Cire Trudon is known as the purveyor of a line of luxury candles referencing French history. Candle burners and perfumistas everywhere I would imagine had rather high expectations upon the revelation that the brand would be releasing perfumes. Myself included.

Keeping in mind their luxury positioning and historical story telling, the range meets expectations and you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s extremely well executed. The bottles have a refined appearance and will look the part  wherever you may stash them in your home. The sample set is a simple blue box containing 5 x 10ml sprays. This is an excellent way to purchase the set and although not cheap at 95 Euro it’s reasonable when considering  a full bottle is priced at 180 Euro.

Three perfumers have been selected to create the fragrances. Yann Vasnier, Antoine Lie and Lyn Harris. Harris was the founder of  British brand Miller Harris and  is now at Perfumer H and gets the lion’s share of the creative development, signing three of the perfumes.

Now the new range is not a collection of  groundbreaking fragrances by any means. You will smell them and they will probably remind you of others with a  similar olfactory  style.   This is a positive as many perfume lovers will find one in the range created to  their liking and tastes. Non perfume devotees but lovers of the Trudon brand will also find the style fits with their candle experiences. These are elegant, slightly mysterious fragrances that seem to be created with real care and craft. Like Diptyque, a brand that is also known for their candles, Trudon has a refined sensibility and rather sleek design.

The scents all have a glorious autumnal glow that makes them perfect choices for this time of the year. Maybe it’s just the mood I’m in right now but there’s a seriousness to the collection, these are not fun or flirty in any way. Thankfully this a range not aimed at 20 year olds, which is where the Guerlain‘s of the world are taking target.

So let’s see how these smell …

Olim: Nose : Lyn Harris: Year : 2017 : Oriental : Notes : Bergamot, lavender, anise : Heart : Baie rose, clove : Base : Patchouli, benzoin absolute, myrrh, musks. 

The Story : “Olim represents the vanity and emotion of a royal era. Powdery notes touch on beauty; spices evoke decadence and resins hint towards opulence. Olim refers to a form of purity with an underlying richness.” (website).

Olim is like many other oriental styled scents you may have smelt before but not. The perfume seems to take elements from older more retro perfumes and yes there is a Shalimar feel here but it’s not a carbon copy. On my skin there is a prominent lavender and anise profile on opening and a spicy clove. The follow up is  deeply satisfying with a warm elegance and a lovely dry down replete with a blurred sustained fuzziness in the base notes.

Olim doesn’t feel particularly royal to me but more like a modern easy to wear lightly spiced oriental and I think if scents like the sexy oriental queen herself, Shalimar, are a bit too much then this could be perfect. It also strikes me as the sort of scent that will amp up other perfumes  and fortify them with an oriental glaze. Now when I say spicy this must be taken in context because the perfume is actually so well blended that it moves subtly and as I say it’s very tasteful so the overall feeling is smooth sailing. It’s not too heavy, not too light and I think Harris has this just right.

Mortel: Nose : Yann Vasnier: Year : 2017 : Spicy Oriental : Notes : Top : Black pepper, chilli, nutmeg : Middle : Somalian incense, Mystikal, Virginian cedar : Base : Cistus absolute, myrrh, benzoin. 

The Story : “Skins heat up against one another, pacing sensuality at the heart of Mortel;  more, frankincense, myrrh and benzoin reveal the erotic spell of pure Cistus.” (website)

Mortel is a churchy incense fragrance and smells rather similar to the one candle that I am well acquainted with called Spiritus Sancti. I know this because it takes pride of place in a friend’s toilet (of all places)! I’m definitely seeing a link to this candle if not the direct inspiration. I personally am more drawn to more ambered incense fragrances like Larmes du Désert (Atelier Des Ors) or Wazamba (Parfum d’Empire) with its fruity resinous feel (see my review on Cafleurebon) rather than the cold churchy Avignon (Commes des Garçons) like scents.

Mortel has that peppered slightly aldehydic feel up front and immediately has an enjoyable warmth. It’s not a cold scent at all and falls in between a warm loved up incense and the chilly Church style. I imagine that this scent will be rather popular and something of a crowd pleaser. It’s elegant, easy to wear and gets better as it wears on skin. There’s a spiciness that’s attractive, not overpowering but a nice counterpoint to the burnt incense. Mystikal by the way is not a religious magic formula but a Givaudan synthetic with the distinct smell of burnt incense.

Bruma : Nowe : Antoine Lie : Year : 2017 : Oriental Floral : Notes : Top : Black pepper, lavender, galbanum : Middle : Violet, purple peony, iris, jasmine sambac : Base : Leather, labdanum, Haitian vetiver, tonka bean. 

The Story : “Bruma contains a distinguished, almost animal-like sensuality. In the night, a feminine rider draws inner strength from the elements that surround her : her horse and the depth of the forest at night seem to give her a magnetic and carnal aura.” (website)

This scent feels very familiar to me with its mix of violet and iris on a buttery suede like base. Bruma has a definite aromatic like side too with pepper, lavender and galbanum.  It’s an elegant update and sits with other more masculine iris styled perfumes.  Bruma  is perhaps more contemplative and introspective than the other scents in the collection and fades quickly on my skin.

II  or Deux : Nose : Lyn Harris: Year : 2017 : Woody Aromatic : Notes : Top : Green leaf, orange brigade : Middle : Pine, pepper, juniper : Base : Cedar, incense, ambrosian, cashmere. 

The Story : “II is about new beginnings; the life of a forest that permeates through the seasons. It is sensually symbiotic, bringing elements together: a Cologne that inspires and points at a magical place.” (website)

Now this story really rings true and after reading the copy it’s difficult to not see and smell an emerald green forest with grass edging up the trunks. II is a scent that expressively brings to life verdancy in all its forms. Grass, pepper and leaves are prickling on my skin and as others have mentioned there is a distinct fig leaf too. This is a green that is right up my alley. The tendrils of incense have a slight smoky quality but really this is green all the way made softer as it wears with a cashmeran fluffy hug. A really lovely scent and with my newfound interest in green perfumes this is one that inhabits a special place that hasn’t been encountered before.

Revolution: Nose : Lyn Harris: Year : 2017 : Notes : Top : Elemi : Middle : Angelica : Base : Cedar, papyrus, incense, cistus absolute, patchouli, cade, opoponax.

The Story : “Revolution is a fragrance that permeates the skin, and builds up on human emotions throughout the day. It blends in, leaving an air of mystery and intrigue around the body.” (website)

This elegant yet smoky perfume is my pick. Revolution was my favourite from the get go. I’ve worn it frequently and am yet to tire of its charms. I love a flaming perfume that provides a good dose of fire but doesn’t fatigue and this is it. Harris’ use of cade and incense is on point and manages to play it safe with all that smoke yet it’s never boring. Sometimes these perfumes can really go belly up with too many prickly aromachemicals or too much choke. Not here.  Revolution is definitely in the air with smoky gunfire but no bloodshed.

Revolution is my favourite closely followed by II and these are amazing worn together. Revolution has a touch of forest in its midsts and II amplifies this aspect and brings and emerald glow. I have noticed that I’m not alone in these thoughts and it’s well worth trying even if you’re not really the layering type.

 

GIVEAWAY

Now to reward you all for reading this far I’m going to spread the Maison Trudon love with a sample set for the lucky winner of each fragrance decanted from my sprays. So there will be around 2.5 – 3mls in each sample. I’m happy to send globally but I will not be held responsible if the package doesn’t arrive!

HOW TO WIN :

1) You must follow Megan In Sainte Maxime in some way to be in to win. Either here or on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the social media link that you want to follow. I’ll post links on Instagram and Facebook so you can enter there if you prefer.

2) Let me know in the comments how you follow AND tell me which perfume you’re most tempted by.

4) Draw closes on Friday 24 November midnight Paris time.

Bonne chance!

The Low Down :  An elegant and refined quintet of fragrances that are well crafted and you’re bound to find one in the mix that will satisfy. 

Read more about Cire Trudon on : The Black Narcissus, Perfume Posse,  The Candy Perfume Boy, Colognoisseur

Pricing : Please check the Cire Trudon website for further details. RRP is 180 Euro for 100ml and a discovery set with all five fragrances in a 10ml spray can be purchased for 95 Euro. 

Notes : Images :  All by Megan In Sainte Maxime 

Disclosure : Sample gratefully received from Favori.  Opinions my own.