Perfume Review: Caron Montaigne and Eau de Reglisse

Review by Tom As threatened, the last of the Caron reviews. Montaigne Montaigne was created in 1986 with notes that on paper read very much like Alpona, with jasmine, bitter orange, mandarin, and mimosa. Had I not just tested Alpona, I would love Montaigne: it opens like a muted Alpona, while also having some of Farnesiana's wonderful mustiness. As a matter of fact, it could be the love child of Alpona and Farnesiana. Like the children of some famous beauties who end up as merely handsome, for me Montaigne will have to take a backseat to its parents. Since it's not an urn fragrance, I assume it's a lot easier to get. Eau de Reglisse My first sniff of this did not commend itself to me at all; a hard, light rooty licorice that I found a bit overbearing. It was quickly supplanted by a lemony gingeriness that almost, but not quite gets to the dreaded Pledge stage. This bright opening, while not my favorite of the year, does manage to do something interesting with the fruity-gourmand trend: it's not fizzy or ditzy or overtly girly. There's a certain edginess to it that's very, well, French. Basil and verbena start to peep in, taking this from the candiness to something deeper, musk and patchouli in the drydown make this something more than just a sweet summer scent. I can appreciate it's modernity while it still maintains that Caron oddness. Of course, it was a limited edition, only available this past summer. Normally, this would work my last nerve, but since I could actually see myself buying this, perhaps it's for the best.