Madness by Chopard

Madness is a discontinued gem by Christine Nagel, which, were it to be born into a different brand and market, could have thrived as a niche favorite. It has all the markings of one. A woody oriental with an interesting, oddly sweaty yet dry, fruity top and a sueded rose woven throughout the composition, it has a beautiful incense accord that lends the blend an atmosphere of darkness, which is neither sensual nor sinister. Rather, the presence of the smooth, polished, warm rosewood note and the crystalline, musky hibiscus makes the fragrance serene. Serene doesn't seem like the right description for a perfume called Madness, but the only crazy thing about the scent is its name, the ugly color scheme of its packaging and its fate, which treated it so badly by placing in where it had. Simultaneously very "human" (what with that sweaty lychee note and a leathery feel) and thus familiar, yet comfortingly detached, this is a great contemplative fragrance, which to me inhabits the same realm of softer incensey/woody comfort scents as Costes, 10 Corso Como and Eau Egyptienne. Madness can be found fairly easily online. I see it for as little as $18.64 for 2.5oz on Amazon. Image, Jiang Guo Fang's Palace Gate, is from art-center-berlin.de.