Hi there Fragrant Family,
The other day a few of us met for lunch and a sniff. Willa who is a contributor here at APJ, a mate of mine Millenia and the lovely Sonya who used to write for APJ. We had lunch and chatted, sniffing stuff and Sonya opened a bottle of vintage Fidji parfum for us all to try. We did it with all reverence and made it a real Opening Ceremony. It’s nice to have clever noses to sniff with and lunch with. Sadly Millenia has had his nose broken so often that his sense of smell is virtually zero so he just provided fun and eye candy.
Courtesan by Pierre Bourdon for Worth 2006
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Cinnamon, cardamom, clove, pineapple, red berries, bergamot
Heart: Orange blossom, magnolia, jasmine, rose
Base: Sandalwood, peach, raspberry, caramel, dark chocolate, cacao, amber, vanilla, musk
Sonya had a bottle of Courtesan for me. I have smelled it before in the Surrender To Chance Animalic – Skank Sampler and it was all sweet fruit salad and sweaty body.
The modern Courtesan is much lighter on everything. The fruit opening is a lovely synthetic pineapple spiced up a bit and sweetened by citrus. Not nearly as big as I remember it, muted, a watercolour but still very nice. The pineapple continues well into the heart and only slowly fades to a less distinct amorphous fruitiness that dances around a pretty bouquet of vaguely green florals.
Underneath all this lovely floaty floral fruitiness is a sweet fleshy, slightly worn but basically clean scrotum accord. I know right! Totally unexpected with what’s gone before but there it is. That warm flesh as yet unripened by a day of movement and life fragrance. It’s both animal musky and laundry musky. Imagine a man who has showered on waking up a little late on Sunday. He’s thrown on some fresh jocks and then padded down to the kitchen to make you some raisin toast done as French Toast and a big pot of tea with a couple of slices of lemon in the pot. He’s fed you and flirted over breakfast and you decide to give him a thank you treat. While you’re down there before his undies are off, THAT’s the smell.
Photo Stolen Pinterest
But. Here’s the thing. You have showered and spritzed your favourite summer type fruity whisper of a fragrance and the two have met….. you are smelling him and you. NOW you know what Courtesan smells like. Courtesan smells like heaven.
I get around an hour of fragrant and then Courtesan sinks into my skin and leaves a soft warm wash of amorphous yumminess that hangs around for a while. To be fair I haven’t let it dry down properly because I keep madly spritzing. I got the bottle a few days ago and I reckon over an eighth is gone already. Freaking sensational.
Further reading: Non Blonde and Perfume Posse
FragranceNet has $50/90ml before Coupon
Surrender To Chance Animalic – Skank Sampler $19/9 x .5ml ( I went crazy and bought 2ml spritzers $67)
What is your sexy sweet smell? Do you have one?
Portia xx