Reviews of The Afternoon of a Faun by Etat Libre d'Orange
I've read several reviews of The Afternoon of a Faun and they are all terrible. Of course they all reference Nijinsky's ballet, and make some attempt to try to align the perfume's visionary artistry and execution with the artistry of the choreography, and they fail. Sorry, I have no intention to insult, it's just the truth. At the end of each piece I find myself more confused than when I started. So, I will forget what I've read and make my own attempt - likely in vain - to describe what's going on with this perfume.
What you need to know about this perfume, at least to what my nose can understand to be going on, is that it is trying to setup disparate and difficult notes alongside each other in such a way as to create a pleasing symmetry. It's sort of like a Picasso or a Dali painting: individual, specific images or sections of any work by either artist is going to look "wrong." "That's not in the right spot." "That's not the right color." "That's not the right shape." "Why is her eyeball over there?" "What's that supposed to mean? It makes no sense." "Why was the stroke so heavy there?" And yet when you pull your focus back to take in the painting as a whole, it works... brilliantly. The most legendary of artists have challenged us while presenting something pleasing in its entirety. So, if you haven't seen the ballet on which this perfume is inspired, don't worry - you'll still be able to understand what The Afternoon of a Faun is trying to do if you're familiar with the concept I've described above either in classical visual arts or auditory arts. What will be required of you is the ability to not hone so far onto a specific note that you miss the forest for the trees, which is difficult with this perfume in particular.
This perfume takes many notes of really rather unfortunate and challenging natures and juxtaposes them in such a way to make them beautiful; the sum is really much greater than the parts. The opening of bergamot, pepper, and cinnamon f*****g stinks. The myrrh, immortelle, and iris of the heart smell like a compost heap, mostly comprised of someone's vegetable garden, with the lid suddenly lifted after many months and the gaseous plume hitting you square in the face. Pile that on top of the leather, incense, and musk base and you get a stale fart born of a big meal of Indian food. And yet... align all of these notes at just the right time and what you get is sort of a powdery anisic chypre. Warm, deep, mysterious, and alluring. But, it is also a bit standoffish, pushy, rigid and strong, giving-way very slightly in parts as if you have accidentally found chinks in its armor. It's your favorite wonderfully colored and warming wool blanket that if draped over you in just such a way can be a touch itchy. The Afternoon of a Faun is one of the most thought-provoking and emotionally confusing perfumes I have smelled, and it will be a rare or special occasion that I will feel the desire to wear it... and I think the perfume is fine with that. It seems to have the attitude of not giving a damn if I want to wear it, or like it, or not. It's brilliant.
What you need to know about this perfume, at least to what my nose can understand to be going on, is that it is trying to setup disparate and difficult notes alongside each other in such a way as to create a pleasing symmetry. It's sort of like a Picasso or a Dali painting: individual, specific images or sections of any work by either artist is going to look "wrong." "That's not in the right spot." "That's not the right color." "That's not the right shape." "Why is her eyeball over there?" "What's that supposed to mean? It makes no sense." "Why was the stroke so heavy there?" And yet when you pull your focus back to take in the painting as a whole, it works... brilliantly. The most legendary of artists have challenged us while presenting something pleasing in its entirety. So, if you haven't seen the ballet on which this perfume is inspired, don't worry - you'll still be able to understand what The Afternoon of a Faun is trying to do if you're familiar with the concept I've described above either in classical visual arts or auditory arts. What will be required of you is the ability to not hone so far onto a specific note that you miss the forest for the trees, which is difficult with this perfume in particular.
This perfume takes many notes of really rather unfortunate and challenging natures and juxtaposes them in such a way to make them beautiful; the sum is really much greater than the parts. The opening of bergamot, pepper, and cinnamon f*****g stinks. The myrrh, immortelle, and iris of the heart smell like a compost heap, mostly comprised of someone's vegetable garden, with the lid suddenly lifted after many months and the gaseous plume hitting you square in the face. Pile that on top of the leather, incense, and musk base and you get a stale fart born of a big meal of Indian food. And yet... align all of these notes at just the right time and what you get is sort of a powdery anisic chypre. Warm, deep, mysterious, and alluring. But, it is also a bit standoffish, pushy, rigid and strong, giving-way very slightly in parts as if you have accidentally found chinks in its armor. It's your favorite wonderfully colored and warming wool blanket that if draped over you in just such a way can be a touch itchy. The Afternoon of a Faun is one of the most thought-provoking and emotionally confusing perfumes I have smelled, and it will be a rare or special occasion that I will feel the desire to wear it... and I think the perfume is fine with that. It seems to have the attitude of not giving a damn if I want to wear it, or like it, or not. It's brilliant.
I love the scent of immortelle: the dried flowers and the solvent-extracted absolute, warm and herbaceous, almost idyllic in nature. It reminds me of wildflowers under the sun, dry, baked, with the smell of the soil beneath them coming through. The first fragrance I encountered the features the note is a true love of mine, Annick Goutal Sables, which is pretty much an immortelle soliflore that really brings out the fenugreek and maple aspects of the note. Then there is Histoires de Parfums 1740, immortelle via leather, really dark and delicious.
Afternoon of a Faun is a bright autumn sun of a scent: immortelle with radiant aldehydes; bold, resinous, almost pungent myrrh, and a large tuft of oakmoss and florals. Immortelle is in itself a gregarious note, so there is truly art in motion here, to be able to have this altogether is nothing short of perfumery genius.
I am also struck by its mercurial nature: at certain points in its development, the rose and orris overshadow the immortelle and resins, then they recede, and return, a choreographic exchange with the moss weaving in and out, the myrrh asserting its dominance and then yielding. It's really a thrilling and positively enjoyable wear because there is a bit more suspense than usual, at least as it all dances on my skin and in my space. Afternoon of a Faun is olfactory seduction.
Afternoon of a Faun is a bright autumn sun of a scent: immortelle with radiant aldehydes; bold, resinous, almost pungent myrrh, and a large tuft of oakmoss and florals. Immortelle is in itself a gregarious note, so there is truly art in motion here, to be able to have this altogether is nothing short of perfumery genius.
I am also struck by its mercurial nature: at certain points in its development, the rose and orris overshadow the immortelle and resins, then they recede, and return, a choreographic exchange with the moss weaving in and out, the myrrh asserting its dominance and then yielding. It's really a thrilling and positively enjoyable wear because there is a bit more suspense than usual, at least as it all dances on my skin and in my space. Afternoon of a Faun is olfactory seduction.
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Sweet and floral, but also strong on the resins. Androgynous, but leaning a little male in my opinion, despite the sweetness. The benzoene balances it.
So I've worn this again and it starts quite appealing, but can become unpleasant after a time. Sweet and resinous, but also kind of linear? Very interesting, but probably not FB worthy for me.
So I've worn this again and it starts quite appealing, but can become unpleasant after a time. Sweet and resinous, but also kind of linear? Very interesting, but probably not FB worthy for me.
Marcelle Lender Dancing the Bolero in "Chilpéric" by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
A rather strange, oddly and disturbingly old-fashioned conconction. I like immortelle in the fantastic Dior Eau Noire, but here it doesn't work for me. The combination of iris and immortelle with leather overtones smells like what might be left on a bed after the tryst of a dowager and a male escort.
This smells very strange. Like an old lady's perfume. Turns out I am not a fan of immortelle at all.
2/5
2/5
This a competent, independent (indie)-smelling perfume, somewhat reminding me of the 4160 Tuesdays style, which I like.
It smells great up close, like a garden, but also warm.
It smells great up close, like a garden, but also warm.
VERY strange fragrance from a company known for strange fragrances. Opens with a sharp citrus and green iris/bergamot. Some spices join in just a quarter-note off key, like the old man in church singing a half second behind everyone else off key. It's not quite horrible, and I bump it up from a thumbs down to a neutral b/c of its strange originality.
The Afternoon of a Faun starts with a squeaking, citrusy, green, waxy, alkaline, almost bitter rose which later settles with the aid of immortelle into a more powdery flavor reminiscent of dried rose petals. Also this dusty structure makes the connection to pepper and oakmoss, more raspy structures with different frequencies. As oakmoss is green, so behaves the citrusy rose from the beginning and incense in the middle. On the next morning you discover the faun warm skin and fur at this point it reminds me of LesNez' Antimatier with a hint of beeswax.
All in all The Afternoon of a Faun consists of many more compositional details. But what impresses me most is its truly melancholic spirit full of wicked pain and lust. As the faun desires the nymphs, so was Vaslav Nijinsky obsessed to rewrite ballet and was the aging ballet impressario fascinated by the beauty of the dancer. It makes me think of an apartment on Place Vendôme in October, the incidence of sunlight into a room with shellac seatings and glass cabinets, coffee stains in porcelain cups and a bouquet of wilting roses.
All in all The Afternoon of a Faun consists of many more compositional details. But what impresses me most is its truly melancholic spirit full of wicked pain and lust. As the faun desires the nymphs, so was Vaslav Nijinsky obsessed to rewrite ballet and was the aging ballet impressario fascinated by the beauty of the dancer. It makes me think of an apartment on Place Vendôme in October, the incidence of sunlight into a room with shellac seatings and glass cabinets, coffee stains in porcelain cups and a bouquet of wilting roses.
An opening of pure discordance on my skin greasy, sweaty, pungent immortelle which made me go Oh no, hope it won't carry on like this' backed with cotton candy iris which made me think, This isn't really helping'. And then strange, earthy, mushroomy tones goodness, what had this faun been imbibing?
But then it finally laid down upon the grass and things became a bit clearer. Its chypric identity came more clearly into view with the severity of mossy notes and dried-out greens proving a good fit with the immortelle it has something of the loamy, forest floor feel of Oriza's Chypre Mousse and much of its oddness as a result. With the immortelle finding its place in the mix, a rich butteriness rises up which puts an interesting gloss on what is essentially a half green-half brown scent which smells of natural organic things.
Eventually, though the chypric elements recede and we are left with hours of sun-baked immortelle permeated with a chokingly honeyed rosy odour. I can't warm to this later stage at all and a full day's worth I consider to be punishment.
But then it finally laid down upon the grass and things became a bit clearer. Its chypric identity came more clearly into view with the severity of mossy notes and dried-out greens proving a good fit with the immortelle it has something of the loamy, forest floor feel of Oriza's Chypre Mousse and much of its oddness as a result. With the immortelle finding its place in the mix, a rich butteriness rises up which puts an interesting gloss on what is essentially a half green-half brown scent which smells of natural organic things.
Eventually, though the chypric elements recede and we are left with hours of sun-baked immortelle permeated with a chokingly honeyed rosy odour. I can't warm to this later stage at all and a full day's worth I consider to be punishment.
I really like this fragrance, my favourite ELdO together with Rien. Immortelle seems to be at the centre here and subdued by floral and other notes. The notes seem almost fruity, but the sensation is likely due to iris and oakmoss, I suppose.
The fragrance's balance and end product is great! It is not 'fresh' in my opinion or 'green', but rather evokes autumn leaves and brownish/reddish colours in a soft aromatic way.
It does not change much of time, but that's fine with me. Perfectly unisex.
The fragrance's balance and end product is great! It is not 'fresh' in my opinion or 'green', but rather evokes autumn leaves and brownish/reddish colours in a soft aromatic way.
It does not change much of time, but that's fine with me. Perfectly unisex.
Doesn't smell like any of the listed notes in my opinion! I just read the note pyramid they have here on Basenotes, and I honestly don't know what the hell they are talking about. Myrrh, leather, benzoin - I give up, because I don't smell any of that.
Afternoon of a Faun is NOT an oriental, powdery, spicy leather as the notes might suggest. Nope, this one muscles its way into the green chypre category with an overall vibe halfway between a drenched forest and a bowl full of crushed iris roots. It's described as an aromatic, spicy scent on Fragrantica and as an incense-leather oriental here, but actually, it comes off as a scorched-earth chypre.
It shouldn't work. But the contrast of wet, bitter green iris and the dry woods is all kinds of addictive.
I love the way it takes me on a ride every time I put it on. It reminds me somewhat of a vintage No. 19 pure parfum I had from the 1950's which had turned badly it shares something of that singed woods and burned coffee smell the parfum had. But in contrast, Afternoon of a Faun smells really good to me.
Right away, the strangeness of the immortelle note is apparent. It adds a sticky, savory syrup note, like sugared hay boiled down in whiskey. This has the effect of injecting the chilly green halls of No. 19 with streaks of autumnal warmth. So, for once, you have a damp, mossy chypre that smells….warm, human, sunny almost. It makes this an exceedingly comfortable wear without sacrificing an ounce of its stylish swagger, like a pair of fabulous, wide-cut slacks that are both comfortable and capable of making you look like Marlene Dietrich.
I love, love, love the textures at play in Afternoon of a Faun too. The opening is sort of damp and glazed, like the patina from old wood that you've just loving rubbed with oil. The immortelle adds a spicy, vegetal syrupy feel, and orris butter a creamy, rooty smell and texture. It is sweet, but also dry and slightly spicy, like good old wood.
In the dry down, the most amazing transformation in texture takes place it sheds any sticky or wet feel it may have add, and becomes dry and smoky, like ash smoldering in the grate. At this stage, the immortelle smells like slightly burned coffee, which is a wonderfully dry, aromatic smell that I really enjoy.
In fact, I feel comfortable characterizing this as a dry, smoky iris perfume with a significant green/woody aspect to it. It smells like a real chypre too, even without oakmoss, so hats off to the folks at ELDO for proving that you can still produce a fantastic perfume that smells like the real deal rather than a sad sack imitation of what once was.
Afternoon of a Faun is NOT an oriental, powdery, spicy leather as the notes might suggest. Nope, this one muscles its way into the green chypre category with an overall vibe halfway between a drenched forest and a bowl full of crushed iris roots. It's described as an aromatic, spicy scent on Fragrantica and as an incense-leather oriental here, but actually, it comes off as a scorched-earth chypre.
It shouldn't work. But the contrast of wet, bitter green iris and the dry woods is all kinds of addictive.
I love the way it takes me on a ride every time I put it on. It reminds me somewhat of a vintage No. 19 pure parfum I had from the 1950's which had turned badly it shares something of that singed woods and burned coffee smell the parfum had. But in contrast, Afternoon of a Faun smells really good to me.
Right away, the strangeness of the immortelle note is apparent. It adds a sticky, savory syrup note, like sugared hay boiled down in whiskey. This has the effect of injecting the chilly green halls of No. 19 with streaks of autumnal warmth. So, for once, you have a damp, mossy chypre that smells….warm, human, sunny almost. It makes this an exceedingly comfortable wear without sacrificing an ounce of its stylish swagger, like a pair of fabulous, wide-cut slacks that are both comfortable and capable of making you look like Marlene Dietrich.
I love, love, love the textures at play in Afternoon of a Faun too. The opening is sort of damp and glazed, like the patina from old wood that you've just loving rubbed with oil. The immortelle adds a spicy, vegetal syrupy feel, and orris butter a creamy, rooty smell and texture. It is sweet, but also dry and slightly spicy, like good old wood.
In the dry down, the most amazing transformation in texture takes place it sheds any sticky or wet feel it may have add, and becomes dry and smoky, like ash smoldering in the grate. At this stage, the immortelle smells like slightly burned coffee, which is a wonderfully dry, aromatic smell that I really enjoy.
In fact, I feel comfortable characterizing this as a dry, smoky iris perfume with a significant green/woody aspect to it. It smells like a real chypre too, even without oakmoss, so hats off to the folks at ELDO for proving that you can still produce a fantastic perfume that smells like the real deal rather than a sad sack imitation of what once was.
Smells like a generic nightmare. Can't believe the price being asked for to purchase this.
nympho The perfume-tells-a-story bit isn't my bag. Why do we try so hard to push narrative onto non-literal experiences? As much as I love to write about perfume, the writing is utterly after the fact of the experience. Just let me smell my perfume and experience the state. The poem, the music the ballet, the myth. Genug shoin! Afternoon of a Faun perfume doesn't suggest fauns or any of the notions that a faun represents in mythology. But story aside, it is a brilliant perfume. There have been a number of strategies to recreate or suggest the chypre accord without the bio-hazard oakmoss. Chanel 31 Rue Cambon bends a floral amber into the shape of a chypre. Annick Goutal Mon Parfum Cheri makes patchouli, a common chypre component, a stand-in for rather than a partner to oakmoss. de Nicolai's Vie de Chateau Intense plays with the hay-like scent of coumarin to create a fougere/chypre hybrid. But Ralf Schwieger does a clever turn with Afternoon of a Faun. Using immortelle, which I wouldn't otherwise think to associate with oakmoss, he plays up the sandpapery, dusty feel of oakmoss giving us the tone and the shape of the chypre without explicitly trying to smell like one. The composition has a clear bergamot note, and an ambery benzoin if not cistus labdanum itself, so the rest of the chypre elements are in play. But immortelle, when matched with incense and myrrh implies that state between smokiness and resin that moss creates. Imagine that perfume notes are elements on the periodic table. Schwieger goes directly up one level to find the element that shares the same chemical properties as our element oakmoss and makes a new compound. Rather then suggesting a chypre (31 Rue Cambon) or using chypre-like elements (treemoss and the new synthetics) Schwieger gives us a parallel universe chypre, and I for one couldn't be happier. This could easily be a signature scent for someone searching for perfume monogamy. from scent hurdle.com
I don't think this is unisex - it definitely reads feminine to me. In fact, the first reaction I had to it was that it resurrected some of what was lost in recent reformulations of Y Yves Saint Laurent. I love the green orris combined with benzoin. Its also very long lasting being very noticeable even after 12 hours. Overall, a wearable and beautiful scent.
Wonderful fresh green fragrance with a twist. 'Green' isn't my cup of tea at all but there is an exquisite sweetness to the heart and base notes, which is difficult to pin down, but is addictive. I can hardly believe the notes listed -- this is not a curry. Big compliment getter. Think of all the 'Jardin' fragrances by Hermes -- then take out the awful chemical overload of them; you will be close to this ' with her belly grey'.
I'm a huge fan of Etat Libre D'Orange but, this thime, they really have to be kidding me. Immortelle? Cinnamon? Benzoin? Leather? WHAAAT?
This is all about a hyper-green orris root bonded around a woody-citrus bone structure. Maybe not as generic as one may initially think but definitely safe and sort of cold. Made me think about a partially successful delivery from Divine. Think about L'Etre Aime Homme minus the ambery drydown and you'll get an idea. There's a part where the orris root is timidly joined by some immortelle that catched my interest. It seemed an interesting evolution but, unfortunately the accord doesn't bloom and the helichrysum is relegated to a side note leaving the fragrance with a thin green woody vibe which is not bad yet extremely far from being interesting. The fragrance is pervaded by a rose-y vibe throughout. There must be some rose in here. Maybe some incense....somewhere...
Good lasting and good projection.
This is all about a hyper-green orris root bonded around a woody-citrus bone structure. Maybe not as generic as one may initially think but definitely safe and sort of cold. Made me think about a partially successful delivery from Divine. Think about L'Etre Aime Homme minus the ambery drydown and you'll get an idea. There's a part where the orris root is timidly joined by some immortelle that catched my interest. It seemed an interesting evolution but, unfortunately the accord doesn't bloom and the helichrysum is relegated to a side note leaving the fragrance with a thin green woody vibe which is not bad yet extremely far from being interesting. The fragrance is pervaded by a rose-y vibe throughout. There must be some rose in here. Maybe some incense....somewhere...
Good lasting and good projection.
I have to buck the trend here,
Nothing new to smell, a classic Chypre, dressed down with a forrest floor accord.
None the less a Masterpiece due to it's flawless execution. Fresh, Verdant and Woody.
Nothing new to smell, a classic Chypre, dressed down with a forrest floor accord.
None the less a Masterpiece due to it's flawless execution. Fresh, Verdant and Woody.
Apparently the faun spent the afternoon at the local curry house. I don't get much more from this; the immortelle drowns out whatever else is supposed to be in there.
Instantly forgetable. I meant to write a nice review after trying out the sample. What happened was that after the top notes which weren't a hit with me, the rest didn't leave any impression on me whatsoever. I call that a bad thing for a perfume to do to a basenoter.