olivia giacobetti – This Side of Perfume

Premier Figuier by L’Artisan Parfumeur

June 4, 2015

Notes: fig leaves, almond milk, and sandalwood.

Premier Figuier is very aptly named, since it was the very first fig fragrance to become available on the market. It was created by Olivia Giacobetti, who also crafted that other famous fig fragrance, Philosykos. She certainly knows what she’s doing when it comes to fig notes because both Philosykos and Premier Figuier have stood the test of time. L’Artisan now refers to Premier Figuier as a “benchmark” fig scent, and they offer it in an EdT and an extrême format. I have yet to sample the extrême, so this write-up will just focus on the EdT.

Premier Figuier opens with bright green notes of fig leaf, quite similar to Philosykos. But I don’t want this write-up to become just a comparison to Philosykos and, luckily, Premier Figuier takes a different approach pretty quickly. A creamy coconut note appears a few minutes after the green opening, which adds a texture and a sweetness to balance out the stark leafy green notes.

I would have expected the almond milk note to add to the creamy texture introduced by the coconut. Instead, I find that the almond note has a slightly powdery texture. It’s not overly done, and it’s definitely not enough to make this a cosmetic-type scent. The almond adds a delicate softness to the central leafy green notes, and Premier Figuier takes on a resemblance to a cashmere cloud. The scent is extremely pretty at this stage, and it has moderate projection, so it’s not too delicate.

Unfortunately, the Premier Figuier EdT doesn’t have great longevity on my skin, which is why I definitely need to try the extrême. The scent heads into the woody dry down between the 3-4 hour mark, when I’m still in the mood to bask in the gorgeous cloud of soft green notes. But the sandalwood in the dry down is very nice. It adds just enough texture to anchor that creamy note that has stuck around, but it’s not too overpowering. I can detect a dry fruit note, as though the figs have been dried in the sun. It’s enough to balance out the sandalwood and keep this fragrance focused on the fig note.

Overall, I find Premier Figuier very pretty and a little bit dreamy. It feels more romantic to me than Philosykos, which pitches its green notes in a more sharp and realistic way. Premier Figuier has a lot of texture to it, and that helps round out what could be some rough edges. I enjoy both of these fig scents, but they reflect different moods. Premier Figuier could almost be a comfort scent with its lovely creamy and powdery notes. My next goal is to sample the Premier Figuier Extrême and see if that changes my opinion at all.

(I said I didn’t want to make this write-up a simple comparison between Premier Figuier and Philosykos, but I ended up comparing them anyway! I guess it’s just too tempting when the same person composes scents on the same theme.)

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Premier Figuier is available from L’Artisan’s website. L’Artisan fragrances are available at Barney’s New York, and they are starting to become available at Sephora. Samples and full bottles are also available from Luckyscent, which is where I got my sample.

The image is from Luckyscent, while the info on notes is from L’Artisan. For what it’s worth, Fragrantica has a different list of notes for this fragrance. But I decided to go with L’Artisan’s official take on the notes.

Philosykos by Diptyque

March 26, 2015

Notes: fig tree leaves, wood, and white cedar.

I recently came to the realization that I didn’t know much about fig scents. In my few years of perfume exploration, I had left this area of perfume sadly overlooked. Not anymore! And what better place to start in my fig education than with Diptyque’s venerable Philosykos. Created by Olivia Giacobetti, this fragrance was originally released as an Eau de Toilette in 1996, which makes it almost twenty years old. Philosykos has withstood the test of time, and Diptyque now offers it in both EdT and EdP formats (my sample is the EdP).

Philosykos opens with a startlingly realistic blast of green leaves. The fragrance makes it clear from the start that this experience is not only about the fruit, but about the fig tree and the fig grove as whole, and this opening serves to place the wearer right in the middle of a fig grove. The effect here is perhaps not quite as photo-realistic as the garden in Giacobetti’s En Passant, but it’s pretty close. The fig leaves feel tangible. It’s as though I could reach out and brush a branch of bright green leaves out of my face.

The fig fruit appears gradually. It starts out a little bit tart and becomes sweeter as the fragrance develops, which gives the sense of fruit ripening before our eyes (or nose). Just a hint of milkiness comes through, but it’s nothing heavy, nor does it give off a creamy texture like you might find in a vanilla-based scent. The greenness of the opening is still present to preserve a balance so that, even as the composition takes on a lush sweetness, it never becomes overbearing.

The woody base notes are here to add depth and to round out the full picture of a fig tree. I’m a fan of cedar, and it’s delicious here, as hints of the sharp green leaves from the opening circle back to mingle with the deep, rich wood of the base. And, again, this really serves to balance out the delicate sweetness of the just-ripened fig note. I find this dry down to be quite sensual. Even though it doesn’t include typically warm or sensual notes such as amber, this dry down is appealing in its own way.

Even though my sample is the EdP, my skin seems to drink up this fragrance. By the third hour, Philosykos is already a skin scent on me, and the woody dry down is in full effect. From reading comments and reviews, this seems to be a fluke of body chemistry. I need to sample the EdT to compare and see if, by some chance, it actually has more longevity for me. I would absolutely consider a full bottle of this if I could squeeze a little more wear time out of it.

As I’ve mentioned, Philosykos paints a realistic picture of a fig tree. If you’re in the mood for something more romantic, or a more impressionistic version of fig, you should look elsewhere. But if you’re in the mood to be transported to a seemingly tangible Greek fig grove, then Philosykos is the answer. You could hardly do better, both in terms of fig scents and in regard to stunning realism.

as a note: please let me know of any fig scent recommendations! (Premier Figuier is definitely on the list)

Samples and full bottles of Diptyque fragrances are available from Luckyscent, which is where I got my sample.

Image and info on notes are also from Luckyscent.

Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle: En Passant

June 25, 2014

Notes: lilac, cucumber, wheat, watery notes, and petitgrain.

In continuing my exploration of florals for this spring and summer, I had a hunch that En Passant would be a perfect kind of gentle (but still interesting) floral for me to try. I was a little bit surprised when I first sampled En Passant because the opening is gorgeous, but not exactly gentle. Rather, it is a headlong plunge into a garden right in the midst of blooming lilac bushes. Olivia Giacobetti’s creation for Frederic Malle’s curated line is the most startlingly realistic floral that I’ve come across.

En Passant could work beautifully as just a linear soliflore, but Ms. Giacobetti has added in a few other notes to spark some interest. I was a little wary of possible weird ozonic notes from the watery accord, but fortunately that isn’t the case. The cucumber helps to keep the composition cool and lush, so that the watery notes here give off a herbaceous feel, conjuring up the image of fresh rain drops sitting on green leaves.

A piercing hint of mint also develops on my skin even though I don’t see it listed in the notes. It could just be my skin chemistry, perhaps the cucumber playing tricks on me. Whatever it is, it’s entirely welcome, as it keeps the composition fresh and makes En Passant excellent to wear during hot and humid summer days.

Despite the watery influence, I don’t think of En Passant as a sheer fragrance. The realism of the lilac note lends a tangibility to the composition. There is also the wheat note, which becomes apparent a couple of hours into wear time, and is the reason why I wouldn’t say this is a completely linear affair. The wheat gives off a sort of doughy, baking bread effect.

The dry down here with the fading floral and herbaceous notes, plus the light baking bread influence, reminds me of a boulangerie/patisserie in Paris that I used to pass by (and often stopped in!) on my way to the Luxembourg gardens. I suppose that’s the whole point of this fragrance and its title, it is truly en passant.

En Passant and other Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle can be found at Barney’s. I got my sample from The Perfumed Court.

image and info about fragrance notes are from fragrantica.

Warm to Cool: Diptyque’s Eau de Lavande

May 15, 2014

Notes: lavender, coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg.

As soon as I saw that Diptyque had released a lavender fragrance, I knew I had to try it. I love Diptyque’s Feuille de Lavande candle, and since Guerlain’s Jicky is one of my all-time favorite fragrances, it’s accurate to say that I love a good fougère fragrance. I was eager to see what kind of relationship I could have with Eau de Lavande.

I expected a lavender for summer, something green and herbal that would cut into the heat of the day before drying down to something warm, perhaps with hints of the animalic. I even compared the Eau de Lavande ingredients with those listed on my Jicky box, and saw enough similarities (coumarin notable about them) to confirm my expectations. Note: I did all of this before even trying a single spritz of Eau de Lavande!! If this were a cartoon, warning signs would be flashing red inside my mind. Since this is real life, I sprayed the fragrance on, not expecting to be surprised.

As it turns out, Eau de Lavande is an exercise in subverting expectations. This lavender has no interest in verging on the freshly green or cool. From first spray, it’s a noticeably warm and substantial fragrance. The spices are immediately prominent, getting almost equal billing with the lavender. I also get quite a strong impression of musk even though it’s not listed in the notes. All this is to say that the opening of Eau de Lavande is not a green or herbal floral. There are enough spicy and animalic elements at play for this to be a really interesting attention-grabber in the early stages.

Then, like a reverse-engineered fougère, Eau de Lavande’s warmth melts away as the composition cools down during the middle and dry down stages. After about an hour’s wear time, the spices recede and the composition blooms into a full soliflore. Diptyque sourced three different variations of French lavender to achieve this full bloom effect. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by strong florals, but not here. There’s actually a kind of cool relief as this fragrance develops. After the rather heady opening, one has the impression of finding a spot of shade in the middle of a lavender field.

These days Diptyque seems mainly interested in putting out pleasantly wearable fragrances as opposed to creativity-driven releases. There’s nothing wrong with wearability, and Eau de Lavande is highly wearable, for either day or nighttime. But there’s a little more to this composition than mere wearability. I feel like Olivia Giacobetti has done something quite clever here, almost playing the fougère accord backwards from warm to cool. This fragrance isn’t an absolute favorite for me, but I appreciate Eau de Lavande for making me think and challenging my expectations.

Eau de Lavande is part of Diptyque’s Les Florales collection. It is available as a roll-on or in a 100 ml bottle from Diptyque. Full bottles and samples are also available from Luckyscent.

Image and information regarding fragrance notes is from fragrantica.