Scentrack
Dylan
Donkin – Make a Choice
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| Source: Fragrantica |
My girlfriend and I are both big Lalique
fragrances fans. We appreciate the specific retro feel of their creations, rearranged
for contemporary use. For a very decent price one could find a great smelling, distinctive
fragrance. Kudos for Lalique, a cult brand in fragrance industry. Their 2016
male release, L’Insoumis, was a try to target a little bit younger audience,
but somehow still devoted to their original philosophy.
Despite of the name L’Insoumis (translated
rebel or unsubdued man), this fragrance is not so groundbreaking compared to
many other fragrances launched, but for Lalique it is a novel direction. In my
eyes, L’Insoumis is a reinterpretation of classic fougere theme for the 21st
century by using trendy notes like strong bergamot, Ambrox and alcoholic notes.
Yes, Lalique managed to stay faithful to its roots and to be trendy.
L’Insoumis opens slightly sweet and coconut-like
balmy with a lot going on. The sweetness is probably from rum note, although I
do not perceive this rum as a proper liqueur note. Bergamot is strong in the opening,
just reminding me of notorious Dior Sauvage. Soft basil is nicely paired with
other notes, giving an herbal and somehow pine-like accord. Lavender, usually a
central note in fougeres, is present, but subdued by the other notes. Ambrox®
is, to my nose, easily noticeable, while a Firmenich’s new molecule – Clearwood®
gives a soft patchouli twist to the whole composition. Lalique visually nailed the
commercial, the opening smells like European pine forest in morning fog
with wet, earthy undertones.
L’Insoumis is easy to wear, pleasant and refined.
Some might feel disappointed due to the lack of earlier excitement, so
characteristic for Lalique. It is extremely balanced after several few minutes.
I would like to smell earlier version of L’Insoumis by Fabrice Pellegrin to
track the process of communication between the perfumer and company. Personally, I like L’Insoumis, and often wear
to a job where I need a reliable and little bit conservative fragrance, but
with some modern twist. In my opinion, it is better and more interesting than
Dior Sauvage or Versace Pour Homme Dylan Blue yet somehow under the radar.
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| Source: Fragrantica |
Longevity / Projection
Solid (6-8 hours) /Average
Suggested wearing
Business / Daily use only in autumn or
winter
Alternatives
Dior Sauvage – rough Ambroxane overload
Versace Pour Homme Dylan Blue – easy to
wear modern grey Ambroxane
Guerlain Homme – in some way share similar
boozy opening
Pros
Easy to wear
Safe yet interesting
Old fashioned yet modern
Stunning bottle
Cons
Another modern Ambrox
Over refined
For some not a standard Lalique
Rating
7/10
Dear Lasagne,
ReplyDeleteI finally managed to resolve my problems with replying. Thank you for kind words. In my opinion Lalique is one the greatest designers in the fragrance game. I am always eager to try their newest release. L'Insoumis is still an underrated fragrance.