When I wear Cadjmere, the 2007 release from Parfumerie Generale, I feel at ease. It's like being ensconced in my little corner of the living room sofa, a cat or two in my lap and all the warmth and comforts of home surrounding me. There might also be a cup of tea and a cookie involved, though Cadjmere smell like neither. It just hangs around me softly, not just as a perfume but as a mood, a state of being.
I've read countless of online reviews and discussions liking this Parfumerie Generale creation to every woody and non-woody oriental under the sun and then some. This leads me to believe that Cadjmere is a shape shifter and shows different faces depending on skin chemistry. It's woody, very much so, and the amount of creamy sandalwood definitely tolerates a comparison to Tam Dao, but only in a distant cousin-thrice-removed way. Cadjmere has a dream quality, as though it's being perceived from a slight distance. The wood feels smoothed and bleached by sun- this is not a thick dark forest. The milky and musky qualities work well with this impression and create a plush comfort zone without ever going into gourmand territory.
I love the coconut milk note. It works in many fig perfumes, and fig is often coupled with sandalwood. Apparently it works even without the fig, and interacting with the non-sweet vanilla note melts into the soft musk of the dry-down. I love the way Pierre Guillaume of Parfumerie Generale handled the ambrette seed- it's an almost-clean musk but not quite, airy but not lightweight and absolutely beautiful.
Cadjmere ($105, 50ml EDT) and the rest of Parfumerie Generale line can be found at Luckyscent.
Image: boutique-parfumerie-generale.com
