By Dane
A short summary of Histoire de Parfums' 3 collections will follow in the next week or so. I'll start today with the feminines (as per their classification), followed by the masculines, and finally the unisex offerings. Sample sets can be purchased directly from HdP's website, which is where I acquired mine.
1804 - A pineapple-amber in the Angel mould, but vastly less good. This one made me nauseous. I can only think of 2 or 3 perfumes based on pineapple, and I'm starting to realize why that is.
1826 - This is the one I was most looking forward to, and was the biggest disappointment. The show opened with some nice fruity notes, then a touch of woods...then nothing. Now and then I could detect a faint licorice-like note, but I had to struggle to even find where I had sprayed in the first place. Waste of money.
1873 - This surely would be a grapefruit lovers' dream. Photo realistic, but like all citrus scents that aim to smell like topnotes all the way through, it becomes tiresome.
1876 - Another disappointment. I read "woody rose" and got my hopes up. What I got was a dirty, soapy musk, then some spice. Eventually it faded into the smell of the little ornamental soaps in your granny's powder room. Unpleasant on all accounts.
Blanc Violette - If you're looking for a violet with zero sweetness, this may be your dream-come-true. If you're not, it's a sad, synthetic creature of no interest.
Vert Pivoine - Bargain-basement rendition of Azzaro Couture. But this came first you say? Yes, it did. Note to HdP - peonies don't smell like this.
Don't get too excited for the rest of the reviews...things don't get much better.
Great to read a summary of a whole range. They sound pretty mediocre though which is a huge disappointment. I haven't tried any of the HdP range, and I was looking forward to giving them a try. Think you've saved me the bother for most of them.
ReplyDeleteI don't like amber or Angel. (Cross off 1804). Agree that any citrus based fragrance relies heavily on top notes. They seem to lack depth.(Cross off 1873). Rose is always a bit grannyish, (cross off 1876)
There are a few that I will still give a try. It's great to have a critical preview as there's nothing worse than getting your hopes up and being seriously disappointed when you finally get a chance to test them for yourself.
God bless the sample set! Although I wish I didn't have to pay for them...
ReplyDeleteEither way, stay tuned for the rest of the reviews. One or two aren't as bad as the rest.
It's quite a task you've set for yourself, reviewing this whole line! I admit I'd burn out after that many disappointing trials. Based on the panegyrics to this line from Luca Turin, I tried 1826 and 1828. I thought 1826 was effective as a spiced tropical fruit composition, and it endured much better for me than it apparently did for you. 1828 was so dull that I lost interest in pursuing the rest of the collection. I'll wait to hear your further thoughts on these before I sample any more...
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