When first scenting Poudre de Riz it reminded me a little bit of the Bissoumine perfume Un Ange passe. They both have the same sweetness in common. Poudre de Riz is more rounded and complex though. It is not a very complicated or layered eau de
parfum.
What first that comes to mind when scenting Poudre de Riz is dulce de leche, condensed milk turned into a kind of caramel, very sweet and very popular in South America. Poudre de Riz has some sweet notes which remind
me of almond as well. For me it is hard to distinguish the separate top and middle notes as they are very well blended, more important is the feeling it brings me: lush, overwelmingly sweet, luxurious, and warm. The drydown is surprisingly warm and resinous
probably due to the benzoin. In some seconds I felt like the lady on the painting.
Poudre de riz would suit a lady wearing a fur stola in the concert hall leaving a trail of her perfume when she leaves the foyer/lobby. A concert hall
like the Concert Gebouw in Amsterdam with red carpets and velvet chairs. She would have had to spray a lot of perfume as Poudre de Riz stays quite close to the skin. But it is a perfume with a modern twist to it. The modern twist being the monoi and slight
but very well blended coconut. The Concert Gebouw in Amsterdam has a new wing build next to the building as well, its modern twist.
Poudre de Riz was inspired by a phrase in the novel The inferno (1908) by Henri Barbusse, "The air in the closed room
was heavy with a mixture of odours, soap, face powder, the pungeant scent of cologne." When reading this sentence one would think a suffocating heavy powdery perfume was created. This is not the case though. Poudre de Riz does not remind me of soap
or the pungeant scent of cologne at all. Sometimes it is better not to know anything about the inspiration for a perfume and just scent it, like it is.
Notes according to luckyscent: damask rose, tiare absolute, coconut, vanilla, rice powder accord
(caramelic, burnt toast and maple notes), sandalwood, iris, cedar, tonka bean, tolu balsam and benzoin resin.
Poudre de Riz was created by French perfumer Pierre Guillaume for Huitieme Art Parfums. Huitieme Art Parfums was founded in 2010 for the 8th
anniversary of the perfume house Parfumerie Generale. The name Huitieme art means eighth art. According to perfume critic Octafian Coifan perfume is the eight art next to painting, music, architecture, dance, poetry, sculpture and architecture.