FRAGRANCE | Midnight in Paris EDT by Van Cleef & Arpels: A pleasing, powdery sweetie

halfwhiteboy - Midnight in Paris EDT by Van Cleef & Arpels 01

Here goes another discontinued fragrance, this time from Van Cleef & Arpels. I don't know how crazy prices go for Midnight in Paris nowadays but I got mine for a reasonable amount sometime last year, as if I was just buying a current release in the lower price range of designer fragrances. Anyway, I wouldn't fork out an insane amount just to chase these kinds of frags.

First of all, I like the bottle's design—from its round shape, its ombre color, to the engraved chrome hugging its entire perimeter. I like it when a fragrance has its own identity represented by a distinct bottle design. While I don't particularly hate identical flacons adopted by almost every other house now, I find that there's a certain novelty in a fragrance having its own bottle. I mean, imagine if Guerlain reintroduced their iconic Shalimar in their bee bottles, I bet there will be massive uproar.

Midnight in Paris opens with a very soft leather accompanied by an equally creamy lemon, along with a little sweetness to round the scent even further. In the midst of all this lovely creaminess comes almond after a few minutes. It's not as milky or realistic as in Casamorati Italica by Xerjoff but it's good nonetheless.

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The citrus quietly evaporates, then enter some resins, tonka, and a hint of smokiness. Despite these, the scent doesn't go into dark territory at all. Yes, I see it as a nighttime fragrance but I also find it just as suitable for day wear because, while sweet, it isn't that heavy. It even sports a powdery fresh coat after a few more minutes. By this time there's a mild rubbery accord that pops up occasionally while the leather and almond are nearly indistinguishable, having melted into the blend. Later on I'm left with a nondescript but really pleasant, sweet and powdery scent wafting about.

Projection starts out moderately and transitions to soft after its first hour or two. The scent itself lasts for a few hours, say, morning till afternoon. A little body heat, however, jolts it back to life every now and then. Although marketed to men, it's very unisex to my nose. Midnight in Paris is a little cold weather-leaning but as long as it's not uber hot and humid, it works just as fine in warm weather. This is an easy to like fragrance but I'm not head over heels for it. It's nice to get if you spot one but definitely not for an outrageous price.

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