Year: 2014
Notes: myrtle, Russian sage, pink pepper, nutmeg, fennel, lavender, Caucasian lily, daffodil, cistus, fenugreek, labdanum, myrrh, olibanum, styrax, cedar, vetiver, ambergris, musk
Turning his attention to Greek mythology, instead of precious gemstones, Olivier Durbano's Prométhée gathers its inspiration from the famous Titan (and son of Iapetus), Prometheus.
Coming across as a woody-aromatic, it's primarily about the fenugreek – sandwiched between a layer of spicy, herbaceous and floral chords, and another layer of woods, resins and musks. With a peppery-aniseed leaning, the composition exudes a dark, leathery and immortelle-like aroma, with most of the components embellishing the star note. This is especially true of the floral heart, which isn't sweet, fresh or floral by any means. Instead, the mid notes provide an extra aromatic dimension to the proceedings, albeit in a desiccated sense.
As it further develops, a warm creaminess gradually peeks from the earthy, woody and mossy tones, with the composite aroma now being highly reminiscent of hay (probably courtesy of the emerging grassy vetiver). With a subdued styrax smokiness, any evident sweetness is very Lutens-esque in a fruity-resinous manner. And it's only towards the drydown when the fenugreek slowly surrenders its dominance to the sharp woody muskiness of the vetiver, ambergris and musk.
Compared to the previous releases from this French niche house, Prométhée marks quite a stylistic departure (or, quite possibly, a brief detour) that one considers more appealing. Overall, it's slightly richer, less sweet and better executed, with far less emphasis on the frankincense. While one doesn't really consider it bottle-worthy, one still found it more pleasurable and satisfying to wear than most of Olivier Durbano's previous (and cheaper-smelling) outings.
Projection ranges from moderate to low, with staying power of around six hours.
Coming across as a woody-aromatic, it's primarily about the fenugreek – sandwiched between a layer of spicy, herbaceous and floral chords, and another layer of woods, resins and musks. With a peppery-aniseed leaning, the composition exudes a dark, leathery and immortelle-like aroma, with most of the components embellishing the star note. This is especially true of the floral heart, which isn't sweet, fresh or floral by any means. Instead, the mid notes provide an extra aromatic dimension to the proceedings, albeit in a desiccated sense.
As it further develops, a warm creaminess gradually peeks from the earthy, woody and mossy tones, with the composite aroma now being highly reminiscent of hay (probably courtesy of the emerging grassy vetiver). With a subdued styrax smokiness, any evident sweetness is very Lutens-esque in a fruity-resinous manner. And it's only towards the drydown when the fenugreek slowly surrenders its dominance to the sharp woody muskiness of the vetiver, ambergris and musk.
Compared to the previous releases from this French niche house, Prométhée marks quite a stylistic departure (or, quite possibly, a brief detour) that one considers more appealing. Overall, it's slightly richer, less sweet and better executed, with far less emphasis on the frankincense. While one doesn't really consider it bottle-worthy, one still found it more pleasurable and satisfying to wear than most of Olivier Durbano's previous (and cheaper-smelling) outings.
Projection ranges from moderate to low, with staying power of around six hours.
