Lubin
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The citrus trio arrives with immediate brightness—tart grapefruit and bergamot establishing a fresh perimeter—whilst the two roses bloom simultaneously, the Bulgarian offering honeyed florality and the Moroccan adding a subtle spice that prevents the composition from reading as purely feminine. Within these first moments, there's an almost startling freshness, as though you've cracked open an ornate perfume bottle in a sunlit room.
By the second hour, the citrus begins its graceful retreat, and frankincense emerges with quiet presence, introducing a slightly smoky, resinous quality that transforms the iris from a simple powdery floral into something considerably more complex and contemplative. The florals settle into the background, now functioning as texture rather than declaration, whilst the resinous heart suggests worn parchment or temple incense rather than perfumery's typical floral sweetness.
What remains is a delicate, skin-scent affair—bourbon vanilla providing subtle warmth against a woody foundation of cedarwood and musk, with ambergris contributing a faint animalism that prevents the vanilla from tipping toward dessert. The fragrance clings close now, demanding to be discovered rather than announced, a whisper of powder and amber lingering on the collar and wrists.
Grisette is a fragrance that understands restraint—a quality increasingly rare in contemporary perfumery. Thomas Fontaine has constructed something genuinely unisex here, not through androgynous blandness, but through a disciplined interplay of competing floral vocabularies. The two roses (Bulgarian and Moroccan) don't battle for dominance; instead, they create a bifurcated floral conversation, with the Bulgarian lending classical sweetness whilst the Moroccan contributes a slightly greener, more resinous undertone. Bergamot and grapefruit arrive as civilising forces, preventing the florals from becoming saccharine, their citric snap cutting through what could easily have become a powdery morass.
What distinguishes Grisette is how the iris-frankincense heart refuses to coddle. Iris typically signals powder and cosmetic elegance, but here frankincense—that mineral, almost medicinal resin—destabilises any comfort the florals might offer. There's something faintly austere about this combination, as though wearing a silk slip under a wool coat. The base then performs a modest sleight of hand: bourbon vanilla and ambergris introduce warmth and animalic sensuality, yet cedarwood and musk keep everything tethered to earth rather than allowing it to drift into gourmand territory.
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3.6/5 (95)