Robert Piguet
Robert Piguet
165 votes
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
The plum arrives with surprising immediacy, tart and slightly green, immediately tempered by the fir balsam's resinous, almost pine-like coolness. Bergamot flickers at the edges, not bright but rather like citrus viewed through frosted glass, whilst the composition already feels grounded and contemplative rather than effervescent.
The iris notes emerge gradually, dusting the oud with an almost papery, talc-like quality that transforms it into something more textural than aromatic. The heart settles into a woody-sweet equilibrium where nothing dominates—each note exists in precise tension with its neighbours, creating an almost meditative, cyclical quality as your nose moves across different facets.
Sandalwood and cedarwood anchor the composition into something deeper and considerably more resinous, with the cypriol adding an earthy, slightly smoky quality. Tonka bean absolute provides the final sweetness, but it's restrained and intertwined with wood rather than standalone, leaving behind a soft, woody-creamy skin scent that lingers with quiet persistence.
L'Insomnuit arrives as a study in controlled darkness—a fragrance that honours the aesthetic of sleeplessness without resorting to the obvious melancholy. The opening plum and fir balsam create an unusual juxtaposition: stone fruit's natural sweetness meets evergreen's austere, almost medicinal green-grey character, whilst bergamot threads through like a thin strand of clarity. This isn't cheerful citrus; it's citrus stripped of its joviality, rendered contemplative.
What distinguishes L'Insomnuit is how the orris absolute and orris concrete in the heart don't soften the composition into powdery abstraction—instead, they anchor the oud in a deliberately brittle, almost dusty iris root that feels more like the smell of old paper and faded documents than cosmetic powder. The oud itself refuses to dominate; it whispers rather than announces, adding a subtle animalic undertone that prevents the fragrance from becoming precious or decorative.
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3.5/5 (381)