Chocolate and I have a complicated history… but only in fragrance.
In real life however, I’ve never turned down chocolate in absolutely any form. Not a bar, cake, cream, fountain, nada. But in perfume? I’ve been let down enough times to know better than to get my hopes up. Most chocolate fragrances fall into one of two lanes: they either smell like a Bath & Body Works candle left burning too long, or ones that are so sweet you’re over it within the hour. (Editor’s note: In case you were wondering, neither deserves a place in your collection). So when LEDDA’s 21 Velvet Ganache arrived, I set it on my fragrance tray and had it waiting there for a good week before I tried to give it a spin. Especially since it had been delivered when the weather had peaked at 85 degrees, and I feel like it wasn’t the appropriate time or scent for the occasion.
Rookie mistake.
This is LEDDA’s seventh fragrance, and the brand has always operated with a very specific philosophy. Each scent is tied to a feeling, a moment, or a sliver of time that most of us recognize but rarely think to commemorate. 21 Velvet Ganache claims 9pm. That’s the hour when the night has just gotten good, or maybe you’ve left dinner and you’re wondering what your moves will be for the rest of the night (bed is an OK option every time too, by the way). The nose behind it is Clement Gavarry of DSM Firmenich, the perfumer behind Phlur Vanilla Skin and Kayali Eden Juicy Apple, which are two fragrances that share an ability to live in indulgent territory without ever losing their composure. Once you know his work you’ll clock it immediately.
So what does it actually smell like? The chocolate is the first thing you smell. The cherry and raspberry underneath the chocolate is what got me though. Orange lifts the whole thing just enough and the opening ends up somewhere between indulgent and sophisticated, which is harder to pull off than it sounds.
Why I love it: Every bottle I’ve tried from this brand has had one thing in common, and it’s that not one has ever disappointed me. This one is no exception. The heart is where it settles into something softer. Jasmine and marigold give it a quiet femininity, marshmallow and vanilla make it warm without cranking the sweetness up any further. It wears close to the skin, which I love. Then the drydown comes in and takes it somewhere else entirely. Cedar, suede, amber and patchouli bring everything home and the drydown ends up being the best part of the whole wear. If your only experience with chocolate in perfumery has been disappointment, this is where you start over.
Perfect pairings: My go-to layer underneath this one is Maison Margiela Replica Jazz Club, and once you try it you’ll understand why. The rum and tobacco in Jazz Club speak to the boozy dark quality already in the opening, and the vetiver finds the cedar and patchouli in the drydown and just settles right in. It also makes thematic sense, because if it’s 9pm why wouldn’t the next stop be a jazz club? For a lighter take (take the word “lighter” with a grain of salt. It’s just lighter because we were talking about a jazz club), Kayali Lovefest Burning Cherry 48 underneath pushes the cherry in the opening forward, still without being too sweet. It also helps to make this one a bit more unisex. And if you’re a true gourmand girly and want to bring this into that world, Commodity Gold underneath connects everything without getting in the way.
Final verdict: I came in skeptical and I’m leaving with a new favorite. I don’t say that lightly. Check out ledda.co where they’re selling this for $98 for 50mL and $36 for 8mL.
The post ESScent Of The Week: If You’ve Written Off Chocolate Fragrances, LEDDA’s 21 Velvet Ganache Might Just Change Your Mind appeared first on Essence.
Author: Kimberly Wilson
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