Putain des Palaces by Etat Libre d’Orange : Pefume Review

I have often mused whether this perfume is not named with the intent to scandalize, but instead, with the far more intelligent purport to satirize the banality of every other flower-bomb out there in the market. Creations with the sole aim to target all the lolita-esque creatures that go perfume shopping with the subconscious (or perhaps conscious) wish to amp their wet-dream potential. Nowhere near common is this masterfully blended putain by Etat Libre d’Orange. It opens up with a furious blend of flowers, so heady and strong and sweet that almost made me dismiss it. Violets and roses, sugared and dark, leave the wearer breathless. Then as the perfume sets, my mind’s eye catches glimmers of a woman, the alabaster-skinned beauty I immediately identify as Putain des Palaces. She is dipping her toe in a claw-foot tub. Red rose petals are floating in the water and serve to scent her skin exquisitely. This mixture of fresh water and rose petals has me ensnared and I can only wish this innocent intermezzo would last longer. But she has other plans, already planning the evening ahead. As Putain des Palaces continues to develop, I can clearly smell the juices of Clementine mandarins. The experience becomes even more decidedly gourmand with the addition of bittersweet almond essence and anise. I imagine the woman getting ready in her candlelit boudoir again, picking up her corset and silk robe from her canopied bed. Her languid bath over, her expression is unreadable - covered by the thick mask of her powder, applied with a heavy hand. The faintest whiff of leather rises from the leather lacing of her new corset. Her erotic musk will only be discerned by the one that leans to bite her neck.

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