Donna is Lorenzo Villoresi’s signature fragrance for women, and is part of the Classic Collection. It was released in 1994, and has notes of rose, coriander, clove, star anise, blackcurrant, carnation, rosewood, rose, jasmin, iris, ylang ylang, violet leaves, sandalwood, musk and narcissus.
Donna is at the other end of the spectrum from the flight-of-fancy that is Yerbamate…
The UK-based lingerie line Agent Provocateur released their first fragrance, called simply Agent Provocateur, in 2000. The “exotic floral chypre” was created by perfumer Christian Provenzano, and includes notes of saffron, coriander, rose, jasmine, magnolia, ylang ylang, gardenia, vetiver, amber and musk.
There are fragrances that are sexy in a non-obtrusive kind of way, and then there are fragrances that are sexy in an in-your-face kind of way. Agent Provocateur is in-your-face sexy. It smells, quite simply, like a fragrance that you would wear to seduce someone, which is, after all, the raison d’être of the Agent Provocateur brand…
Today I am wearing one of my favorite honeysuckle fragrances, Le Chèvrefeuille by Annick Goutal. Le Chèvrefeuille was released in 2002, and was the third in a series of limited edition soliflores, after Le Muguet and La Violette. It was created by Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal, and features honeysuckle, green notes, narcissus, jasmine, lemon petitgrain.
Le Chèvrefeuille opens with sharp citrus notes, and settles into a very green honeysuckle. There are hints of narcissus and jasmine, but the honeysuckle stays in the forefront. Honeysuckle is so often overwhelming in perfume, as though the flower had been placed on steroids, but the Annick Goutal is bright, sparkling, and summery, and not at all cloying…
Today I am comparing the new La Chasse aux Papillons Extrême perfume, released by L’Artisan Parfumeur this year, with the original version, now referred to fondly on the fragrance boards as diet La Chasse.
La Chasse aux Papillons was originally released by L’Artisan in 1999. The fragrance was created by nose Anne Flipo, and has notes of citrus, orange blossom, linden, tuberose, and jasmine. La Chasse is one of many fragrances that I dismissed on the first try, only to later become hopelessly smitten. It is the classic, ethereal spring-time white floral, very fresh and girly — a white floral even a white floral hater could love. It starts with light citrus notes and a lovely burst of linden. The orange blossom also adds a nice, dry zing, and helps to balance out the sweetness of the tuberose and jasmine. I wouldn’t exactly call it green, but there are grassy notes as well. It is not an overly complex perfume, but for what it is, it is perfect. Like most of the L’Artisan Eau de Toilettes, it is short lived; it lasts for about 3 to 4 hours on me…
Jacinthe des Bois was released in 2000 as part of L’Artisan’s Je T’ai Cueilli Une Fleur trio, which also included Verte Violette and Oeillet Sauvage. All three fragrances were created by Anne Flipo, who was also the nose behind the popular La Chasse aux Papillons. In place of the standard L’Artisan packaging, the trio featured bottles decorated with a trellis design, with silk flowers attached to the neck.
The notes for Jacinthe are tulip, galbanum, sap, broom, narcissus, beeswax, hay, and maté. It starts out pretty much a dead ringer for fresh hyacinths…