Cuir Fleurissant
Angelos Créations Olfactives (2019)

I experience Cuir Fleurissant as a duality: a dark, heavy object surrounded by a thin, gauze-like veil.

The heavy object is, above all else, birch tar. It’s cold, smoky, oily, bitter, and soapy, and joined by an arid leather and a subdued, but present, oud note.

The gauze is a Chanel-esque layer of aldehydes, violet, iris, and powdery, twinkling florals. Unlike in a classic Chanel where this would be the “bulk” of the composition, here it is completely overpowered by the smoke, and seems to weave in and out of the composition, at times vanishing and then coming back in full force.

As the drydown continues, Cuir Fleurissant becomes more dry and austere, the smoke becoming more ashen, like picking up violets from a cold fireplace. Unlike many classic floral leathers like Knize Ten, this never becomes warm and inviting, but keeps its distance.

Eventually (on my skin, about eight hours - the birch is enduring), even the tar gives way, and we’re left with a dry, powdery leather-iris-oud-patchouli with some chypric qualities I find hard to pin down (though not listed, it smells distinctly mossy to my nose). It’s very fine-grained and complex, even in the dregs of the experience.

The description of this scent sounds very reserved and classically French, neither of which really applies to my experience. It’s an indie, with the rough edges that implies, but a deeply compelling and nuanced one, that rewards repeat wearings by showing more of itself.

Cuir Fleurissant from Angelos Olfactives. My favorite from the house next to Angeliki. Both share that "retro" quality and floracy, yet one is a Chypre while the other is a Leather perfume. It walks in the lines of other great floral-leather perfumes that make great use of violet, such as Cuir Cannage and Great Britain, but I enjoy this one better. It sits so well with my skin chemistry, but I did hear a few people having not such a great experience, so definitely sample it beforehand.

On me, it behaves like a "Cuir de Russie" leather with a good amount of florals, a juicy bergamot that lingers forever, and some moss and resins in the base. As the name suggests, the leather accord and the floral bouquet are what you'll experience for the most part, and they are both finely executed. The opening greets you with a juicy bergamot that is stretched deep into the heart and balances the candied quality of the florals and the smokiness of the birch tar. The leather accord paints a deep brown color in my mind and feels incredibly textured. There is a smoky quality from the birch, after all, it is a Cuir de Russie, but on my skin, it doesn't overrule the other aspects, hence, it doesn't bother me one bit. It's perfectly dosed for my tastes. The florals are a major component here going hand-in-hand with the leather. It feels like a floral bouquet in which violet stands out the most. There is a candied quality to it that pairs well with the tart flavor of the bergamot. As time goes by, the leather loses its grip but the florals hang on tight. Resins and moss adjoin them in the later stages to shift the composition toward more of a Chypre-like experience.

Overall, it is a delightful floral-leather perfume, and although it doesn't bring anything new to this genre, I believe it is among the finest.

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