Fatale / Fatale Black
Agent Provocateur (2014)

This calculated
Multi-genre multi-tease
Anti-satisfies

Through a balance of
Mutual imbalances
Resulting in a

Somewhat hypnotic
Failure to figure it out
Kinda like women.

I see this one gets good reviews, which I wish was the case for me, but on me it's way too synthetic, of the department store variety, and yes, derivative. I don't really mind derivative if it's a fragrance I like. But if it's one I don't like, derivative becomes one more log on the fire.

I've come to peace with the fact I have a bad reaction to what must be a very common aroma-chemical in contemporary perfumes, which makes many smell hairsprayish and artificial, especially mainstream fragrances.
There must be a cheap chemical base called ‘perfume' in that world which they use by the bucket-load. Because I never had this reaction to vintage fragrances. They all wore well - it was more a matter of deciding which ones you liked best. But this is getting to be an old story and just the way things are now with fragrances for those like me. It's a requirement for me to test before buying because there are no guarantees, except with non-IFRA perfumers.

There is one thing I can say about Fatale. I keep trying flankers of the original Agent Provocateur, which I like, to find an A.P. Lite I can wear during the day, but find most of them artificial. The one I finally found that can be called A.P. Lite is actually ‘Hippie Rose' by Heeley, lol, so I think I'll quit trying to find one among the AP flankers. Fatale doesn't share even a smidgeon of dna with the original.

A lovely opening, fruity - although I don't get any really good Mango to speak of - and with a light touch of a white peppery note. The drydown is a floral change, with gardenia - a subdued version - and whiffs of muguet; the initial phase is characterised by considerable sweetness.

The base is richer and deeper, and is a long-distance work horse at the same time: a soft patchouli well balanced by a restrainedly sweet tonka-cocoa gourmandise note - not very fat and intrusive, it is an example where the base is an enhancement in the initial opening blast. A crescendo fragrance, not a decrescendo one.

The performance is very impressive: moderate sillage, excellent projection and a brilliant thirteen hours (twelve if you're superstitious) of longevity on my skin.

A nice autumn creation that lacks a certain spark and creativity, but that is solidly made. 3/5.