I'll be honest, I've come across some fragrances that just grab you. Noir by Night from Atelier des Ors was one of those for me. It became an obsession, something I couldn't shake off.
The reasons for that are two-fold. Firstly, all Atelier des Ors fragrances contain gold particles. Secondly, this particular scent features black caviar in its pyramid. As someone who loves unique aspects in fragrances, the idea of black caviar in perfumery was fascinating to me.
However, buying a full bottle wouldn't be rational. I opted for a smaller sample instead. And yes, even in the sample, there's gold!
As you'd expect, the brand isn't exactly budget-friendly. A 100ml bottle costs around 15,000 rubles during sales.
Currently, the brand is available in Russia on Randevu, Allyur Parfum, and even Letual, but in my city, all their fragrances are sold out. I was able to find them at Gold Apple, where you can also get fragrance samples, but unfortunately, I couldn't catch them in-store - they're only available online.
What really caught my attention was the gold. As you can see from the photo, there's a lot of it. And honestly, I'm almost certain that's what makes their fragrances so pricey.
Interestingly, the gold isn't just for show. It actually passes through the atomizer and gets sprayed onto the skin.
I've had some pretty big splatters with this one, but this time I got a tiny flake.And with the gold, you have to be careful. Under certain lighting, it looks like dirt on your neck. I had a similar issue with another scent from this brand: a big chunk of gold caught my eye, and I didn't even notice it. It felt like I'd swatted a fly across my neck.
The real showstopper, though, is the pyramid itself. As I mentioned, it contains black caviar, which piqued my interest. This is definitely an unusual story I've never come across before.I'm not sure if this brand was the first to add black caviar to a scent, but it's the first one I've been able to get my hands on.
Honestly, the pyramid gives me a pretty masculine vibe, even though it's marketed as unisex.
Top notes:
Cedar and Coriander;
Middle notes:
Caviar, Mate, and Tree of Dreams
Base notes:
Sandalwood, Guaiac, and Cashmere Tree.
The pyramid is full of wood, and I generally like it, although sandalwood doesn't always play nicely with my skin. I love the cedar, though, and the mate. Cashmere is nice too, but I had to look up what Tree of Dreams is – turns out some people think it's a type of sandalwood oil. I'm not sure if that's true, but they definitely went heavy on the sandalwood.
I've got to say, the sandalwood and coriander are what I'm picking up on here. And this sandalwood, unfortunately, isn't a soft, milky, or fresh cucumber-like scent. It's more like a robust, spicy aroma reminiscent of pickling spices.
The initial coriander just amplifies that feeling of an unfamiliar marinade seasoning.
As for the caviar, ladanum, mate, and cashmere, I'm not getting any of those notes. My nose is just overwhelmed by an overabundance of sandalwood that drowns out everything else. Even the coriander takes a backseat to the sandalwood.
This sandalwood is driving me crazy. I hate sandalwood! And not a single reviewer mentioned it. Bloggers were singing the praises of the salty caviar aroma, but this isn't the saltiness of the caviar - it's the sandalwood! Yes, it's salty, no wonder it often gets a reputation for being overpowering.And that's a disappointment. I'd approach people and ask them to sniff the scent. Nobody mentioned the caviar. More often than not, they'd describe it as a masculine, woody, and 'pickled cucumbers' kind of smell. And, yes, I don't get any cucumber freshness or dill. There's just an abundance of marinade spices and leaves.
I think people just looked at the pyramid and convinced themselves that the caviar was there. In reality... it's not. At least, my skin and my boyfriend's didn't pick up on it.However, he did enjoy the scent. For me, it was a deal-breaker. It's just unpleasant. I don't like that. And looking at the ladan in the pyramid, I expected it to be there at least. But no. Maybe at some point the scent does slightly sweeten, like the ladan is trying to make a comeback, but... it's so weak that I think I'm just imagining it.
I've got to say, this sandal is pretty durable. The scent stays on me all day. And at the end of the day, I just wash it off. If I try to wash it off earlier, it really puts up a fight and doesn't want to leave my skin, even after using soap.
I wouldn't say the scent is lingering, though. It's more diffused. It fills the entire space around me, so I can really smell it. And it lasts for hours - whether it's an hour, two hours, or five hours.
I'm not comfortable wearing something like this. In my opinion, despite being marketed as unisex, traditional scents of this type are usually worn by men. At least, that's the case in our society.
My take is that the scent is very woody and long-lasting. I think it would suit not just men, but also anyone who loves sandalwood. A big fan of sandalwood, that is - not the kind with notes of parsley and milk.
But what really disappointed me was that the scent isn't unique. It's incredibly similar to the Queen of the East from Brocard, minus the pepper. They share the same base note. Plus, it's got a similar vibe to the Sandal from the Library of Fragrances, but that one's a bit softer and more pleasant to my nose.
Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this scent. Its selling point is the black caviar in the pyramid, but I didn't even notice it because the sandalwood overpowered everything. That lack of balance is what really gets my goat. The scent is all about sandalwood - and I don't like that interpretation, at least not in this case. Pickled cucumbers with dill? Yeah. Milk notes? Yeah. Tree resin with spices for the marinade? Sorry, no.The longevity is good, the idea of the gold is captivating, but the execution fell short. I was expecting something different. And that's why - 2 stars and a thumbs down.
I've got to say, the marketing team did a great job, but the perfumer fell short.
xa0
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