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A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
A shot of tequila meets overripe stone fruit, bright and boozy with an almost cough-syrup sweetness that immediately signals this fragrance refuses convention. The synthetic undertones emerge at once, giving the whole opening a slightly plasticated, cosmetic sharpness that some will find offputting and others strangely magnetic.
The dahlia unfolds with a waxy, almost soapy floral character that makes little attempt to soften what came before—instead it layers complexity atop the fruity-alcoholic base, creating a rather tense three-way conversation between spirit, flower, and synthetic shimmer. By the second hour, the composition settles into an odd, deliberately awkward middle ground that prioritises personality over pleasantness.
Sandalwood emerges with a creamy, slightly powdery sweetness, though by this stage the fragrance has already begun its retreat toward the skin. What remains is a diluted, faintly soapy skin scent with ghostly traces of fruit and floral—intimate perhaps, but decidedly forgettable, suggesting the composition simply runs out of conviction rather than reaching a coherent conclusion.
Flor del Sol arrives as a peculiar collision between a resort bar and a botanical garden—an uneasy marriage that Honorine Blanc navigates with more curiosity than elegance. The Tequila Sunrise accord immediately establishes itself as the fragrance's most intriguing element, introducing a boozy, almost fermented fruitiness that refuses to play the typical bright citrus game. There's something deliberately unsettling about pairing this spirited, slightly bitter top note with the sweetness that dominates the composition (88% sweet accord); it creates a tension that never quite resolves into harmony.
The dahlia heart arrives as a sculptural floral—structured rather than romantic, with a waxy, almost plastinated quality that sits uneasily atop that fruity-alcoholic foundation. Rather than softening the tequila's edges, the dahlia seems to emphasise the synthetic elements (64% synthetic accord) that thread through the entire structure, lending the composition an almost cosmetic quality. This isn't florals-and-fruit done with refinement; it's more a challenging artistic statement, the olfactory equivalent of wearing neon against velvet.
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3.6/5 (194)