Passage d’Enfer

1 reseña

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• Maeva

  December 9, 2015

  

  I’m obsessed. This is my first L’Artisan Parfumeur perfume, and I hope it’s not the last one. You have to grab some of these quickly because they seem like they’re about to be discontinued. At first, I was looking for a connection between Passage d’Enfer and the word ‘hellish,’ but I didn’t really get it. The adjective ‘celestial’ fits it much better. Its name refers to the Paris street where the brand had its first headquarters a long time ago, back when they couldn’t even imagine becoming part of the Puig family. Plus, on their website, they mention that ‘passage’ also meant the arrival of the new millennium. And indeed, this modern classic has been around for over 15 years. Like most of the ones I like, it’s quite contradictory. Its incense isn’t warm or smoky; it doesn’t smell like a church, smoke, or ash. It’s white, clean, and translucent, with initial green and fresh notes. However, Passage d’Enfer feels mysterious and dark. Even though it’s white and cool, it’s also burning and sparkling, like a persistent candle illuminating a cold, gloomy room. In the dry down, the Somali incense really stands out; unlike other incenses, it smells green and fresh, like pine resin. Then an intense lily with white musk and cedar becomes increasingly present, blending with the incense and taking over the last two phases. Gradually, though less so than that combination, I start noticing accords not listed officially, such as coconut, amber, white pepper, balsamic mint, and maybe various resins. Indeed, one of the charms of Passage d’Enfer is that its apparent simplicity is relative. Being so arid, ‘pure,’ and ‘fresh,’ and in such an artificial, contrived way, I understand the criticism that it smells like funeral flowers, yet at the same time, it feels strangely revitalizing and euphoric. It’s more inoffensive than its name suggests, but it’s best to try it before buying. For me, it could work very well as a daily scent, although not everyone will be surprised by such an ethereal fragrance (that said, if they don’t call it ‘funereal’). It has a fresh, sweet, and luminous side that is as intriguing as it is beautiful, but it’s the beauty and freshness of white flowers cut several hours ago, yet still releasing their most intense and deep aroma.