Kilian Royal Leather – MDCI Les Indes Galantes

Hey, wound up having to reload the database this  morning because of some blog technical problems. If you put in a comment, just comment again to be entered. sorry!

Reviews of Kilian Royal Leather and MDCI Les Indes Galantes today should be interesting.  I’m suffering with a horrible flu, but my nose seems to be one of the few things on my body that is working.

Kilian royal Leather - MDCI Les Indes Galantes

Kilian Royal Leather’s list of notes could not have sucked me in harder when I saw the word HAWTHORN.  Hawthorn flashes like a neon sign in Vegas for me, so I paced and nervoused and Googled and bothered until some bottles showed up at the Kilian boutique. This is a London exclusive normally, but they do still have some bottles yet, but they aren’t sure when they will get more.  Hawthorn in nature smells like rotting flesh, which makes it the perfect note to throw in almost any perfume. Not sure why more perfumers don’t do just that.  Pairing it with leather is awesome – especially a nice raw leather that won’t go down easy when Hawthorn starts squicking up on it with the first hints of decayed flesh.  This pairing is perfect.  Notes are hawthorn, black tea, heliotrope, leather, agarwood (oud) and patchouli are listed. To be fair, throwing in black tea and oud and patchouli to tamp down hawthorn seems fair.  It works. The open is all leathered heliotrope with some other scary things rolling around fighting it out for the first 30 minutes. I expected to be peeling paint from the walls when I sprayed this one, but it’s actually most subtle on the open when the notes are in tension.  Tea stays pretty background, and I really get it as an underpinnning and not a main feature, but it’s a great underpinning.

Leather is something I admire, but usually don’t wear when it’s too strong.  The use of heliotrope and hawthorn are a nice touch with a strong leather note.  As it dries down, the leather becomes more prominent, but the other notes add interest, keeping it from being a linear leather fragrance.  You leather lovers, don’t worry, there’s enough rough-up leather to make you happy.  Deep in the drydown, it turns mostly leather.

Now watch me get over this flu and find out that this is peeling the paint from the walls, and I just had no idea.  I love it.

MDCI Les Indes Galantes is the first gourmand from Parfums MDCI.  I was surprised to see a gourmand from this line, but pretty excited too. I didn’t think it would be any normal gourmand, and I was right.  Notes of Bergamot, orange, almond, raspberry,coriander, cinnamon, clove, geranium, vanilla, leather, incense, benzoin, labdanum.  The open on this is a glorious cloud of  orange, almond and vanilla.  Deep under it is the incense and spices.  Leaning gourmand, it has a light touch – you won’t smell like you’ve been rolling around in vanilla cookie batter.  I’m enchanted with how the orange stays with this long enough to let some of the base notes settle and warm up then it does a soft fade,.  This is a wafty gourmand.  It reminds me a little of Fendi Theorema on the open, but classier.  Oh, stop, I love Theorema, but it’s an orange creamsicle.  A pretty one to wear, but orange creamsicle nevertheless.  MDCI Les Indes Galantes is gorgeous in the way MDCI does gorgeous, and it wafts.  The spices play gently in the fragrance, not an overpowering spicy oriental – a soft gourmand’ish oriental. I keep thinking it’s a Guerlain gourmand without the need to hit you over the head with the gourmand part of it. Elegant, soft, warm and so snuggly.

I’m so lucky!  I’ve gotten some beautiful things to review the last two weeks, and I’ve got more I need to get to. I love winter perfume releases this year.

Winners of the sample sets of Aftelier Vanilla Smoke (if I have enough), AJ Arabia V and Cartier Musc & OUd are Sublumisomnium and riverlife callie. Just click on Drop Us a Note at the top, send me an e-mail, remind me of what you won and get me your mailing address. I’ll send you a quick e-mail to let you know I got your e-mail and it didn’t land in a spam filter and then get it on the way to you!

Let’s do another giveaway of a sample set of these two perfumes to three lucky commenters. They are both too good to not be shared!  Just drop a comment about anything at all. I’ve been killed by flu for the last week, and it’s been brutal.  Have you avoided it so far?  Had your toes curled with the nonstop sneezing and coughing yet?

  • London says:

    I have thankfully managed to avoid the lurgy so far but I think that’s just because work has been so crazy that it probably won’t hit me till Christmas Eve….! I love MDCI and I just found the first Kilian I liked so I am excited about these.

  • mim666 says:

    no full-on flu for me yet, but I got pretty congested for a while, then a stomach thing… yech. no ‘fume for a while because it would have been a waste, then I dug out some samples and revisited my old favorites and scented lotions as I was recovering. I feel quite lucky now that I can mostly smell again. Hope you are feeling better!
    I love Theorema so I’d be very interested to try MDCI. Had no idea hawthorn=decay, I always thought it was like heliotrope. But now I’m interested in Royal Leather too!

  • Doc Sinister says:

    I hope you feel better soon. I don’t think I’ve ever smelled hawthorn sounds scary but intriguing!

  • Diana says:

    I enjoy the Kilian scents because they are one of the few lines that actually last longer than 4 hours on me. I don’t think I ever smelled Hawthorne before but you’ve piqued my interest. The MDCI sounds lovely but the couple that I’ve tried from that house seem to fade rather quickly on my skin. In any case, would love to be entered into the drawing if its not too late. Hope you’re back in form before your holiday celebrations begin!

  • nozknoz says:

    Haven’t loved any Kilians since Rose Oud, but will give this a try. It’s odd they haven’t done a leather before; seems like a natural for this brand. Hope you feel better!

  • andreaD says:

    These both sound lovely, in their own ways. Hope you’re beginning to feel better.

  • maggiecat says:

    Hope you feel better soon Patty! No flu yet (flu shots are wonderful things) but in October I got a cold that quickly became bronchitis and a sinus infection, and seemed to last forever…)

  • katrin says:

    Hope your flu won’t last long. I had a flu a few weeks ago and slept like a log for two days (this is how I spent the weekend). Sleeping a lot sure helped me. Make sure to get enough of it. The new perfumes sound lovely, I’m especially curious about the Royal Leather. Thank you for the draw!

  • foxbins says:

    Love the new look of the blog, so much easier on my old eyes! MDCI is one of my favorite houses, I’d love to smell their new one. I hope you feel better soon!

  • Janice says:

    The blog looks great! I’ve escaped the flu so far this season. I hope you’re feeling better soon!

  • Irina says:

    hope you’ll feel better, quickly
    thanks for doing a draw when feeling so bad

  • finanna says:

    I guess I have been lucky, no flu yet although my toddler is in daycare and her nose has been running for the entire autumn&winter. Mr f’s theory is that the perfume cloud wafting around me is killing all the germs.
    Get well soon!

  • Sapphire says:

    I have been busy trying to get all my patients to take a flu shot. Had mine in October. Washing my hands more than I have ever done in the past. The MDCI sounds right up my alley. Thanks for the drawing. Hope you are feeling better soon.

  • flowergirlbee! says:

    get well soon : ) i would love to sniff these..thanks for the giveaway.

  • Millicent says:

    Sorry to hear you’re sick, ugh! I got a flu shot and have been healthy so far, but the dog was up all night with severe gastrointestinal distress, so there’s always one of us sick around here. Your description of the Kilian was so great, and thanks for the draw.

  • Ann says:

    Hey, Patty, sure hope you feel better soon, dear! I wondered what was up with the blog acting iffy, so glad to see it’s back. Hang in there!

  • Petunia says:

    Sorry you aren’t feeling well Patty but the blog looks great. I have allergies which often make me feel like I up have the flu. These fragrances sound lovely, especially the MDCI.

  • Ncmyers says:

    Have managed to avoid the crud so far, knock on wood. Hope you feel better soon! Both frags sound great, thank you for the chance.

  • Rina says:

    I won’t say I dodged it, as that is the 100% guarantee to get it, so I’ll just say get well soon! Love Kilian. They’ve used everything else, why not rotting flesh? If anyone can make it work, he can!

  • Chris says:

    Elderberry in all forms, C and zinc picolonate keep me well. So does working from home and lots of hand washing and sleeping with a humidifier that has ravensara essentil oil in the water.

    Please enter me for samples andMerry Christmas to you,Patty

  • Audrey says:

    Love Back to black by Killian, would love to try another, Love the new outlook on your site!

  • eliz88510 says:

    Love the new look of the blog! I’m lucky enough to not have gotten sick yet. We’ll see how long that lasts…I would love to smell Royal Leather. I enjoy several of the other by Kilian perfumes!

  • HeidiC says:

    Oooooh…pretty new interface! I was worried this morning when I couldn’t get my Posse fix on! The MDCI sounds nice, but I’m super intrigued by the Kilian — it’s the perfect thing for today — I’ve been indoctrinating some of my grad students in sniffery, and they’ve given me particular notes or themes they want to smell in perfumes. Today’s challenge was “Death,” and I wish we all could smell the Kilian! I brought in De Profundis and Black March and Iris Silver Mist — I’ll admit, I was a tad stumped.

  • grizzlesnort says:

    I like the new format. Get well fast– but take it slow getting back to work etc. If you don’t pamper yourself, who will? Please enter me in your draw.

    • Patty says:

      Thanks, it seems easier on the eyes. I’m taking it easy since I seem to make a bazillion mistakes when I’m ill, I have to do everything five times. It’s exhausting!

  • karibub says:

    I had a cold that lasted a loooong time but no flu – knock on wood! These fragrances sound divine and I would love to try them. Feel better soon!

  • Sonia says:

    I’m working hard to make sure I keep washing my hands and keep hands away from my eyes. I tend to rub my eyes- not good idea if cold/flu germs around.
    I would love to try these two- I love leathers and I love the notes in MDCI scent.

  • Hope your flu winds down! Ugh, our whole island is awash with “the crud”, and the timing couldn’t be worse of course! The holidays! Oh well, consider it a chance to indulge in tons of brandy toddys!

  • Bastet says:

    Hope you feel better soon. I’ve had several colds but no flu so far.

  • Donna S says:

    Sorry to hear you have a dreaded flu. Not a great time of year for that nonsense! Hope you are better soon. I would love to try these. Thank you so much.

  • Nancysg says:

    I find MDCI to be a great perfume house. Would love to smell the latest in their line-up.

  • Angela says:

    Well, I’ve received the flu shot and wash my hands like crazy. So far serious sickness has evaded me, however, I have once come down with horrible sneeze attacks! Get some rest and drink your fluids! Wishing you well 🙂

  • Solanace says:

    The blog looks good! Hope you get better soon.

    • Patty says:

      Live blog design when you are sick is not the best idea. 🙂 Thanks! this is a much simpler layout, I hope you guys like it better and find it easer to fluff around in.