Terrasse à St Germain is the second fragrance in the “Histoire d’Amour” trio from new niche line Jul et Mad, meant to evoke “a veritable ‘coup de foudre‘ between two souls on the terrace of a Parisian café.” It is described as “a floral woody musk” with notes of grapefruit, tangerine, rhubarb; freesia, lotus flower, blue rose; musk, sandalwood, and Indonesian patchouli. It was developed for Jul et Mad by perfumer Dorothée Piot.

I reviewed Jul et Mad’s Stilettos on Lex when the line was first launched: its powdery plum-violet composition was right up my alley. Terrasse à St Germain feels more contemporary and more unisex, but it’s similarly sophisticated. Don’t be scared by the inclusion of grapefruit and tangerine in the top notes: the fragrance’s fruity opening includes plenty of tart rhubarb with just a little candied citrus. The fruit and the floral phase that slowly emerges after it both feel cool and very slightly metallic, as though they were sprinkled in silver dust. The freesia and the rose are soft and pretty, but they never dominate enough to turn Terrasse à St Germain into a strictly feminine fragrance…

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Stilettos on Lex is one of three fragrances offered by new niche line Jul et Mad and the first episode in the collection’s “Histoire d’Amour.” On the one hand, honestly, I’m a little weary of fragrance collections with destination themes and love-story themes. On the other hand, Jul et Mad describes Stilettos on Lex this way: “A haunting, captivating perfume… Its powerful yet refined personality enchants the lovers of timeless floral fragrances with a powdery touch. Nothing and no one can resist it, by day or by night. This enveloping perfume is a real ‘séducteur,’ pure reflection of the beautiful and mysterious silhouette encountered on this legendary New York City avenue…” “Lovers of timeless floral fragrances with a powdery touch”? That would be me. A New York reference never hurts, either.

The composition of this “chypre fruity floral,” developed for Jul et Mad by perfumer Dorothée Piot, includes top notes of lemon, pear, davana and plum liquor; heart notes of lily of the valley, violette leaves, rose absolute, heliotrope, iris and carnation; and base notes of musk, Madagascar vanilla, Indonesian patchouli and Atlas cedarwood. Its story is “the portrait of a woman, mysterious and beautiful, in New York City” or, more specifically, the impression she leaves on a bewitched onlooker. It’s certainly a feminine fragrance, although I’d think of it more as a “sophisticated fruity-floral” than a chypre…

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