Best Playing With The Devil by By Kilian Alternatives & Similar Perfumes

A dream of childhood summer days. You’re in a garden, familiar and unfamiliar, looking into the kitchen of a house where your mother makes jam with fresh-picked berries. There’s a rose bush with a magical cat underneath, its dense fur filled with your favourite toys. A sublime aroma of tart blackcurrant and rhubarb, sweet lychee and magnolia, along with woody amber ferries you off to a dreamlike world, brimming with enchantment at every corner. You don’t want to wake up.

Perfumer: Julia Rodriguez Pastor

An aromatic, dreamy citrus scent inspired by the sumptuous Andalusician city of Marbella. With rose, amber and peach this perfume is fresh, floral and sophisticated.

Hélène Napoleone was the daughter of Napoleon’s last lover, Albine de Montholon, and although it was never confirmed if the now-exiled Emperor was indeed her father, he did give her his name, so…? Her namesake fragrance is a vivacious bouquet of fruits and florals, headlined by sparkling pear and creamy magnolia. The charm deepens with the amber base, warmed by sandalwood and patchouli.

Refocus and reconnect with yourself with joy. With its deliciously fruity aromas, this fragrance brings us a feeling of warmth and fullness.

Perfumer:  Serge de Oliveira

"For Davana & Vanille Bourbon, I wanted a gourmet Vanilla reminiscent of Pasteis de nata, a famous Portuguese pastry whose traditional recipe can be found in Lisbon. Its sweet scent takes me back to my childhood in the streets of the capital during peaceful days with my family. These precious and happy moments were an unprecedented inspiration for this fragrance. The fruity and herbaceous facet of Davana essential oil is then softened by a warm and appetizing Vanilla to reveal a modern and striking chypre."

Almaz, the Arabic word for diamonds, are renowned not only for their beauty, but also for their timelessness as they withstand millions of years of immense pressure in their formation. This EdP references the indestructible nature of diamonds with a powerful blackcurrant-led bouquet. Juiciness is enhanced with raspberry, while powdery heliotrope and musk add padding to the cushiony feel. The ambered base, redolent with vanilla and brown sugar, offsets blackcurrant’s tartness.
 
The jewelled bottle incorporates a poem composed by Elen Jeres Ayoub, portrayed in Eastern Kufic calligraphy. The words have been meticulously placed so that the vertical lines create eight zones on the bottle, representing the lunar phases in each lunar calendar month to represent the passage of time.

The seasons and their times
And pressures and their effects,
Bear Diamonds as their fruit.
-Elen Jeres Ayoub

A passionate declaration of love written in ink and blood. The scent opens on a dark, almost smoky red rose, pierced with crimson sparks. Metallic aldehydes emerge, adding tension and intensity. Dense magnolia adds a sweaty sweetness. The opoponax warms and deepens the whole, leaving a profound, mysterious signature.

Not just a fine addition to luxury white chocolate chip cookies, macadamia is also an intriguing perfume material. Creamy, buttery and velvety, it’s the starting point for this unusual fruity floral. The floral is mimosa, a cute li’l flower that looks innocent, but plays dirty. Don’t let those fluffy yellow pom-poms fool you — mimosa’s got a raunchy side thanks to its dusty niff of overripe honey. Orris doubletracks mimosa’s powderiness, while peach twins mimosa’s earthy sweetness. Mellow sandalwood steers macadamia from a nut to wood. Macadamia? That’s Ms Macadamia to you.

Intoxicating and smooth, the Damascena rose radiates throughout. A twist of pink pepper brings a touch of freshness. The velvety touch of rose petals combined with vanilla creates a luxurious veil. 

Furthermore, there is a dark, green undertone from the davana herb which contrasts with the silkiness of the rose.

Try to resist a rose macaron: that delicately crunchy shell relenting under the force of greedy teeth to reveal a melting heart of foamy sweetness. There’s the interplay of almond, rose and syrupy lychee, triggering an eyes-rolling-back-in-the-head situation. Crush invites you to lose yourself in the sensory pleasure of this fancy French treat, sniff by intoxicating sniff.

A sudsy bubble bath of radiant rose and lychee, sheer yet ebullient. As the veil descends, the effect darkens, with leather and moss toughening up the suds into a floral amber.