Christèle Jacquemin Underworld III
As Orpheus ascends the underworld with his beloved Eurydice, hopefulness and fear beat in his heart in equal measures. He feels her warm breath on the nape of his neck, hears the soft patter of step as they climb from the darkness toward home. Yet, if he turns to look at his beloved, even for an instant, she is lost to him forever. As they climb, the lovers are suspended between realms, neither Hades nor Earth but in a twilight region between the two.
Christèle Jacquemin with her four parfums courtesy of the Perfumer
Underworld, from perfumer, photographer and traveler Christèle Jacquemin encapsulates a similar uncertainty of being poised in transition, leaving a beloved home for a new but uncertain future. The fragrance is inspired by photographs Jacquemin took during frequent trips between Barcelona where she was living and Paris. When she left Spain, her home of 17 years, to pursue perfumery in France, the period of transition left her “between shadows and lights.” She then “worked to translate this feeling of intertwined fears and hopes into a scent.”
Christèle Jacquemin Underworld IV
When I read the Underworld’s description, I was expecting a sooty, smoky fragrance along the lines of Tiziana Terenzi Laudano Nero. Instead, I found an arrestingly lovely, spicy incense perfume with deliciously quirky notes that made me feel less like I was following the trajectory of a tragic Greek myth and instead found myself tripping alongside the Mad Hatter.
Christèle Jacquemin Underworld IX by Christèle Jacquemin
The scent embodies that emotional twilight in an unexpected way, bringing in unconventional note of carrot seed as a spring-like breath right as darker notes of spice and incense are unfolding. Jacquemin then houses these aromas in a soft, airy structure. It is a beautifully thought-out approach. The opening brings a waft of dusky cardamom and a bright pop of nutty, sweet carrot that smells like an iris with a sense of humour. Anisic black pepper snaps at their heels like a frisky terrier, cumin adds an earthy tang of mortality, and Underworld starts to teeter into sultry and shadowy territory. But the perky carrot keeps everything from becoming too serious, and it is soon joined by mimosa, powdery and ethereal, and a dab of green vetiver that is equal parts green and rooty.
Christèle Jacquemin Underworld VI, photo Christèle Jacquemin
Harmonizing the composition is incense, which seem as ephemeral as smoke tendrils at first. It shows up early in Christèle Jacquemin Underworld but then fades into the background as the spices and plants begin their dance. By the mid-section, incense has become more prominent, hoisted by some earthy patchouli, and the fragrance deepens. Tuberose does not call attention to itself but adds a pat of buttery roundness. Despite the entrance of these denser scents, Underworld never becomes heavy, staying surprisingly buoyant and wearing closer than most incense fragrances do. When its dries down, Underworld is just lovely; evanescently smoky notes curling around early spring flowers like ivy vines, while carrot giggles and jostles with mimosa. I’ve been wearing it nearly every day since it arrived.
Christèle Jacquemin Underworld VIII
Orpheus and Eurydice is one of many explorations of loss and transformation in Ovid’s extraordinary Metamorphoses. The Orpheus myth tells how fear of imminent loss can lose a future of possibility. Navigating such anxiety defeats Orpheus. But for Christele Jacquemin, that challenge transformed uncertainty into beauty.
Notes: Black pepper, cardamom, carrot seeds, cumin, patchouli, vetiver, mimosa absolute, tuberose absolute, incense.
Disclaimer: bottle of Underworld generously provided by Christele Jacquemin. My opinions, as always, are my own.
Lauryn Beer, Senior Editor
All photo are by the perfumer©
Thanks to the generosity of Christèle Jacquemin we have a 50 ml bottle of Underworld for one registered reader in the EU, USA, or UK. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Lauryn’s review of Christèle Jacquemin Underworld and where you live. Draw closes 3/23/2022
Please read Nicoleta’s review of Memory Lane and Meandering Soul
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