It’s been a whole twelve months since we started publishing the #FragranceOfTheMonth series on this blog. One of the things we knew while starting out on this was that the Indian Fragrance market is not very mature. For most people, the idea of “perfume” is a deodorant spray that one sprays on right after a shower and then one is ready to “hit the road”. We weren’t sure anyone would read these features but we were hopeful that many would come to see the photographs.
After doing this for twelve months, I can tell you that it has worked out way better than we had expected. Not only have readers reached out to me personally on social media about how they actually went and purchased the fragrance but also that they discovered new ones while they were at the store – and they knew how to test a fragrance – not on those terrible stock paper strips but on their own skin.
Almost 40,000 pageviews on eleven #FragranceOfTheMonth features on the blog later, here we are, presenting yet another enchanting fragrance to wrap up one whole year.
This one is Decadence by Marc Jacobs and was created by Annie Buzantian and Ann Gottlieb. The bottle, which was my main attraction, was inspired by one of Marc Jacob’s personal emblems for “sexy and sophisticated”.
To my nose, the opening notes were a “shreik”. Super strong and sharp. Of hard-boiled super-sweet vetiver-laden candy. Thankfully, it almost immediately goes to a nice floral – sambac jasmine is my guess. And from there on, the mid notes and the end notes are lovely.
Sillage ( the spread of how far someone from you can smell the fragrance ) is not too much and longevity is on the lower side as well. It all but disappears from my wrist within 3-4 hours. Which can be used as incentive enough to spray a refresher but the bottle is not something I would carry with me in my daily handbag. It is as heavy as it is stunning. The green and the gold accents work well without it being OTT ( over the top ).
The lingering vetiver in this fragrance is what makes it worthy enough to be added to my collection. Apart from that fact that I am totally mesmerized by the bottle. Great build quality too. Faux Python on the cap on top that shuts with a very satisfying click – make sure it’s clicked in all the way though because like me, you’d probably like to pick up the bottle like you’d pick up a bag and if it isn’t securely closed, you might drop the heavy glass on your own foot.
According to the perfumier, the following are the notes one can look for in Decadence by Marc Jacobs : plum, amber, vetiver, rose sambac jasmine, saffron, papyrus, iris and orris. It is also supposed to be “woody” but I waited till there was no trace of the perfume on my wrist and still got no “woody”. The “sensual” bit does translate into a heady fragrance though – but it isn’t heavy because of the smaller sillage and shorter longevity. Some people also mention that this is “powdery” on their skin – not on mine.
I feel like I keep wanting to spray it on me again and again. Like one of my readers recently mentioned on my Instagram, “This one’s addictive.” I tend to agree with them. Since this one’s joined my collection, I haven’t touched another bottle! This is also the first Marc Jacobs fragrance to make an appearance on Naina.co, so maybe that’s another reason.
If I close my eyes and imagine this fragrance, it’s like I’m walking lip deep in emerald colored waters, with my nostrils just above the waterline, slight humidity in the air, cool night air but warmer water, maybe just before sunrise, and I have flowers in my hair, that mingle with the salty sea water and create a heady perfume. The Sun’s rays are just starting to trickle into the water and I can see the water starting to glimmer with gold streaks. There’s a feeling of comfort that I associate with this fragrance. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a “sophisticated” fragrance but there’s enough mystery in there to keep you going till at least one bottle has been absorbed by your skin and then you’ll want some more.
The fragrance is sold as an Eau de Parfum, a shower gel and a roller ball in varying quantities. Not to be confused with Marc Jacobs’ Divine Decadence.
Watch this space as we pick our #FragranceOfTheYear for 2016! Coming soon on the blog!
Marc Jacobs Fragrances : Decadence ( the music in the film is more interesting in the film – the film is a bit pointless ) | Instagram | Facebook
