Tag: NATHALIE GRACIA-CETTO

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Comme des Garçons Rouge EDP Review

Comme des Garçons Rouge EDP

With the enigmatic and visionary Rei Kawakubo as creative director of the Paris-based fashion brand (she would never call her creations “fashion”), Comme des Garçons fragrances could never be ordinary. The eponymous EDP (pictured, below) established the company’s unconventional approach to perfumery in a big and spicy way in 1994. More than twenty-five years later, Comme des Garçons Rouge EDP arrived on the market.

IMAGE: comme-des-garcons.com.

Both designer and niche, the company has had its fair share of ups and downs over the decades. This is to be expected when releases range from the downright anti-perfumes such as Series 6: Synthetic Garage EDT (2004), with its kerosene smell, to the more approachable Floriental EDP (2015).

Does Comme des Garçons Rouge live up to the brand’s creative and innovative reputation?

Comme des Garçons Rouge EDP

COMME DES GARÇONS ROUGE PERFUMER

Born and raised in Grasse, France, the award-winning Nathalie Gracia-Cetto (pictured, above) has earned praise for her designer and niche creations. These include Fragrance du Bois Oud Jaune Intense Parfum (2013), Ex Nihilo Love Shot EDP (2016), Tom Ford Soleil Blanc EDP (2016), Rochas Moustache EDP (2018) and Paco Rabanne 1 Million Lucky EDT (2018).

The pharmacology graduate also created Radish Vetiver EDP for Comme des Garçons’ Clash Collection in 2019, so is familiar with their aesthetic.

IMAGE: comme-des-garcons.com.

SO WHAT DOES COMME DES GARÇONS ROUGE SMELL LIKE?

Beetroot! Yep, the root vegetable stands out in the opening and pretty much throughout the scent’s progression. Its innate earthiness is given a spicy, rosy, slightly sweet twist with a pink peppercorn note. There’s more spice from zesty ginger. Its freshness is enhanced by the Egyptian geranium leaves, with their minty and gently metallic profile.

Comme des Garçons Rouge EDP

The intrigue doesn’t stop there. Incense makes its presence felt, without being overpowering. Its resinous smoke is complemented by the muskiness of patchouli and cistus.

There’s no shortage of fragrances with the word “rouge” in it and packaging to match. But Comme des Garçons Rouge is not just another marketing gimmick and proves the brand has not lost its edge.

While the beetroot is prominent, it’s treated and blended in such a clever way, there’s a good chance, you could love this fragrance even if you normally hate eating the vegetable.

Comme des Garçons Rouge EDP

If you’re looking for something different, but not outrageously experimental, this scent achieves a fine balancing act of pleasing long-time Comme des Garçons fans, while not alienating potential new devotees.

Comme des Garçons Rouge EDP is available in South Africa at Skins Cosmetics.

 

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Montblanc Signature Review

Montblanc Signature

I don’t normally make predictions. But having worn Montblanc Signature for the last month or so, the German luxury goods company has a big hit on its hands with this new EDP.

I won’t waste much time on the inspiration for Montblanc Signature – “the woman who is the author of her own life”. It doesn’t really tell us anything about the fragrance.

Montblanc Signature

It was created by a duo of top perfumers. Guillaume Flavigny is known for creations such as Elizabeth Arden White Tea, Balmain Ambre Gris and Comme des Garcons Black. Nathalie Gracia-Cetto has produced Paco Rabanne 1 Million Lucky, Rochas Moustache and Tom Ford Soleil Blanc, among others. Both know how to create commercially successful scents, and it shows in Montblanc Signature.

Montblanc Signature

SO WHAT DOES MONTBLANC SIGNATURE SMELL LIKE?

It opens with the sweet and juicy citrus hues of clementine, followed by a bouquet of peony, ylang-ylang and magnolia notes. The latter’s prominence builds on the intro’s fresh and luxurious vibe. It doesn’t take long for the fragrance’s main element – white musk – to come through. Luxurious yet clean, it works in tandem with a big dose of vanilla and benzoin.

Montblanc Signature is a fairly straightforward composition – one in which you can actually smell the seven listed notes. It’s effective all the same. The brand is known for its crowd-pleasers and this new pillar will undoubtedly become a favourite. Slightly reminiscent of another brand’s musk perfumes, but with its own spin on the theme, hallelujah, it doesn’t shout generic from the get-go.

It was conceptualised and executed before our current Covid-19 world, but interestingly captures what perfumer Frank Voelkl said in a recent interview on this blog about the biggest fragrance trends this decade: “Consumers have an increased desire for comfort, safety and feeling clean.”

Montblanc Signature EDP, R880 for 30ml, R1 055 for 50ml and R1 315 for 90ml, is available at Dis-Chem.