Sniff Test: Halle Berry Closer - National Post

Sniff Test: Halle Berry Closer

Nathalie Atkinson | Sep 14, 2012 11:45 AM ET | Last Updated: Sep 14, 2012 11:41 AM ET
More from Nathalie Atkinson | @NathAt

This week’s perfume test drive is from a celebrity – Halle Berry Closer ($35 for 30m at drugstores and mass retailers). Dave Lackie and I take an honest whiff.
He Says:
Berry tapped one of the world’s top perfumers to formulate this scent. Jacques Cavallier created Issey Miyake’s classic L’eau d’Issey, Jean Paul Gaultier and Bvlgari Pour Homme, so my expectations were high. I immediately smell the raspberry and a fresh ozonic accord (perfumers use ozonic to create the mood of the ocean and a seaside breeze). So far, so good – then the fougère accord bursts in, stomping on the violet flower and mimosa notes. Balancing masculine and feminine notes requires a steady hand and this has gone awry. The cashmere musk and mahogany wood add a further masculine feel. It’s too heavy and a bit overbearing. ★½ (out of 4)
She Says:
The name of Halle Berry’s 5th fragrance might perhaps have been better suited to a perfume by actress Kyra Sedgwick—oh wait, it’s pronounced closer, I get it. No, wait…Still, it’s an odd scent choice, to come from such an ultra-womanly celeb. I find the woodsy floral quite unisex, if not bordering on masculine. Historically, men wore violet water and other floral notes like mimosa that we now consider traditionally feminine. In Closer, these florals are combined with the more recognizably masculine fougère accord. There’s a market for women who prefer to wear men’s cologne. Maybe that’s why I like it? ★★½