• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Fragrance of the day: Paul & Joe Blanc

Posted by Robin on 10 November 2005 25 Comments

Paul & Joe Blanc perfume

The Paul & Joe line has two fragrances, both introduced in 2003: Blanc, a fresh floral created by Jean Claude Ellena, and Bleu, a warmer oriental by Pierre Bourdon. Today I am trying Blanc, which features notes of hawthorn, angelica, almond, sweet pea, freesia, lily, rose, musk, heliotrope and cloud of milk.

Blanc opens with a touch of citrus, and quickly settles into a soft blend of angelica and hawthorn. There is a tinge of almond that lingers into the dry down, which is otherwise well-blended floral notes — every so often I catch a whisper of freesia or sweet pea — over a light, milky vanillic base. It is a transparent fragrance, only mildly sweet, and there is the vaguest hint of powder.

Blanc shares several notes (hawthorn, angelica, heliotrope, maybe iris) with another Jean Claude Ellena fragrance, L'Eau d'Hiver from Frederic Malle, and in fact, while they are not identical twins, they might fairly be called relatives. What differences they have are more obvious in the first 20 minutes, when Hiver has considerably more presence, and Blanc feels rather like Hiver's younger, fresher, calmer, possibly less interesting cousin. Once both scents dry down, Blanc feels rather like the summery aspect of whatever idea inpired Hiver.

If I was forced to choose between them, I would go with Hiver without hesitation. But Blanc is nicely done, and if I ever run across it on a day when I happen to have money in my pocket, it may well join my collection too.

For buying information, see the listing for Paul & Joe under Perfume Houses.

Possibly of interest

Frederic Malle Rose & Cuir ~ fragrance review
Hermes Rose Amazone, take two ~ fragrance review
Hermes Rocabar ~ fragrance review

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: jean claude ellena, paul and joe

Advertisement


25 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 9:50 am

    Wonderful review R! Many Happy Returns.

    ((((((((((((((((R))))))))))))))))))

    Log in to Reply
  2. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 9:55 am

    Sounds nice, but I think I'll take your advice and stick with L'eau d'Hiver. The first time I ever smelled L'eau d'Hiver my first thought was that it was my favorite part of En Passant, the part I had to wait through a whole lilac drydown for, and suddenly, there it was. I *could* get to it right away. As if JCE smelled OG's creation and said, “Oh, skip to the point, already.”

    Log in to Reply
  3. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 11:53 am

    Thank you N!

    Log in to Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 11:55 am

    T, I adore Hiver & En Passant but never picked up on any similarity — will have to try them together this weekend.

    Log in to Reply
  5. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 12:01 pm

    Happy birthday, R!

    But “cloud of milk”? Am I the only one who thinks perfume marketers are getting Just Too Cute?

    Sign me, Skeptical Marta

    Log in to Reply
  6. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 12:27 pm

    M, Thank you!!

    Yes, agree on the Too Cute. In a funny way, at least “cloud of milk” is somewhat accurate – that is sort of what it smells like. It didn't bother me as much as “lush water accord”, or the new “living” thing that they add to everything, as in “living rose” — which is shorthand for the fact that it is nothing of the sort.

    Log in to Reply
  7. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 12:58 pm

    Is today your birthday, R? I knew it! I knew you were another fabulous Fall person. :):) I wish you a glorious day and an even better year.

    Great review! Long story short…I much prefer Hiver to P&J.

    Hugs!

    Log in to Reply
  8. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 1:54 pm

    This sounds beautiful to me. Might have to try it if I pass by the Paul & Joe store sometime (actually not even sure if it's still there). I love a subdued airy floral now and again.

    And happy birthday, R!

    xo

    Log in to Reply
  9. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 2:38 pm

    I have never tried either Blanc or Bleu, but I will check them out at BG. I now feel the same way about Jean-Claude Ellena's creations as I do about Remarque's novels–I started with the famous ones, and now I seek out everything else.

    Happy birthday once again!

    Log in to Reply
  10. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 2:51 pm

    Lovely review! But like Tania, I think I will stick to Hiver.

    Happy Birthday, and may all your sniffs be good ones!

    Judith

    Log in to Reply
  11. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 3:53 pm

    Never heard of this brand before – sounds like a nice soft composition.

    Great bottle! very pretty and retro looking.

    Log in to Reply
  12. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 4:31 pm

    Tried these a few months ago at Printemps in Paris. My reaction was “bof” – smells like L'Eau d'Hiver, which I already have, so I didn't buy. Didn't like Bleu at all, I don't even have a memory of what it smelled like. Maybe I need to sniff again.

    Log in to Reply
  13. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 5:30 pm

    Thank you R!

    Log in to Reply
  14. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 5:32 pm

    Thank you V! And of course, let me know what you think of the Blanc if you try it :-)

    Log in to Reply
  15. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 5:33 pm

    I like the bottle too. Their makeup packaging is cutesy, but I rather like it too.

    Log in to Reply
  16. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 5:34 pm

    T, I smelled the Bleu very quickly on a test strip, and it simply didn't seem like my sort of thing, but one of these days I'll try it on skin to be sure.

    Log in to Reply
  17. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 7:07 pm

    Nice review, but I'll stick with L'Eau d'Hiver. Love that fragrance.

    Happy Birthday to you!!! Hope you are having an enjoyably fragrant day, R!

    Log in to Reply
  18. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 7:23 pm

    Happy Birthday Robin!

    Although they are very similar, I find enough difference between Malle's l'Eau d'Hiver and Paul & Joe White to keep both in my collection. White has a bit more softness to it to me while l'Hiver is a little crisp. I reserve l'Hiver for warmer days.

    Log in to Reply
  19. Anonymous says:
    10 November 2005 at 10:26 pm

    “a cloud of milk” is the literal English translation of “un nuage de lait”, which is what you ask for in French when you have tea with milk, i.e. it just means “a drop of milk”, nothing fancy at all.

    Log in to Reply
  20. Anonymous says:
    11 November 2005 at 6:52 am

    Have a great day, R!

    I thought the Blanc was just okay, but I haven't had much luck with the Malle's either.

    Now the Bleu is great. You've inspired me to wear it today.

    Log in to Reply
  21. Anonymous says:
    11 November 2005 at 8:50 am

    Thanks K!!

    Log in to Reply
  22. Anonymous says:
    11 November 2005 at 8:51 am

    Thanks J, that makes more sense.

    Log in to Reply
  23. Anonymous says:
    11 November 2005 at 8:52 am

    Thanks B! I will have to try that Bleu on skin then.

    Log in to Reply
  24. Anonymous says:
    11 November 2005 at 12:07 pm

    Oh, belated Happy Birthday, Robin!!!!! I was out of town yesterday and just got back! Hope it was a fabulous day! I'm curious now to try Blanc. I like Eau d'Hiver very much, but D doesn't and I hate that that has put me off of it a bit. *sulks* I'm a new fan of JCE, but I tend to admire his scents in t he abstract more than LOVE them on my person. He's very smart and talented, that is clear.

    Log in to Reply
  25. Anonymous says:
    11 November 2005 at 5:10 pm

    Thanks L! Doubt D would love Blanc if he doesn't love Hiver, but you never know. Hope you had a good trip to somewhere :-)

    Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement


Luckyscent

Search

Browse by…

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

From NST at Twitter

  • Headline of the day: "Gwyneth Paltrow’s vagina-scented candle almost burns down home of woman who won it in a quiz" https://t.co/F6bvZtoSXl,
  • "Jo Loves adopts refillable technology for Fragrance Paintbrush" (cosmeticsbusiness) https://t.co/sn2tZ1cguT,
  • @robini71 And my favorite honeysuckle is also limited edition -- Goutal Le Chevrefeuille. They do bring it back eve… https://t.co/MFGwHJK0Ji,

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

TBA April ~ freebiemeet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2021 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.