Le Couvent
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Cardamom explodes with immediate peppery heat, its spice sharp and almost menthol-tinged, announcing itself before the heavier resins have time to settle. Within moments, the frankincense emerges like smoke curling upwards, bright and slightly citric beneath its own acrid edge.
By the second hour, the resins have fully bloomed into a complex, almost liturgical darkness—myrrh's bitter-sweetness intertwines with patchouli's earthy depth, whilst the cardamom retreats into the background, now contributing only a subtle warmth rather than a forefront spice. This is where the fragrance's contemplative heart reveals itself, a densely woven tapestry of temple incense and aged leather.
The cedar and vetiver finally command the composition, stripping away the resinous grandeur to leave something spare and architectural—dry wood, a whisper of smoke, and the faintest suggestion of the patchouli's earthiness still clinging beneath. By the fourth hour, it becomes an intimate skin scent, barely perceptible to anyone but you.
Valparaiso is a fragrance that smells like stepping into a centuries-old apothecary where resin-darkened wood meets sacred incense. Alexandra Monet has constructed something deliberately austere here—there's no cloying sweetness to soften the edges, though the base's woody warmth prevents it from becoming medicinal and cold.
The cardamom opens with a peppery snap, but it's the triumvirate of frankincense, myrrh, and patchouli that defines this scent's true character. These aren't the translucent, ethereal resins you'll find in minimalist niche fragrances; they're dense, almost tactile, with the patchouli adding a dark, soil-like undertone that grounds everything. The frankincense and myrrh create that distinctive smoky-sweet interaction—slightly bitter, slightly animalic—reminiscent of temple smoke clinging to robes.
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