Kiss My Name

'Kiss My Name' from Ramon Monegal’s Classics Collection is THE MOST amazing floral fragrance. It’s the closest bottled reproduction to a Mediterranean evening garden, amidst salaciously aroused flowers, lustfully flirting with the birds and the bees in an attempt to be pollinated.

‘Kiss My Name’ is lavish floral opulence. She’s the resplendent Queen of Florals amongst wilting peasants. She’s the modern successor to the floral throne of Guerlain’s ‘Jardins de Bagatelle’ with almighty grandeur and presence. She’s a great beauty, revered by all whom smell her majesty.

The jasmine, tuberose, orange blossom and neroli combo is swoon-worthy. The musk, cedarwood and amberwood act to ground these often flamboyant floral notes from over-performing. I’m always a fan of the use of coconut as a lactose-free way of amalgamating notes with a subtly sweet smoothness, without any need for creamy (vulgar) vanilla. The dry-down becomes more powdery and spicy like a Stargazer lily in full bloom. It’s fresh without being green. It’s undoubtedly feminine.

Ramon Monegal’s training began in 1972 in Barcelona, then Geneva, Grasse and Paris. ‘Kiss My Name’ was his first ever fragrance, created under the instruction of his strict mentor. His multiple attempts were chastised by his disapproving fragrance master. Now as an erudite fragrance virtuoso, he’s created perfection. I can’t help but assume that the title for ‘Kiss My Name’ is a pun, aimed as a two-fingers-up to his disapproving mentor, not only to invite him to kiss his arse, but also to kiss his now triumphant brand-name.

Monegal himself describes ‘Kiss My Name’ as, “My indulgence. My revenge. At the beginning of my training, the first classic accord I had to learn and replicate, without much luck, was the legendary floral tuberose with jasmine and orange blossom. I’ve now been able to regain that satisfying experience and to interpret the myth, reformulate the accord fragrance with my learned language.”

The bottle is beautiful, it comes in the standard 50ml size Eau De Parfum in his unique inkwell (l’encrier) design. For Monegal, the inkwell style bottle is “an iconic perfume recipient, an object of desire, a single bottle that houses all the soul and essence of my work.” Being an inkwell, it represents that literature (along with nature) is his main source of inspiration, turning words into fragrance notes. I only wish that the cap had a magnetic closure.

‘Kiss My Name’ shot straight to my favourites list. My search for a vanilla-free pure floral, might just be over. For now, there is no other better performing, naturalistic floral. ‘Kiss My Name’ is an, “Exuberant, opulent and seductive. A festive, lively statement.”

TOP - Cassis, Peach, Coconut

HEART - Tuberose , Jasmin, Neroli, Orange blossom

BASE - Amberwood, Cedarwood, Musk