Kerosene Unknown Pleasures: some pleasures can never be forgotten

Today I received a wonderful little package with a small sample and the sweetest message inside:

Hi Christos

Here is a sample of Unknown Pleasures. If you don’t like gourmands, please dispense into the garbage!!!

Enjoy!

I do not like gourmands, indeed. But I have great admiration for John’s talent so I would never throw away anything he would send my way. And Unknown Pleasures is definitely a gourmand but with a lovely twist incorporated inside. In fact right in the opening. The first mouthwatering pleasure it delivers is that of bitter orange marmalade. Tangy, bitter and sticky sweet it projects a deep orange aura and just made my mouth water. I can also smell a good dose of bitter orange leaves. This is what Bigarade Concentrée should smell like! I love bitter tastes and aromas so obviously I enjoyed the opening, especially because this is a note seldom used in perfumes, even in the ones that reside in the world of gourmandise. The bitter-sweet theme continues with the addition of  a caramelised immortelle/coffee note. This is another favourite of mine so things are looking (and smelling) very good! The combination of candied bitter orange and caramelised coffee create an illusion of the classic British Christmas Pudding minus the spices: candied fruits, whiskey and stout! What makes this a real perfume and saves it from the scented candle territory, where Jeux de Peau got lost  forever for me, is the addition of all bitter intricacies that make a wonderful contradiction to the sweet, comforting notes. The thick, bitter-sweet opening very slowly fades out into a base of vanillic baby custard, powdery and dreamy.

Unknown Pleasures is not a perfume I would rush out to buy but it has fascinated me with the way it develops the gourmand theme by using unexpected notes. My sample vial wouldn’t close after the first opening so I had to use it all at once. I cannot describe how much I enjoyed this! I kept smelling and smiling all those familiar, home, childhood smells. The Kerosene trademark texture is there and I have to marvel at how well John handles sweet compositions. At the moment Fields of Rubus is very high in my “to buy” list and the Unknown Pleasures experience was shockingly more pleasant than I expected. If you liked Jeux de Peau you have to try this! My only remark is that the name does not predispose for the incredibly warm and familiar vibe of the composition.  Unless the reference points to Joy Division through the olfactory Brtishness it exudes. And to use John’s own words………………………. Enjoy!

Notes from Parfumo: Earl Grey tea, Beeswax, Bergamot, Tonka bean, Caramel, Vanilla, Waffle cone

Notes from my nose: bitter orange leaves, bitter orange marmelade, stout, baby custard

Kerosene Perfumes available from House of Kerosene

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Tags: baby custard, bitter orange leaves, bitter orange marmelade, stout, vanillla