I think it is a given that most people wear perfume to make themselves smell good. The group of us who enjoy different fragrant thrills are a small population. One type I enjoy is one which embraces the bitter ingredients. Pierre Guillaume Anti-Blues is this type of fragrance.
Pierre Guillaume
Anti-Blues is the first entry in a new series by independent perfumer Pierre Guillaume called “Confidentiel”. The construction is inspired by the paintings of Jacques Monory who was known for his blue tinted photography. M Guillaume is looking for the same effect where he adds a chilly blue over the top of some bitter ingredients. The keynote to it all is a frankincense which adds bitter simultaneously.
The first bitter is chocolate. This is the smell of high quality dark chocolate. To keep it from being too austere some saffron adds warmth. Grapefruit finds the bitterness within the chocolate and pings it like a tuning fork of acidity. This is a fantastic top accord full of gourmand-like facets while also having a distinct cool to it. The frankincense then spears it. This is the silvery church incense full of sharp edges. It at first softens the chocolate before slicing it open to find a softer bitter chord within. Vetiver adds in a sharp green which continues the bitter theme. Only in the base is there some relief as tobacco and vanilla form a richly comforting effect.
Anti-Blues has 10-12 hour longevity and average sillage.
I guess I would classify Anti-Blues a gourmand because of the prominence of the chocolate. My only hesitation to do that is it has such a bitter vein throughout that it doesn’t seem as edible as other perfumes in this style. It reminds me of the upper end of the high cacao content chocolate that is inedible because of its strength. Anti-Blues captures that all the way to the bitter end.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample I purchased.
–Mark Behnke
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