FURIOSA
by FENDI
ingredients: pepper, jasmine, vanilla
A fragrance called Furiosa and described as “The Essence of Wild Femininity“ conjures up images of furrowed brows, flashing eyes, and slamming doors, definitely not something for the pipe-and-slippers bliss to which I—and, I suspect, most men after two weeks spent with a furiosa—aspire. The fragrance is a bit of a letdown from those stormy expectations: a sunny, deliciously plush spicy-powdery confection lying somewhere between Caron’s Parfum Sacré [1990] and Rochas’ Tocade [1994], but without the fruity intensity of the former or the metallic sheen of the latter. My reference to nineties perfumes is meant to be flattering: François Demachy invariably manages, in the face of every regulatory and budgetary constraint, to compose perfumes that feel comfortable from topnote to drydown, a feat so rare these days that one is inclined to just be thankful and say no more.
But wait: one further thought occurs to me as I puff on my pipe and look into the eyes of my faithful golden retriever. It seems to me that this fragrance would make a perfect serene, pillowy masculine in the manner of Guy Robert’s original Amouage Gold Man [1983] or Penhaligon’s Hammam Bouquet [1872]. And what’s more: the superb reticulated bottle requires no embarrassing explanations. Done deal, then: “The Essence of Tame Masculinity.”
pepper floral
