I would like to think that when a brand/perfumer/creative director agrees to launch a perfume that they think the final mod is eccentric. I’m not saying that they should be “weird” but I’d like to think there are people launching perfumes that they think aren’t clones of something else. I know this thought is naïve. There are entire companies that exist to copy fragrances (like the drugstore Designer Imposters). We also know that fragrance is a business and utilize focus groups to create something that sales. But, when I think about indie or niche, I’d like to think they at least *believe* they are launching something that is unique. An issue I’ve noticed throughout years and years of sniffing things is that sometimes the copy/marketing is more unique than the actual perfume.
Art de Parfum Excentrique Moi lets you know immediately that they think this is a unique fragrance. But, like I said in my above paragraph, I like to think that all niche perfumes believe they are launching something unique. But, does this perfume live up to its name? Yes…
Excentrique Moi opens as dry and aldehydic. It has a lot of spice from clove but it also has notes that remind me of frankincense incense. It’s peppery, bright and resinous. It’s an unusual perfume but still very wearable. It goes through a stage that reminds me of absinthe, frankincense incense and a rubbery, smoky black tea (like that rubbery/smoky tea accord in Bvlgari Black). The dry-down is like patchouli, black pepper and cedar incense. For most of the dry-down the patchouli dominates.
Excentrique Moi is an unusual fragrance composed of familiar elements. It’s spicy with both warm and cool spices. There’s a smokiness from black and woods. One would expect from the notes for Excentrique Moi to be a heavy fragrance. It’s a fragrance with a lightness but doesn’t lack in depth. It’s one of those that smells just as good up close as it does from a distance, even though there is variation when you add distance. Up close, it’s woods, patchouli and pepper. From a distance it’s like a haze of incense smoke, bright aldehydes and absinthe.
Notes listed include pepper, cloves, red fruits, guaiac wood, hibiscus, black tea, patchouli, white musk and cedar. Launched in 2016.
Give Excentrique Moi a try if you like spicy or peppery perfumes. Or perfumes like Serge Lutens Rousse, Obaapa Purple, Costume National Homme or Aedes de Venustas Palissandre d’Or. If you like perfumes like Bvlgari Black or the spicier scents from Comme de Garcons, you really need to give this a try.
Projection and longevity are above average.
The 1.7 oz bottle retails for $135 at Indigo Perfumery. Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Absinthe and incense. It took me to the bottom of the sample to realize why I like Excentrique Moi so much. It’s like a luminous patchouli. There’s more going on that patchouli, but it has what I like about patchouli perfumes paired with luminous, icy accords. These unexpected contrasts make it eccentric.
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*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from Fragrantica. Claude Montana in Paris pic from
On my “to try” list. I have and Love the Bvlgari Black. It also seems to be reasonably priced. I went through a phase after going to France when I really liked absinthe. “The Green Fairy”. Lol!. It had recently been made legal in the US and I brought some back with me. Complete with the spoons needed for the sugar. Got over it, but kept the spoons as a reminder of the trip.
But, I mean, absinthe spoons are the cutest and also most glamorous things ever! They’re great souvenirs.
Bvlgari Black is one of my all time favorite perfumes. It was launched 20 years ago and *still* feels modern.
This one isn’t a Black knock-off but it shares that same interesting rubbery/tea thing. This brand, overall, has really surprised me. There are so many great fragrances in the line and I never hear people talk about them. Speaking of alcohol, their Gin one is the best gin-interpretation I’ve ever sniffed.