Photo - Wikipedia - Juliet's Wall with names on it - by Edo, 06.09.2008
There are many great things about having a blog like perfumeniche.com. You meet interesting people, make new friends and learn tons – like the fact that oud comes from agar trees infected with a fungus. Truth is, I probably learned that in Grade 5, but didn’t pay attention – foolish child!
But mostly, I get to share my excitement about fragrances with like-minded people. When people ask me, “What have you been up to lately?” I give the usual “Not much. You?” When a fellow perfumista asks that same question the answer is long and can change hour to hour. If I were to be asked that question today, the answer would be “Wearing a lot of Lady Vengeance by Juliette has a Gun. You know, I really didn’t pay attention to this frag cause I didn’t know much about the line but...” and I’d be off.
It’s true, I didn’t know much about the line. I found the name a bit, well, gimmicky, like it was trying too hard to be interesting. Name aside, Juliette has a Gun has some real cred. The line was founded by Romano Ricci – great grandson of Italian fashion designer Nina Ricci and grandson of Robert Riccci creator of L’Air du Temps, the brand’s top selling perfume. Romano studied perfumery and launched Juliette has a Gun in 2006 with two fragrances: Miss Charming and Lady Vengeance, both by Francis Kurkdjian.
The website says that Juliette has a Gun is an original brand dedicated to women, willing to open a new type of elegance in the niche perfumery world. In the creator’s mind, the innocent Juliet of Shakespeare is transposed to the 21st century with a gun… Metaphor for the perfume, weapon of seduction, or simple accessory of bluff, the “Gun” essentially symbolizes the liberation of women towards men…and sometimes with an aftertaste of revenge…
Hmm. I’m still not sure how I feel about the whole Juliet-in-the-21st-century-with-a-gun thing but I sure know how I feel about Lady Vengeance. Once it got my attention, there was no living without it. I just want to wear it and smell it.
Where does Lady Vengeance get her mojo? From Bulgarian rose. Kurkdjian has a thing for roses and knows how to get the best out of them - just sniff Rose Barbare or Rose de Siwa – and what he does with rose in Lady Vengeance could reduce some to idol worship and cannibalism.
It opens with crisp bergamot paired with a note of gentle floral lavender. It doesn’t take long for the rose to show up, rich, full and lush. The bergamot lingers long enough to give the rose a bit of green before patchouli appears and dirties it up a bit. Patchouli is a powerhouse note but here it cuddles the rose all the way through and gives it depth and darkness without making it harsh or edgy. A note of vanilla sweetens it up just enough to make it seductive. The drydown is smooth and musky.
There aren’t a lot of ingredients in Lady Vengeance, which means that Kurkdjian has left himself with very little room for covering up any errors. C’mon, this is Kurkdjian! Each note in Lady Vengeance is so perfectly balanced he doesn’t need a Who’s Who list of ingredients to hide behind.
Foolish me, if I had paid more attention to the Juliette has a Gun line I could have been enjoying Lady Vengeance for a lot longer.
Lady Vengeance is listed in our Decant Store. Decants are $5.00 for 1 ml.