A beautiful sunny morning. You open up your eyes as you wake up and the moment you do that you realize you’re in the heart of the forest. It’s summer time so you’re feeling a bit lazy and not in a rush to actually get out of bed. The next moment your still sleepy eyes gaze up into the sky and you’re in awe. You see the light filtering through the crowns of the trees, shadows flickering among the leaves. So simple yet so breathtaking and beautiful. What if I told you that you don’t have to only imagine this picture but you can also smell it! With Les Liquides Imaginaires Succus it’s possible.
Succus greets the wearer with a delightful scent of rhubarb. Its tartness and crispness are absolutely mouth-watering & I immediately want to smile thanks to it. After around 5 minutes it develops a slightly sour but still very appealing flavor with a little bit of a green tint to it. Shortly after a wonderful mandarin appears, spilling its delectably sweet juiciness all over the place. The combination of these 2 works really well, creating the energetic bomb you just want to eat. After a while Succus changes its character a bit. When laurel joins the composition a new dry & dusted facet appears. I have to admit it smells pretty and harmonious next to mandarin and rhubarb.
Some time later the verdancy of Succus becomes more prominent but no matter the moment I smell it, I continue to perceive it as pastel green rather than bright green. Rosemary gives a fantastic touch of aromatic facets – it smells quite airy and spacious, outdoorsy. Afterwards juniper adds some of its own fragrance. That one is also green but also has a light metallic undertone you could associate with gin. Sage and cedar leaf give Succus a slightly more masculine character through their powdery/dusty impressions. At this point grapefruit also appears – its citrusy bitterness has more of a zesty effect compared to more juicy mandarin. It’s also not sweaty which is a good thing.
As hours pass I notice how a mild spiciness builds up in Les Liquides Imaginaires Succus. It’s first revealed through a lemony fizziness of ginger and later also black pepper joins the ensemble. The warmth they effuse is rather solar and bright, they definitely haven’t been set up in a more heavy context. At some point a tropical floral note arrives at the main stage. Orchid that is featured in this fragrance is really something else. It’s slightly sweet and more creamy. It’s tropical but not exotic (if you know what I mean) and definitely adds a vivid color to the scent. Orchid is also slightly vanillic but way less dense than vanilla itself. Succus becomes more charming with time.
Drydown of Succus is mainly woody but also provides quite a lot of complexity. Firstly there’s vetiver but it smells neither dry nor grassy. It’s way more woody-solid than I’d expect. It has a pleasant smoothness that helps mandarin to come out more – it’s like vetiver becoming a background to the juicy fruit from before. Texas cedar gives more substantivity to the blend while frankincense creates a contrasting layer of balsamic ‘airiness’. It’s smoky in a great way but also light. There’s also a musky element via Moxalone and clear woodiniess via Georgywood (Givaudan molecules). I especially liked this vetiver-mandarin effect that gave Succus an uplifting vibe.
Les Liquides Imaginaires launched Succus as part of a perfume trilogy called Eau Arborante and this particular creation was meant to evoke the crowns of trees. I truly love this idea and how well it’s been executed by a perfumer – Shyamala Maisondieu. Succus really makes you feel as if you were sitting on top of a giant tree. Longevity and sillage of this creation are very good. Succus is available in 100 ml bottles and in eau de parfum concentration. If only smaller flacon was offered by the brand I wouldn’t hesitate to get it as I’m really into this perfume. It’s a great addition to summer wardrobe.
Double Dare immediately goes to the clue by emanating a prominent suede accord. This soft leather aroma is very plush, fuzzy and delicate. Once it warms up on the skin it also becomes slightly powdery before it becomes more musky. Its muskiness is not offensive but its warm like a skin of a person who just crawled out of bed. There’s sensuality to it with a seductive background. Double Dare is a kind of fragrance that melts with your body. This one also becomes slightly animalic over time. The longer it stays on skin the more powdery it becomes. Smokiness is very transparent here but it has the labdanum properties as it smells rich and luxurious. Drydown brings some more leather but now it’s smooth and shiny. Only suede & leather are given by Prada.