Oriza L. Legrand
CHYPRE MOUSSE
Chypre Mousse opens with an unbelievably full, green bouquet. It's like savoring the most complex red wine on the back of the tongue. With each gentle inhalation, my brain tried desperately to grasp the notes, but there were far too many of them tumbling around to pinpoint any one in particular. My thought process went out the window as my eyes closed. All I could think was, "Mmmmm!! Aaahhhhh!!"
The perfume changed so much in the coming moments. Images of my favorite hiking trail flooded vividly through my mind--a cold and clear stream of water that runs alongside a damp trail beneath a canopy of redwoods. Ferns color the shaded slopes bright green. There are definitely mushrooms here and there, but they don't dominate the fragrance. The first phase contains a robust mint note, fungi, leather, ferns, and wet soil. Frodo, have we made it to the shire?
Within minutes I am transported to another part of the trail--the meadow. It can be very dry during summer months with intense sunshine beating down on the golden grasses. Sumptuous notes of hay, tobacco, and honey overtake anything green. Based on the pyramid, these notes aren't supposed to be there, but I do smell them. It was all somehow very familiar. Where had I smelled this before? Clinique's Aromatics Elixir, that very complex and beautiful perfume with its honeyed dryness. But something about AE is jarring. I could never truly love it the way I wanted to. And it smells a bit too stuffy; perhaps outdated. In this phase of Chypre Mousse, it's as though everything wrong with AE was made magically, perfectly RIGHT.
Thirty minutes along, the perfume is more resinous as lentisque presents itself. Although it is certainly unisex, this phase reminds me of 1800's aristocratic London gentlemen with top hats and tails. It's not the forest perfume that it was earlier, and although beautiful, I found myself missing the trees, mushrooms, and soil.
The final drydown, 3-4 hours later smells of lentisque and a hint of cinnamon, and that surprising mushroom note seems to rear its head on occasion, making for an odd scent. Wearing Chypre Mousse is truly an experience.
Heavenly! Captivating! One of the best perfumes I have ever smelled in my life. (May 2014)
Chypre Mousse opens with an unbelievably full, green bouquet. It's like savoring the most complex red wine on the back of the tongue. With each gentle inhalation, my brain tried desperately to grasp the notes, but there were far too many of them tumbling around to pinpoint any one in particular. My thought process went out the window as my eyes closed. All I could think was, "Mmmmm!! Aaahhhhh!!"
The perfume changed so much in the coming moments. Images of my favorite hiking trail flooded vividly through my mind--a cold and clear stream of water that runs alongside a damp trail beneath a canopy of redwoods. Ferns color the shaded slopes bright green. There are definitely mushrooms here and there, but they don't dominate the fragrance. The first phase contains a robust mint note, fungi, leather, ferns, and wet soil. Frodo, have we made it to the shire?
Within minutes I am transported to another part of the trail--the meadow. It can be very dry during summer months with intense sunshine beating down on the golden grasses. Sumptuous notes of hay, tobacco, and honey overtake anything green. Based on the pyramid, these notes aren't supposed to be there, but I do smell them. It was all somehow very familiar. Where had I smelled this before? Clinique's Aromatics Elixir, that very complex and beautiful perfume with its honeyed dryness. But something about AE is jarring. I could never truly love it the way I wanted to. And it smells a bit too stuffy; perhaps outdated. In this phase of Chypre Mousse, it's as though everything wrong with AE was made magically, perfectly RIGHT.
Thirty minutes along, the perfume is more resinous as lentisque presents itself. Although it is certainly unisex, this phase reminds me of 1800's aristocratic London gentlemen with top hats and tails. It's not the forest perfume that it was earlier, and although beautiful, I found myself missing the trees, mushrooms, and soil.
The final drydown, 3-4 hours later smells of lentisque and a hint of cinnamon, and that surprising mushroom note seems to rear its head on occasion, making for an odd scent. Wearing Chypre Mousse is truly an experience.
Heavenly! Captivating! One of the best perfumes I have ever smelled in my life. (May 2014)
DEJA LE PRINTEMPS
Most realistic fresh-cut grass note I have ever encountered. Truth be told it reminds me more of a lawn in summer than spring. But it is nice.
Within an hour it seemed like all the green grass was gone and that the perfume was close to fading into oblivian. I went about my day and figured I would go without perfume once this disappeared. Soon enough I started smelling the perfume wafting up to my nose, but I really needed to put it close to my nose to be able to describe it. There was no green grass left at all, and it smelled woody instead. The dryness of it seemed like cedar. This phase went on for a couple more hours before it became more of a vetyver scent. After a couple more hours, I swear I smelled sweet fig leaf.
The perfume was a skin scent for most of its wear. In total it lasted about 10 hours on me. While it is much too weak for my taste and also not my idea of spring, I really enjoyed its complexity and evolution. I would still recommend it because a green perfume like this is typically not a sillage monster anyway, and it is also more complex and interesting than most perfumes of this genre. (Jun 2014)
Most realistic fresh-cut grass note I have ever encountered. Truth be told it reminds me more of a lawn in summer than spring. But it is nice.
Within an hour it seemed like all the green grass was gone and that the perfume was close to fading into oblivian. I went about my day and figured I would go without perfume once this disappeared. Soon enough I started smelling the perfume wafting up to my nose, but I really needed to put it close to my nose to be able to describe it. There was no green grass left at all, and it smelled woody instead. The dryness of it seemed like cedar. This phase went on for a couple more hours before it became more of a vetyver scent. After a couple more hours, I swear I smelled sweet fig leaf.
The perfume was a skin scent for most of its wear. In total it lasted about 10 hours on me. While it is much too weak for my taste and also not my idea of spring, I really enjoyed its complexity and evolution. I would still recommend it because a green perfume like this is typically not a sillage monster anyway, and it is also more complex and interesting than most perfumes of this genre. (Jun 2014)
FOIN FRAICHEMENT COUPE
As lovely as this is, I don't think that it fits the "aromatic green" category. I do smell a bit of mint when it hits the skin, but it quickly dries down into a very powdery musk. It is rather potent with strong sillage. I have been around a lot of hay, and this does not smell like hay. It is like a classic, powdery Italian cologne. Reminds me of Fieno by Santa Maria Novella, but I prefer this as it seems brighter. Powdery perfumes are often cloying and can be borderline stuffy. I would highly recommend to someone who is looking for a very unique powdery perfume that is not sweet like loukhoum nor floral. (Jun 2014)
As lovely as this is, I don't think that it fits the "aromatic green" category. I do smell a bit of mint when it hits the skin, but it quickly dries down into a very powdery musk. It is rather potent with strong sillage. I have been around a lot of hay, and this does not smell like hay. It is like a classic, powdery Italian cologne. Reminds me of Fieno by Santa Maria Novella, but I prefer this as it seems brighter. Powdery perfumes are often cloying and can be borderline stuffy. I would highly recommend to someone who is looking for a very unique powdery perfume that is not sweet like loukhoum nor floral. (Jun 2014)
HORIZON
Oh now this is a truly delectable patchouli! Starts out like pure patch, a little minty. Not dry dirt, but moist and damp soil, super peaty. It was a beautiful start but it becomes so much more as it unfolds on the skin. Honey sets in alongside a sweet resin, then hints of cacao and tobacco tease the nostrils. Horizon rivals Mazzolari's patchouli, my favorite patch until now perhaps. While remarkable, Mazzolari is not nearly as complex as Horizon, nor does it contain that wonderful whisper of cacao. Horizon smells like the leather-bound books lining the shelves of a German aristocrat's personal library, one inside the kind of mansion that Indiana Jones would raid. Certainly not a hippie's house! And again, mmmm, that hint of cacao! Patch lovers must try, but be prepared to fall in love and pay for a full bottle.
(Ladies--this is certainly unisex, not for men only) (May 2014)
Oh now this is a truly delectable patchouli! Starts out like pure patch, a little minty. Not dry dirt, but moist and damp soil, super peaty. It was a beautiful start but it becomes so much more as it unfolds on the skin. Honey sets in alongside a sweet resin, then hints of cacao and tobacco tease the nostrils. Horizon rivals Mazzolari's patchouli, my favorite patch until now perhaps. While remarkable, Mazzolari is not nearly as complex as Horizon, nor does it contain that wonderful whisper of cacao. Horizon smells like the leather-bound books lining the shelves of a German aristocrat's personal library, one inside the kind of mansion that Indiana Jones would raid. Certainly not a hippie's house! And again, mmmm, that hint of cacao! Patch lovers must try, but be prepared to fall in love and pay for a full bottle.
(Ladies--this is certainly unisex, not for men only) (May 2014)
JARDIN D'ARMIDE
My experience with it doesn't quite match the scent pyramid. From top to bottom I mostly smell a powdery mix of violet and rose with something that smells like incense--not honey like I hoped--but frankincense or something churchy. Carnation provides an old smell, like dust that has accumulated on books that nobody has touched for a hundred years.
I have been sampling a lot of perfumes lately that all happen to smell like churches. This smells more like a chapel, a melancholy one, where services are held regularly although hardly anyone ever attends. The chapel is hundreds of years old, made of cold stone, like the cathedrals of Europe. Colored light streams in through stained glass windows. The scent of flowers lingers in the air, flowers that are beginning to wither in their vases. They are changed every Sunday morning. Today is Saturday.
Sillage, like almost all from this house, is minimal. But longevity is a solid 12 hours or more. (Jun 2014)
My experience with it doesn't quite match the scent pyramid. From top to bottom I mostly smell a powdery mix of violet and rose with something that smells like incense--not honey like I hoped--but frankincense or something churchy. Carnation provides an old smell, like dust that has accumulated on books that nobody has touched for a hundred years.
I have been sampling a lot of perfumes lately that all happen to smell like churches. This smells more like a chapel, a melancholy one, where services are held regularly although hardly anyone ever attends. The chapel is hundreds of years old, made of cold stone, like the cathedrals of Europe. Colored light streams in through stained glass windows. The scent of flowers lingers in the air, flowers that are beginning to wither in their vases. They are changed every Sunday morning. Today is Saturday.
Sillage, like almost all from this house, is minimal. But longevity is a solid 12 hours or more. (Jun 2014)
MUGUET FLEURI
If you love lily-of-the-valley like I do, you are going to fall in love with this gorgeous green floral! It is a muguet soliflore. It's so true to the actual flower. It opens for just a few seconds with a note of green, freshly cut grass. The heart is pure muguet. In the base a little of the oakmoss comes into play, but very, very subtly. This smells so much more like spring-time to me than Deja le Printemps. This is like tiny, delicate muguet covered in cool spring rain. I think this might be what Heaven actually smells like. (Jun 2014)
If you love lily-of-the-valley like I do, you are going to fall in love with this gorgeous green floral! It is a muguet soliflore. It's so true to the actual flower. It opens for just a few seconds with a note of green, freshly cut grass. The heart is pure muguet. In the base a little of the oakmoss comes into play, but very, very subtly. This smells so much more like spring-time to me than Deja le Printemps. This is like tiny, delicate muguet covered in cool spring rain. I think this might be what Heaven actually smells like. (Jun 2014)
RELIQUE D'AMOUR
I have tried again and again to like this and see the magic in it, but alas, I can not. Each time I wear it, it smells of sweetened lemon water and a bit of woods. It is gone from my skin within 2 hours, so completely gone that there was no trace of it and I put another perfume on without needing to wash first. I did not get any pine or anything else, no incense effect whatsoever. In fact, the only thing it reminds me of is Chanels Eau de Cologne from the Les Exclusifs line. Sad as I had hoped for something as wonderful as others described. (May 2014)
I have tried again and again to like this and see the magic in it, but alas, I can not. Each time I wear it, it smells of sweetened lemon water and a bit of woods. It is gone from my skin within 2 hours, so completely gone that there was no trace of it and I put another perfume on without needing to wash first. I did not get any pine or anything else, no incense effect whatsoever. In fact, the only thing it reminds me of is Chanels Eau de Cologne from the Les Exclusifs line. Sad as I had hoped for something as wonderful as others described. (May 2014)
REVE D'OSSIAN
Strong frankincense upon contact with skin, just like the kind used in a Catholic church, slowly becoming less sharp over time with the addition of a semi-sweet resin, soon joined by woods and aldehydes. Something about it reminded me of CHANEL's Bois des Iles, the sandalwood + aldehyde combo I guess. It gives the perfume an old-fashioned edge without being outdated.
Also reminds me of Sonoma Scent Studio's Champagne de Bois, another woody-aldehydic perfume. This is less bright and cheery and a bit more brooding. And more masculine as well.
While I think it is a perfectly fine perfume, there are a lot of frankincense perfumes on the market that smell similar. While enjoyable, this does not stand out as being the best from this House. (Jun 2014)
Strong frankincense upon contact with skin, just like the kind used in a Catholic church, slowly becoming less sharp over time with the addition of a semi-sweet resin, soon joined by woods and aldehydes. Something about it reminded me of CHANEL's Bois des Iles, the sandalwood + aldehyde combo I guess. It gives the perfume an old-fashioned edge without being outdated.
Also reminds me of Sonoma Scent Studio's Champagne de Bois, another woody-aldehydic perfume. This is less bright and cheery and a bit more brooding. And more masculine as well.
While I think it is a perfectly fine perfume, there are a lot of frankincense perfumes on the market that smell similar. While enjoyable, this does not stand out as being the best from this House. (Jun 2014)
VETIVER ROYAL BOURBON
Reminds me of a more masculine version of Chypre Mousse. I get strong mint at first, then of all things it starts to smell like rum, like I spilled my rum and Coke on my clothes. Eventually the perfume dries down into some interesting leather and herbs combination, underscored by a marvelous, smooth note of vetyver. I smell the sweet immortelle and gentle whiffs of non-smoky tobacco. This perfume smells rugged to me, yet you know the ingredients are fine, and that makes it rather classy. This is Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind! Manly, classy, intelligent, polished, and mature. For nights with the gentlemen; smoking cigars and drinking brandy out of Baccarat crystal glasses, talking about stocks and sport. This is a wonderful perfume with all the complexity of their own Chypre Mousse, the creme de la creme of complexity. (Aug 2014)
Reminds me of a more masculine version of Chypre Mousse. I get strong mint at first, then of all things it starts to smell like rum, like I spilled my rum and Coke on my clothes. Eventually the perfume dries down into some interesting leather and herbs combination, underscored by a marvelous, smooth note of vetyver. I smell the sweet immortelle and gentle whiffs of non-smoky tobacco. This perfume smells rugged to me, yet you know the ingredients are fine, and that makes it rather classy. This is Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind! Manly, classy, intelligent, polished, and mature. For nights with the gentlemen; smoking cigars and drinking brandy out of Baccarat crystal glasses, talking about stocks and sport. This is a wonderful perfume with all the complexity of their own Chypre Mousse, the creme de la creme of complexity. (Aug 2014)
