Perfume Review: Cumming, the Fragrance

Review by Tom Celebrity fragrances are an odd breed: they can be Old School, Like Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds, or new style like Paris Hilton's (insert name of whatever here), which frankly are usually pretty ghastly. Or they can be cutting-edge, like Miller Harris l'Air de Rien (which, since it was designed for Jane Birkin I am counting) and gorgeous. Cumming, the Fragrance is certainly in the latter group. It's hardly a shock to read at the website that Chris Brosius of Demeter and CB I Hate Perfume was the nose behind this one, the only person I would think that would get within fifteen miles of Cumming's opening would be Chris Sheldrake, and he would not have gone so literal: it's rubber and tuffley peat and pine a fair bit of man-juice (I would have loved to be a fly on the wall at the meeting where they went over the notes: I can see Alan Cumming knocking back his second single malt and halfway through his Cohiba, joking "I want it to smell like drunken sex with me in a rubber suit" and CB taking notes, a wicked gleam in his eyes.). It's not Secretions Magnifiques- there's no note of CSI: Coney Island in there, thank goodness. It is more than a bit "wink, wink, nudge, nudge" and I cannot fathom how they thought it would fly at Sephora, but most of that drops out within ten minutes, leaving an earthy leather with a hint of the rubber. After an hour or so, it's left as a very warm skin scent with only a hint of the peaty truffled dirty note that dominates the beginning. I actually wish it was a little more long-lasting; the dissonance between the kinky man-sex opening and the rather demure drydown made me want a bit more. Cumming, the Fragrance is clearly as personal a scent as l'Air de Rien is, and is clearly made to Mr. Cumming's specifications and likes with no thought as to whether it's commercial. It's clearly made focusing on invention and more than a fair bit of humor. Of course I don't know him, but I would imagine that it's pretty much a reflection of his personality. Experiment time! I layered with CB I Hate Perfume Musk. It sweetened the opening and middle and made more deep the drydown. I think Mr. Cumming should get an EDP out there soon. Cumming the Fragrance is available at his website, $69.00 (bien sur) for 3.4 ounces. There are also body products like lotion for $49 for 12 oz, an 8oz soap for $22 and 12oz body cleanser for $39 and a 12 oz body scrub for $45. Image source, cummingthefragrance.com.