Darkly Audacious is the third fragrance from The Pink Room, the niche company founded by stylist-designer Sarah Barton-King. It was created in collaboration with Cyrille Carles of Société Grassoise de Parfumerie, and it's a "woody amber" composition with top notes of lemon, bergamot, and rosewood; heart notes of jasmine absolute, cashmere wood, and plum; and base notes of dark patchouli, incense, amber, tonka bean, and vanilla.
Like The Pink Room's previous releases, Darkly Audacious is accompanied by a short prose-poem that sets the mood for the fragrance. The story for this perfume evokes the decadent nightlife of Paris between the World Wars, describing an encounter between two chic, mysterious figures in a bar or club — it's the sort of scene captured in photographs by Brassaï. Like the characters in Barton-King's fantasy, Darkly Audacious's composition opens on an androgynous note, with its citrus and rosewood combining in a mellow, boozy way that reminds me of a fancy brandy cocktail. The heart of the fragrance is slightly more feminine, with a jasmine-vanilla chord and a hit of plummy spice; there's also a glossy sandalwood note running throughout the rest of the fragrance's development. The dry down phase is a blend of tonka and amber with just a suggestion of powderiness.
The Pink Room describes Darkly Audacious as "voluptuous, warm, and intensely feminine, yet ambiguous." It's actually less overtly feminine than I expected, but it's certainly warm, and while it's not as "voluptuous" as it reads on paper, it does have a velvety feel. It's a very smooth, well-blended scent with good staying power and it wears fairly close to the skin. It's quietly sensual and a bit enigmatic, rather than bold.
As a young girl, I was impressed by the classic fragrances worn by the "grown-up" women in my family — Guerlain Shalimar, Rochas Femme, Raphael Replique — and I still admire those fragrances, even though I can't quite carry them off in most of my everyday life. Instead, I find myself gravitating towards fragrances that have an updated "vintage" sensibility, softened or lightened a bit for present-day wear. Darkly Audacious fits this category nicely, and it's more "me" than either of the two earlier Pink Room perfumes. I thought both were well done, but neither of them quite fits my style: I'd agree with Robin that the tea-party-themed The Pink Room Parfum no. 1 "calls for pearls and a silk dress, and maybe even a hat" (whereas I'm more of an urban romantic), and the fruity-musky Pour Toi (also composed by Cyrille Carles) is a little too heavy on the berry notes for my taste.
Like all of The Pink Room's fragrance products, Darkly Audacious is elaborately and flirtatiously packaged: the full-size bottle of perfume is nestled into a black hatbox lined with red satin, and the travel-size atomizer is tucked into a black box that suggests a small clutch purse. This presentation is a nice reminder that fragrance is an important accessory in our own stories, even if we're not the fast-living habitués of a 1920s nightclub.
The Pink Room Darkly Audacious is available as 50 ml (shown top right, $125) and 15 ml travel spray ($50), concentration unknown. (A matching body cream and candle are in the works.) For purchasing information, see The Pink Room under Perfume Houses.
Note: top left image is Kiki de Montparnasse (1920) by Gustaw Gwozdecki, via Wikimedia Commons.
I received a sample of this last Saturday from a local boutique that just started carrying the line. I definitely need to give a sniff now.
Do give it a try and let us know what you think. It’s not very widely distributed, so you’re lucky to have that boutique!
maybe I’ll try it sometime, but to be honest, the painting selected for this post is what drew my attention XD
Why is the Interwar Period so highly romanticized tho
Well, it *is* a fascinating moment for the visual arts, fashion, music, film, architecture… and it *is* probably romanticized, but no more than Marie Antoinette’s milieu or the Victorian era, to name just two!
I could write an essay on this subject 2bh.
You could! I’m sure there’s plenty of reading material on the subject…
Darn it! I had a chance Jess to go in on a split of this but passed.
Now upon your great review I think that was a mistake!
I too gravitate towards perfume with “vintage sensibility”-
What a cool saying. 😉
My HG Une Rose Chypree is like that for me, and so is AdP Iris Nobile edp , Profumo ,Creed’s Jasmine Imperatrice Eugenie and the whole entire Divine line.
I love when perfume smells like old world perfume, but isn’t necessarily “vintage”
As our friend Joe said to me ‘Rich and decadent.”
I don’t always need it too but I enjoy it so much when it is. 🙂
Now I need to try this for sure, thanks for the nose up dear!
“Nose up”! I like that. And I do enjoy a feeling of decadence… as long as it’s somewhat discreet! 😉
Hi Tamara, sorry to butt in the middle of nowhere, but I’m trying to make up my mind on whether to sample Une Rose Chypree- would you be able to compare it to Une Rose by Frederic Malle? I love the feel of the latter, and from the descriptions, I THINK I might like URC, so I thought I’d ask you when I saw your comment! Thank you!
Hello Hessed!
They are totally and completely different my dear! 😉
Une Rose is a BIG ,GIANT gorgeous red rose with the stems and thorns included. It reminds you of wine dregs,rosesbushes and the dirt, it has a honeyed quality as it dries down but it’s not resinous to my nose. It’s not a fruity bright rose, it’s daring and striking and for some people it’s too much.
I adore it but it’s not the HG I have found in URC.
URC is more about the base. It’s a dusted cinnamon rose drenched in labdanum,vetiver and vanilla syrup with a slice of bergamot on top. It’s practically parfum,it’s so deep and lasting.
I dare to spray ALOT because I love being in her cloud but others would probably prefer to dab. 😉 They are both powerhouses of fragrance and deserve their followers. But my preference is URC as it can be a comfort scent,even romantic for me while Une Rose begs for drama,decadence and a encore. I hope I helped a lil’.
Try them both and let me know your thoughts please! 😀
Thank you so much for the thorough description! Rose dusted with cinnamon? vetyver? Labdanum? I’m drooling all over the keyboard… Will definitely have to give this a try! Thanks again!
Hessed what’s your addy dear? I can gladly send you a smidge! 😉
My email is-
zebra_cupcakes@yahoo.com
You will fall for it I’m sure! <3
I’m another in the “vintage sensibility” club. Or even in the just good old vintage group! Love them! Thank you Jessica for an excellent review.
Cute bottle, btw.
It is a fun bottle, isn’t it? And it arrives with a regular screw-on cap, so you can just dab the fragrance, if you prefer to attach the atomizer bulb.
… that is, if you prefer NOT to attach the bulb atomizer!
It sounds like something I would like, and the bottle is elegant . Doesn’t an atomizer whisper “vintage sensibility”? I’ll have to try it.
I was attracted by the image of Kiki de Montparnasse at the top too.
I remember my grandmother having a perfume bottle with a bulb atomizer on her dressing table when I was very young. I wanted desperately to play with it!
This sounds nice! Your reference to Brassai got me curious- and love love love that painting- I went to look up more of the painter’s works and love his other works even more! Thanks for that!
Hessed, I was happy when I came across that image! It seems to “fit” the scent well.
I just received a swap of this and it’s frillier than I thought it would be and not nearly as dark. Still pretty, though.
Dixie, It’s not as dark as I expected, either, but it’s certainly darker than the previous Pink Room fragrances!
I know this is not for me since it has Patchouli in it.I like the idea of the fragrance but I really dislike atomizers as fragrances can evaporate with them.So never leave the atomizer or your fragrance will evaporate.
I’ve heard that about bulb atomizers, too.. so it’s probably best not to leave the bulb attachment on the bottle full-time!
Hello Sarah Barton-King here from The Pink Room. Many thanks for your wonderful write-up and the replies. Just thought I would answer the question about strength of perfume. It is actually 22% essence.
Hope you’ ll enjoy ‘Darkly Audacious’ it’s my joy to write the stories and work in a symbiotic way with Cyrille. My webite has a listing of where you can find it at the moment by the way.
Just for the record, I’ve written the story for number 4 to launch in 2012! Yippee Sniffapalooza!!
Love
Sarah x
Dear Sarah, This is a nice surprise! Thank you for saying hello, and for sharing the tip about the list of retailers on The Pink Room’s website!
I had a chance to sample this and it’s lovely. The lasting power was excellent.
Noelemahc, It’s still my favorite Pink Room fragrance… and I agree, it does last very well! All the more time to enjoy it. 🙂