Perfume Review: Delrae Amoureuse

Being very much in love with Edmond Roudnitska's perfumes and the general spirit and style of his work, I am always looking for traces of his influence in other perfumers' creations. The influence seems to me to be quite apparent in his son Michel's Amoureuse, composed for Parfums Delrae. It is impossible to describe any perfumer's style in a couple of sentences, especially not such complex genius' as Edmond Roudnitska, but if I had to sum up very simplistically what I feel is the prominent characteristic of his approach, I would say that his fragrances are built on a contrast. On a contrast between the very elegant, at times cool and aloof elements and the dark, often animalic undertones. Take my beloved Diorama: the utter refinement of the floral notes is juxtaposed with the sinful sensuality of civet and castoreum. I sense the same kind of duality, albeit less pronounced, in Roudnitska Jr.'s Amoureuse. The beginning of the scent is fruity and piquant, with tangerine and cardamom blended into an intriguing, very remotely gourmand harmony. I find that sweet and spicy accord incredibly attractive, and the pungent candied-ness of cardamom provides a segue into the slightly indolic jasmine in the same appealing manner as in The Different Company Jasmin de Nuit. For a while, jasmine, ornamented with the golden spiciness of cardamom, seems to reign over the composition without much competition from other floral notes. Soon, however, lily comes into prominence, and from then on Amoureuse is the battlefield of the two white floral giants, with lily, with its beautifully cold aroma, winning eventually. This is my favorite stage of the scent, and that is where the contrast of supremely elegant and dirty that I described above is especially apparent. There is something beneath the virginal white lily petals...the lingering indolic-ness of jasmine, the cardamom tang, the increasingly more potent cedar note...something that muddies the white-floral beauty in a very sensual manner. I wish that the lily lasted longer, instead, its chilly note is eventualy replaced by a very warm and creamy accord, a mix of tuberose, honey and sandalwood. The drydown feels very thick, almost a little cloying, however I do appreciate the fact that the honeyed butteriness is what makes Amoureuse so very lustful and voluptious. Incredibly feminine and beguiling, Amoureuse is a stunner. Amoureuse is available at Beautyhabit, $125.00 for 1.7oz.