Top Notes 
Heart Notes 
Base Notes 
08/29/2013
MiaTrost
9 Reviews
MiaTrost
3
Floriental gone astray
The opening accord comes along with huge impact and tremendous diffusion. Spiced wood, wrapped up in a distinct, austere and leathery saffron, make for a dark and deep impression. A ubiquitous, self-assured entry, not shrill yet slightly pungent and intriguingly odd due to a vaguely medicinal side to it. The latter is reminiscent of a damp, leaf-covered forest floor, which emanates from the background. At the same time it strikes me as fruity, somewhat sweet and lush. It goes nicely with the resins and spiced wood that are to the fore.
Marketed as a floriental, Eutopie does not explicitly follow the oud-hype with this composition. Instead, Prakash Narayanan cleverly turned to bakhour, the Arabic name of scented wood chips, I learned, mainly agarwood, soaked in fragrant oils and mixed with other ingredients such as resin, ambergris, musk and sandalwood. This scented potpourri is burned in charcoal or incense burners to perfume home and clothing with the fragrant and rich smoke on special occasions.
No. 2 is less oud-centric than e.g. Xerjoff's nuclear Gao and the comparison ends with the addition of a restrained tobacco note. Progressing into a sleek heart, the rose adds tenderness. The flower continues to reveal more facets, featuring fruitiness and seizes on the spicy aspect but stays delicate. The fragrance never loses its iridescent introductory note, which settled down into a harmoniously fused, seamless formation. The deliberate Arabic borrowing sets it apart from fragrances such as Czech & Speake's Dark Rose, which is similar but less daring. Into the dry down a honeyed whiff I ascribe to the musk, rounds everything off. As can be expected from the accords, volume and tenacity are excellent.
The combination of rose, saffron and 'bakhour' may not be off the beaten track but that does not necessarily make it uninspired. This take on the theme is captivating, forging a ravishing bridge from wanton melodramatics to polished grace. Not in the least did I miss the ambery quality I had expect to find in a floriental.
Marketed as a floriental, Eutopie does not explicitly follow the oud-hype with this composition. Instead, Prakash Narayanan cleverly turned to bakhour, the Arabic name of scented wood chips, I learned, mainly agarwood, soaked in fragrant oils and mixed with other ingredients such as resin, ambergris, musk and sandalwood. This scented potpourri is burned in charcoal or incense burners to perfume home and clothing with the fragrant and rich smoke on special occasions.
No. 2 is less oud-centric than e.g. Xerjoff's nuclear Gao and the comparison ends with the addition of a restrained tobacco note. Progressing into a sleek heart, the rose adds tenderness. The flower continues to reveal more facets, featuring fruitiness and seizes on the spicy aspect but stays delicate. The fragrance never loses its iridescent introductory note, which settled down into a harmoniously fused, seamless formation. The deliberate Arabic borrowing sets it apart from fragrances such as Czech & Speake's Dark Rose, which is similar but less daring. Into the dry down a honeyed whiff I ascribe to the musk, rounds everything off. As can be expected from the accords, volume and tenacity are excellent.
The combination of rose, saffron and 'bakhour' may not be off the beaten track but that does not necessarily make it uninspired. This take on the theme is captivating, forging a ravishing bridge from wanton melodramatics to polished grace. Not in the least did I miss the ambery quality I had expect to find in a floriental.
BertolucciK
