Déclaration d'Un Soir Intense
Cartier (2014)

Cartier Déclaration d'Un Soir Intense (2014) seems like it tries to "fix" a problem that the original Cartier Déclaration d'Un Soir (2012) didn't actually have, and that's the problem of not being related enough to the original "dirty" Cartier Déclaration (1998), since it was in effect a clean masculine woody rose. The way Déclaration d'Un Soir Intense goes about making a more-direct connection to the original that started it all is not by having that scent's cumin note infused to the formula (which would have been interesting to say the least), but by spicing up the rose and enriching it with musk. The effect of this infusion leaves the scent bolder and indeed more "intense", but not necessarily stronger or really altogether different from the previous Déclaration d'Un Soir flanker. Making flankers of flankers really isn't Cartier's style, and I can see they didn't produce this long, as it is really just a ham-fisted remix of a fragrance meant to be romantic. Already out of stock most places and higher than original retail for new undamaged specimens in the aftermarket, Déclaration d'Un Soir Intense is headed into semi-unicorn territory on scarcity alone, but is only a true gem in the eyes of collectors that must have everything Cartier makes. What probably surprised me the most about this "intense" flanker is that it actually does come across as a more-intense take on the scent it tries to complement, rather than just be something entirely unrelated but stronger in performance as is the designer norm. I could also play devil's advocate and say that sometimes less is more, but I'll let you be the judge.

Déclaration d'Un Soir Intense opens with the same dry rose of the first Déclaration d'Un Soir, but kills the "cold spices" borrowed from the original Déclaration and supplants them with richer, earthier fare. Mathilde Laurent took this in a similar "condensed" direction that Jean-Claude Ellena took Déclaration Essence (2001), both representing flankers focusing more intently on the primary personalities of what they flanked than anything else. Pepper remains in the top with that rose, and it is followed with considerable amounts of nutmeg in the heart a la something like Bijan for Men (1981) or Cacharel Pour L'Homme (1981) but not as heavy-handed. Australian sandalwood, vetiver, more spice that is something akin to cardamom, dry orris root, and musk finish off the rather thick base. The orris isn't mega-soapy like the stuff loaded down in many 1980's masculines, but provides a bit of counterpoint to the stronger dry rose opening making almost something of a rosewood ghost note with the way it interacts with the rest of the base. The musk isn't of the white kind thankfully, but neither is it really animalic enough to give the same level of "dirt" that the cumin in the original Déclaration provides. Wear time and projection is on the same moderate level as the original Déclaration d'Un Soir, and because this is a decidedly more-oriental affair, I'd only play with Déclaration d'Un Soir Intense on dinner dates, which really narrows its usefulness. Owners of Déclaration d'Un Soir will find this intense iteration redundant and less versatile, while everyone else not familiar with this particular flavor of Déclaration is likely to find it more musty than musky, with the dry spicy rose just too grandiose and unbalanced with all that added spice and base padding, like a version of Déclaration d'Un Soir as it might appear if it had come out as a woman's drugstore perfume in the 1950's.

I like Déclaration d'Un Soir Intense, but not enough to seek out a bottle at what are prices approaching entry-level niche and only likely to climb unless Cartier decided to reissue this flanker of a flanker. I have a feeling this was either a limited-edition not listed as such or just that big of a commercial flop, because it didn't even stay on the market 5 years before being pulled, while the original Déclaration d'Un Soir continues to enjoy shelf space at most upscale department stores. If there was actually a need to make Déclaration d'Un Soir closer to the DNA of the standard Cartier Déclaration for sales purposes, they really just could have done it with Déclaration d'Un Soir itself, because this dirtier and spicier take on a flanker that otherwise is really a standalone scent sharing a marquee comes across like second guessing, even if it is enjoyable. Cartier once again deliver on their intentions, even if making flankers of flankers is usually a move too desperate for such a highly-respected designer perfume house, but I won't begrudge the "try anything" mentality they've put on display with the Déclaration series overall, and this is far from the strangest case of that mentality I've ever sampled. This gets approval from me, but with the caveat that anyone stumbling on this at a good price by chance should really try Déclaration d'Un Soir, which is far superior and almost a new age classic in its own right, while the intense variant is that rare but unessential bass-boosted dance remix b-side that will be most loved by only the hardest of the hardcore.

Disappointing. I am a real fan of the original Declaration and several of its flankers - Declaration L'Eau, Declaration Bois Bleu, Declaration Essence, and the latest with Declaration Parfum. These have all aptly handled the essential woody "cumin" sensation that I have come to know and love.

Not so d'Un Soir Intense. This one appears to be a forced flanker of a flanker, ending up being unneeded really. It smells muddled, like damp moldy paper that is an instant scrubber for me. Dark in an unpleasant way, d'un Soir Intense does little to improve on the also meh d'un Soir flanker.

Although I don't particularly care for the a intense version of dUn Soir, it is perfectly named. The dirty rose is too heavy handed and projection is powerful in the intense version. The original is one of the best rose fragrances available for men but this is just overkill on the notes that should be subtle or complimentary.