Paysage

[absinthetics]

Je veux, pour composer chastement mes églogues,
Coucher auprès du ciel, comme les astrologues,
Et, voisin des clochers écouter en rêvant
Leurs hymnes solennels emportés par le vent.
Les deux mains au menton, du haut de ma mansarde,
Je verrai l’atelier qui chante et qui bavarde;
Les tuyaux, les clochers, ces mâts de la cité,
Et les grands ciels qui font rêver d’éternité.
II est doux, à travers les brumes, de voir naître
L’étoile dans l’azur, la lampe à la fenêtre
Les fleuves de charbon monter au firmament
Et la lune verser son pâle enchantement.
Je verrai les printemps, les étés, les automnes;
Et quand viendra l’hiver aux neiges monotones,
Je fermerai partout portières et volets
Pour bâtir dans la nuit mes féeriques palais.
Alors je rêverai des horizons bleuâtres,
Des jardins, des jets d’eau pleurant dans les albâtres,
Des baisers, des oiseaux chantant soir et matin,
Et tout ce que l’Idylle a de plus enfantin.
L’Emeute, tempêtant vainement à ma vitre,
Ne fera pas lever mon front de mon pupitre;
Car je serai plongé dans cette volupté
D’évoquer le Printemps avec ma volonté,
De tirer un soleil de mon coeur, et de faire
De mes pensers brûlants une tiède atmosphère.
– – –
More chasteness to my eclogues it would give,
Sky-high, like old astrologers to live,
A neighbour of the belfries: and to hear
Their solemn hymns along the winds career.
High in my attic, chin in hand, I’d swing
And watch the workshops as they roar and sing,
The city’s masts — each steeple, tower, and flue —
And skies that bring eternity to view.

Sweet, through the mist, to see illumed again
Stars through the azure, lamps behind the pane,
Rivers of carbon irrigate the sky,
And the pale moon pour magic from on high.
I’d watch three seasons passing by, and then
When winter came with dreary snows, I’d pen
Myself between closed shutters, bolts, and doors,
And build my fairy palaces indoors.

A dream of blue horizons I would garble
With thoughts of fountains weeping on to marble,
Of gardens, kisses, birds that ceaseless sing,
And all the Idyll holds of childhood’s spring.
The riots, brawling past my window-pane,
From off my desk would not divert my brain.
Because I would be plunged in pleasure still,
Conjuring up the Springtime with my will,
And forcing sunshine from my heart to form,
Of burning thoughts, an atmosphere that’s warm.

— Charles Baudelaire, translation by Roy Campbell

The pale moon pouring magic: Tunisian opium and mugwort with blackened bourbon vanilla, tuberose, glittering white musk, datura accord, wild plum, and tobacco absolute.

This scent is absolutely gorgeous and will certainly be a hit for years to come. The burbon vanilla has a lot of burbon in it which is really magnified by the tobacco. The Plum is barely a fruit note while the datura does temper it so it's not that foody. Excellent!

[Dekejis]

Paysage is an unexpected surprise hit for me from the Yules this year. With opium as the first note listed, I expected it to be similar to other opium-based scents that I have; not so. It is warm (i'm guessing because of the bourbon vanilla, but it never comes across as vanilla to me), dark, a bit smoky and blackened, with just a hint of herbs in for good measure. The herbs on me pick up just a little in the mix on drydown, but the whole thing is well blended. It's toasty, comforting, a little exotic and perfect for winter.

[Mechanical Death]

I expected great things from this. I have been loving plum and vanilla blends after falling in love with mme morrirty again, and was hoping this would be in a similar family.

Upon application I get incencesy hair spray and itchy smelling cologne. What?!

 

I tried to wait out the wet to dry phase but it was so strong and do headache inducing. I had to scrub it off, as my already milder migraine started screaming at me. Not fun.

 

There was something beautiful lurking underneath the cheap cologne and hairspray. Hopefully I can retest it and see if it will work with my skin at all. It started to remind me a bit of a fancier version of the lady gaga perfume, so if it cooperates with my skin I think it's a winner. If not for me I can gift it to a friend who lives that perfume.

[Lycanthrope]

Whoa. I mean, I should have known, my archnemesis mugwort would be here, all twirling her mustache like 'yeah, I have a mustache, what of it?' while looking down over the top of her wire rim glasses. Her nineteen-point-three cats are milling about, all enjoying the musty stagnancy that is mugwort on Lycanthrope's skin. So, as most of the mugwort blends, please take with a grain of salt - it's like rose, amps to crazy high heaven on me, while browsing for Braun beard razors through amazon.com.

 

I really wanted to find some of the other notes in this blend, so I let the oil sit on my skin for a good thirty minutes. There's so much promise in the note list. I love tuberose, and bourbon vanilla usually drives scents into enough of a sweet-foody category that I'll love it regardless of whatever else is in the blend. I actually don't get very much smokiness, contrary to what you'd think from the tobacco and opium notes. What's even weirder is that I don't get any fruit/plum notes, which usually also at least give notes a brisk fruity kick.

 

I have a feeling that Paysage is remarkably well blended but deceptively smooth given the many 'spiky' or potentially potent notes. Over a bit of time, even through the muddy butt that is mugwort on my skin, and bear with me, it's like the quietest components of each of the notes whispers. Like a purple sigh of plum rind. The quiet waxiness of tuberose. Vanilla dust. Even the smoke notes are like extinguished incense. After thirty minutes, it's like the resonance of a fragrance remains in the air.

 

It's actually pretty beautiful but I can't do the mugwort, and what does dry down is sumptuous rich, like the kind of sumptuousity that I don't really reach for. Like a velvet pillow embroidered with a cat and a Braun logo (free with purchase of beard trimmer, special discount for mustachio'd supervillainesses).

[DiesMali]

In the bottle: Bitter herbs.

 

Wet on my skin: Not gonna lie, this isn't very pleasant wet. It's MUG-FRICKIN-WORT MOTHERF***ER with a little whisper of opium. It's sour and bitter and a bit aftershave-ish at this stage.

 

Dry: After the mugwort stops beating me senseless, which is until this starts to warm and dry on my skin, this actually is a very pleasant scent, and worth the 10 minutes of bitter-sharpness. It becomes a mildly sweet, soft, and almost-green herbal scent, somewhat reminiscent of the herbiness in Blue Moon July 2015 but not quite as sweet and gentle. This is warm and a little smoky, herbal, and retains just a hint of the sharpness from the initial blast of mugwort. The primary notes on me upon initial drydown are opium, mugwort, and tobacco, in that order. The bourbon vanilla never does come out as its own note, but rather contributes to the feel of the rest.

 

The tuberose and plum only really come into the blend after it has been on my skin for an hour or more, at which point it goes from herbal and smoky to sweet sachet herbs and flower petals.

[Hystrixia]

In the Bottle: Paysage is a pale gold oil heavy with the scent of smoky bourbon vanilla and bitter mugwort with a slight undertone of sweet opium.

Top Notes: Freshly applied to my wrist, the dominant notes are most definitely opium with tobacco absolute and a half boozy, half cologne-like mugwort. The vanilla bourbon hangs out in the background, rounding out the overall scent with a smooth, creamy effect. It reminds me of sitting in a warm, smoke shrouded bar on a bitterly cold winter’s night.

Middle Notes: Thirty minutes later, the mugwort has died down and the tobacco absolute takes charge. The plum shows up shortly afterward; adding a slight fruitiness to the green note of the mugwort, while the white musk and heady white florals quietly starting to come out to the play in the background. The mixture of notes at this stage gives off a very languid, dreamy quality.

Base Notes: Three hours in the remaining notes a soft, sleepy, and wistful swan song of muggy white florals with a hint of smoky sweet plum.

Overall Impression: To me, Paysage is like Tom Waits in a bottle. It is evocative of nostalgic, liquor-fueled pipe dreams and cold, long nights filled with rain. Whenever I wear it I find myself wanting to stay inside and listen to his music while I drink myself into a cozy stupor. It’s definitely an end of the day fragrance and I could easily see myself wearing this to bed to help me go to sleep. My only gripe about this blend is that it’s so effective at making me go into hibernation mode that I can never really see myself ever managing to wear it outside of the house! Paysage’s scent colors are a tobacco brown, puce, and a smoky white.

Sillage-wise, Paysage is low on me while the longevity is fairly good, clocking in at around eight hours.

Final Verdict: While I like Paysage, its limited usage for me makes owning a full bottle pointless. I’ll probably be decanting this one.

[ImpImpImp]

What a beautiful description Beth has for this scent! I've been searching for a strong lab tuberose scent, so couldn't wait to try this.

 

Wet: ...not good on me. At all. Strong mugwort, but with some sort of evil mugwort twist. This stage lasted a while, and had I not gotten caught up in other pressing things, I might have considered washing it off, something I never do.

 

Three hours in I remembered to pay attention: Peppermint candy cane, but muted, almost heathered somehow. Throw not very strong at this point (I'd forgotten I was wearing it, despite having accidentally slathered it on)

 

3.5 hours in: If I concentrate very hard I can pick out the tuberose, among the opium and a couple other notes I can't identify. No more mint. Vanilla's buried super deep in there. It's pretty now, feminine, a little oriental. I feel like I'm in ancient Arabia, subtly trying to seduce a sultan.

 

4 hours in: Really pretty. Light. Hazy. Hard to describe. Reminds me a little of Death Shall Come in with Thee.

Stays this way throughout now - no more morphing.

 

6 hours in: Opium at the forefront.

 

I would love to find a scent with more true tuberose (and would just die over a tuberose single note, should we ever be so lucky!). This is beautiful once it dries - but it's not that scent.

[LizziesLuck]

Wet: Mmm. Tobacco and vanilla. Immediately those amp on me, and it actually reminds me a bit of Antikythera Mechanism, and also of Black Vanilla and Cardamom HG, which is strongly tobacco and vanilla on me. This is different though, more complex than either, just reminiscent of both.

 

Dry: Tobacco and vanilla. Smells just like Antikythera, because that's what I amp in it too. Kind of disappointing that my skin chemistry narrowed all those notes down to that.

[annemathematics]

This is a curious one. It starts out blasting mugwort with a gilding of datura. within fifteen minutes it's a light toasting of tobacco garnished with a cool, dry perfume-esque melange of floral and fruit, nothing really standing out besides the tobaccy (which itself is somewhere light and demure). Not the plum, nor the tuberose nor the mugwort. It's feminine without being girly. If you're a fan of the lab's tobacco note, this scent is def worth trying.

[Atrous]

Wasn't sure what to expect from Paysage but what I got was an itchy nose.

The opium amped to an unpleasant degree and there was something that irritated my nose when I sniffed.

I'd end up sneezing uncontrollably. It must be the mugwort. That's the only note I'm not familiar with.

Now I know to stay away from this dreaded note.

Needless to say, Paysage was a fail.

[Dark Alice]

I smell tuberose, plum, the barest hints of vanilla and something herbal. Weird. Glad I got to try it though.

[theseagrows]

hmm this is interesting. it starts off with tuberose, vanilla and the tobacco which is very smoky in this. it's essentially smoky tuberose right now. what an odd but intriguing combination! after a few minutes im getting something a bit sweet, maybe plum? it smells floral but a bit candyish. then the tobacco comes through, adding an interesting smokiness to the creamy vanilla-florals. I like this one a lot, as I'm always intrigued by tuberose scents, and the combined smokiness in this is unique (at least in my experience!) after about half an hour it gets gorgeous in an entirely different way-it's a sexy vanilla tobacco with just s bit of tuberose. this might be bottle-worthy!

Edited February 11, 2016 by theseagrows

[zankoku_zen]

I get datura (which sort of smells like trumpet flowers)/white floral smell, mugwort, tobacco and opium. It's a weird floral with tobacco and opium. It actually reminds me to one of the "Evening with the Spirits" blend from Yule 2014. Good throw, good wear length.

 

Ghostly white florals, tobacco, opium.

[mymymai]

ITI: I'm doing this through a migraine, so I may need to revisit it later, but it smells like acetone and opium. I do hope that it is better on my skin.
Wet: More acetone, but at least some of the mugwort, herbal and green, emerges. It seems to drag along the wild plum, which is a bit more hesitant to develop. The bourbon is a bit too strong and burns my nose.
Dry: Well, it pulled a Hail Mary. It's smoky, sensuous, and appealing. The tobacco and opium are lovely, dark, and when paired with the white musk, not totally overbearing. It's alluringly sweet from the vanilla, plum, and tuberose. Alright, I'm swayed into keeping it.

[Wolfpeach]

Holy TUBEROSE. This is incredible. Visual - i'm in a slinky eggplant coloured dress with a tuberose blossom in my hair, a thin whiff of tobacco snaking through a mist of opium, with a little datura plant sitting on the sill of a murky little piano bar on a rainy evening - and a Tom Waits song playing in the background - just as Hystrixia said in her review. Better yet, Tom is there in the bar eating a plum, the juice running down his fingers, and i'm feeling so sexy wearing this perfume, that i saunter up to him, and...

 

Yes.

 

So, i tend to amp tuberose - which is what i'm doing with this, no question. And it's REAL tuberose - with the almost minty overtones at first, until things calm down. I have a little vial of tuberose essential oil, and the minty thing is part of the package with actual tuberose oil; after a few minutes, it retracts its claws, and softens into the lovely tropical scent.

This perfume is so complex, it reminds me of a Serge Lutens perfume - you will either love it or hate it - and i'm loving it. It's evocative, challenging, and utterly beautiful. I wish i'd ordered two bottles.

Edited March 2, 2016 by Wolfpeach

[Kmye Chan]

In the imp: menthol and kitchen herbs - I was thinking rosemary, but after checking the notes, this is most likely the mugwort cavorting with tuberose.

 

Wet: holy smokes, tobacco! This is very, very heavy on tobacco, I can't really discern anything else for a few minutes. Then mugwort comes out again, herbal and minty, and I get that "bitter aftershave" smell someone mentionned. It doesn't last, though.

 

Dry: as it dries, the scent softens and sweetens. While this is likely due to the bourbon vanilla, plum and florals, I can't tell the notes apart - they round off the scent but play in the background. Sweet, warm tobacco and opium.

 

Throw: medium.

 

This reads distinctively masculine on me, and reminds me strongly of Perversion minus the booze. Not my thing at all, but undeniably a pleasant smell.

[achildoftime]

I knew there was tobacco in this, but I wasn't expecting it to be the most dominant note. The vanilla and plum are making it a little sweet. I'd definitely describe this as a fruity tobacco scent like you might get in a nice tobacconists. It's not too strong or overly smokey. I think it's just really pretty. I don't get much florals, but I think it's nice just as it is.

[tinyvulture]

Now this is from 2015 so it’s quite aged, and the scent is faint. I’m having trouble picking out the notes listed. On me this smells like...weed. I guess that’s the combo of the tobacco and maybe the mugwort, really no clue. I’m not getting any spicy opium nor any florals. Just kind of spicy weed.

[lithie]

2024 version. 
 

In the bottle and first applied, I get the sharp screechy and discordant smell others described. Immediately on the skin I get the hairspray mentioned before and what I assume is the mugwort. 
 

BUT as soon as it dries, maybe 15 minutes in, it totally changes to a gorgeous opium/vanilla/plum. This section is really well blended and it all meshes together. 
 

hours later it’s a sweet plum that hangs close to the skin. 
 

i have a mild cold right now so I can’t be 100% certain, but this doesn’t seem to have a big throw.