Bigarade Concentrée
Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle (2002)

Bigarade Concentree sees Frederic Malle and Jean-Claude Ellena doing a take on Eau d'Hermes and Ellena's own Declaration for Cartier. Even if Malle decided not to credit Ellena for this composition and left it a mystery, there would still be no doubt that this is Ellena. His trademark weightless, airy, luminous, and minimalist style with a love for cool spices, shimmering citrus notes, and sawdust woods, is on full display with Concentree. The top is plenty of citrus, as expected and stated, in addition to cool cardamom, which is also expected, but Ellena does something a bit more interesting with the cardamom than we would expect in that he pulls it through from the top to the heart where it combines with a caraway note to give a cumin like accord. Cumin is also nothing new for Ellena, it was present in huge quantities in Declaration, but the way he strings the cardamom from the top to the heart to achieve it doesn't ring any memory-bells in my mind. I'll have to go back to Declaration and give it another sniff to see. Anyway.... Thanks to the addition of a buttery orris, the cumin accord comes across as rich and decadent while also maintaining Ellena's signature minimalist and airy style. The base is also as you would expect: mossy and spicy woods. I smell a young green cedar type accord.

This is so much like Eau d'Hermes and Declaration that it's hard for me write any new thoughts, and I'm generally not a fan of repeating myself, so I'll highlight the differences: the biggest difference between Concentree and Declaration is the lack of vetiver in the base of Concentree; the biggest difference between Concentree and Eau d'Hermes is the lack of florals in Concentree. You might think these differences are enough to set Concentree apart from either one but, honestly, the similarities are so uncanny that I cannot help but recall one or both of the other two perfumes while smelling Concentree across its life stages. It would then be easy to conclude that Concentree is too derivative and therefore not any good. I would agree that it is too derivative, unless you strongly dislike vetiver or florals, in which case you would find Concentree the best out of the three, but I cannot say that it isn't a good perfume. It's a great perfume - of course it is; it's a winning formula that works every time. But, seeing as how I already own Eau d'Hermes (both vintage and new), and a vintage Declaration and a couple new flankers, why would I buy this? I would not, especially since Bigarade Concentree is more expensive than the other two even for vintage bottles. It's a very good but pointless perfume. It's a thumbs-up, but I'm right on the neutral line.

It takes incredible restraint to remain civilized around this scent - I want to roll around in it like a dog on a particularly compelling patch of lawn. I NEED this smell on me. Bright, bitter, spicy, salty, funky. Lime peel rubbed over sweaty armpits in the best, most addictive way possible.

Bigarade Concentrée is Jean-Claude Ellena's typically severe tribute to Eau d'Hermès. The Frédéric Malle blurb describes it as "embellished" by cardamom and other spices. However, the cardamom isn't a mere embellishment, but a virtual scene-stealer from the titular bigarade. The net result is not, as the blurb goes on, "purity, like a crisp white shirt…for those who believe that seduction is found in cleanliness and perfection…an ocean of sophisticated freshness." Rather, it's a white shirt ironed with citrus-scented starch, but unwashed. It's neatness, but not cleanliness; a dash of sophistication (perhaps), but not an ocean of freshness. To be fair, the blurb also promises mischief and sex appeal, which it delivers if the sweaty funk of the spice reads that way to you.

Once you know what you're in for, BC definitely has its appeal; how much depends on your proclivities. But I think Ellena has worked this theme to better effect—and for less money—elsewhere. While I do like it, my 10ml spray is ample supply when I already have big bottles of Cartier Déclaration and Terre d'Hermès.

I like my orange without body odour, thanks x

Very similar to Cartier Declaration. The opening is Lemonheads candy sweet but quickly gives way to the peppery, body odor musk that some really like or dislike. I find it to be pretty linear during the first few hours but eventually, the muskiness fades. Overall, a mature, clean scent that feels best for daytime and professional settings.

Average projection for maybe 3-4 hours and then it hangs around much closer to skin for about 7-8 hours on my skin.

Opens as a very realistic orange smell, but there's something else there too. It goes for a similar vibe to the dirty orange of TDH but replaces the earthyness with some cut grass greenery. Funny that, since the perfumer behind this one did TDH as well. Seems he's put out a lot of citrus scents over the years.

The performance on this is lacking. Immediately after settling on the skin it becomes a skinscent, no big wafts of this are going to come up throughout the day. I cannot fathom spending hundreds on something with such subpar performance. If you like the opening of this, try TDH Parfum, you'll get a lot more mileage at half the price.