Guiding light, Parfum d’Empire Le Cri de la Lumière

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day…” So goes the first day of the creation of the Universe according to the Bible. Thousand years later light and darkness are still opposite to each other, continuously in a fight. These days we know more about the nature of both forces. People even learned how to combine both into art (chiaroscuro). Parfum d’Empire, one of the earliest niche brands I discovered & that I still love, recently introduced Le Cri de la Lumiere, a perfume that is ‘as dazzling and exhilarating as a newborn day’. I was truly looking forward to giving this new composition a try, and my high expectations were met. It was a love at first sniff.

Le Cri has a very intriguing built. There are no particular top, heart or base notes. This perfume immediately goes to the point and remains quite steady through the entire wearing time. As soon as I spray it on my skin I’m greeted by the beautiful accord of iris. You surely know by now that I’m crazy about iris, I always look for a chance to try a new one. But my expectations are also high because of that. In Le Cri the iris evolves right in front of my eyes. At first I encounter its carroty facet. It smells vegetal and a little bit rooty but with a sheer, opalescent nature. It’s hauntingly beautiful.

After a quarter the direction changes and iris becomes buttery and delightfully soft. There’s something creamy about Le Cri but it also has an amazing lightness to it. Think of a whipped cream or a meringue perfumed with buttery iris goodness. On my skin this feeling lasts for quite some time. In the next step the composition becomes more dry, encouraging the reveal of another iris facet. And so it happens. This time it smells powdery, a little bit like talcum but it has an exquisite silky element underneath that makes it feel very sensual. It sure smells like a luxurious, pampering body powder.

On my skin the iris is present until the very end of the day but in the meantime there are a few twists to make the latest Parfum d’Empire fragrance more interesting. Turkish rose appears in a shy, delicate manner. It’s not opulent & it’s not there to make a statement. Its freshness and dewiness make the perfume more Innocent. I think it would be a suitable comparison to say that rose accord forms some sort of a cushion covered with red velvet. It adds some brightness and color to Le Cri and at the same time the presence of rose gives it more vintage character.

This vintage feeling carries on to the final ingredient of the perfume, which is ambrette. To me there’s something dusty about this note. Because of that impression it feels like some shadow was cast at the bright & radiant part of Le Cri. Such contrast is accentuated even more over time when ambrette develops a woody vibe with a vegetable-fruity tone underneath. I get a fleeting impression of apricot and pear. Marc-Antoine Corticchiato created a fragrance that is contemporary yet old-fashioned in a positive way. It also suits the brand while being quite different from other perfumes in the range. Parfum d’Empire Le Cri de la Lumière is an eau de parfum, available in 50 ml bottles. To me it was a love at first whiff so I’m happy it’s not a limited edition. It’s a magnificent skin-scent.