L'Examen de Minuit

[neuilly]

The rapture of sorrowful things: frankincense, black plum, melancholy lilac, rose otto, and myrrh.

 

"Indulgent dark" Indeed. This actually reminds me a lot of my bottle of Hymn to Proserpine. It's not the same notes but it evokes a dark sensual evening that just fully envelopes you. I don't feel like this is something I could wear often. It's a mysterious woman and the end of a dimly lit street...and I'm not that woman. But this is a really beautiful and evocative scent.

[JazzieCazzie]

Received this as lagniappe in a swap. One of four lagniappes, ALL of which had dealbreaker notes of doom for me, but in my anal-retentive plan to try EVERY SINGLE SCENT I OWN, I forged ahead ... gulp.

 

Note of Doom in this one: PLUM. Ugh. Rose is also a bad bad note on me a lot of the time but not a Note Of Doom.

 

IN THE IMP: The primary note I get is frankincense, which is a good thing. I also get a LOT of rose, which is not such a good thing because rose only tends to work on me when it's a way-down note, not an in-your-face note. This is ... interesting. I don't smell the plum in the imp.

 

Dabbed very very very cautiously on my wrist.

 

WET: Frankincense and paint remover. I guess it could be worse. I don't get a lot of the plum per se in the usual "get this off of me right now now now now now" way. But it is winey. Which I like in my mouth but not on my skin.

 

DRYDOWN: Just way too strong and perfumey and purple, even applied to the tiniest degree.

 

OVERALL: I guess I can see why the complexity of this would be good for people who like all of these notes. But I'm not one of them.

 

On a scale of 1-5, 1 1.5

[Ghost of a Rose]

In the imp: Mostly incense, with undertones of fruit and rose.

On me, wet: Pretty much the same - primarily an incense perfume. But with a tiny bit of fruitiness and floral, which now is a blend of both the lilac and the rose.

After 10 minutes: First the plum and then the florals are coming out more strongly, but the incense still dominates.

After 30 minutes: The throw is of spicy plum, with the spice note coming from the frankincense. Sniffing my wrist up close I can smell the lovely florals, with lilac the stronger and rose in the background.

After 2 hours: Still mostly incense, although now the myrrh is now at least equal to the frankincense. There's still a trace of fruit, but the florals are mostly gone, lingering only as a faint powdery undertone.

After 3 hours: A subtle spicy fragrance of frankincense.

 

Verdict: I would like this even more if the frankincense and myrrh were less strong, to allow the plum and florals more of a presence. But I do like it a lot. It does impart a sense of "purpleness." It would be good for the office, since it is not ultra-feminine. Just don't apply too much, as the incenses are pretty strong.

My rating: 4 stars

[tziporra]

I tried this in honor of the upcoming DC. Not sure where the came from, probably a freebie. I just tried a drop due to this not appealing at all.

 

Very wet I got a lovely whiff of lilac and I thought maybe I misjudged. I love lilac and resins! However, this immediately settled down into all myrrh, all the time.

 

Myrrh and I only get along when it behaves, which it is not doing here. Sorry, L'Examen de Minuit, I shall let you pass into memory unmourned.

 

Tzi

[cinnamonster]

I can't believe I didn't review this (or buy any..lone imp it is for me).

It's very purple smelling, purple frankincense. It smells like plum scented quality incense, it's lovely on my skin. I'm not sure why it has had so few admirers. It's like something from Once UPon a Time.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Mostly Frank and Myrrh, duking it out for dominance. Really, I can't pick out any other notes. It's nice though, being as I like both Frank and Myrrh, but I find them both to be "bully notes" and I always hope to find a more complex scent containing either of them.

 

 

Dry: The Frankincense won. This has become, essentially, Frankincense single note on me. You're such a bully, Frank.

[roseus]

Without looking at the notes this smelled like dried roses and old books wet. Like a dusty, long-forgotten Victorian library. Dry, I get dried rose up front, with a little lilac. I still get that warm, dustyness underneath and I think it must be the myrrh and frankincense. It's really nice, but I don't think it is something I'd wear that much.

[achildoftime]

I think this is a very delicate scent. I'm very grateful that the myrrh isn't going too soapy. I can actually get the frankincense, rose, and lilac. I don't get much plum, which is a little disappointing. It's one of my favorite notes so I was looking for it. It's just a close skin scent. I get the frankincense mostly, but the florals keep it light. I wish it was a little stronger.