Monday, January 21, 2013

Frapin- Speakeasy Eau de Parfum



I have a soft spot for Frapin's rich and boozy fragrances. I can't always tell them apart, but I do enjoy smelling them. The newest addition, Speakeasy, by perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, maintains the hard liquor theme and infuses it with dark aromas from the speakeasies of the Prohibition era. Unlike the term "Speakeasy" and its hush-hush connotations, Frapin's fragrance is a heavy hitter right from the start. It's noisy and chaotic as the perfume throws almost everything it has at you: herbs and fruit, smoke and syrup-- they party like it's 1929.

Things get smoother rather quickly. The mojito is replaced by a darker and warmer drink. The syrupy sweetness sets the tone for a comfortable old leather, incense, and a rich tobacco. If you dislike immortelle and its burnt maple aroma, there's no amount of Frapin booze that will help Speakeasy go down better for you. Personally I love it, so the sweeter the better in this case. Tobacco truly dominates the way Speakeasy smells on my skin: light and dark, sweet and smoky. I love it, but must admit that it can be too literal. I never smoked and would rather not smell like I've become a smoker in middle-age. It's actually a little disturbing that the remnants of Speakeasy on my clothes remind me of a smoky bar.

Notes: rum extract, Indian davana,  orange, lime, mint, geranium, leather, cistus, labdanum, styrax, tobacco, immortelle, tonka bean, white musk.

Frapin- Speakeasy ($145, 100ml EDP) is available from Luckyscent, MiN NY and BeautyHabit.

Photos via annakrentz.blogspot.com:
Hunt Club, a speakeasy, NYC, 1933
Marlborough House speakeasy on the East Side, NYC, 1933

1 comment:

  1. Gaia, as usual, you've hit the nail on the head and broached one of my nagging fears: I really like tobacco as a perfume note, especially since so many other interesting notes have been IFRAed, but whenever I wear it, I worry that people will think I've been smoking! I don't want to offend other non-smokers or get the stink eye. It's a serious perfumista dilemma! ~~nozknoz

    ReplyDelete

I love comments and appreciate the time you take to connect with me, but please do not insert links to your blog or store. Those will be deleted. The comment feature is not intended to provide an advertising venue for your blog or your commercial site.

 
Related Posts Widget