Hotel slut. Well, they don't beat around the bush (so to speak), do they? Etat Libre d'Orange is a house devoted to quirky perfumes. Putain des Palaces is meant to evoke sensual fantasies of a woman dressed for seduction, a meeting in an anonymous room, temptation and intimacy.
It's pretty accurate, actually, but it smells like an assignation from decades ago, when a woman in expensive makeup smelled a certain way. PdP opens with a juicy tangerine that highlights a thick rose and violet bouquet. The rose and violet together smell like old-fashioned face powder and creamy lipstick, perhaps left smeared on a collar. I think only Chanel lipsticks still smell that way.
There is a man in the room too. He's wearing soft leather gloves and a light spicy cologne with ginger and violet leaf. For a while PdP is all about this couple, the woman in her seductive floral paint and the man with the leather gloves. But as PdP sits longer on the skin it takes a surprising turn, it becomes a gourmand. Sweet, sexy amber comes out from under the leather, gets sweeter and starts to smell like almonds. PdP becomes a chewy marzipan treat. Perhaps the lover brought it as a gift?
Putain des Palaces is bit of afternoon delight.
House: Etat Libre d'Orange
Nose: Nathalie Feisthauer
Notes: rose absolute, violet, leather, lily of the valley, tangerine, ginger, rice powder, amber, animal notes
Nice review of Putain des Palaces! I have not tried this but your writing gave me a feel for it and helped me understand its evolution. May have to sample this one.
ReplyDeleteLovely review. I just tested this one last week, too, and found it pleasant but very un-putain-like. Rose, violet, leather, skin musk - it reminded me very strongly of Citizen Queen, which I love, and which is far naughtier.
ReplyDeleteI rather liked the almondy bit, but I'm guessing you didn't?
To museinwoodenshoes: You caught me, I'm not really a gourmand lover. I'll have to try Citizen Queen, I do like naughty.
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ReplyDeleteI was talking a load of nonsense there, getting my palais and my palaces mixed up...!
ReplyDeleteSo I will just say that this wasn't for me, but it was a long time ago that I tried it, when my nose was even more delicate and unadventurous than it is today.
To flittersniffer: I had a similar translation confusion, Google translate gives me "f*cking palaces." But "hotel slut" is straight from the Etat web site and my french is grade school. I assumed it was a slang.
ReplyDeleteYes, I checked the bottle copy too and stood corrected!. Though "f***ing palaces" certainly captures the spirit of the thing! : - )
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