3.3.12

O'Driù Lalfeogrigio

"...So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
Ande here were gardens bright with sinuous rills
Where blossomed many
an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery"


from "Colderidge", Kubla Khan, vv.1-11


TOP NOTES
orange, elemi, jasmine, rose

MIDDLE NOTES
tonka beans, geranium, wormwood, capsicum

BASE NOTES
sandal, musk, angelica, tobacco, coffee

Lalfeogrigio blew me away! Literally! I don't know where to start as there is really a lot going on here...

Ok, first of all I learned that the perfume pyramid above it's just indicative. Apparently it should represent what the fragrance is supposed to evoke with its main accords. When you purchase the full bottle (or sample), the packaging comes with an additional list of actual notes that in this case includes more than 50 (fifty) ingredients involved in the making of this concoction (allergenics excluded). If, for certain reasons, this may sound a bit pretentious or off-putting, at the same time Lalfeogrigio delivers exactly what he promises: a huge fragrance.

What it smells like? I guess this is one of those compositions that may change depending on the wearer. Don't get me wrong, in this specific case, I'm not saying that your body chemistry will make the difference but, considering the incredible amounts of ingredients involved, it really depends on how you are sensitive to certain notes instead of others. Me? I get an initial blast of culinary herbs and spices (Piper Nigrum, Sage, Cumin, Laurel, Oreganum, Rosemary) that is arresting to say the least. As previously experienced with other compositions from the same house, the opening is brutal, unpretty, rough...If you're familiar with Villoresi's fragrances you'll probably know what I'm talking about. Sort of an ugly duckling type of stuff.

If you survived to the initial "assault" you're now ready to be treated to a consistent amount of resins (Boswellia Sacra, Boswellia Carteri, Myrrh, Styrax). The transition is repentine but skilfully handled by introducing an extremely sophisticated floral accord (rose and jasmine) joined by vanilla and tonka beans. In this phase, Lalfeogrigio plays the juxtapositions game contrasting the sweet base with a strong masculine vibe provided by geranium, leathery castoreum, spices and absynth/lavender. WOW it's musky too! Perfectly balanced!

If this may sound a bit over the top, let me tell you it's not. Everything is so detailed and clearly detectable just like an high resolution picture. The main point of streght of Lalfeogrigio is to be incredibly bold but at the same time never loud or vulgar...pure symphonic perfumery. Another remarkable aspect is that everything smells incredibly natural (as opposed to synthetic) which, nowadays, is quite a plus...

I could go on saying what else I detect but I prefer to stop it here. Just let me write a list of fragrances/brands that popped up in my mind while wearing this outstanding concoction...

Parfum Sacre, Jicky (and other Guerlains), Musc Ravageur, YSL Nu EDP, Black Cashmere, A Taste of Heaven, Santa Maria Novella, Villoresi, Ambre Sultan, Ambre Precieux...

Mandatory for anyone into outstanding drydowns.

Rating: 8.5/10

4 comments:

  1. Im getting very excited about this.

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  2. me too Saif, the only problem is that, appearantly, they just released 8 bottles of it...

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  3. Only 8 bottles? Well at least it is beautiful. Who will the lucky owners be?
    (-;

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  4. LOL Sherapop! :) I'm learning to enjoy a fragrance and at the same time, not necessarely own it. Lalfeogrigio is quite an ambitious project that sells for an outrageous price but the fact they just released 8 bottles of it, it clearly shows that it's not another greedy project. Quite a different concept from most of the common industrial-products marketed as niche that we're very used to...

    As a friend use to say, "you don't need to buy a Rembrant to enjoy it" :)

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