Afnan Perfumes
Afnan Perfumes
76 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The Calabrian bergamot cuts through immediately with sharp, slightly metallic brightness, flanked by lavender's cool herbaceousness and black pepper's peppery snap. You're hit with something decidedly fresh and brisk—almost soapy in its cleanliness—that feels like cold water splashed across your face on a winter morning.
As the top notes recede, elemi resin emerges as the unexpected centrepiece, introducing a woody, almost liturgical quality that wasn't apparent at first spray. Geranium softens this with a green-rose undertone, whilst pink pepper replaces the initial aggression with something warmer and more approachable—the fragrance becomes less about shock and more about intrigue.
Ambroxan and vetiver establish themselves as the true base, creating a greyish-green, slightly earthy foundation that's surprisingly dry and mineral. Patchouli lurks beneath without demanding attention, adding earthiness rather than darkness, and the synthetic quality becomes more pronounced here—lending an almost transparent, skin-like quality that makes Modest Une feel less like a fragrance worn *on* the body and more like a subtle olfactory shadow.
Modest Une announces itself with the kind of clarity that feels almost austere—a Calabrian bergamot that's bracing and slightly bitter, immediately tempered by lavender's herbaceous whisper. This isn't a soft introduction; the pepper arrives quickly to sharpen the edges, creating a top accord that feels more like a crisp morning walk than a perfume spray. What emerges is genuinely unisex, eschewing both floral sweetness and woody masculinity in favour of something altogether more contemplative.
The heart reveals itself as genuinely interesting: elemi resin brings a resinous, almost incense-like quality that complicates the fresh opening, whilst geranium adds a slightly green, slightly rosy undertone. Pink pepper provides a secondary spice note that's softer than the opening's black pepper—more akin to paprika's warmth than its bite. There's a synthetic quality here (the accords confirm 64% synthetic presence), but it works in Modest Une's favour, lending a slightly ethereal, almost ozonic shimmer that prevents the composition from feeling entirely natural or grounded.
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4.1/5 (409)