting. Everything seems to be blended down to a sort of common-denominator incense cologne rather than offering a rich perfumic experience. This composition seems fairly linear to me, which is not in and of itself a demerit, but the citrus note turns a bit sour on my skin. Perhaps it is the combination of coffee and orange oil which is less than harmonious here?

AdV may well smell wonderful to (and on..) some, but it's not for me.

21st October, 2011.

6th October, 2011.

Nothing more I can add (it's spicy, warm (but bright) incensey and wears close) except that I recently purchased this and the three times I have worn it I have had at least 5 compliments during the day. It's beautiful - yes Avignon (which I love and wear) is a starting point to describe it but I think it's more romantic and sensual.

17th July, 2011.

Aedes de Venustas is a spicy / green / incense fragrance that vaguely reminds me of CdG’s Avignon but with added green notes and spices. It opens spicy and a bit oily in an accord whose uniqueness makes it interesting, but it isn’t very catching or attractive. Still, it is an accord that many may find enjoyable. I am still not captivated by the fragrance as the spicy opening accord moves on to the more resinous middle, The resulting notes seem too soft, too weak to achieve the intensity that is needed by the heart notes... resinous accords this dainty are hard to carry off: The heart notes do not have the richness or definition that they should be exhibiting, and the notes are a tiny bit muddled… this would serve well for a medium priced designer fragrance, but I don’t think it meets the demands of a fragrance done by a niche company like L’Artisan. The middle accord seem to be a collection of notes that lack the edge and definition that they need to be successful. The base, too, is disappointing… Where is should be deep, dark, and rich, it comes across as weak and ineffective. I get no coffee or opoponax in the base… I get a light patchouli / benzoin / vanilla accord that is balanced and refined, but lacks character. There is a continuous smoky ambiance that, when all the other notes are gone, holds on very close to the skin for hours and hours… This skin scent aspect of Aedes de Venustas is something I can appreciate – I like the final hours of the fragrance very much.

I realize I’ve made Aedes de Venustas sound not so good… I have attempted to re-describe it in a more positive manner but I wasn’t satisfied with the new review, either. I’m sorry that the words turned out so negative because Aedes de Venustas is actually a competent fragrance. It is a very nicely balanced, proportioned, refined, spicy / incense fragrance that just doesn’t reach fulfill my expectations.

5th April, 2010.

The voice of diss(c)ent: Bertrand Duchaufour’s recent fragrance for Aedes de Venustas smells to me a lot like his earlier Jubilation XXV for Amouage – but with about half of the ingredients removed. With incense becoming ever more popular as a fragrance theme, Aedes de Venustas faces lots of market competition – much of the best of it from Duchaufour himself. For me the question is whether this scent adds anything to the burgeoning incense repertoire.

As I’ve already intimated, this is more a case of subtraction. Absent are the amber, fruit, and floral accords of Jubilation XXV, the piercingly smoky cypriol overdose of Timbuktu, the dark rose of Paestum Rose, and the brilliantly exotic lychee/iris/peony accord of Dzongkha. What remains is a spare, straightforward frankincense over a transparent woody base. This structure is unfortunately so lean it might as well have been eviscerated. With much that had distinguished Duchaufour’s earlier incense fragrances taken away, Aedes des Venustas feels hollow. It’s also a very quiet scent that wears close to the skin – so much so that I might be the only one to notice that I'm wearing it!

I perceived the near-baroque structure of Jubilation XXV as an expansion of Duchaufour’s range into richer and more layered compositions. Aedes de Venustas marks a turn in the opposite direction, and aligns more closely with the minimalist works of Mark Buxton and Jean-Claude Ellena. In this sense it marks a retreat into more familiar territory for Duchaufour.

I can understand how Aedes de Venustas might appeal to someone for whom Duchaufour’s other incense compositions are just “too much,” or for whom his Avignon, which shares this scent’s austerity, is just too potent. But then I ask myself “Do we really need another minimalist woody incense fragrance, and a comparatively weak one to boot?” My answer, I’m afraid, is “No.”

14th December, 2009.

This does smell rather generic, rather like many other warm, cosy wood/incense/spice fragrances for the winter season, but it's lovely nevertheless. There's nothing edgy going on in it at all, it's all smooth and clean and balanced and just a touch sweet for comfort, with none-too-natural-smelling notes. Still, in its genre its quite perfect and it's a genre I love.

30th November, 2009.