By Kilian has been irking me this past year. The brand seems to have given up on having an artistic direction and have been very open about their target markets (Asian Tales). And now we have the In The Garden of Good and Evil Collection.
Last summer when I was in Vegas, I kept smelling By Kilian fragrances on all of the tourists. Obviously Las Vegas has been a great market for this line. I kid you not, I smelled Incense Oud on sooo many people (which smelled great in the heat). I thought my nose was playing tricks on me. I asked people, “What are you wearing?” They responded Kilian Incense Oud.” I was right. My nose is good, even in the clouds of cigarette smoke. One gentleman told me it is very “exclusive”. I went home and told a fragrance friend, “I bet we see something Vegas-y from Kilian”. Behold! Kilian realizes they have a market there and now there’s a collection for those in Vegas wanting to buy something fancy, small and expensive. Bravo for realizing your audience. Now let’s see if it is has any artistic value.
In the City of Sin opens with fruits and pink pepper, not juicy but soft. Lovers of plum fragrances should love this top opening. It’s stone fruits and tons of “fruity” pink pepper and cooling cardamom. On me this fragrance wears a sweet fruity floral. I notice the plum and rose for most of the wear. It strangely wears very sweet and like rose cotton candy on me. The dry-down is still that same plum fruity-floral theme but with more white musk and cedar (like the cedar in Diptyque Philosykos).
In the City of Sin is a pleasant fragrance and “easy to wear”. But, I’m not feeling it. I have other things that I’d rather wear when I want a fruity-floral for grown-ups (ex. Serge Lutens Feminite du Bois or Bois et Fruits). In fact, there are other fragrances in the By Kilian line that are about the same. I guess that is why I’m not feeling it; it’s redundant.
Notes listed include bergamot, pink pepper, cardamom, apricot, plum, rose, incense, cedarwood, patchouli and white musk. Launch date 2012. PERFUMER – Calice Becker
Give it a try if you like plum in fragrance or dig spiced fruity florals. Try if if you like Fifi Chachnil, Creed Spring Flower, Etat Libre d’Orange Putain des Palaces and/or Creed Acqua Fiorentina. I view it as a feminine fragrance that is ageless. It would work on a teenager or a more mature woman.
In the City of Sin doesn’t have the same projection as other By Kilian perfumes. It’s softer. It has average longevity. The packaging is really pretty.
The 1.7 oz EDP retails for $245 at Luckyscent.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Spicy stone fruit floral. Pleasant enough but I’m not in love.
Want more reviews? Try…
Calice Becker has been the nose for Kilian for quite some time now. I love her cheapie creations such as Tommy girl and Jadore, but sadly none of her Kilian scents have emotionally connected with me. Her best has been Rose Oud, but it wasn’t different compared to Montale’s or Epic Woman. I love the bottle of Fifa Chachnil, and the scent is sexy. Will sample City of Sin, thanks..Good read.
Calice is extremely talented IMO. She has many excellent perfumes. However, like you, not many of the By Kilians have really reeled me in. I did like Rose Oud very much but not enough to buy a bottle. This is just me; I know that many people gain pleasure from some of these By Kilian scents. I say wear what makes you happy or feel all warm and fuzzy in side. Unfortunately none of these have done that for me but I can say the packaging is beautiful 😉
On me, I actually get much more of the spices — particularly the cardamom, which I love. Out of the three in the Garden of Good and Evil series, this is my favorite.
I also really want that clutch. I will admit that has unduly influenced my desire for the fragrance 🙂
That clutch is something else. I saw it today in person; it’s a stunner. It sounds bad but I honestly, after today, think that clutch is worth the price alone, lol. Look at the fragrance as a freebie.
I’m starting to think of my skin as a rose amplifier….
It’s been years since I have been in Vegas, I would have not expected people to be wearing by Kilian fragrances, but instead the latest Britney Spears concoction. Of course, money doesn’t always equal taste. Maybe Vegas has classed up since last I was there. Or maybe I was just hanging out in the Vegas ghetto!
Haha, you probably weren’t in the ghetto! The first time I have ever been to Vegas was last summer for work. I can’t say that things have changed or are the same. BUT I can say that the Skin Store or whatever started carrying By Kilian and I can tell you that bottles were flying out of there. I guess it’s good in comparison to some celeb BS. I mean it exposes people to niche, luxury perfumes. The truth is that a few of these perfumes are really good and do have mainstream appeal (Back to Black for example). I’d rather smell In the City of Sin on somebody vs. some awful dimestore juice.
FYI – Not really looking forward to going back to Vegas…
My nose is not as good as yours (though I do recognize some perfumes I know on people “in the wild”) so I will not argue about the redundancy of this new By Kilian’s offer but for me it’s a first of his perfumes that I want to have a full bottle of (at this price, I mean: I wouldn’t mind one of his Asian Tales for 50% off). It was just nice when I tested it on paper but multiple wears since then proved that something appeals to me in this perfume (and I’ll admit, the packaging doesn’t hurt either 😉 ).
Undina recently posted..Undina’s Looking Glass Turns Two
I have always said wear/buy what you love. If you love this, go for it! It is well down, I’m not dissing the skill and composition. And I completely agree that the packaging is stunning. I saw them in person today and I find that little clutch gorgeous, actually worth that price alone!
I guess my complaint is that they are redundant for this line; not bad at all but redundant. I think it would have been better if the similar ones were discontinued first. It’s also possible that I’m being ridiculously picky 😉
[…] After that rant, I’ll now talk about the perfume. A perfume in the “Garden of Good and Evil” Collection. Or what I call the “Vegas Tales”. […]
[…] Wild Rose a try if you like natural rose perfumes. Or perfumes like By Kilian In the City of Sin, Guerlain Nahema and/or Providence Perfume Co. Rose 802. Actually, this perfume reminds me a lot of […]