With Les Indes Galantes, Parfums MDCI continues the exotic journey around 18th century Asia that was started with this year's Cio Cio San. But while Cio Cio immersed us in the pastel loveliness of Edo-era Japan, Les Indes Galantes whisks us thousands of miles south-west, to the vibrantly colorful worlds of India's long-lost Mughal Empire and British Ceylon. The results are a sumptuous, creamy, spice-laden delight, a complex and enchanting fragrance that walks the line between mouthwatering gourmand and spicy exoticism– with tantalizing confidence.
Les Indes Galantes opens with a zesty burst of light, as sun-drenched bergamot and juicy orange and raspberry explode off the skin, with a ribbon of rich almond subtly hinting at the gourmand complexity underneath. In the robust heart, the full ambered-spice bouquet shimmers, with rich Persian cinnamon and fiery clove supporting the ravishing vanilla that defines much of Les Indes Galantes latter phases. Supported with a subtly powerful leather and smooth, ambery labdanum, the vanilla thrums in rhythm to the spice blend, seducing us with its wondrously creamy fullness, but never drowning out the complexity of the other notes. Complex and captivating, Les Indes Galantes is another sweeping triumph from Parfums MDCI.