The idea of flankers is to give a consumer something very similar to the original perfume they bought. It is an exercise of laziness because most brands ask a perfumer to just add something different to the existing formula. At Thierry Mugler they have taken a different approach as they use their flankers as re-inventions of their pillar lines. The entire A*Men Pure series is probably the greatest set of flankers in all of perfumery. The brand has been doing the same with the iconic Angel over the past couple of years.
Angel was the alpha-gourmand perfume. It is a powerhouse which is not part of the current trend of lighter fragrances. The brand realized they would have to make a version of Angel which would appeal to those new perfume buyers. It started with Angel Muse, but it was last year’s Angel Eau Croisiere which took Angel in a fantastic new direction. The follow-up has arrived in Thierry Mugler Angel Eau Croisiere II.
Sidonie Lancesseur
What made Eau Croisiere so appealing was the palpable feel that it was meant to be a perfume of summer fun. I likened it to a tropical cocktail complete with an umbrella. Perfumer Sidonie Lencesseur infused it with the carefree attitude of warm days. Mme Lanceseur returns for Eau Croisiere II and this time she adds some coconut to the fun.
I received my note list before the perfume arrived. I saw fig, magnolia, patchouli, praline. What it turns out to be is coconut, patchouli, and praline as the first two ingredients form an abstract coconut accord that carries everything,
For the first few seconds the creamy woody magnolia is apparent, but the fig comes and the two become coconut. This is one of those things about perfume I enjoy tremendously. If I focus, I can tease apart the fig and the magnolia. When I am just letting myself enjoy it is all coconut. It is the way a great accord should work. Patchouli and praline are the callback to the original Angel. There those form a deeply dark foundation. In Eau Croisiere II it is a shadow of that depth. Here the patchouli and praline turn into a coconut candy as the patchouli provides a chocolate feel while the praline adds in the confectionary sweetness.
Angel Eau Croisiere II has 12-14 hour longevity and average sillage.
It is early to make the comparison but after two versions of Eau Croisiere I am thinking Thierry Mugler is on to another great set of flankers. May this party keep going strong.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample provided by Thierry Mugler.
–Mark Behnke
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