Review of Crystal Noir Parfum by Sarah Chabal

Softly sweet, fresh spicy, warm spicy, floral, coconut, creamy, woody, powdery, fresh, musky, feminine, sensual, seductive, sexy, classy, sophisticated, mysterious, deep, exotic, interesting, alluring, unique On me this opens fresh and spicy with fresh spicy ginger sprinkled with spicy pepper and cardamom. As it starts drying down it grows sweeter as the sweet and creamy coconut comes through. The lush gardenia, sweet and citrusy orange blossom, and just a whisper of peony start to bloom and envelope the spicy top notes. During the dry down the lovely florals and coconut remain, and it gains a warm and woody depth with the golden warmth of golden amber, creamy sandalwood, and just a touch of soft musk. This is such an interesting scent. The opening is very fresh spicy, and not my favorite. I just rediscovered my little bottle after not having smelled it in some years. That opening surprised me because I don’t exactly love it, so I thought maybe my taste had just changed. However, once this started drying down I saw the appeal. The sweet and creamy coconut came through first and worked surprisingly well. It doesn’t come across as the more beachy/tropical coconut that I’m usually drawn to, rather just adds that lovely creamy sweetness that starts enveloping the spicy top notes, and makes this so much more wearable for me. There’s still a soft spiciness that runs throughout this, but the coconut, gardenia, orange blossom, and peony pair surprisingly well with it. The spiced coconut and gardenia are the heart of this fragrance, and remain throughout the dry down. I still have the original 2004 version before it was reformulated. For me this fell into a kind of category of fragrances that I thought of as more classy/sophisticated fragrances, but without coming off as overly mature or anything. Some of the ones that I also have and always thought of in the same way (even with all of their differences) include JPG Classique, D&G The One, The One Desire, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, Gucci Guity Intense, Dior Addict EDP, Chloe Love Story, Chloe EDP I get excellent performance with Crystal Noir. The longevity is impressive, it lasts throughout the whole day on my skin, and I can still smell it the next morning. The projection is also fantastic, just a couple sprays radiate out at least a few feet from me. This could easily fill up a room if sprayed I’m much more of a gourmand fan overall, especially nowadays, but I do still enjoy this one. For reference, some of my favorites include Kayali Yum Boujee Marshmallow, The Wedding Silk Santal, Vanilla 28, Vanilla Candy Rock Sugar, Yum Pistachio Gelato, PDM Oriana, Kilian LDBS, Princess, GDT Celeste, Gucci Flora Gorgeous Orchid, Burberry Goddess, The 7 Virtues Vanilla Woods, Ellis Brooklyn Marshmallows, SDJ Summer é Amor, SDJ 39, SDJ 62, VS Vanilla Lace, B&BW Boardwalk Marshmallow Clouds, Whipped Honey & Vanilla, Fireside Flurries