Etat Libre D'Orange - Vierges et Toreros

In a line known for its risque marketing and in many cases, quite challenging perfumes, Vierges et Toreros is another that pushes the envelope. Depending on one's point of view, this one could either be very attractive or repulsive.

Vierges et Toreros is ostensibly a leather fragrance, mixed with tuberose, for men. However, if you are looking for the more recognisable facet of tuberose, I don't think you will find it here. This perfume opens with a very strange smell of what to me is like a plasticky vinyl, on the verge of melting and burning. Some have mentioned a smell of metallic blood. While it doesn't smell quite like that to me, I can see why this could be perceived as such. As this note develops, I detect a slightly charred, smoky note, like birch tar. At no point do I detect any of the florals, and while I'm sure they are there, the smoky leather note is so strong that it overpowers everything else with one big hammer blow.

This leathery, tarry note only gets stronger, to the point that it becomes overwhelming and I can't get rid of that plastic/vinyl note. It smells incredibly artificial and I'm not sure I like it very much. Three words come to mind - cloying, heady and potent.

After trying Vierges et Toreros, I later encountered two other perfumes that have a similar feel and some notes in common, namely Mona di Orio's Cuir and Boudiccea's Complex. Of the three, Cuir is the most wearable, but I still find it challenging. Vierges et Toreros is just downright bizarre and offputting, at least in my opinion.

The notes, from Luckyscent, include bergamot, pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, ylang-ylang, tuberose, leather, animalic base, costus, patchouli and vetiver.

Image credit - www.luckyscent.com