Ego Facto - Sacre Coeur

Perfume notes (from Lucky Scent) - aromatic notes, Chablis accord, fruit notes,  ginger, patchouli, leather, tobacco. 

Image credit: Projectvisual.net - sacre-coeur-morning

When I first looked at the notes for Sacre Coeur at Lucky Scent, I felt this was a fragrance that would really work for me. The notes were appealing and I wondered what the chablis accord would smell like. I don't know, I wish I could say I like this, but it did not speak to me at all. It opens quite fruity, which I take must be the Chablis, but to me this does not smell anything like grapes, let alone Chablis. I've drunk a fair bit of Chardonnay in my time and I know perfume is not necessarily meant to be 'photo-realistic' in its portrayal of smells but even so, I was hoping this would at least resemble some sort of wine note, but alas no. The opening and heart in particular have a certain generic, even department-store feel and I'm reminded of Chanel Allure for some reason (the men's version). I get cedar, I get musk, I get fruity sweetness and foremost in my mind is the question "why is this called Sacre Coeur?" I've included a photo of the Sacre Coeur in Paris only because it seems like the obvious connotation, but I honestly don't know if this was the inspiration for this fragrance. In any event, the late middle and base notes are an improvement. The fruit, although still there, is dulled by what I perceive as even a touch of incense, although I suspect it is base notes doing this. I know my nose is not necessarily the best in the world, but I don't find any tobacco here to speak of and I struggle to find any leather either. I know that wearing and appreciating perfume is not always about 'getting it', and especially not 'getting the notes' but even so, I can't quite find any inspiration from this fragrance. I am not a perfume snob, honestly, and I know that the price point and marketing of the Ego Facto line is not really as a niche concept, but I can't help feeling a bit disappointed that this comes across as a fairly bland, albeit quite well done designer fragrance; there's nothing wrong with that and let me not dissuade you from at least sampling it, but it did not work for me at all.


If anyone can explain the reasoning behind the name, please email me and let me know. I did a quick search on the net but did not discover anything obvious and I was too lazy to dig any deeper.