Grimoire
Anatole Lebreton (2017)

Grimoire falls just short of my expectations. I am almost fooled into falling in love, with its peculiar elemi and cumin opening reminding me of something haunting and surreal. However, the quite pragmatic side of me snaps me out of it, and reminds me that I've been under the spell before, and all I need to do is reach my Al Oudh, Aziyade, or Lorenzo Villoresi Spezie. Not even the heavy olibanum is enough to make me change my mind. I already have this covered, and with far more dynamic dimensions. Grimoire ALMOST got me, though.

A magical scent I don't have the words to totally express; the positive reviews above fairly well describe it, it's a strongly earthy, woody scent on me, which somehow becomes ethereal in the journey of drying down.
Feels perfect in these cold short days of winter,a scent to burrowing down through dead leaves and end season herbs and flowers. A good scent to hibernate in, ideally with a pile of good books covered in dust awaiting the luxury of time to read, at last until the sun returns.
Probably wouldn't recommend as blind buy; it is an unusually complex blend that may be hard wear for a woman in traditional office or for formal evening events.

I discovered Moliere in a very old book I found in the attic at my parent's when I was a kid. I can totally see the link with Grimoire. Could smell clean/dirty until you recognize each note. The dry down is probably the best I've ever smelled. The packaging is basic, the only thing that matters to Anatole is the juice. And it is exquisite. A very addictive masterpiece (if you like cumin).

Grimoire (lovely name) is mostly a cumin driven leather fragrance to me. In my books, it is Declaration meets Puredistance M Light minus the vanilla. I love cumin, and the aforementioned duo, so I naturally find much to like in Grimoire. All other notes (lavender, resins) are lost on my skin. I do detect a woody undertone from the cedar (don't get much patchouli either) that counterbalances the cumin. Cumin is definitely the star, showcasing its wonderful warmth and radiance. Still, Grimoire is somewhat subdued on my skin. While what I smell on skin is captivating, what I smell via projection is less striking. Sillage is moderate and persistent, and duration is good - at least seven hours from a dosage of ~ 0.8 ml.

While I find Grimoire to be an attractive leather fragrance, I feel it is rather redundant (to me, anyway) given the existence of Declaration (and its flankers), Eau d'Hermes and M. Grimoire could be a nice signature scent for discerning women and men. However, I feel Declaration and M are the scents I'd lean back on. Finally, I should perhaps re-emphasize this: nothing in this smells even remotely of lavender to me. While it's indeed a nice scent (one could do far, far worse), I feel the lack of uniqueness or any novelty leaves me somewhat uninterested. Definitely recommended if you are a fan of this style/niche of perfumes; this could become your second skin.


3/5

Messe de Minuit finally done right.

An intriguing portrait of an alpha male painted in hues of dark greens, ashy greys and earthy browns. In my mind it smells primordial, the scent of long-forgotten ancient forests with its intricately woven tapestry of ferns, moss and lichen-covered bark.

OK it's probably not something the average candy-loving guy would want to smell of. Yet GRIMOIRE surprised me with its thoughtfulness and overall wearability. The blending is seamless, texturally it feels comfortably dry and cool in perfect counterbalance to the saltish skin-like warmth pulsing beneath it like a living beating heart.

GRIMOIRE's deep grey/green and dry chypre-like profile places it in the same postal code as Guerlain Mitsouko, Dior Eau Sauvage Parfum and Papillon Artisan Dryad - 3 highly respected compositions which makes it a big winner and contender for my top fragrance discovery of the year!