Mod Noir is the latest fragrance release from designer Marc Jacobs (through a licensing deal with Coty), and it’s being billed as “bold, modern, unique – a chic juxtaposition of classic and contemporary.” It was developed by perfumer Jean-Claude Delville, and its composition includes clementine, yuzu and green notes; waterlily, magnolia, gardenia and tuberose; and musk, orange blossom and nectarine. It’s supposed to balance “sophisticated” and “lush” aspects with “dewy” and “sparkling” notes, just as its bottle contrasts black against white.

I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a Marc Jacobs fragrance here — Robin usually does the honors — but I’ve smelled most of them in stores, and I find them pleasant enough, but too safe and youthful for me to covet. Mod Noir, with its white-floral concept and its graphic bottle design, seems to skew a bit older than Lola or Dot, or most (if not all) of Jacobs’s recent fragrances…

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