My newest fragrance obsession is the entire Caron line, a line that I have always liked but didn’t explore completely. I didn’t realize until recently that they have masculine fragrances! A generous fragrance friend shared the masculines with me. I’m impressed. They’re good. L’Anarachiste is the modern masculine in the line. With the name and the notes, I was wanted something more Sex Pistols with saftey pins through its perfumed ears. Instead, I get something that reminds me of Hollywood Moses. And I love that.
L’Anarchiste opens up as cool, green, minty, but spicy. It reminds me exactly of mint coriander chutney. Except it isn’t edible. There’s a musky “bottom” to this chutney. With a bit more time, I get more spice and less coolness. It’s that spice that I detect in orange blossom, “man” neroli, mixed with a masculine cedar. At this stage, L’Anarachiste smells like it would be the color “rust”. It’s a mix of red and orange. Don’t laugh (or do, I won’t hear), but it reminds me of the scene of Heston as Moses on the mountain, a fiery red sky, it’s all perfect for L’Anarachiste. At this stage, L’Anarachiste is intense, verging on angry, but so confident and attractive. It’s warm cedar but with some herbal spicy sweetness, like a fresh anise leaf. The dry-down is a vetiver-cedar, woodsy and fresh.
Notes listed include orange blossom, mandarin, cedar leaves, sandal, vetiver, cedarwood, and musk. Perfumer – Richard Fraysse
L’Anarchiste is such a strange fragrance because it is nothing like the notes listed. The notes listed do not convey the cool/hot contrast of this fragrance. Reading the notes, one isn’t comprehending the complexity of this fragrance. And it’s a Caron, it is blended seamlessly. I believe that all perfumes are art, but this is a work of art.
The packaging – I find the bottle of L’Anarchiste humorous, a good humor. It’s bronzed and “ancient”, reminding me of those technicolor Old Testament films. This bottle looks like it would be held by Charleton Heston’s tanned hands, looks like a stone tablet in a way. Or an Edward Gorey-ish tombstone flask…the silly “L’Anarchiste” font matches either!
Give L’Anarchiste a try if you like Cartier Pasha, Guerlain Heritage, Avon Wild Country, and/or Canali Canali.
The 4.2 oz bottle retails for $125 on Amazon.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – This isn’t my favorite Caron masculine, but I still want to own a bottle. I’m a bit of a Caron collector. I just need this. I need the goofy bottle. And it doesn’t hurt that the juice is actually good and I’ll wear it.
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I’m a diehard fan of L’Anarchiste, and indeed of most of Caron’s masculines. Haven’t tried Yatagan yet, but I love, love, love…Pour Un Homme, Le Troisième Homme and…L’Anarchiste, precisely becuase it’s spicy and cool, and that had to be hard to pull off! I wear it, my lover wears it – it’s all good and it’s..always good! Great review – and do you know, V – I’ve just realized it – Charlton Heston as Moses and L’Anarchiste makes perfect, perfect sense! Manly, but not too macho, intelligent, but not intimidating! I could very well see Chuck Heston wearing this!
And you and I, too, come to think of it! Because that’s the kind of anarchists and non-conformists we are! 😉
Tarleisio recently posted..A Fearful Symmetry
I LOVE the Caron masculines. My favorite is Pour Un Homme, then followed by Troisieme, actually the order you listed. I do love Yatagan, but it isn’t easy for me to “pull off” but I wear it anyways. I think these are some of the best masculines on the market.
And I do see L’Anarchiste as an “anarchist” fragrance, but not in a punky, angsty teen way, more of the Moses way, that type of non-conformist loyalty and determination. Like you said, intelligent but not intimidating.
I love your Moses association! That’s hilarious. This sounds pretty damn good, I have to say. I love Tabac Blond with such intensity that I will try any Caron once.
Carrie Meredith recently posted..Dreaming Big- my full bottle lust list this week
This is worth trying. It’s seriously wears as coriander-mint chutney on me at first and then dries down to a really good fresh-cedar. There’s some humor to it and that’s good.
I’m not even a Charlton Heston fan, but I still love the associations you’ve made here. However, coriander-mint chutney is the thing you said that makes me want to try this most. Awesome review!
I haven’t sampled all of the Carons but consider myself a Caron girl, with Tabac Blond extrait, Yatagan, and Parfum Sacre being the ones I love most and wear a lot. Love ’em!!
Oh, I’m not a fan of Charlton at all. He would make a better villain, but anyways.
From the list of Carons that you’ve tried, I think you’d like L’Anarchiste. It really does remind me of coriander-mint chutney.
That bottle is pretty much amazing. So amazing I had to comment just to say that. 🙂
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It’s fun! I really do like it.
I really love the bottle too, so unexpected for such a classic European house.
Carrie Meredith recently posted..Redefining the animal- Amouage Library Collection Opus V
It was much needed humor for Caron.