L’Artisan Perfumeur | The Scented Hound

March 14, 2016
by The Scented Hound 26 Comments

La Chasse aux Papillons by L’Artisan Parfumeur

WHAT I SMELL: La Chasse aux Papillons opens with a muted bergamot and a soft and demure orange blossom that’s tangy green. The semi-sweet perfume is lyrical as it dances and pirouettes off my skin with wisps like soft breezes. Overall, the perfume is incredibly girlish, pretty and joyous. The lightened jasmine adds just the right amount of depth with a tad bit of flattened earthened dirt. But by no means is this a dirty perfume. Instead, it’s all sunshine and garden with the white flowers, highlighted by an incredibly soft tuberose and the lightest of green. La Chasse aux Papillons does not develop much, but it doesn’t have to as it’s a simple, pretty and beautifully sunny and happy perfume.

From the L’Artisan Parfumeur website:

Chasing butterflies, surrounded by white flowers. A fragrance icon, perfect for summer days.

Imagine a summer garden flooded with sunshine, full of delicate white flowers, jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose and lime blossom; scents mingling to intoxicate the senses. Sunlight catches the wings of butterflies as they dart among the trees and flowers. Somewhere in the garden you can hear the laughter of children as they chase the butterflies, trying in vain to catch them as they escape on a sunny breeze. This is La Chasse aux Papillons (Chasing Butterflies), the scent of sun-kissed skin, luminous and transparent; a fragrance to make the summer months last that little bit longer.

Notes: Linden blossom, Jasmine, Lemon blossom, Tuberose

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: An operettic Jeanette McDonald (sans Nelson Eddy).

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE LA CHASSE AUX PAPILLONS: delightful, charming, coquettish

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT LA CHASSE AUX PAPILLONS: Bois de Jasmin, Megan in Saint Maxime, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE: La Chasse aux Papillons is utterly charming, beautiful and delightfully feminine and a completely wonderful perfume.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Nose: Anne Flipo
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $145 for 100 ml eau de toilette

Sample courtesy of Arielle Shoshana. Opinion my own.

April 21, 2013
by The Scented Hound 19 Comments

Voleur de Roses by L’Artisan Perfumeur

In one of my recent posts, I discuss Olfactif and the sample offerings that they provided for their inaugural launch. The one fragrance out of the three that I seem to be drawn to and keep testing is Velour de Roses by L’Artisan Perfumeur.

WHAT I SMELL: Voleur de Roses goes on bright. There’s a sweet, plum and slightly citrus bergamot opening with a minty herbal, almost hay like cedar background. After a short while Voleur de Roses starts to then move into a warm patchouli rose. However, this rose isn’t sweet or loud, instead its earthy and feels like a rose-bush that’s anchored in mulch. And in fact, I almost consider this to be more patchouli than rose as the warm patchouli note dominates the drydown. The fragrance really doesn’t morph much and it sits close to the skin without much projection. For being so “cedarish” it is very much a skin scent.

Voleur de Roses Notes: patchouli, rose, plum

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A cedar lined chest with old and waning rose sachets stored inside.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE VOLEUR DE ROSES: earthy, humble, simple

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT VOLEUR DE ROSES: smellythoughts, Perfume Shrine, EauMG

BOTTOM LINE: I really like this fragrance. It’s distinctive and comforting. But I just don’t know if I could pull the plug on a purchase. I somehow have the feeling that the bottle would be neglected after time.

Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Woody
Nose: Michel Almairac
Classification: Unisex
Expense: Approximately $140 for 100ml EdT

August 24, 2012
by The Scented Hound 20 Comments

Seville a l’Aube by L’Artisan Parfumeur

So many words have been used to describe the collaboration and inspiration for the creation of Seville a l’Aube. Me, I’ll just get to the down and dirty…

WHAT I SMELL: Goes on almost medicinal, then quickly turns green, like cut grass…wait, that lasts for just a minute. Here comes the orange blossom, lots of orange blossom mixed with jasmine. I keep waiting for this to become sweet, but it never does. It rests in this layer of subdued floral, green and orange blossom purgatory. After about 6 hours, the scent had pretty much faded into oblivion; not that I minded so much.

Seville a l’Aube Notes: lavender, pink pepper, lemon tree leaves, orange blossom, jasmine, magnolia, beeswax, incense, Benzoin Siam, Luiseiri lavender

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A cross between floor cleaner and sour shampoo.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE SEVILLE A L’AUBE: labored, sour, pensive

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT SEVILLE A L’AUBE: Second Cherry, AustralianPerfumeJunkies, Bonkers About Perfume

BOTTOM LINE: As you could note from the reviews above, this fragrance is loved by some, just not by me. What I do love is the story about the creation of this scent and have to laugh at the thought of what would be created with me as the muse (civit comes to mind!) so I can’t fault the fragrance as a whole. However, I think I’ll stick with fragrances with citrus and neroli rather than orange blossom (see Orange Star review).

Bone Rating: 2.5 out of 5 possible bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Classification: Unisex
Nose: Bertrand Duchaufour
Expense: $165 for 100ml EdP (limited edition)