When I was in high school, physics was the toughest subject for me to learn. I could blame it on my junior high teacher who couldn’t handle a group of 30 hyperactive teens but I just think physics was never my thing. I was able to secure a good grade on my graduation diploma thanks to the fact that we’ve been doing optics for the entire final term. Prisms and lenses saved me. To this day I remember that you can split white light into a spectrum of all colors. This duality of light, of how you can obtain vivid colors from something ‘colorless’ is a bit like magic. With their newest fragrance Atelier des Ors explores the purity and positivity of white but also invites us to live colorfully.
The feeling I have while wearing Blanc Polychrome is similar to how it feels on one of those lazy summer mornings when the alarm clock is not set, you stay in bed longer than usual and get up only because too much sunlight started filtering through the curtains. You feel blissful & so does this perfume. It unfolds peacefully, revealing a refreshing note of mandarin. Its happy juiciness feels warm, even slightly powdery – but mouth-watering most of all. The solar energy of the opening gains a yellow tinge and some zing thanks to lemon which adds a lovely citric tang to the composition. Fizzy and playful describe it best, it’s like a glass of a sparkling lemonade on a hot day.
After a couple of minutes the refreshing citrus cocktail starts to become more fruity but in a rather unusual way. Blanc Polychrome gets enveloped by a sheer pink cloud with some streaks of red and green. Enter rhubarb – it belongs to the group of those underrated notes in perfumery. Just a quick thought about it brings spring/summer to my mind. Here in Poland during the season its an essential flavor that you’ll find in many refreshing beverages, compotes & sweet pastries. In new Atelier des Ors rhubarb is not super prominent but its tartness gives a pleasant twist to the perfume and provides a counterpart that perfectly balances the citrusy sweetness, making it more interesting.
Depending on how ripe it is, rhubarb can be green, pink or red – usually it’s a combination of all 3. But it’s the green element that is continued in the heart of Atelier des Ors Blanc Polychrome. Green shade becomes deeper and intensifies over time. The perfume takes us to the South of France and draws the image of me standing in the middle of the orange grove. Orange tree leaves rustle in the wind, carrying a green, slightly vegetal and dusty scent of petitgrain. Then there’s jasmine – floral, very summery and light one. It has a warm & sunny aura to it. Over time fig leaf introduces a sappy, milky facet. Its vegetal, creamy character feels very Mediterranean to me.
Blanc Polychrome is a kind of fragrance in which any changes happen smoothly, transitions are seamless. There are no drastic cuts in it. For some time I did not observe many changes in the development. I could still smell the different essences – they kept playing on my skin, only their proportions were slightly changing. Then, 2-3 hours later, a slightly dry, herbaceous & tad floral lavender joined. A breath of Provence. The warmth of the note was step by step replaced by luminous, slightly balsamic Ambroxan accord. In the official pyramid you can find moss but I didn’t notice its presence on my skin. Musk gives Blanc Polychrome a fluffy, whipped cream finish. It’s delightful.
As you could already notice from some of my previous reviews, I’m a fan of Atelier des Ors and their range. I think that Marie Salamagne, a perfumer who works with Jean-Philippe Clermont, did especially well with the lighter fragrances. And since I like nuanced but lighter compositions for the summer I am not surprised that I enjoy Blanc Polychrome so much. It slightly reminds me of Nuda Veritas from their White Collection or of California Reverie by Van Cleef & Arpels. The presentation is simply stunning – the bottle has a shiny golden cap while flakes of gold dance in a completely transparent perfume liquid. New eau de parfum from Atelier des Ors is available in 100 ml bottles.
Chemist in the Bottle 
That sounds like yet another rather appealing fragrance from Atelier!
I am ashamed to admit that I could not cope with physics, chemistry or mathematics at school – my brain couldn’t cope with them. Nor map-reading. I look in wonder at people for whom this isn’t all some foreign language. I am fascinated by scientific facts though, and intrigued by the thought that blue skies are not actually blue, it’s how we perceive them!
Yes it does!
There’s no need to be ashamed, everyone has some subjects they were better and worse at. They often say that you can’t be good at everything because then you’re not really an expert in any field.
You have created a lemming! I really should revisit this brand. It actually is available a 30 minutes drive from where I live. I already tried a few of the heavier perfumes, but I think those had too much incense or something for my liking. The bottles look so good, too!
Yay, job done 😉
If you smelled Larmes du Desert or Lune Feline they are heavier and incensy. Cuir Sacre is very leathery.
But White Collection is much lighter, Riviera Collection is all about citrus and refreshment. You should like something from these.
Physics has never been either my favorite subject or strong suit. I was good at math and chemistry, but struggled with physics. I don’t know who to blame. It’s strange because I was a good student, and I tried my best. 🙂
Those bottles are very appealing (I saw them once in RL), but 100 ml… I will try it eventually – to see what you liked there, if nothing else 🙂
So you were just like me! I always spent a lot of time learning, even if it was a subject that I didn’t like (like history) but physics were just a no for me.
Atelier des Ors has gorgeous bottles and they look stunning on the photos.I know that 100 ml is way too much but you could always go for a decant if you liked any of them enough to want more than just a sample.