“Pure Fumegasm”
I’ve said before that Thierry Mugler is one brand that always thinks intelligently about their flankers and their latest series of limited editions ‘Le Goût du Parfum’ is absolutely no exception to this rule.
The concept behind Le Goût du Parfum (The Taste of Fragrance) is simple – take the already bold, and mostly gourmand structures of four Thierry Mugler scents (Angel, Alien, Womanity and A*Men) and add a ‘Taste Enhancer’ to each. Le Goût du Parfum creates “a genuine parallel between Haute Cuisine and Haute Parfumerie.” To achieve this parallel Mugler enlisted leading Michelin-starred chef Hélène Darroze to create an “entirely Muglerian Meal” based on these four new limited editions.
WARNING: THIS POST WILL MAKE YOU HUNGRY
The specials on today’s menu are…
Angel
Taste Enhancer: Pure Cocoa Powder
Recipe: Sautéed Duck Breast in a Pink Praline Crust, Beets, Turnips and Raspberries, Beet and Citrus Sauce. Intense Mole Sauce
Alien
Taste Enhancer: Salted Butter Caramel
Recipe: Tonka Bean Ice Cream, “Clafoutis” Cookie, Half-Candied Pink Grapefruit. Salted Butter Caramel
Womanity
Taste Enhancer: Fig Chutney
Recipe: Sea Bream Tartare, Hazelnuts and Grapefruit Zest, Cocoa Bean Mousseline, Caviar de France. Fig Chutney Juice
A*Men
Taste Enhancer: Red Chilli
Recipe: Sautéed John Dory Filets, Celeriac Puree/Cinnamon/Nutmeg, Cranberries, Oil Infused with Tahitian Vanilla Strong Coffee Sauce. Piquillo and Espellette Pepper Condiment.
They all sound absolutely fantastic but there was one out of the four that I absolutely had to try and that was Alien. I chose Alien for a number of reasons; firstly it is the only one that doesn’t already have a gourmand facet and I was intrigued by what Mugler would do with it, secondly I ADORE salted butter caramel, thirdly Mugler has already done an excellent job with another Alien flanker – Alien Liqueur de Parfum and finally, out of all of the Muglers, Alien is the one that I find the most consistently wearable.
The Alien Course – Tonka Bean Ice Cream, “Clafoutis” Cookie, Half-Candied Pink Grapefruit. Salted Butter Caramel
The Notes
Top: Sambac Jasmine
Middle: Cashmeran and Solar Notes
Heart: White Amber [1]
Taste Enhancer: Salted Butter Caramel
How Does it Smell?
“The impression of living for the moment, when sugar and salt crystallize with the heat of the fire.
With the power of these images, the nose and mouth anticipate a sophisticated harmony of flavors, far off the beaten track of daily cooking”
Are you familiar with the term ‘Foodgasm’? A foodgasm is the feeling you get when you eat something really spectacular, your taste buds rush, your eyes roll back in ecstasy, your pulse races and you find yourself making all sorts of impolite noises and having to tell the nearest person to you just how good the piece of food currently rolling around inside your mouth is.
Well, smelling Alien La Goût du Parfum for the very first time gave me the scented equivalent of a ‘Foodgasm’, a term which I am now coining ‘Fumegasm’. I sprayed the Alien LGDP on the back of my hand took a big sniff, and for a few seconds couldn’t smell anything new, then it hit me – this stuff is a stroke of genius.
This latest incarnation of my favourite ‘Intergalactic Jasmine’ is unmistakably Alien but it does what so many flankers fail to do, it improves on the original. The epic jasmine and warm solar woods of Alien are softened by a smooth, velvety blanket of caramel. The use of caramel isn’t just a note here, it’s used as a texture, it makes Alien feel silky and the perfumer has to be commended for using it with a light touch, it would have been too easy to make the caramel shout BURNED SUGAR at you, thankfully it doesn’t. The salted facet of the caramel adds a savoury darkness that cuts through the sweetness and whilst it lurks somewhere in the background you can always detect it.
Alien’s base is full of warm cashmeran, a ingredient that adds a woody/musky feeling, and has been very much pushed to the wayside in LGDP, mainly because it is difficult to translate as gourmand. Instead, the amber and vanilla tones have increased in intensity and they mirror the salty caramel perfectly. The dry down really is heavenly, the jasmine become almost lily-like in it’s transparency and it lays within a soft, snuggly vanilla so delicious that you almost forget that this is a perfume…
I really could go on about how wonderful this fragrance is, but I won’t, mainly because I don’t want to bore you but also because I’m quite hungry at this point and am starting to become very tempted to raid the cupboards for something sweet, preferably with caramel. What I will say is that as much as I love Alien, and I REALLY do love Alien, I do prefer Alien LGDP, it turns Alien into a gourmand and takes it to new levels of epic beauty. If you hated Alien you should try LGDP, it is still Alien but it is less in your face and the warmer tones may make this version of Alien more human friendly for you.
Now all I need to do is try the other three!
Availability
Alien Le Goût de Parfum is available in non-refillable 30ml Eau de Parfum for £39 and can be purchased from select Department Stores.
Join the Discussion!
Which of the Le Goût de Parfum fragrances and recipes sound most intriguing to you?
Which foody scents are your favourites?
Let me know in the comments box below!
Disclaimer
This review is based on a bottle of Alien Le Goût du Parfum provided by Thierry Mugler.
[1] osmoz.com
Image 1 alice-in-wonderland.net
Image 2 luxuryactivist.com
All quotes and Image 3 via Press Release.
The Candy Perfume Boy 