Dark Venom

This is Perfume Parlour's budget interpretation of Dior Midnight Poison, a dark, dramatic rose. It opens with a sharp citrus snap - bergamot and mandarin that cut cleanly before the heart takes over. And the heart is all rose: a dark, creamy, slightly dirty rose, the centrepiece of the whole composition. The drydown wraps it in soft, velvety patchouli, warm amber and a sweet curl of vanilla - that shadowy, seductive frame the original is loved for, with the amber rounding off the patchouli's earthy edges. The original is famous as a projection bomb with solid longevity; the dupe keeps the gothic rose-patchouli mood but renders it thinner and more linear, with the velvety depth simplified and wear pulled in to a few skin-close hours. For an inexpensive, dramatic dark rose for cool-weather evenings, it captures the mood for the money.