Seldom do I like almost all fragrances in a single collection and dislike none, which is why I’m impressed by the Collection Modepaleis from Dries Van Noten—and why I bought the discovery set in the first place, right after smelling them all at Rinascente on my visit to Rome last month.

The 10 perfumes are all different from each other and all approachable and interesting enough; familiar with a twist; none had harsh notes or dried down to an unpleasant woody amber or cold Ambroxan. In fact, I found the drydown of all of these to have a common element of glassy muskiness that I really like—a shimmering transparency that reminded me of the drydowns of perfumes from Essential Parfums.

From the fact that I managed to eke out 5 wears from the 2-mL sample vial, Rock the Myrrh by perfumer Amélie Jacquin was my clear favorite from the collection. It seems to have more potency and longevity than the others. The opening is almost citric, although no citrus is listed, and when sniffing directly from skin, there is a fuzzy, coumarinic note like tonka (also not listed). I don’t detect the listed top notes of pink pepper and cypress unaided, but can imagine how they would contribute to the brightness. The pink pepper can be found hiding in the Langer’s lines of my skin when I really sniff for it. The rest is a persistent aura of myrrh and sweet woods, which stays pretty consistent except for becoming more aged and leathery over the wear.

I’ve worn it on relatively warm days and not found it overpowering, but I can extrapolate that this would work well in chilly weather, too. My guess is that the key to its addictiveness is in its restrained sweetness—lightly caramellic without ever becoming cloying. I notice this because although I love the scent of myrrh essential oil, I haven’t smelled many perfumes built around the note; but even from the few that I have smelled, I’ve learned that myrrh can lend a sourness to the composition, which kind of ruins it for me. In Rock the Myrrh, this does not happen—the myrrh note borders on fruity at times but never turns tart. Conversely, the “dryness” of the resin keeps the sweetness in check.

Have you tried any Dries Van Noten perfumes? Are you a fan of myrrh in general?