Perfume Review. Two Comfort Scents by Givenchy: Organza Indecence and Oblique Rewind

Today’s review is for two more comfort scents. Lets face it, when the forecast promises snow and rain all on the same day, one needs comfort in any form one can get it. My personal recipe is to make a hot cuppa of Russian Caravan tea and wrap myself in one of these warm, sweet, spicy olfactory blankets. You can find reviews of my other favorite comfort scents here, here, and here. Organza Indecence was created in 1999 by Norbert Bijaoui and Jean Claude Deville. I am not quite sure whether it was a Limited Edition of Organza, which by definition would have had a short lifespan, or whether it was simply –inexcusably- discontinued. Whatever the reason, Organza Indecence is not very easy to find, but it is worth an effort. It starts with a spicy, cinnamon-y and woody accord, which I believe is Jacaranda wood, this top note is the ultimate sweet woody pleasure; if you like me are a fan of warm, rich woody scents, you are practically guaranteed to love Organza Indecence at the first sniff. In the middle stage a harsher woody note enters the scent, which makes me think there are cedar and benzoin in the blend. It is not off-putingly harsh, it actually adds a certain sharp elegance to the composition. That note disappears quite fast and we are left with a velvety drydown, which mostly consists of vanilla, amber and musk on my skin. I read that there a plum note among the ingredients, but to my nose Organza Indecence has no fruitiness at all, it is all wood, soft, spicy and comforting. Oblique Rewind, created in 2000 by Nathalie Lorson, is a part of Oblique trio that also includes Oblique Play and Oblique Fast Forward. I believe Oblique was Givenchy’s attempt to be “cool” and in tune with the younger clientele; the Oblique trio was inspired by musical equipment, and housed in strange, UFO-like packaging. I guess the younger customers were not impressed and the rest was put off by the faux hip concept and Obliques were discontinued. I do not regret the passing of Play and FFWD, but the loss of RWD is lamentable. If one manages to look past the nonsensical name and the silly bottle, this is actually a wonderfully warm, rich, velvety scent that could compete with cult favorites like Escada Collection for the title of the ultimate comfort fragrance. Oblique Rewind starts with a spiced cherry accord that is more of a cherry tobacco than a berry scent, it is a sweet, smoky, delicious note. Paired with the pistachio note that appears next, it becomes oh so indulgent, it is gourmand without being foody. In the drydown, Oblique RWD is mostly woods (sandalwood and cedar) with a little patchouli thrown in for good measure. Among my favorite comfort scents, this is perhaps the richest, the warmest, and the most robust. Organza Indecence is available at Parfumsraffy, $49.00 for 1,7oz. Oblique Rewind can be found at PerfumeMart, $32.00 for two 0,66oz sprays.