José Eisenberg - Rouge & Noir

I had hardly no expectations on the rest of the fragrances from José Eisenberg, since I´ve hardly heard of them before. J'ose could as well be the only among them worth trying. It isn´t that unusual to try about ten perfumes from the same company and find out that you´re only like one of them.

Well, I am obviously not one of them learning from my mistakes, it was time to go to bed and I read about Rouge & Noir, the EdT-version was said to be light, but unforgettable. I must have missed the unforgettable part, and sprayed on a little. It was some kind of sweet, spritzy floral fruity, well I tought, this wasn´t anything special. No, it wasn´t, not for at least five minutes!

Well, you´ve guessed it, once agian I manage to go to bed with a perfume that keeps me awake for hours. It smell good, interesting, different and well, unforgettable.

Rouge & Noir is a premature scent. In akind of bothering, but very differrent way. It makes me think about a girl-women with one foot left in the childhood and the other in the adult world. She might be only 14-15 years old, but she feel more grown-up, mature and sofisticated than her sam aged friends. And she is! She isn´t that kind of girl that wears worn out jeans and sneaks out with the little older boys to smoke and drink beer behind the school at night. No, she´s the kind of girl trying her mothers sexiest clothes, highest heels, most red lipstick and most expensive perfume when her parents isn´t at home. She´s that kind of girl that will move to the closest city as soon as possible, to study and hang out with the -male- teachers. She´s the kind of girl loving vanilla ice cream with hot chocolate sause and cherries, but when no one´s watching she pour dark, smoth and strong rhum all over it. You know, that kind of girl either to have a really, really succesfull life or the absolute opposite.

But, Rouge & Noir isn´t a girly perfume. Still youthful, but in a way women in most ages can wear. It´s so far away from common fruity floral it´s possible to come, but still being kind of fruity floral. The name is strangely suitable, it is a redish black kind of scent, but also with some creamy, smoth white vanilla feel to it.

It has a kind of medical note in common with J'ose, but in Rouge & Noir, it´s evolve to more of a dark rhum note. Even if there´s no vanilla listed, there is a feel of creamy vanilla, like a really gorgeus vanilla ice cream with real vanilla in it. It´s hard to put Rouge & Noir in any fragrance family, from the start it´s fruity floral, but then the fruityness goes in the background, becoming more thick and jammy, the flowers is there all the time, but toned down and yet still vibrant. Some gourmand notes enters and also I can detect a slightest hint of chewing gum (the tuberose, I guess).

But the best part is the milky basenotes, that shows up after about an hour or two. It´s so beautiful, creamy, soft and comfy. Rouge & Noir is somewhat a strange scent, it´s all over the place and you have to be careful not to miss some parts. I do not recommend it for people that like more linear, peaceful and predictible fragrances. But, to me it makes a perfume challenging.

And Rouge & Noir is challenging. Kind of a happy and bright perfume, but still with something slightly forbidden in it. Red from the start, and then maturing in to something darker, and also creamier, milkier and some boozyness. Really strange how something milky can be dark almost black? But it is! There is a smoth velvety blackness in it, that is very challenging to pinpoint.

Even tough Rouge & Noir has a youthful heart, I think it could be suitable for women in all ages, but not on all occations. It´s a scent for party, a night out or maybe on some romantic occation. Even tough I am trying the EdT version I think it has excellent sillage and good longvity, at least 4-5 hours, and the basenote is in my opinion the best part.

Stylish it´s more like Fredric Malle´s Lipstick Rose, than anything natural and casual.