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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Perfume Review: Montale Chocolate Greedy

I got no chocolate from Iris Ganache and was happy about it, because to me iris (and flowers in general) and chocolate simply do not go together. (One exception to the No Flowers Rule is Angel Lys. I find the pairing of white lilies and dark chocolate striking and pleasing.) That doesn't mean, however, that I am completely against chocolate in perfume. There are select few, like the delectable and slightly dirty Musc Maori, that I enjoy and sometimes crave. I prefer chocolate in perfume to be more or less straightforward ("just chocolate"), paired with musk, a little bit of vanilla and/or woods...but not flowers, never flowers, and preferably not fruits either. It should smell rich and creamy or even a little doughy...like a velvety chocolate drink or a luscious, moist chocolate cake. Enter Chocolate Greedy, a new scent by Montale, which smells like both.

The beginning of Chocolate Greedy contains chocolate and copious amounts of cream, it is a succulent, buttery cocktail, so thick that one is probably better off eating it with a spoon. This is my favorite stage of the scent. If I had a bottle, I would keep reapplying just to experience the scrumptuous chocolate creaminess. After a while, Chocolate Greedy becomes more doughy, as if flour was added into the cocktail turning it into cookie or cake batter. Some chocolate chips have been added to the mix too, because the fragrance smells the most chocolatty at this point. This stage is very enjoyable as well; I love the raw aspect of the batter-like accord. As the scent progresses, it acquires slight powderiness, even a somewhat cardboard-like undertone, as if the cake was a little overcooked and became too dry and crumbly. This cardboard-like quality makes Chocolate Greedy quite a bit like Compotoir Sud Pacifique's Amour de Cacao, which I have never been able to wear exactly because of its powdery, somewhat artificial, overly sweet and strangely tough doughiness. The wonderfully soft and creamy characteristic of Chocolate Greedy is what makes it wearable and appealing for me. And luckily for me, the oozy, mellow creamy feel of the top notes returns in the base and that is how the perfume stays, as a delicate, milky, sweet skin-scent.

Would I buy it? Given the Montale prices and the fact that I want to wear a chocolate scent once in a blue moon, probably not. And if, unlike me, you can wear and enjoy Amour de Cacao, you probably don't need Chocolate Greedy either.

I believe that Chocolate Greedy has not been officially released in the US yet. It can be ordered from Montale boutique in Paris, tel.: 0033 (0) 142969744. You might also want to call or email Suravi to find out whether perhaps they already have it stock.

The image is by Anne Taintor, from annetaintor.com.

34 comments:

  1. Well, I guess I'm one of those who can wear the CSP, so I'll pass...!

    Thank you for saving me !

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  2. Chocolate Greedy sounds delicious, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like to wear it. I am coming around to Lys Angel - thanks to you - bcs. it smells to me darker rather than chocolatey, if that makes sense; the sweetness comes from the lily, which is a nice balance.
    Great review, as always!

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  3. This reminds me intensely of the original CSP AdC from the early to mid 90s. I really would like to know if the rumors that M. Montale used to be the perfumer for CSP are true or not. If so, I can only imagine his distress over some of the less than fortunate reformulations in recent years.

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  4. You are the only person I can think of who can make a gourmand chocolate fragrance sound good :-)

    Or maybe I should just go eat some chocolate...

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  5. Well, I don't know. I AM opposed to chocolate in perfume (I'm not sure why; I love to eat it). Rose--smells pretty nice to me--and I should try the Lys--but I can't even do the Musc Maori. So I'm not running out to smell this one. PS I hate the name.

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  6. That was "Rose Angel." Sorry--more coffee, please!!

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  7. I,
    I really think that unless you are a collector of chocolate scents (and why not?), you probably don't need both. I do think that Chocolate Greedy is better, ahem, so maybe you still need to at least try it :-)

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  8. Anita,
    I am so glad that you like Lys Angel. I think that and Rose Angel are the two best Angels :-)

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  9. L,
    So basically it smells like a better version of today's Amour? That's exactly what I feel too and I haven't had the luck to try the old Amour.

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  10. March,
    Maybe it has something to do with the moon, as Mr C would say. I think there is a certain pattern of when chocolate scents appeal to me.

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  11. Judith,
    I think the name is cute in a very silly way :-) I really don't think you'll like this one or even need to try it.
    Is Musc Maori too sweet for you? I get a lot of dirty musk for it and that's what makes it so appealing to me.

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  12. Anonymous8:29 AM EDT

    God, I hate that name. In so many different ways. But I think that might be partly to do with maleness - chocolates seems, at least from my limited experience, to be a source of much greater pleasure to women than men.

    The name sounds like a misprint on a T-shirt you'd find in Bangkok for 12 yr old girls or something...

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  13. Anonymous8:30 AM EDT

    *realises he's being grumpy today*

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  14. Lee,
    Most of the men I knew, and I mean knew in a broader sense than the biblical :-), loved chocolate and sweets in general. Me, I have savory tooth rather than a sweet tooth. *chews on a piece of dried salty fish*

    PS. I love it when you are grumpy!

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  15. Sigh! I have both a sweet tooth and a savory tooth. But in perfume, apparently only a savory nostril.:) Yes, Musc Maori came across very sweet on me; I was disappointed after hearing so many good things. :(

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  16. J,
    Savory nostril! Oh, I love that! :-)

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  17. Anonymous9:11 AM EDT

    Well, I adore chocolate, but I don't want to wear it as a scent. I will pass on both this and the CSP.

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  18. M,
    I get tired of wearing chocolate and other obviously foody scents very quickly.

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  19. Other than the Iris Ganache, the only chocolate in perfume I've liked is that in Borneo

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  20. Patty
    *stubbornly* There IS no chocolate in Iris Ganache :-)

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  21. I appreciate that Montale is going off in a different direction rather than just doing another Oud, but I won't be going out of my way to try this.

    Strangely, I have a savory tooth too- I prefer tart to sweet...

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  22. Tom,
    I haven't even thought about it and I agree, I am glad that they did something different.

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  23. Anonymous10:56 AM EDT

    anything but no chocolate in a fragrance

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  24. V,
    I more or less agree :-)

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  25. Anonymous11:01 AM EDT

    would prefer zuczok voniuszka than a chocolate; klianus'

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  26. Hahahaha!! Actually me too! :-) That's why I like Iris Silver Mist, because it smells a little like the zhuchok :-)

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  27. Anonymous11:07 AM EDT

    this i already know

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  28. Where hear is one fragrance I can pass up, I like the concept of chocolate in fragrances, but I don't like the idea of a scent of chocolate coco puffs scent. I like chocolate in fragrance to be dark bitter and earthy. I must admit that although I don't like eating white chocolate, I do like the use in fragrance especially Omnia, it provides a sweetness and a nice alternative to the usual vanilla.

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  29. Jenavira,
    I should re-try Omnia!

    Chocolate Greedy smells less coco-puffy than Amour de Cacao, but yes, the coco-puffyness is still there, at one point especially.

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  30. French Lover ... Chocolate Greedy ... I have a couple of more unique name recommendations:

    Vetiver Farm Love
    Bisexual Iris
    Toffee and Apple
    Sandal Woody
    Eau De Gran' ma

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  31. F,
    I like the first two :-) Bisexual Iris...the iris scent that smell both of flowers and of roots :-D

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  32. My French is absolutely deplorable, but I think that frequently online translators turn the word gourmand in French into greedy in English, which might explain the name.

    This sounds nice though -- I only want chocolate fragrance very rarely, but every so often it hits the spot :-)

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  33. R,
    That makes sense!
    And I am the same way. Don't think of myself as a fan of chocolate in perfume at all, but sometimes crave a scent like that...just like with actual chocolate.

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