“Etat Libre d’Orange is an ambitious, audacious perfumery — passionate, exuberant, liberated. Free to create. Free to love and be loved. This is a different kind of perfumery – intelligent, with a point of view. A whimsical perfumery that uses irony to hone the names of its scents. A spirited perfumery that shakes up prejudices and stirs up ambiguities. A perfumery that plays with ideas and reinvents the pleasures to be found in the sense of smell, through sublime, delicately composed juices. These are juices composed from first-rate, living matter that fuses with the skin so they can only belong to the person who wears them.”
HOUSE: Etat Libre D’Orange
ORIGIN: France
FRAGRANCE: Cologne, Dangerous Complicity, Remarkable People
CONCENTRATION: EDP
SIZE/COST: 100ml / $165 (50ml also available)
Cologne (2014): With some a straightforward name you might think this could potentially be basic, but I beg to differ. A fresh, lemon custard-forward fragrance with all those cooling feels. Behind the buoyant fruit is an electrifying patchouli worthy of note. And that’s it, but it’s more than enough to exceed expectations. There is some minor woody characteristic to this, but it’s just window dressing really. As linear as it is, the velvety citrus moves into a musky bittersweet conclusion after a few hours time. An absolutely perfect fragrance for those sultry days and steamy nights. (87%)
Nose: Alexandra Kosinski
Notes: Lemon, Mandarin, Mint, Magnolia, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Cedarwood, Patchouli essence Orpur®, Musk
Dangerous Complicity (2012): Pure romance. Dangerous Complicity is elegantly tropical with the boozy waft of nightclubbing. Why does this remind me of a red dress swirling, almost bodiless, mobile and graceful. This is South of the Border bottled. There’s a silky tenderness embedded. This does not read, to these passages, as ‘dangerous’. Instead coming through is so much by the way of florals and fruits — and that notable lingering osmanthus, runneth through this perfume – oh, it’s so outstretched. The Melvin Van Peebles penned song ‘The Apple Stretching’ comes to mind in this soulful contribution to the world of fine fragrances. (83%)
Nose: Violaine Collas
Notes: Rhum Pure Jungle Essence™, Ginger Pure Jungle Essence™, Coconut Jungle Essence™, Osmanthus Absolute, Jasmin Absolute, Ylang Ylang HE, Lorenox™, Patchouli HE, Sandalwood
Remarkable People (2015): Mmmmmimosahhhhh! Now you got my attention ELDO! This definitely creeps its way into your subliminal recesses, and takes you on a trip. It’s impactfully smooth in the way it delivers spices. It’s a sensual perfume, and it will adore your skin with an impeccable sandalwood signature. This is 1/5th something of a gourmand, and the rest is left up to the suggestive imagination. When this dries down it’s like a smudgy, softly powdered resinous dream that drifts into the ether. This is by and large my favorite from the house and my small size runneth out! (91%)
Nose: Cécile Matton
Notes: Grapefruit, Champagne Accord, Cardamom, Jasmin, Curry Neo Jungle Essence™, Black Pepper, Labdanum, Sandalwood, Lorenox™
Recommended Soundtrack:
Yello – Yell40 (2021, Polydor)
Daily Fragrance Reviews 
Leave a Reply