Easter Monday and our Perfume of the Week is Lalique's, Encre Noire Pour Elle.
The original Encre Noire for men was released in 2006 in a heavy black crystal block inspired by traditional inkwells and as it became extremely popular to both sexes the feminine version was released in 2009. Housed in the same bottle, the perfume created by Christine Nagel includes notes of Sicilian bergamot, freesia, Indonesian ambrette, Turkish rose, Chinese osmanthus, Haitian vetiver, Texan cedar and musks along with Givaudan’s Kephalis molecule, which leaves opulent, warm, amber and tobacco-like aromas.
It’s a warm and sensual fragrance perfect for the chilly week ahead where rose is centre stage and as the other notes dance around it, it reveals different characters. At first its sparkling and fresh thanks to freesia and the citruses and then as time passes, vetiver gives it a powdery feel before the base notes lead it to a darker and more sensual territory wrapped in amber, cedar, musk and a smoky tobacco residue.
I hadn’t reached for it in ages but an event hosted by The Perfume Society at Lalique’s London boutique at Conduit Street made me look through my #scentedstorage for it and I plan on wearing it nonstop this week. Although discontinued, I have discovered the AllBeauty still has some stock of it and at quite a bargain too, so if you want to purchase it you can find it here.
At the event:
I have no words to describe how beautiful the boutique is and surrounded by all the beautiful colored crystal objects and of course perfume bottles we had a rare opportunity to learn more by Frederic Fischer about the history of the house, the craftsmanship and the collaborations, touch the precious perfume bottles and learn more in depth about the perfumes and their ingredients while drinking Villa René Lalique Champagne from Lalique crystal glasses.
The highlight of the evening included trying the new and absolutely stunning Les Compositions Parfumées - five new scents inspired by elements René Lalique liked to work with and the fabulous Noir Premier line-five scents that highlight the milestones of Lalique’s history.
I will definitely be back for more!