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Piratoff – :
My first review was from a 1.7 oz bottle that was of yellow juice.
I purchased a back up of this, and found a good deal on a huge 6.6 oz splash. The juice is more orange-tan– and this juice is different and kinda better.
Sweet ylang ylang woods, a hint of spice… Tiny bit of powder and light smoky incense. No real top notes because it’s alcoholy for the first minute.
I dig both juices but the yellow is more like Azuree/Cabochard/Mme Jolie/Empriente. This dark juice is smooth and sweet with barely any citrus or leather.
This is an outstanding gem! I recommend whatever you can find. I hoping tho it’s all the same formula and ages this way?
This splash is on my wrist, and now after 30 minues… A creamy leather smoke. Still woody sweet. And later a soft Poison like incense.
This does appear to act differently on skin versus clothing. And there are def stages/not linear on skin. Clothing tends to smell like the Cabochard/Bandit type. And I’m sure my super cold dry air is a factor.
My final verdict on the EDP Splash- like mixing Azuree with Poison and then making it non-nuclear, smooth, ladylike, and interesting. I really really love this aged juice. Lasted about 4 hours on my skin.
leonidych – :
I have never heard of this?! I loooove oldie leather/animalic scents with a green/chypre flair. I ADORE Bandit! So I blind bought a 1.7 of this for a song!
This is very similar to my faves, and yet I love it and absolutely need a back up. It’s lighter than Cabochard, less ashtray than the EDT… smells similar to the EDP of Cabo just a tiny bit “less” everything.
Also very similar to Madame Jolie by Balmain, except it’s missing the wet lush violets.
I get: Citrus opening, animalic flowers, and leathery incense. Sweet and smoky a bit in the drydown.
Highly recommended as a cheap hidden gem for leather chypre lovers!
volodyamat – :
I had a similar initial reaction to ginandjewess’s review. Spraying the scent in the air upon receiving it, it was delightfully addicting and confusing, I couldn’t stop sniffing it! There is a charred, almost tangy quality that is just fascinating. But when I decided to spray it on my body the next morning, it was a bad move. Rather than smelling like I was trying a new fragrance, I smelled like I’d been stuck in a barbecue kitchen for hours. I tried scrubbing it, but it persisted, so I layered on a fairly robust floral hoping the notes would combine into something more balanced and perfume-y. The result wasn’t BAD, but I felt very self-conscious all day. When I drove in my car for a bit, the smoky leather smell filled the entire space like I was commuting in a smoker on wheels. I LOVE to smell this in and of itself, I just can’t imagine a time that I would want to WEAR it.
alikeev – :
I tried Paradoxe when I first blind bought it many many months ago, but mustn’t have thought a lot of it at the time because it hasn’t made a resurgence until now. From memory, my thoughts were that it was a bit too dry and smoky/leathery for me. But reading the reviews below just now inspired me to get up and re-test it on myself.
About 10 minutes in now with a spritz to the wrist and, maybe it’s the weather but, I love it. There are elements of what I recall but also elements I think I must have missed first time around. There is definitely a sweetness to it which I must have missed entirely before.
At first spritz, I got the lovely citrus and a floral sweetness which was beautiful although somewhat fleeting before being met with the familiar dry, smoky, woody, leathery scent that I recall from last time, with perhaps the tiniest peppery hint. Then the sweetness returns with the smoky leather surrounding it and, if I don’t bury my nose in it, it’s like a little bouquet of something lovely wrapped up in soft musky leather, sitting beside a wood fire.
I’m certain that this scent works much better in the cool air of Autumn than when I first tried it which was likely to be in much warmer weather. It’s a scent that I would have expected to be a big hitter with tons of sillage but it doesn’t seem to be. To be fair, I think sillage is okay, it’s just a much subtler scent than I expected it to be. It’s actually really really lovely. Perhaps moderation is key in this respect. Less is more. It’s not what I would necessarily call masculine but could be unisex and would probably work very well on some men. I would call this a sophisticated scent but not especially complex or, more accurately, it’s not complicated or confusing. It’s well blended and works beautifully. And it does have a vintage feel to it too, which I love.
Oddly, Paradoxe reminds me a little of Halston Classic but is much softer and, even more oddly, a little sweeter! Although it hasn’t been on my skin for too long, the drydown is turning into something absolutely gorgeous and not at all difficult to wear. I’m so pleased I read your reviews and tried it again today because this one will be out of the box come Monday morning!
kastaneda – :
This is a wonderful incense-dominant fragrance. As many of the other reviewers stated, very minimal florals with perhaps the exception of iris. I don’t care for the opening notes at all. They’re mainly citrus, and in my bottle they’re either a little off or harsh, but they smell sort of cheap and thin.
As soon as the leather and incense notes develop, the perfume really takes off and smells rich and full at last. They drown out the citrus notes, although the citrus does remain as a backdrop. As it dries down, it eventually becomes a sort of musky citrus again.
The only other thing I don’t like about my bottle is it’s the parfum version and has the circle shape(that was really a popular motif in ’70’s perfume bottles). Once you take it off its snap-on base, you can’t get it back on, and the circle is an awkward shape to keep in a drawer. It’s attractive, though.
Overall I really like this fragrance, and while it doesn’t have a lot of projection, it’s sort of low-key and cool and wearable for a lot of occasions.
CIKAgo – :
I got a mini to try this Paradoxe out. Cute no-frills bottle, it fits the fragrance. Easy to love, not easy to describe! Opens with a balsamic & incense flavored soft citrus soapy smell, paradox of lemony, clean & light with the flavor of darkness & smoke, on a soft fuzzy cloud. It’s the stuff I liked about Jicky, without any of Jicky’s hard-to-wear funk. The leather is apparent in the beginning, and the lovely lemon is delicious, everything melds together so well, it’s one of those *the whole is more than the sum of its parts* things.
As Paradoxe dries it becomes more glowing than powdery. I like it! Fabulous leather fragrance that isn’t too flowery or girly for my taste, and not too smoky or intense for everyday wear.
(It reminds me a little of Cabaret by Gres, but without the rose part.. now I want to try it with different roses, to see if I can layer into something like that, for fun!)
troya – :
This perfume is divine! Very rich and complex.
It’s predominantly incense-y on me throughout the whole wear time(1+ hours).
Along with the incense there is a strong amber note, almost honey complexity.
Then comes the oakmoss, then leather.
The leather here is of a very warm nature, like an old suede jacket worn by a woman who wears Trussardi Donna or Magie Noire.
Then comes the pepper, very slightly.
This perfume gives no flowers on me. Maybe a bit of an iris, to tell you the truth.
I like this perfume very much, although the longevity is not as good as I wish.
I like to mix Paradox with Basic Black by Bill Blass, for they are 2 perfumes that are not long lasting on me. It works for me, but not for my husband….he tells me I smell like an old lady….:((((
mrdeath – :
Paradox isn’t quite what I expected. This is soft, cool, and clean. This smells like I’ve just used a scented soap that has left behind an almost incensey smell.
I was expecting leather/spice/smokey/pungent, but Paradox is quite demure, after the initial brassy blast. I’m not getting any flowers, or citrus. Maybe just a touch of lemon? But there is something that is bringing just the slightest touch of a dark juicy tone. It seems like a touch of black currant, plum, or even apricot? Paradox does get a little more herbal in the dry down, and becomes a touch creamy, from the iris butter.
Over all, a very pleasant, not-at-all sweet, should-be-a-staple-in-your-collection kind of scent. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Houbigant’s Apercu in the dry down…which seems odd. But Paradox has that same creamy/clean/herbal accord under the light leather and incense.
I consider this a business/cool weather scent, a little formal, discreetly sensual. I’d be quite curious to see how this wore on a man- I suspect that it would be quite appealing, particularly when applied lightly.
I do think that this might expand in an unfortunate way in hot weather, so experiment carefully!
proTOTO – :
GAAAH! So smoky-peppery-weird, in the best way possible! I know I should wait a little longer before writing a review, but I love how freaking weird this is straightaway! (I’ve had it on one wrist for about 5 minutes.) It’s so bizarre, and addictive, and… just really, really WEIRD. It smells like something from when I was a child, like a scratch and sniff sticker of pepper or something, or one of those scented markers but in the black scent? I dunno, I can’t quite put my finger on it.
I agree pretty much with everything said in the other reviews. Definitely unisex. Not even sure if I want to smell like this, or if it’s sexy – it might actually be off-putting – but I don’t care! It’s making me super excited and I keep sniffing at my wrist like mad. (Even if it’s on the verge of sneeze-inducing.) I get a lot of pepper, smoke (clean woody smoke, not ashy like cigarette smoke nor sweet-spicy like incense), kind of a non-tart citrus – bergamot I guess but I usually hate bergamot. I don’t know, this is just so addictively weird but I kind of love it.
Maybe that smell from when there was a truck with a tar cart thing, like if they were tarring a roof? Sweet-ish and clean but burnt. That’s the best I can come up with.
wgu081InsuffBooni – :
I ‘ m very happy with the blind buy of Paradoxe . I thank the reviewers below . I love leather in perfumes and Paradoxe also has another note I love : incense . It is easier to wear than the beautiful Cabochard in the original formula which has a much bolder personality . Easy to wear means to me that you can pull it off without paying much attention to what you are wearing … But I wear even the spicy leather Fendi woman with no particularly elegant attire so you get a better picture 🙂
It certainly is much warmer and inviting than the amazing vintage Bandit .
Gerin – :
Bitter-sweet incence, it’s really lovely. I had some back in the day and completely forgot about it. I recently bought a bottle of the pure perfume and was immediately transported back in time. It’s a well balanced fragrance – it’s not “the one” I am pretty sure that search will go on until the end of my time – but it is very good. I love leather perfumes and this is pretty leathery but not in the same way that Caron’s Tabac Blonde is (which IMHO is the best leather fragrance ever (vintage of course)). I am pleased to have it in my collection and think it’s a nice intro to leather frags. The bitter note is countered by the sweetness and there is a perfect balance between sharp/sweet/spicy.
Donno1990 – :
Paradoxe de Cardin, 1983 eau de parfum version. First off, Paradoxe does not remind me of anything 1980s… Actually this bewitching leather chypre reminds me a bit of Bandit, though I find Paradoxe to be slightly more tender. The smoke and incense side of Paradoxe seems very subtle while the lemon and pepper notes are surprisingly bold. My lips actually tingled and felt hot when I first sniffed my wrist! With such strong initial character, its hard to pay attention to the softer notes at first. But over time the “yellow florals”, kitteny musk, sweetish amber and cooling moss transform this beast into something of a Modern beauty- hard on the outside, with a hidden inner softness and underlying complexity. An unusual perfume that stayed under the radar and disappeared. Worth smelling if you get the chance, and the original bottle(the design with the frosted glass disc and the odd two-tone cap) looks terrific on display.
mishka611 – :
I agree with LittleRed in that this is not a feminine version of The Knize Ten or anything like that. Nor do I detect anything more than a hint of incense. And I agree with those who say it is unisex, as there are no strong florals or anything like that. If you want an “old school” leather that has been 100% tamed, this is one to consider. I bought one new and it was in the box. All the information suggests this is vintage, probably from the 80s (“new old stock”), so the top notes may have degraded substantially. Very nice if this is what you’re seeking !
UPDATE: Two plus hours in and I’m getting a kind of smoldering, bitter, peppery, leathery incense. It’s subtle but it’s nicely done, and totally natural smelling. If the present formulation of Yatagan is too harsh, “synthetic,” or strong, but you like the idea, the drydown of Paradoxe might be what you’re seeking.
xpoqswmtlmq – :
Back in the early 1990’s, my Mom and I went “halfsies” on a designer miniature perfume sampler box, sold on one of the television shopping channels. I don’t really remember much about the other scents, but I do remember Paradoxe. As soon as I opened the bottle, I told Mom, “This one is MINE!”.
The reason? Well, to me it smelled almost exactly like the way I imagined the perfume O is ordered to wear, in the classic erotic novel “The Story of O”, must have smelled like. It is dry, mossy, musky (but not too much) and has one of the best leather notes I have ever smelled in a woman’s fragrance.
When I ran out I was so sad because this is an expensive scent.
Since Paradoxe was launched in 1983, it could not have been the inspiration for O’s scent, but I wonder if someone at Cardin was a fan of that novel.
janast90 – :
I didn’t know what to expect with this one. To be honest, I didn’t anticipate something so nicely blended and easy to wear. I expected more of an eighties heavy hitter. It is noticeable but not overpowering in this way.
The dominant note is leather from beginning to end with a bit of citrus to start, and the incense and florals adding some sweet softness and femininity. Quite a nice blend and well-made. You must love leather to wear this.
oilers68001 – :
Paradoxe is for true leather lovers. at first it reminded me a lot of Balmain’s Jolie Madame, but only for a few minutes. Paradoxe is much smoother and subtler, with leather and tuberose as the most prominet notes. Although it’s quite noticeable, it’s not one of those in your face dragrances. Probably worn best in colder weather and with formal attire. I see some similarites in character with Miss Dior and Joy as well.
Messer – :
Paradoxe is a striking leathery chypre EDP with total unisex possibilities due to it hard edged 80’s powerhouse feel. Very well blended, too. The notes listed feel accurrate and the overall effect is intoxicating if smelled from 5-6 inches away, but is way too intense when the nose is stuck right up in it and inhaled
My vintage sample’s top notes desintigrated quite quickly, but the heart and basenotes went on for many hours.
Definately check this out if you like the dark chypre leather vibe.
WedahourgehaW – :
Looks like I will be the first one reviewing it as soon as it arrrives.