LES ABSTRAITS
LA DOULEUR EXQUISE
2022
PERFUMER
Antoine Lie
bulgarian rose absolute
turkish rose absolute
iris
frankincense
clove
cumin
saffron
castoreum absolute
patchouli
cedarwood
labdanum
opoponax
myrrh
La Douleur Exquise is the love/heartbreak child of Eugen (U Smells Good). Sceptical as I would usually be about ‘Youtuber-launches’, his independent approach and teaming up with Antoine Lie seemed hopeful, so I bought it blindly to show my support. Is the first release exquise or #wackpack?
La Douleur Exquise paints the image of suffering and overcoming well, with a juxtaposition between the castoreum and the rose. Straight away I get leathery castoreum. It opens skanky, but it’s not offensive to me, as it veers more into the saffron-leather than into the animalics or cumin.
The duality comes from the rose being brighter and soapier than I expected. Comparisons to Frederic Malle Portrait Of A Lady have been made and the brightness of the rose is comparable, but the overall scent is closer to Dior Oud Ispahan in my opinion. It’s not quite as sugary sweet as either.
Rose is front and center, with incense and saffron. I’ve heard people speak of a green rose, but this fragrance smells 100% red to my nose. Slightly soapy, fruity, sweetened and quite leathery. And resinous! The texture is oily; I picture satin red syrup slowly moving on a glossy wooden cabinet or patent leather.
I was afraid the patchouli would be overbearing. Perhaps due to the wet texture, I don’t get the threat that patchouli often poses to my nose. Even in the drydown, it feels more like resins than patchouli. The castoreum opening minutes aside, I don’t think I perceive this scent as daring, dark, green, smoky or earthy as reviews I’ve seen. At its core, it’s a vibrant rose to me, with sweetness kept in check, in a super resinous shell. Darkness surrounds it, but light has overcome the dark within this composition.
La Douleur Exquise is a 8-9 out of 10 for me. Potential drawbacks? It’s closer to conventional rose-ouds than I expected. Pricing is high for a brand without a track record, but Antoine Lie’s work for Les Indemodables is indicative of the top-notch quality and ingredients here; I’m more than happy with my purchase. The bottle looks and feels great in hand, but should have a better atomizer at this price point. Great release overall, although my favorite of the first three Les Abstraits releases definitely turned out to be Belle Ame.
