Somnia 517

Somnia 517 is the warmest and most obviously comforting fragrance in the Maison Noir range. It opens on Italian bergamot alone, a brief bright flash that lasts a few minutes before the composition turns inwards. There is no long citrus phase here, and the opening is really just a door into the heart. That heart is where the character sits: plumeria and jasmine give it a creamy white-floral tropicality, and Spanish cistus runs underneath adding a resinous, slightly leathery edge that keeps the flowers from turning simple or shampoo-like. The base is the reason to buy it. Vanilla, black amber and cashmere wood settle into a smooth, dense warmth that the brand describes as edgy vanilla, and the description is fair. It is a vanilla that reads balsamic and skin-close rather than sweet or foody. Performance is good on both counts, with seven or eight hours typical and a soft cloud of projection early on. It is very much a cold-weather scent and would feel heavy in summer heat. Best suited to evenings, dates and relaxed time at home, though the softness makes it workable in an office if applied lightly. Jerome Epinette of Robertet composed it. This sits in the amber-floral lane rather than the woody-oud one the house usually occupies.