Louanges Profanes 19 (2008)
by Parfumerie Generale

Louanges Profanes opens on soft citrus and sugary floral notes that are almost punishingly sweet. The scent then becomes intensely powdery, with only the rapid emergence of some faintly astringent spices and an animalic, indole-laden lily and neroi accord to pull it back from the brink of unbearable mawkishness. All of this occurs within the first five minutes of wear, in a flurry of olfactory activity that flirts with disaster like the best of physical comedians. In the short time it takes Louanges Profanes to settle into its spicy, indolic white flower heart my respiratory rate is elevated and my knuckles go white. The landing is surprisingly soft, but the highly conventional arrival point is as much a disappointment as a relief after so wild a ride. It’s like watching a team of brilliant pastry chefs laboring frantically amidst clattering pans, roaring ovens, and pillars of smoke, with only a tray of brownies to show for the effort.

The spiced lily and neroli accord rests on a soft woody foundation, and the composition becomes cleaner and greener on its way to an extremely soapy, powdery drydown that would not be out of place in an Estée Lauder scent like Alliage or White Linen . Sillage and projection are both more than adequate, and Louanges Profanes has several hours’ worth of staying power, but for a high-price niche perfume I find it awfully generic. You can get more interesting white flower fragrances without the cash or the effort required to track this scent down.

Amazingly subtle neroli opening is a far cry from what this astonishing eau de parfum progresses to be, a sexy beast -- with the animalicness creeping in like fog, quite unexpectedly. It stalks the unsuspecting wearer, taking him much the way the ferocious jungle-cat takes her prey...