When I first started posting on the fragrance discussion board at Makeup Alley, around 2004, I had a very basic idea of what I was looking for in a new fragrance for myself. I knew I loved rose scents, and I was a longtime fan of the rich vanilla in Jean Paul Gaultier Classique. Perhaps, I thought, I could find a perfume that combined the two notes. I finally ventured to ask for rose-vanilla fragrance recommendations, and a few veteran members of the discussion board offered suggestions. The one that was most enthusiastically named and seconded by other members was Rochas Tocade, so I set out to try it as soon as possible.

Tocade was created for Rochas by perfumer Maurice Roucel and was released in 1994. Its name translates as “whim” or “caprice,” and its composition includes top notes of magnolia and bergamot, heart notes of rose, orris, and geranium, and base notes of cedarwood and vanilla. Its vaguely silly-looking bottle, designed by Serge Mansau, reminds me of a figure wearing a turtleneck and a conical hat, or a toy for an infant. If had seen that bottle in a store, without knowing anything about the fragrance, I probably wouldn’t have picked it up, but thanks to the good advice I’d received, I was willing to give Tocade a chance.

Tocade is a floriental with a gourmand leaning, and it’s definitely a perfume-y perfume; anyone looking for a fragrance that feels “clean” or “shower-fresh,” or even “airy” or “dewy,” can stop reading here…

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