Long Kiss Goodnight by Chris Collins – Basenotes

Long Kiss Goodnight by Chris Collins (2022) is the most cliched perfume in the collection so far, but somehow also one of the best. This is an almost straight-forward rose-oud tandem, inadvertently named after one of the most understated classic spy action movies of the ’90s (the one starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson). The rose oud here is infused with peonies like those found in Lost in Paradise by Chris Collins (2022), while hints of incense and coffee bring it more in line with a Mancera oud, which is an obvious nod, as Chris is a collector and enthusiast himself. The Harlem theme seems almost entirely absent here, but in my opinion, this “Anima” range within the Chris Collins line is meant to be more exotic anyway.

The opening bursts with “Rose Oud” right away, but we’re dealing with a Centifolia rose rather than the usual Turkish variety, meaning the rose is brighter, dewy and fresher. The peony further supports this effect, teetering just before the candied scent, while incense and coffee kick in, reminding me of something like Lady Vengeance from Juliette Has a Gun (2006). Of course, Francis Kurkdjian created this fragrance and would use Centifolia rose again in his own creations under MFK, so this is a more subtle nod to Chris’s collecting roots than just an obvious skip over his favorite By Killian, CDG or Xerjoff scents, as he has done in the past. Again, it’s a very hackneyed device, but it’s executed in a way that stands out rather than smells, so kudos to Collins for being more familiar with the ways of the market. The performance is excellent

As with any rose oud, if you don’t like the genre, you won’t like this, so an in-depth review of the perfume is only necessary if you’re a genre fanatic and trying to separate the wheat from the chaff. At $180 for 50ml, there are just too many other, more reasonably priced options from Mancera and Montale, as well as a whole host of other Persian Gulf brands, so I don’t need to consider this one unless the bottle falls into my lap for a ridiculously low price. That said, I’m not going to criticize this one for the value for money (or lack thereof) that this high-priced, low-volume luxury brand has had since the beginning, with Sephora being the latest additional outlet to get what Collins has been doing since 2017. Just take it with a grain of salt. Thumbs up