It’s the end of the world as we know it…

Etat Libre d’Orange (Free State of Orange) is known for their quintessentially cheeky and French take on perfumery, and this fragrance is quite a testament to that.
A fragrance whose name translates to The End of the World could take on many different characters in perfumery, depending on the perfumer’s adaptation.
Creator Quentin Bisch‘s scent is an interpretation steeped in irony, with a note list that includes notable presences of popcorn and gunpowder.

This is the first scent I’ve nosed from this house, and I must say it’s a stunning start.

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Initial Thoughts

I don’t know whether the following analogy will make much sense to anyone but South Australians here, but the popcorn accord in this fragrance is considerably similar to the caramel flavour of Jonny’s Popcorn Delights, which happens to be the best damn popcorn I’ve ever tasted.
Naturally, this is a big positive for the fragrance, given that the popcorn accord is the defining characteristic.

The fragrance is packaged in ELdO’s signature oblong bottle, available in 50mL and 100mL sizes.
I really like the brand’s bottles and placement of artwork on the packaging, it’s a unique signature and aesthetically appealing.

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The Olfactory Notes

The note list of this fragrance is quite numerous, but I find myself unable to distinguish most of its inhabitants from each other. I take this as a sign of a well executed blend in which the elements all harmonise with each other to that point, much like a well-mixed song recording.

Notes:
Popcorn accord, Carrot seeds, Cumin seeds, Sesame, Black pepper, Freesia, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Ambrette absolute, Orris absolute, Styrax, Gunpowder accord.

As I mentioned earlier, the sweet popcorn accord is most prominent in La Fin du Monde, and remains prominent for most of the olfactory life of the scent.
Also prominent is the gunpowder accord – these two are the juxtaposition that gives the fragrance its character.
I also find the orris element to be a notable characteristic; it’s quite a realistically floral orris, in the vein of Zegna’s Florentine Iris, rather than a smooth and sweet orris like you’ll find in the original Dior Homme or Homme Intense/Valentino Uomo Intense.
The rest of the notes simply blend together into the olfactory signature of the scent, rather than making themselves singularly apparent to my nose.

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Ratings

Longevity: .6/1

I find that I get around five to six hours from La Fin du Monde before it fades into darkness.

Projection: .6/1

The projection and sillage are decent, erring on the side of subtle. While I do think a fragrance of this name and character may have been better suited to loudness and monstrosity given the subject matter, I have no issue with it being subtler. It makes it less challenging to wear, and consequentially you could get away with wearing this as an office scent.

Blend Quality: 1/1

The blend is stellar. All elements work together harmoniously to deliver a wonderful olfactory experience.

Presentation: 1/1

As mentioned earlier on, I love ELdO’s bottles and I like the labelling of this particular one too. It’s a cool bottle.

Personal Smell Score: 1/1

I’ll repeat myself here with the magic three words: wonderful olfactory experience.

Total score: 4.2/5 A-

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What Would I Wear This With?

I could wear this fragrance with literally any outfit.
It’s not a scent that evokes mental images of any particular style of dress.
Though perhaps something milsurp or vaguely militaristic (or even apocalyptic) would suit the name.

On the other hand, you could wear it with a suit and tie too.
The antithesis of apocalyptic.
Which would make a juxtaposition worthy of the juxtaposition within the character of the scent itself.
Fitting.

As always, sample first, but it’s well worth a purchase.

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