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Dune from Christian Dior is a misty, windswept shore of lonely paths lined with bracken, gorse, and heather leading to treacherous cliffs, where there lurches a corrupt and crumbling old inn. The sort of lodgings preferred by smugglers and murderers-- a place where dead men tell no tales. Perfume critic Luca Turin believes that true menacing darkness is found in this fragrance and that it's a strong contender for the “bleakest beauty in all perfumery.” My creepy goblin heart is dreadfully influenced by this sort of hyperbole and after reading that over a decade ago… I had purchased a bottle within milliseconds.
I remember this fragrance wafting around in the 90's and I'm pretty sure my mum and/or sisters owned a bottle at some point...but that really is only the top notes, the intimate drydown is less familiar but an absolute revelation to me. I'd neglected being interested in it myself but I've no idea why because Dune is FANTASTIC!!! This is much more the Frank Herbert Sci-fi novel inspired, towering sand dunes I'd often wondered why the men's version wasn't! The base of this is exquisite. Powerful but illusory and constantly shifting. The opening is almost like a more gourmand, less fresh and watery and more gourmand fig (like a fig biscuit) than the men's version. Flowing into a mature, floral smell of unsweetened, wild flowers, and even a slightly pissy, woods and aldehydes feel...but in a really good way! All this time though there's a really classy creamy woods backing the whole thing, like a blend of ho wood, rosewood, sandalwood and palo santo (minus the wierd rubber and mint) all conspiring to make the most lusciously opulent drydown but maintain the arid imagery. It's feminine for sure and has this sexy edge of straight out the bath, silk robes about it, mature but not old or stuffy. At this juncture I should perhaps point out that my mini is an early nineties example and I'm not sure what sort of reformulations it has endured since but I'm completely smitten. It's a little challenging in the mid section but hugely interesting to revisit and totally wearable for this nostalgic, 90's gentleman.
