L'Anarchiste
Caron (2000)

easily my favorite cinnamon based fragrance its so unique

Foppish, iconoclastic, plush. There is an chilling axis of cinnamon-mint as brilliant as the flash of snow blindness. Their clarity and presence are honed even further by the sharp woods, itself also at home with a wintry aesthetic. The excesses and unique character of these becomes balanced by a richness and slight sweetness of the orange blossom.

This perfume is the furthest thing from a 'blend', yet it unfolds with impeccable harmony. Spiciness, powderderiness, floralcy, woodiness: the moieties have had their charms refined and expertly arrayed in a series of contrasts without compromising any of their individual characteristics.

L'anarchiste effortlessly, insouciantly, shockingly suspends its intense panoply of constituent notes in midair. A tasteful explosion.

L'Anarchiste! How curious this concoction really is, as it opens the mint that stands out in a way seldom encountered in fragrances of any kind. At first, the brain thinks, 'this seems out of place,' but after just a bit of time, it starts to make more sense, especially as a black-tea-leaves-in-a-tin note surfaces. This is where the magic of this peculiar scent begins...

As the minty freshness meets high tea settles, the orange flower is actually more noticeable, somehow further enhancing the tea effect, but the mint becomes more subtle, with its more herbal shades remaining. There is also a lavender (not listed in the note pyramid) that seems to complement this. A warming cinnamon also fades in, ushering the woods that start to become apparent in the base.

The drydown is a pleasantly musky and woody, and far more conventional, but still quite nice. Interestingly, its reminds me of the drydown found in Bogart Witness, vague apple-pie like, due in part to the cinnamon in both, I'm sure.

8/10

This is funky. We see L Anarchiste's notes and we are looking forward to trying it.. Mint has a fresh and stylish scent in itself. Cinnamon is a pleasant and ever-attractive aroma. What could be better than their combination. But in this fragrance, I don't know what has been done to them that they've become such a horrible smell; These notes seem to have been vomited here. Empty of freshness and taste. Considering the smell it gives, I think a suitable name has been chosen for it.

A complex musky/aromatic/boisé fragrance combining a sort of initial old-school radiant neroli-centered spicy (mostly cinnamon)/waxy-nectarinic/aldehydic/floral accord with a futuristic darker minty-metallic vaguely surgical aura (the central part of the trip) sliding down towards a muskier/woodsier accord quite musky and drier (with a sheer sandalwood-presence). Fresh, apothecarian and vaguely dandish/exotic L'Anarchiste strikes for audacity and peculiarity. Points of olfactive connections with Ck Eternity and Givenchy Insensé but L'Anarchiste tells an its own particular orangy/minty/medicinal story. Dry down pushes up a sort orangy/woodsy vibe with dominant vetiver and hints of suede, powdery tonka and musk. Mint waves throughout around. Perfect for "white-linen" south-american seasons

Smells like rain at first, a 50/50 mix of rain in the city and in a forest.

Then come out fresh cut red wood, pepper, and a recognizable mint - orange blossom - mandarin. A grassy, wet vetiver too.

I also once had a powdery, aldehydic experience in the heart and drydown. Wearing it again now, and this over it's a cedar powerhouse to me.

It's one of the most natural smelling scents I've had so far.

Not bad. Later on it becomes mainly sandalwood-musk-vetiver. Very unique although not my thing.