Début (2004)
by Delrae

Debut starts off with a weird, strident cherry Lifesaver accord that I find highly off-putting. The artificial fruit flavor is soon joined by sharp, dry aromatics and nose-tweaking aldehydes, which at least serve to mask some of the opening’s excessive sweetness.

The aldehydes eventually dissipate and the screechy fruit esters recede a bit to reveal intensely soapy chypre-like foundation that’s softened by a cool white flower accord. The composition grows greener over time, and completely sheds its fruity cloak after the first hour of wear. Later on a mélange of buttery woods spreads itself over the blend to smooth out the angular and somewhat bitter base

Debut is tremendously loud throughout its duration, with extraordinary projection and plenty of sillage. Between its potency and its bold structure it works as an olfactory blunt instrument – say a mace. Don’t wear Debut when subtlety or understatement are required, and please don’t wear too much of it!

None of this is to say that Debut is a bad fragrance. On the contrary, I think it quite fine once I get past the abrasive top notes. In a market dominated by faceless fragrances, Debut is bold, distinctive, and full of personality. So much so that I’d have to reserve it for special occasions.

(As an aside, I think Debut would work well on either gender – at least theoretically. As a man I’d have to go to great lengths to apply it lightly enough for comfort.)

This is a fairly green floral perfume. It starts with a citrus top note sweetened with ylang-ylang and moderated slightly by green leaves. The heart blooms with muguet and cyclamen, softened by the slightly acerbic note of linden flowers. The base is a woody-musky blend, which supports the whole as effortlessly as if it floated on air above.

This is an airy, springlike scent. The blend of the notes almost inexplicably produces an unmistakably green aura which one wouldn't expect from the fragrance pyramid. The linden note is definitely central to this, its slightly bitter, sharp overtone altering what would otherwise be a rather run-of-the-mill sweet floral accord into something far more intriguing and satisfying. This is marketed as a shared scent, and I believe it can be, though I expect it will appeal mostly to women. Air signs (like this Libran here), the tender-hearted, and the idealistc among the male crowd, however, may find this pleasing, I suspect.