BDK Gris Charnel EDP Review

 Buying perfume blind is usually a bad idea. What if the perfume suck? Most places that sell perfume won't accept opened perfume bottles, even if you have an allergic reaction. Then you are stuck with something that you think sucks and out of money. Buying a travel spray blind is still a bad idea, maybe not a huge bad idea but can still be a bad idea. But sometimes it really can work out. For me, a travel spray of Gris Charnel EDP did work out.

A few months ago, I had gotten an email from Luckyscent about travel sprays and I went to take a look. I don't often visit Luckyscent but once in a while it's worth taking a look and occasionally buying something. And I did get that Frapin 1270 travel spray and also the Gris Charnel EDP travel spray. I've heard people talking about Gris Charnel and never quite got around to seeking it out. Then when my package arrived, my travel spray languished a little while longer until Sunday.

Very rarely do the clouds part and the angels started singing in terms of perfume for me. The last one that I can recall was either Lyric woman of the much lamented Deneuve. Gris Charnel is one of those perfumes that the clouds did part and the angels started singing. 

At first, I thought it was coconut but I realized that was the fig. If you know anything about dried fruit like cherries, raisins, it had almost a mouth feel of the fleshy part of the dried fruit and not the skin. The last time I had any kind of mouth feel with a perfume was Andy Tauer's tragically discontinued URV. The fig remained prominent throughout the wearing and did mellow out some. I got some whiffs of cardamon and more whiffs of tonka. I do have a love hate with tonka. Tonka has the tendency to overwhelm whatever else is in the perfume. Tonka is a difficult note for me, it's a vanilla but not a vanilla. But the sandalwood and tonka lend a creaminess and a sweetness to Gris Charnel that doesn't go overboard. The lasting power on my skin is about 6 to 7 hours and I do wished that it lasted a little longer on skin.

Gris Charnel is definitely on my to buy list and it's been a long time since I've had a perfume that goes on that list. Especially after the first wearing. When I order a bottle for my birthday, I am going to have to order a sample of the extrait version to do a side to side comparison.