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Balmain<\/a> creative director, Christophe Decarnin,* had a hand (and, presumably, his nose) in the creation of Parfums Balmain\u2019s new (2010) men\u2019s scent Carbone de Balmain:<\/p>\n Decarnin\u2019s Balmain man is sexy and mysterious. He strolls nonchalantly through the city with glam rock elegance. Flashiness goes hand in hand with an ambiguous dark side that often pushes him to the limits of extravagance and provocation. He is demanding and aesthetic and considers art as a core value. He lives in the heart of new technologies, surrounding himself with works of art and objects of graphic design, carved from high-tech materials, as precious and as dark as carbon.\u00a0 Urbane and sophisticated, he is an epicurean who burns with a contagious passion for life. Carbone is a fragrance that develops like a work of art which quietly and secretly casts its spell.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Mysterious and nonchalant, yet\u2026provocative<\/em> and demanding,<\/em> elegant, yet\u2026flashy<\/em> and extravagant,<\/em> the Carbone de Balmain man is an epicure who values ART, but limits himself to the color black (imagine the overabundance of carbon-colored tech-y objects in his \u201cdark side\u201d apartment). Truly, the Carbone de Balmain man is a man of many contradictions, and he sounds like a perfectly annoying, self-absorbed \u201ccharacter\u201d fit for yet another<\/em> banal\u00a0Bravo<\/a> TV ‘reality’ series about \u201crich people.\u201d (Take a look at the \u201ctantrum\u201d image from Carbone de Balmain advertising! WHO thought a squalling man-child was attractive?)<\/p>\n Though I roll my eyes at the Carbone man, I really like \u201chis\u201d perfume. Carbone de Balmain, developed by perfumer Nathalie Lorson<\/a>, includes notes of Bourbon pepper, elemi resin, green ivy, black fig, frankincense, benzoin, musk, vetiver, \u201cdry and woody\u201d notes and \u201cblack vanilla pod.\u201d Carbone de Balmain opens with warm, smooth black pepper, elemi, and frankincense (not smoky or \u201cashy,\u201d but resinous). What comes next is a linear accord that presents, in dim sparkles and glints, all the other notes: especially a \u201cdense\u201d fig note, lovely incense-y benzoin\/vanilla and vetiver. Carbone de Balmain\u2019s aromas are calm (\u201cmeditative\u201d), uncomplicated, and charming<\/em> (the exact opposite of our Balmain PR character.) I would describe Carbone de Balmain as a demi-incense\/\u201cbase notes\u201d fragrance; the accent is on warm, mildly sweet, subdued aromas. The perfume dries down to a subtle, slightly woody benzoin note. If you love incense fragrances, or simply want a \u201cstarter\u201d incense perfume, do try Carbone de Balmain (it\u2019s suitable for men or<\/em> women).<\/p>\n Carbone de Balmain has good lasting power and sillage; it\u2019s not readily available in the U.S.except through Internet retailers. (First-in-Fragrance<\/a> in Germany sells samples and 100 ml bottles.) Carbone de Balmain Eau de Toilette comes in 40 (\u20ac37) or 100 ml (\u20ac68).<\/p>\n Balmain\u2019s perfume license holder will change in January 2012 (from the low-profile\u00a0Empire of Scents to Inter-Parfums Inc.<\/a>) If you absolutely love a Balmain perfume in its current state, it may be wise to stock up now to pre-empt discontinuation or reformulation.<\/p>\n Note: top image is Allotropes of Carbon <\/a> [cropped] via Wikimedia Commons.<\/p>\n * Update<\/span>: Decarnin was replaced by Olivier Rousteing in 2011.<\/p>\n\n
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<\/p>\nPossibly of interest<\/h2>\n