Perfume blog newbies often comment that some of the regulars have a language of their own, and indeed we even have our own dirty words, the f- and s-bombs: "fruit" and "sweet". I must admit to being among the contingent that usually gives a snobbish shiver of repulsion when I read a note list that includes grape, litchi or coconut. Unfortunately, sales assistants flogging candy cocktails are attracted to my chubby cheeks, decade-old sweatshirts and general lack of bearing. I notice this most often in big city, higher-end department stores: salespeople ignored by the older, impeccably groomed customers going by zero in on me as being the only person in the area who could conceivably be within the age range for their fragrance. Since I was a child, I've had a particular fear of situations in which somebody is giving an embarrassing or futile speech and I am obliged to stand there, smiling politely. I feel this fear as a pain in my chest, as heartburn, while I stand there with my frozen grin, waving around a testing strip or ribbon sprayed with something that is attracting flying insects.
On a day when it's sleeting, however, there is nothing more cheering to me than a big, euphoric burst of fruit. At such a time, I need something that smells like distilled sunshine, so nothing with a chewy, denser drydown — Serge Lutens Mandarine Mandarin or Burberry Brit Red, for example — will do. On the other hand, a fragrance needs a certain amount of depth to stand up to arctic temperatures, so a sparkling summer cologne is probably not going to work either. Sadly, many of my fruit-fests are being discontinued, so please recommend the fragrances you use to fight the winter blues.
Parfums de Nicolaï Balkis: This confection of raspberry, rose and cream is the sort of scent that makes me want to find my only floral-print sun-dress and attend a tea social somewhere. The opening is so juicy it verges on obscene, though in spirit Balkis is not languid, but carefree. The black pepper and coffee give this fragrance a more engergizing presence than similar comfort-with-jam perfumes, like Annick Goutal's Eau de Charlotte.
Kenzo Jungle Le Tigre: Released as a limited edition along with Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant, this perfume includes kumquat, bergamot, davana, osmanthus, ylang-ylang, cinnamon and massoia wood. L'Elephant, also a fun fragrance, lists mango in the notes, but it is Tigre that most evokes the balance of brightness and sensuality of that fruit and the humidly green tropics where it ripens.
Jacques Fath Fath de Fath: This discontinued gem from 1993, itself a much-altered "reissue" of a 1953 creation, is an oriental that begins like a fruit salad: lemon, mandarin, pear, plum, peach, bergamot and cassis. The giddy opening hangs over a more graceful floral heart and powdery drydown, though I rarely make it there: I am often tempted to refresh the scent to experience the initial burst of mouth-watering sweetness over again. Similar in its development and still available is Maître Parfumeur et Gantier's Fleur de Comores, with an opening of blackcurrant and passionfruit.
Diptyque Oyedo: A smiling, sugary blend of citrus (yuzu, grapefruit, lime and orange) over herbs and pale woods, Oyedo is one of the most relentlessly cheerful perfumes I have ever encountered.
Guerlain Shalimar Eau Légère: I am one of those Philistines who wears this much more often than the original classic. The tang of the lemon, bergamot and orange never really fades as the full-bodied jasmine and vanilla make their appearance. There is a light brush of musk and moss underneath in the drydown that distinguishes this from its more girlish reformulation, Shalimar Light.
Note: Erin has limited online access at the moment (the horror!) so may be slow to answer comments.
Image via Images de Parfums.
E, you're back (yay!), I've missed you! Hope the move went smoothly…
I can so relate to your (great-as-always) article. It's been a really gloomy winter and I still can't shake the cold off my limbs. Whenever the blues would set in, I tried exorcizing them with a citrus or a floral and so conjure up summer. Eau de Cartier has been helpful as well as New York, Champaca and the blankety Eau Noire 🙂 Surprisingly, the orientals that are usually comforting rarely worked for me this winter, weighing (wearing) me down, especially the heavy, musky ones.
Hi Erin,
This winter I've been using a decant of Acqua di Gio– it's the only scent I know with Marine notes I can tolerate. it's so much nicer than it seems like it should be & I have to get the bottle soon.
My other winter standby is Eau d'Hadrien– bright, fresh, uplifting, but substantial. It can last quite a while on me. EDT is really nice– EDP is much more lemony/citron than EDT.
Erin, have you ever tried Dalissime by Salvador Dali? I think it would be very much to your taste: the top and middle notes are mostly fruit (bergamot, berries, apricot and peach), some rosy flowers in the middle, and a warm sunshiny base of vanilla and sandalwood. It is not, I promise you, the average modern fruity floral.
I'm confused about Shalimar eau Legere v. Light. The box I have says “Shalimar Light” on one side and “eau Legere” on the other, so I was under the impression they were the same formulation, but apparently not? Shalimar Light never fails to life my mood. Much as I admire the original Shalimar, I just can't wear it.
Hi Erin, during these chilly grey winterdays I can appreciate Shiseido Energizing Fragrance a lot, it is a light floral with some oplifting spices and fine woods. It is like sunshine in a bottle.
Then there is Salvador Dali – again but I choose Purplelight for I love lilacs and Purplight is all about lilacs in a refined way.
I guess that flowers work better for me than fruits.
PBI: this is very confusing. The story, as I understand it, is that Shalimar Eau Legere was released in 2003 or 2004. It was by perfumer Mathilde Laurent. A year or so after it was introduced, it was reformulated by Jean Paul Guerlain.
What is not clear to me is whether you can tell which you've got based on the name. Some people say if your box says “Shalimar Light”, you've got the later version, others say the box always had both names on it.
Erin, great post! I love your descriptions of “dense, chewy” scents.
This is the time of year for those wish-it-was-spring scents, but you're right, they have to have a little oomph. Right now what works for me is Ines De La Fressange, Mandragore and Carthusia Mediterraneo, plus now I'm lusting for Mure et Musc…
I *really* need to try Le Tigre, given how much I admire that nutty Elephant.
“…I feel this fear as a pain in my chest, as heartburn, while I stand there with my frozen grin, waving around a testing strip or ribbon sprayed with something that is attracting flying insects.”
Great post. I love the way you wrote the line above! It's EXACTLY the reason I hate going to retail perfume counters and actually start to sweat when I do so. The SAs are constantly trying to get me to try things that I have no interest in. I need to get over this discomfort and just politely say, “Thank you very much” while I'm holding 5 test strips that are overloading my senses.
As for your quest for fruit in the winter: Your mention of Balkis immediately brought to mind my love of the sparkling grapefruit of PdN Balle de Match and also Jo Malone's Grapefruit, though the latter does have kind of a “chewy, denser drydown.” One of my favorite “distilled sunshine” scents is Hermès Concentre d'Orange Verte — I realized that it's often too sweet and fruity for hot weather, but perfect on a brisk morning when I really need a citrus pick-me-up.
Thanks for the explanation! I probably have the later one since I bought it in 2006 and detect absolutely no mossiness whatsoever.
I am kind of on a search for an uplifting citrus w/depth right now, myself. How interesting to see Salvador Dali fragrances mentioned here! I only know the original SD for women, but I've long admired it. Right now, I'm still caught up in incense love, and recently obtained a bottle of Etro's Shaal Nur. That has some grapefruit in the opening and feels good right now. I keep thinking about Eau de Merveilles, which I have a mini of. I think it needs to be sprayed to be appreciated, but that might be a good *citrus w/ depth.* Excellent post, thanks Erin!
Erin, I've been enjoying Montale Chypre Fruite this winter. It's not a totally 'me' scent, but there is something sweetly sexy and cheering about it, especially in the dreary cold.
On the Shalimar Eau Legere, can one still buy the original formulation or is it all Shalimar Light now? I like the sound of the original notes….
In an attempt to clear up the confusion, I dug out my bottles. Here's what I found: Mathilde Laurent's creation came in a blue bottle with pale juice in it. Jean Paul's version is in a clear bottle with blue liquid. (I don't have a box.) The blue bottle says copyright 2000, which is when the new shape debuted. It is a modern take on the extrait label. The blue bottle's box says copyright 2003. Both bottles and the box say Eau Legere Parfumee and Light Fragrance. In his late blog, Luca Turin states his preference for Mathilde's version but also that the two forms are so nearly identical in composition that even a gas chromatograph finds them to be “close”. He feels that Jean Paul's “optimized” offering has brighter top notes. I tried one on each arm andfind them to be very simialr .
R, I agree the whole thing is needlessly confusing. My bottle has a bit of a blue tint, but the fragrance is pale yellow, and therefore the overall appearance through the glass is much lighter and less blue than the bottles I've seen in the store. I bought mine in 2005 I believe, but I think it had been around for a little while. The bottle says “Shalimar Eau Legere” and then below “Light Fragrance”. Shalimar Light, the bluer, more recent version (I think?!) has less musky, dusky quality in the drydown, but is just as sparkling and probably a better bet for those who don't wear Shalimar. I believe it was a Jean-Paul Guerlain reformulation, as Robin notes below.
Ah, I see C has found a similar difference in bottle and juice color right above. I have the blue tinted bottle with yellow juice.
Well, thanks, glad to be back! Hopefully, I'll have home web access soon, as I'm going through a little withdrawl. (Sometimes, you just *have* to check the notes for Slatkin Persian Lime and Mimosa at one o'clock in the morning.) Thanks to you I had a pleasant Cartier Declaration day just last week – banished the howling winds! I, too, have been avoiding my orientals since just after Christmas. Over the holidays I enjoyed some snuggly scents, but since I've found them a tad smothering.
Thanks for the suggestions! You know, bizarrely, I haven't tried Acqua di gio for quite some time, and I can't quite remember the effect of the marine notes. I'll have to try that again, as well d'Hadrien. The latter I've always found too aggressively lemony, but I think I was indeed trying the EdP. I love Goutal's Eau du Sud.
P, that sounds wonderful! I am often seduced by apricot, and the base sounds like just the ticket to battle the sleety drizzle.
M, Shiseido Energizing Fragrance – is that the one with minimal top notes? What does the bottle look like? I think I remember trying that one and enjoying it. Purplelight I haven't tried – I have kind of an up-and-down relationship with lilacs – but I'll keep my eye out for the whole Dali line.
P, I believe that's one of the few Montales I've never tried. I'll have to give it a test run, thanks. You know, I read the note lists for almost every fragrance in this list and thought “sounds so 'not me'” but I love them all, so you never can tell. The Jungle Tigre is particularly wonderful, if you can find a bottle to try. There's something about the heart of the winter and the height of summer that has me reaching for fragrances I don't normally wear…
I liked the Ines, too, when I got a sample from Angela. Mandragore I really enjoy, but I think I need to try it in the higher concentration – the drydown goes a tiny bit blurred and pale on me. The MeM is really more musky than I remembered, and certainly could conjure spring.
And yes, you need to try that Tigre! A little more conventional than L'Elephant, but there are lovely grassy touches in the opening and the heart is so rich – I think it really is my favorite of the list this time.
Thanks, I'm glad I'm not the only one sweating in the perfume department! I really admire the people who can politely but firmly turn down a desperate SA. I have had particular trouble with the Missoni sales people lately, they kind of stalk me through stores.
Jo Malone Grapefruit is the only JM scent I own – my husband picked it out for me, and it suits me perfectly, definitely my fave of the early Malones. I've really been digging my Hermes lately, so I'll have to dig out my Cd'OV sample and brave the bracing winds!
Thank *you* for the suggestions. Yes, the Dali fragrances are ones I've overlooked, so I'm glad to see they came up a couple times, too – new stuff to sample! Shaal Nur is one of those weird scents that I think I should love, but I've never been able to get to smell of anything much at all. What I get smells lovely, but is very quiet and short-lived. I think I need to spray liberally next time I sample it. Eau de Merveilles is one I haven't quite found the magic in yet, but this is the perfect time to try again! There's something about this weather that tells me I'm going to have my long-awaited conversion with it now, and lately I've been loving the Hermes and Hermessence scents.
Pia, I must rustle up my bottle of Chypre Fruites: what a great scent for this time of year. You're so right! I also find it not quite me — it's verrrry chypre, I find — but when I layer it with something rich and vanilla-y — Serge Lutens Un Bois Vanille does the job without being too cloying, and L'Occitane Honey Lemon is a lovely combination with those very French Montale fruit notes as well — it becomes very MUCH me! Hope it becomes you, too.
Thanks so very much! Have a feeling neither of these is in production anymore now that we've Eau de Shalimar coming up, but good to know how to identify what you've got, if you've got one 🙂
Oh dear, I can see that both Jungle Tigre and Un Bois Vanille are going to have to go on my 'must try' list! Thanks for the layering tip Robin! Erin, hope you like the Chypre Fruite if you end up trying it! 🙂
I seem to have a problem with citrus – I can't wear it. Or maybe I have never found a citrus that's compelling enough. Something always jars…it's funny, as I like citrus shower products, but I have always found citrus scents too brash and loud for scent.
Think this may be an irrational prejudice. I smelled Jo Malone's 'Lime Basil and Mandarin' recently and liked it, but immediately said to the SA, 'I can't wear citrus'. This stems back to wearing Laura Biagotti's 'Roma' for a period and being underwhelmed by it, I think. I like the citrussy top notes in other scents but prefer them to dry down to somthing more heartening and substantial. I should just explore more and overcome prejudices, methinks…
I know of a dear fragrance-loving friend of mine who swears by L'Artisan Ananas Fizz, Rosarita!