By Kilian Angel’s Share Review

By Kilian Angel’s Share was just released, and I think they sold out at the U.S. Kilian site in less than two hours.  The note list of cognac, cinnamon, oak, tonka bean, praline, vanilla and sandalwood explains that.

Those of you desperately wanting another big Kilian gourmand may be mildly left wanting, and those of you dreading a big Kilian gourmand will be happier than you think after reading that note list.

Those of you that hate cinnamon in perfume can go on to Roses on Ice or something else.  More on that later. It’s not a cinnamon perfume, but— well, I’ll wait and get into that later.

Angel’s Share in the distilling business is that portion (la part des anges) that evaporates and the angels take up to God, or I guess for themselves. It’s not super clear who gets it, but it actually works in the experience of By Kilian Angel’s Share.

This opens as the big, beautiful gourmand you are expecting from the notes — a big, lush booze, pralines, wood, vanilla, cinnamon poof bomb.  And you are going yeah!  Like Kenzo Jungle L’Elephant before the horror hits you that you are not ready to be committed to wearing that gigantic gourmand for maybe years before it will come off.  Okay, I’m exaggerating about the Kenzo a little bit.   But not much.

By Kilian Angel’s Share opens big, and the gourmand people will be leaping in their seats.  On me, that open is fleeting. It’s there and then it ghosts, and I’ve mostly got a great vanilla-softened oaky sandalwood with a hint of cinnamon. That part also makes me very happy, though I loved the open.  It was just not expected.  I thought that was the way it would finish, but only sort and not really.

This is a wafter. What you smell on your skin with your nose down in it isn’t all of it.  I started walking around the house and looked around to see who smelled so delicious.  Me. In the waft, I get the cinnamon-vanilla-praline just gently spinning around in the air like some magic invisible fairy dance. And I’m thinking, is that intentional?  Is it just my skin?  Is it just how I smell things? I don’t know. But if it was intentional, it is genius. It really feels like the angels are taking their share.  You have been left with something, and they are taking theirs, but it is still there, swirling about you, not really leaving you.

There and not there.

About the cinnamon.  I amp the oak and sandalwood like crazy on my skin with this perfume. My sister was amping the cinnamon.  The cinnamon is absolutely there, but on me it is lighter, floating. On her, it is more like a big cinnamon roll.  I like them both, and I love cinnamon, but if you can only do a little cinnamon, just be aware that this may amp cinnamon like a FireStix.  Or not.

Overall, I think By Kilian Angel’s Share is gorgeous, less of what I was thinking it would be and more of what I had not expected. In this case, that is a great thing, even though in my sweet perfume loving old age, I probably would have been all about a big praline and vanilla cinnamon bomb, too. 🙂

I am thinking of throwing the ALOF Freckled thing on with it. It could be horrific, but maaaaybe not!  Could be genius.

Winners of the A Lab on Fire Freckled and Beautiful – VerbenaLuvvr and Bridget B. Just click on the Drop Us a Note up at the top in the Aqua bar, send me your mailing address, remind me of what you won, and I’ll get the sample of this and the ALOF Sunset Blvd one out to you as well.

Yes, of course a drawing on this lovely thing.  Will draw two commenters are random to get a sample of By Kilian Angel’s Share.  Just drop a comment to be entered! So cinnamon, yeah or nay?  Or really, just generally, is there one note that is a complete deal breaker for you?