The tenth and last perfume in the L’Oeuvre Noire Collection is the one I was sure about from the moment I read the notes list. Sometimes you just know (or rather hope, and are afraid of taking the first whiff of the actual perfume for fear of being disappointed, for fear of what is in your head, is better than reality.)
Sweet Redemption, The End brings to an end the complicated love story of Kilian’s collection. Created by Calice Becker, Sweet Redemption includes notes of orange blossom, vanilla, myrrh, opopanax, benzoin and incense.
Opening with sweet and fully blooming orange blossom, Sweet Redemption is not a perfume with a huge development. The tone is set from the start and although it deepens and darkens over time, the perfume feels almost linear, but not in a stagnant or boring way, with me it is rather the case of being glad that every single note I love in there, stays with me as long as the perfume lasts.
Some have reported a sour or bitter note in the heart of Sweet Redemption, thankfully that is lost on me. I only perceive a slight green note coming with the orange blossom which keeps it from being too sweet, since all the other notes contribute to the sweet and resinous character of the perfume, that little bit of green air sweeping through, is quite welcome to me.
The longer the perfume is on my skin the more the emphasis moves to the warm resins and vanilla base, accented by a slight inflection of incense, but not incense being burned, there is no smokiness, but the resinous aspect of incense is there, like a few crystals lying in the sun and getting soft in the heat.
Sweet Redemption is exactly what I wanted it to be. A cozy, undemanding, comforting, but impeccably beautiful fragrance to lie down on, like on a pillow. It is dark orange, like evening sunlight filtered through linen curtains, warm and warming.
Sweet Redemption is a worthy final perfume of a beautiful collection. Bathed in its orange light, bedded on its soft cushions, I contentedly await what Kilian Hennessy will come up with next.
Olfactoria's Travels 
Kilian just doesn’t work on me – which I should see as positive : can save the money for other parfumes (yes, it’s you I have on my my mind, Ms. di Orio…).
In Redemption the orange blossom is there on me from the spritz to the end, and it’s a long-lasting beast, unfortunately. I can handle orange blossom only if it’s assisting somewhere in the very back…
Too bad, but you are indeed saving a pretty penny to invest elsewhere. (And it’s not like MdO comes cheap…) 🙂
My By Kilian samples are shipped two weeks ago but I’m still waiting for them. – But I ordered Ms. di Orio’s Oud yesterday – as you probably guessed 😉 I also love the way she talks about perfumes, her attitude and philosophy.
I’m sorry your samples are taking so long!
Mona di Orio, the person, is incredibly nice and sympathetic, I think. She sounds very likeable.
The last in the collection may just be my favourite. I don’t get a sour note thank goodness, I’m sure that’s greeness you’ve noted. I would perhaps like a tad more incense/smoke in the dry-down but maybe that’s because my nose is not so sensitve and I can’t pick it up from the sample. I’m really not complaining though- it is a gorgeous ornage blossom perfume for cooler weather and I’d love to add it my collection.
I also think Kilian has kept the very best for last. It’s a beauty.
I eagerly await it’s arrival at Le Parfum! I am loving all of his perfumes and also look forward to what he is going to come up with next. If money grew on trees I would collect most of them.
A nice little collection of those black bottles, hmm, a lovely thought…
I heard SR would come in in mid-September.
I am very excited to try this as well, since a “dark” or cold weather orange blossom sounds much more appealing to me than the usual form. I also find your description of the incense note sounds really interesting. I have seen (twitter) that you’ve been wearing many of the By Killian’s lately. Would you mind listing maybe your top three? (I will also go back and check your reviews.)
A dark rendition of orange blossom is very much to my liking as well. My top three Kilians are Sweet Redemption, Prelude to Love and Back To Black. Place 4 and 5 go to Love and Tears and Love. There are a few more Kilian reviews coming soon.
Sweet Redemption is my favorite Kilian I’ve tried yet, a close second being Pure Oud. It’s got a beautiful indolic quality that borders on nuttiness that I just love. It adds to the comforting aspects very nicely. Yet another FB I need!
I thought of you when trying Pure Oud, it has Carrie written all over it. 😉
Sweet Redemption surely is FB material…
Thanks so much for introducing me to this. I put it on for the first time on September 1st in a remote rural village in the Czech Republic. I stood on a hill overlooking a town with apricot and yellow blocks of flats and kept sniffing my wrist as I gazed at the view. There was a chill in the air (about the only one I felt on that trip!) and a feeling of autumn encroaching. The scent was the perfect cosy accompaniment to the changing season.
You are very welcome. I was not sure whether you wouldn’t find this one too heavy, but apparently it worked. Love that image of you on the chilly hill, you’ll have that association with SR forever, it must be a great thing trying new scents while traveling, you remember so much better that way…
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Oh dear Birgit, I’m higher than heaven.
This scent is literally making me cry of happiness. It is transporting me far, far away back in time… bringing me back priceless unsuspected ‘memories, sensations, images…’ before the age of 2!!!!?? up to… my late childhood.
I can see my grandma everywhere. The way she smelled, the way I smelled myself when I was snuggling on her lap and giving her hugs.
Similar thing is happening with Prelude to Love (I have both, one on each wrist) I just can’t put my finger on what is it exactly, but I feel like I’m going to Undying Lands like Frodo, Gandalf, Bilbo, Elrond, Celeborn and Galadriel have done before!!! haha!
Pretty darn good!! I’m having some kind of relapse or flashbacks or what?…
I think they’re working nicely together ….! I suspect they could perfectly work together in a regular way.
Thank you for such a kind of emotions!!! These are thanks to the samples you’ve sent me of the two different takes on my beloved orange blossom note, I really appreciate your observation skills … and I’m amazed-By-Kilian. 😀
Oh, that is nice to hear! How nice that you associate such good memories with that smell. It seems you and Kilian have really clicked. It is a wonderful line.
Definitely we have clicked at first sight! 😀 I’m really loving Sweet Redemption more and more.
(Back to Black is way much more of a complex scent, I’ll need almost a week for sure! As I thought, is challenging, controversial = has the elements of the masterpieces). When I was outside (today was extremely windy), I get a strange whiff of myself… the smell of a smoker’s fingers and breath after a cigarette (as a former smoker, I really know that sensation!)… I smelled my hand and defiitely was the Back to Black one! and later on… it turns to some honeyed thing… I can’t put the finger on!!
Back To Black is a very interesting scent, enjoy! 🙂
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