Soir de Lune EDP 100ml

There are seventeen materials listed in Sisley Soir de Lune Eau de Parfum, and the composition genuinely uses all of them, which is rare at any price. The opening is spiced rather than fruity. Coriander is dry and faintly soapy, black pepper gives a proper sting, and nutmeg warms both with something close to a dusty sweetness. Bergamot, lemon and mandarin orange sit over the top as the citrus lift, bright for perhaps ten minutes before the spice takes over again. The heart is an old fashioned bouquet handled with unusual care. May rose is the centre, full and slightly honeyed. Mimosa is powdery and soft, closer to dried flowers than to fresh ones. Iris is cool, dry and faintly rooty, which is what keeps the sweetness in check. Jasmine and lily of the valley widen it, one warm and one watery, while peach adds a soft fuzz of fruit that never becomes juice. Then it goes somewhere more serious. Oakmoss and patchouli bring damp earth and bitterness, honey lends a thick, almost waxy sweetness that sits oddly and brilliantly against the moss, sandalwood supplies cream and dryness, and musk pulls the whole thing close to the skin. Dominique Ropion composed it and it dates from 2006. It behaves as an eau de parfum should: an hour of real presence, then eight or more hours of something quieter and more personal. It rewards a light hand. Cooler months and evenings suit it best, and it reads as feminine in a grown up rather than a girlish way. It is the most complex fragrance Sisley makes. The house is an independent French company, founded by Hubert and Isabelle d'Ornano with the family still in control, and it has plant based skincare as its main business and perfume as a long standing sideline.