Lovender, La Parfumerie Moderne Années Folles

To me Summer is a lot about citrus fragrances. Lemon, lime, orange, bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, citron… Give me all because without them summertime would’ve been hard to survive. On the other hand I don’t want to fall into a perfume monothony. I also crave mint, basil, airy florals, even marine-themed compositions are of my liking lately (like Acquasala or Un Air de Bretagne). But there’s one aroma that I associate with the summer just as much as I do with citrus – and that is lavender. I loved the smell of it since I was young and I keep on dreaming to visit lavender fields in Provence when the plants are in full bloom, surrounded by a bee buzz & ready for harvesting.

My recent testing of one of the fragrances from La Parfumerie Moderne gave me the wonderful opportunity to feel exactly how I would imagine a trip to Provence would smell like. Just seconds after spraying Annees Folles on skin the scenery around you changes. As if with a touch of a magic wand you are transported to the Provencal fields. The smell of lavender is so enveloping, it wraps around your body like a fluffy blanket. The floral tones of these tiny purple flowers are exhilarating and refreshing while at the same time the aromatic nature of it unveils slowly and nests deeper in the composition, creating a gorgeous 3-dimensional view that is so picturesque and breathtaking.

At first I find lavender of Annees Folles to be on a more floral side with a detectable nuances of pollen powder and a tiny bit of honey and beeswax mingling in the background. However as time goes by this impression changes. After a while it starts to have some more herbal characteristics. It’s becoming greener, slightly more vegetal but floral lavender facet is not gone yet. Then thyme joins the composition and at that point aromatic herb feeling takes over the lead. There’s a lovely peaceful aura created by this perfume. Warm spiciness of nutmeg adds more complexity to the scent and they go so well together. This spice note has a nice & happy tingle for extra dose of optimism.

After 2 hours La Parfumerie Moderne Annees Folles develops an aromatic, crispy yet somehow dewy vibe. At the beginning I though that this could be a violet leaf but as I spent more time smelling it from up close I realized that it’s actually a geranium accord. It’s green and has a very warm undertone that instantly brings the idea of how much sun energy it has absorbed. Subsequently we have the arrival of vetiver – in this case its profile combines woody notes with aromatic grass. By rendering it that way the perfume  gains more substantivity which is added value to the dimension it already had. I especially like how the notes unfold here at their own pace. No rush at all.

Even after couple more hours Annees Folles is still unmistakably an olfactive story about lavender. It’s still very present on my skin and now it combines all of the aspects that appeared earlier – there’s a floral part, a herbaceous part and an aromatic part. Thanks to the drydown notes the perfume undergoes even more changes. Tonka beans make the scent creamier, more sensual but at the same time something nutty and crunchy appears as well. To me it smells like a shortbread cookie with edible lavender. Later on it becomes slightly more like a pudding that step by step becomes more balmy and caramelized – a benzoin delight with a gentle incensy finish.

Annees Folles from La Parfumerie Moderne surprised me with its brilliant quality and structure. I’m glad that I could try this slightly older release after liking most recent Belles Rives so much. A lot of care and precision went into creating this fragrance – each note has a reason to be there and they work with each other like a perfectly synchronized orchestra. But that’s not a surprise knowing that Marc-Antoine Corticchiato is a perfumer. Annees Folles surely belongs to my top 5 lavenders now. The perfume is available as eau de parfum, in 100 ml blue glass bottle. Very recently the brand started offering 7.5 ml travel sprays that you can combine, making your own set of three.

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Emerald Flicker, Les Liquides Imaginaires Succus

A beautiful sunny morning. You open up your eyes as you wake up and the moment you do that you realize you’re in the heart of the forest. It’s summer time so you’re feeling a bit lazy and not in a rush to actually get out of bed. The next moment your still sleepy eyes gaze up into the sky and you’re in awe. You see the light filtering through the crowns of the trees, shadows flickering among the leaves. So simple yet so breathtaking and beautiful. What if I told you that you don’t have to only imagine this picture but you can also smell it! With Les Liquides Imaginaires Succus it’s possible.

Succus greets the wearer with a delightful scent of rhubarb. Its tartness and crispness are absolutely mouth-watering & I immediately want to smile thanks to it. After around 5 minutes it develops a slightly sour but still very appealing flavor with a little bit of a green tint to it. Shortly after a wonderful mandarin appears, spilling its delectably sweet juiciness all over the place. The combination of these 2 works really well, creating the energetic bomb you just want to eat. After a while Succus changes its character a bit. When laurel joins the composition a new dry & dusted facet appears. I have to admit it smells pretty and harmonious next to mandarin and rhubarb.

Some time later the verdancy of Succus becomes more prominent but no matter the moment I smell it, I continue to perceive it as pastel green rather than bright green. Rosemary gives a fantastic touch of aromatic facets – it smells quite airy and spacious, outdoorsy. Afterwards juniper adds some of its own fragrance. That one is also green but also has a light metallic undertone you could associate with gin. Sage and cedar leaf give Succus a slightly more masculine character through their powdery/dusty impressions. At this point grapefruit also appears – its citrusy bitterness has more of a zesty effect compared to more juicy mandarin. It’s also not sweaty which is a good thing.

As hours pass I notice how a mild spiciness builds up in Les Liquides Imaginaires Succus. It’s first revealed through a lemony fizziness of ginger and later also black pepper joins the ensemble. The warmth they effuse is rather solar and bright, they definitely haven’t been set up in a more heavy context. At some point a tropical floral note arrives at the main stage. Orchid that is featured in this fragrance is really something else. It’s slightly sweet and more creamy. It’s tropical but not exotic (if you know what I mean) and definitely adds a vivid color to the scent. Orchid is also slightly vanillic but way less dense than vanilla itself. Succus becomes more charming with time.

Drydown of Succus is mainly woody but also provides quite a lot of complexity. Firstly there’s vetiver but it smells neither dry nor grassy. It’s way more woody-solid than I’d expect. It has a pleasant smoothness that helps mandarin to come out more – it’s like vetiver becoming a background to the juicy fruit from before. Texas cedar gives more substantivity to the blend while frankincense creates a contrasting layer of balsamic ‘airiness’. It’s smoky in a great way but also light. There’s also a musky element via Moxalone and clear woodiniess via Georgywood (Givaudan molecules). I especially liked this vetiver-mandarin effect that gave Succus an uplifting vibe.

Les Liquides Imaginaires launched Succus as part of a perfume trilogy called Eau Arborante and this particular creation was meant to evoke the crowns of trees. I truly love this idea and how well it’s been executed by a perfumer – Shyamala Maisondieu. Succus really makes you feel as if you were sitting on top of a giant tree. Longevity and sillage of this creation are very good. Succus is available in 100 ml bottles and in eau de parfum concentration. If only smaller flacon was offered by the brand I wouldn’t hesitate to get it as I’m really into this perfume. It’s a great addition to summer wardrobe.