Not my kind of Casanova

I wanted to try a fougere, and this one has a dashing name, so it was a no-brainer of whether I need to sample it. I absolutely did. The idea of this perfume is to evoke an image of Giacomo Casanova, a French womaniser of the 18th century famous for his diaries describing his romantic adventures. With this in mind, I can only praise Histoires de parfums for achieving their goal. Sadly, faced with monsieur Casanova in fragrance form, I can say with great definition that I have no place in his adventures.

Typically, for fougeres, the scent opens with fresh sparkling citrus notes. The courtship begins, everything feels new, stars shine brighter, the allure of discovering a new distinct personality is overwhelming.

And then comes the lavender. I usually absolutely love everything lavender, but this one comes off really cloying and stuffy. The freshness is nowhere to be found, conversation on topics of interest goes stale, and it feels altogether vapid. Leading further to the realisation that it's all just a mask, a hastily crafted one at that.

Odd powderiness settles in the drydown along with the screechy amber, a hint of vanilla among that old stuffy lavender. There is absolutely nothing appealing to me in this ordeal. I don't mind the powder smell, but this one feels cheap and plastic due to a synthetic amber. The lavender continues to be off, as if crafted by someone who doesn't like its scent and emphasised only the worst parts about it. Old seducer Casanova is actually an old conman, after all.

Brilliant execution, I'd say.