Aubin Grandpied Bunmanchi, Childhood Playmate

[MCS4096]

Ward of Lord Richard Sasquets, Aubin grew up in the shadow of the ancient house in which he was reared. Quiet, moody, and reserved, his love for Lady Cecily goes unspoken and unrequited: pale fur, lavender water, Corsican immortelle, white thyme, benzoin absolute, ambergris accord, and sorrowful carrot seed.

Oh my oh my, oh my... this is lovely. I'm kind of afraid to say this, but.. this is like TKO meets The Girl meets Antique Lace. I know.. that sounds totally insane.

I'm having trouble writing anything coherent because I'm too interested in huffing my arm.

Ok, hear me out. Most prominent is the lavender from TKO, with just a touch of thyme and carrot seed around the edges-- it's very soft and herbal, only slightly astringent. Next comes something that smells like the deep vanilla of Antique Lace (RIP).. and I'm not sure what it is. I know immortelle (a note also found in The Girl) can be described as smelling syrupy, caramel-like or honey-like, perhaps it is a combination of that with benzoin, giving a resinous sweetness here.

Sweet, herbal, softly musky... dang, I'll be looking for another bottle.

[Lethran]

In Bottle: I am assuming the immortelle listed is Xeranthemum, which is a flower I’ve seen, but can’t recall the scent of, so there will be some guessing in this review. The blend is mildly lavender dominant, with the lavender complicated by what I’m guessing is the immortelle. If so it’s a delicate floral that goes well with the lavender. The benzoin also supports the lavender. The ambergris accord functions here much the way vanilla often does, buy smoothing scent transitions and tying things together. It is pervasive, but unobtrusive because of how well it works with everything here. It softens the lavender’s edges. It turns up the sexy on the fur. It helps the thyme kiss the lavender. The carrot seed is understated and enriches the thyme more than stands on its own. This is pretty androgynous to my nose. Wet: Not as much throw as I’d hoped. I do like the way the immortelle comes out on my skin, and it’s slightly spicy, dusty sort of feel. It remains delicate, but somehow really changes the way the lavender feels, transforming it in ways I’m having trouble to describe. The androgynous florals sweep up the ambergris and fur like a little whirlwind, drawing them into the complexity of the dominant faction where the benzoin already resides. The thyme and carrot seed fade into the lavender, complicating it further, still detectable, but more as part of the whole, than as parts. I do like this, even if it occasionally forms brief accidental accords for redwood and playdough to my nose. Dry: I actually kind of like the way this goes redwood adjacent on the dry down. It’s like if redwood were a floral and an androgynous after shave, which I know makes no sense to brains that aren’t mine, but it’s sexy and I really want to lick it. Again, I suspect none of this is helpful, but I’m calling it a win.

[mymymai]

ITB: I initially thought I would be able to get away from ECCC without any of these. However, for Aubin and I, it was love at first sniff. The ambergris accord, one of my favorite notes, is warm and enticing, providing the perfect bed upon which the lavender, thyme, and benzoin rest. I second the idea that it is similar to TKO, although perhaps not as sexy and sweet (sans vanilla), but much more comforting and dreamy.

 

Wet: Absolutely gorgeous French lavender, warm ambergris, thyme and benzoin with a slightly bitter tone (but not overpowering, so it actually is a welcomed addition), and hints of carrot seed and light fur. It's light petting a soft, white bunny sitting amongst a field of lavender.

 

Dry: Gosh, this scent is amazing. Even when dry, it still maintains a dreamy, hazy and comforting quality. The benzoin is very noticeable now, tinged with carrot seed around the edges, complemented by light lavender, time, and the dainty floral of immortelle. While the ambergris is not as strong as it used it be, there is still a lovely musky tone that just amplifies the notes in the best possible way. This is certainly a keeper!

[Monday]

Gorgeous! ^ mymymai pretty much summed the blend up for me.

 

On my skin wet: Softness, lavender and in the background I'm getting the immortelle and some thyme. The whole blend is suffused in fluff which I'm guessing is the fur.

On my skin dry: Aubin goes to a whole different level of pretty when it's dry. The lavender has taken a step back and the cotton candy sweetness from benzoin is coming forward together with the carrot seed which is slightly earthy and woodsy. After some time the ambergris shows up. The longer it's on my skin the sweeter it gets.

 

Aubin has a dusty feeling which I like a lot it's very well blended and really comes together the longer I wear it. I get a bit of a Silver-Haired Bat vibe from to the benzoin after a while.

[zankoku_zen]

Aubin and I do not get along. What started out as lavender water, salty fur and a slightly sour myrrh note devolved completely into something that smells like bandaids.

 

At which point, I just had to bid adiue to Aubin.

[annemathematics]

I love the scents from this eccc release!! leopold and cecily get the most love from me, but on this hot and sticky day, i reached for my bottle of aubin.

 

he's gotten bigger and bolder since he's come to live with me. (in the first few weeks, this scent was very faint and high, and my skin just ate it up.)

there's a high-pitched brightness to this scent from the lavender/thyme/everlasting, a spicey warmth from the carrot seed and benzoin and a salty richness from the fur and ambergris. it's absolutely gorgeous and I can't get over how fantastic this was in late california heat. swoooon!

 

(aubin and leopold layered together are the hottest couple I've smelled all year)

[Jangzonrice]

This is my favorite out of this set! TKO lavender with a bright spiciness from carrot and salt from ambergris. It's like having all of my staple base scents that make me really happy all in one scent. It's one of my go-tos when I need to calm down, but not ready for bed yet (I.e. Going to have a nerve-wracking day). It works every time!

[milo]

Fresh, herbal lavender at first. After 20 minutes or so, not so nice. It smells like something chemical soaked, and just plain weird. I do smell the benzoin underneath the rubbery chemicals, and it is lovely and sweet, but it totally ruined by what my nose is interpreting as unnatural and fake. Sad, as there was promise here.