Sunday, July 08, 2007

L'Artisan Fleur de Narcisse

Perhaps the reason I have had such a creative block when it comes to fragrance reviews is because I have not been positively moved by a fragrance for a while. In fact, the last fragrance I recall being moved by was Bois des Iles by Chanel. Considering I wrote that review almost two full months ago, no wonder I have been uninspired! Thank you to a dear friend and fellow fragrance lover, I have become "unstuck." I swoon with delight over and long to describe my experience of L'Artisan Fleur de Narcisse!

Fleur de Narcisse was developed in 2006 by Anne Flipo, creator of L'Artisan's La Chasse Aux Paupillons and Ananas Fizz, both of which I own and love. It was released as a Limited Edition in a gorgeous bottle. The notes include green notes, blackcurrant, hay, cassie, iris, tobacco, moss and leather. The top notes resemble cumin to my nose but they are fleeting and lead to much more interesting accords with some patience. What follows is a playful interaction between blackcurrant, hay, cassie and tobacco to create an interesting olfactory combination of greenery and smoke. The unexpected smokey accord lingers for a full half an hour, beautifully giving way to a soft almost undetectable fragrance which, when I plant my nose to my wrist, eludes me. Rather, I must wait for this scent to waft up and when it does, it is delightful, playful and subtly feminine. Unmistakeable iris and other flowers (narcissus perhaps?) blend smoothly and lightly with the leathery base. Fleur de Narcisse represents an interesting combination of seemingly incompatable components, that when brought together create a gorgeous composition.

For a girl who loves fairly safe white floral and citrus scents, this scent deviates from my norm just enough yet gives me a full dose of what I love in the end. It reminds me of Serge Lutens Daim Blond with a floral accord added. Fleur de Narcisse was composed to be unisex and not one I expected to like after glancing at the notes. Yet it is glorious! It strikes me as a very classy and sophisticated woman's signature scent, a woman with effortless style and grace, who loves mainstream fashion yet longs to have fun and perhaps indulges her naughty side once in a blue moon. I am not talking Paris Hilton or Britney Spears get-ahold-of-yourself-and-go-to-AA naughty, but rather Mrs. Robinson-à-la-The Graduate-flirting-with-young-men naughty, before the flirting develops into an affair. Mysterious yet playful, sexy yet transparent, Fleur de Narcisse quickly goes on my "to buy when I strike it rich" list.

Special Note: My sincere gratitude to LBD for sharing her newly found love!

L'Artisan Fleur de Narcisse can be found at luckyscent.com. A 100mL LE bottle retails for $295.

Image sources: lamurefavorite.com; Dustin Hoffman and the beautiful Anne Bancroft in The Graduate dannymiller.typepad.com

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

T, I'm so glad you liked this one, too!! I couldn't have described it any better than you did. Nice job! I also am really enjoying the Absinthe; thank you so much for sharing that with me. You pegged it on that one, too, as far as my taste goes. If only it was not so hard to find! (Actually, that's probably a good thing for my wallet at this moment...) :)

Have a great Monday!
L

ForTheLoveOfPerfume said...

Hiya L! This one was difficult to capture in words for me - I worked on it for a while. I'm so glad it's accurate for you, also. I hope you're enjoying the Narcisse as much as I have. Thanks again. So glad you're liking the Absinthe, too. Doesn't it seem like all magnificent smelling fragrances are tough to find? You have a great rest of your Monday. And don't worry, you made a fantastic purchase. ;-)

xo,
T