New Perfume Review: Parfum d’Empire Corsica Furiosa – Marc-Antoine Corticchiato Returns Home

parfum d'empire corsica furiosa bottl log cafleurebon

Parfum d'Empire is a line of fragrances that I recommend to every perfumery shopkeeper I meet. They have the best assortment of perfume in their collection that I've seen, ranging from floral to citrus to amber to leather, all dynamic and well-done. Concurrent with the introduction of new packaging and a more concentrated formula for the whole line, they are also launching a new fragrance, Corsica Furiosa. Parfum d'Empire  founder and perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato has Corsican roots, and this fragrance is homage to the smells of his homeland, namely lentiscus (also known as mastic) which is an aromatic plant found all over Corsica. It also features an eau-de-vie, (which means"Water of Life", and is a colorless fruit brandy) for which every family has a proprietary recipe, and a local wild mint. This is not the first time that M Corticchiato returns his native Corsica; Eau Gloire (2003) is a tribute to Corsican born Napolean.

parfum d'empire corsica furiosa cafleurebon

"Corsican Landscape" by Auguste Herbin

Corsica Furiosa is a veritable playground of visualization. I close my eyes and see myself strolling on a hillside trail under a brilliant blue cloudless sky. There are aromas emanating from the vegetation as it shimmers in the heat. The scent is herbal, dry, almost bitter, but mesmerizing. I wore a good dose of the perfume today and then re-applied it to my wrist to refresh for review. As my nose revisits my newly-coated wrist, and I also huff the remnants of the day's application, I am intrigued by the scent's ability to be completely mesmerizing even though it's kind of dry and sharp, like tonic water is delicious and refreshing despite its bitterness. I found my day's wearing to show that this perfume is a bit linear, which is perfectly fine. It just got a bit softer as the day wore on.

parfum d'empire corsica furiosa lentiscus

"Pistacia Lentiscus" by Giovanni/Flickr

When I first did a small test of Corsica Furiosa, I wasn't sure if I liked it enough to review. However, after spilling half my sample into my cleavage accidentally, I was hooked. I loved the green, wild tang that perked me up in our unusually humid weather, enjoyed the puffs of fragrance throughout the day. I like the triple-dose of lentiscus (which is also known as mastic) and the absolutely vegetal notes list, no flowers to be found, just greenery. Men and women will enjoy this equally. It has decent sillage and great longevity.

Notes: Lentiscus oil (mastic), eau-de-vie, nepita (a local variety of wild mint), lentiscus absolute, tomato leaf, pepper, lentiscus extract original, cistus, oakmoss.

My sample was provided by Lucky Scent. Corsica Furiosa is available at Lucky Scent  $145 for 100 ml.

Tama Blough, Managing Editor

parfum d'empire corsica furiosa corsican mountins cafeurebon

Corsican hills

Thanks to the fine folks at luckycent.com we have a sample for one US reader. To be eligible, leave a comment with what appeals to you about Corisca Furiosa and your favorite Parfum D'Empire fragrance. Draw closes June 26, 2014

Editor's Note: You can read my interview with Marc-Antoine Corticchiato here -Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume
 

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16 comments

  • The greenery that you’ve described with this new release really intrigues me. Parfum d’empire creates some wonderful perfumes and amongst them, ambre russe is my favorite.

  • I have only recently learned of mastic, but mainly as a flavoring. I don’t know what it smells like, yet! I like tomato leaf as well. Thank you! I am in the US.

  • I don’t usually go for herbal however I am intrigued by the Mastic, wild mint. cistus and oh yes the OAKMOSS! Thanks to Luckyscent for the draw. I am in the US

  • I have always wanted to go to Corsica, mostly to take in the smells. Would LOVE to sample this one!

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    i have Eau Gloire which is also kinda green so i wonder how corsica furiosa is going to be similar and how it is going to be different since both have similar inspirations in Corsica..my favorite parfum d’empire fragrance is Cuir Ottoman though i have not had the opportunity to wear Musc Tonkin more often which i also have..i am in the US

  • I adore Azemour–which also has a nice chypre quality to it! I live in the US and would love to smell Corsica Furiosa (oh, and I snorted out loud, Tama, at “spilling half my sample into my cleavage accidentally.” 😉 Been there, done that!

  • Marion Low says:

    As a rule, I do not choose very green perfumes, prefering spices, woods, and amber. My top amber is Ambre Russe, which conjures up the Baroque beauty of the Amber Room in St. Petersburg. I also like Azayade. Would love to find a green fragrance so different, and one that dosn’t make me sneeze. I’m in the USA.

  • This sounds like a perfect summer scent, which I am on the hunt for. My favorite by this line is Cuir Ottoman- one of my all time favorite leathers!
    Thanks for the draw =)

  • Oh, I love green–all different aspects of it.
    Azemour is my favorite, so far.
    Thanks for the drawing.

  • I like the fact that the new scent is green and herbal and has a touch of fruit brandy ( Eau-de-vie) I haven’t tried many of PdE scents to warrant declaring a favorite, but I do find the ones I’ve tried quite fascinating. I’m in the US and thanks for the draw.

  • ringthing says:

    Sign me up, great review, Tama! Parfum D’Empire is one of my favorite houses and I always try everything they produce. Vegetal and green sounds perfect for this time of year. I have many PdE favorites but Ambre Russe tops the list. Thanks for the draw.

  • Dry and bitter sounds interesting in this hot weather. i’d love to try it. I have enjoyed others of the line that I’ve tried. Definitely a quality house.

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    I would assume that this is more of a masculine scent than feminine.
    I learn more each time I come on Cafleurebon. I didn’t know that hay, cistus, and tomato leaves are notes that would be used in fragrances. I have not tried any other Parfum D’Empire fragrances.

  • I’m keen to smell this and how it incorporates eau-de-vie (my French friend makes sure she always has some in her house, and is swift to offer it to guests after dinner). Of the house, so far I’ve only tried Iskander, which I do like.