Etat Libre d'Orange, as a brand, doesn't really suit me, which is a shame because it's one of the few niche lines that still sells a bottle for less than $100 (and as many of you will remember, $100 is the new free). I haven't tried quite all of them — they've made a whopping 22 fragrances since they debuted in 2006 — but by now I've tried most of them. The one that impressed me the most (although it isn't really "me") was the brilliant Like This for Tilda Swinton; after that, I'd list Putain des Palaces and Vierges et Toreros as close calls, and I'd probably want a bottle of Fat Electrician if I didn't already own a bazillionty-and-one vetiver fragrances, modern or otherwise.
But so far, I've never been tempted to buy, and only one Etat Libre scent has been sitting in my purgatory basket1 and that's Jasmin et Cigarette. Since Kevin reviewed Sécrétions Magnifiques yesterday and Jessica is going to review Archives 69 tomorrow, it seemed like a good time to pull it out and decide one way or another.
Jasmin et Cigarette was done by perfumer Antoine Maisondieu, who has developed quite a few fragrances for the brand (I'm far too lazy to count, sorry) and it's meant, I take it, to be femme fatale sort of fragrance — Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich are listed in the ad copy, as is "the twilight zone, the banned, addiction". Appropriately enough, the jasmine comes out swinging in the opening, strong and indolic, but that doesn't last long. Then it's fresh and green and sparkling, with sweet fruity undertones. The mood is perhaps more cheerful and summery than mysterious and sexy, and it perhaps doesn't smell like they used the bestest of best jasmines, but it's all quite nice.
The cigarette part is maybe where you're supposed to find the mysterious and sexy? And yes, I'm one of those ex-smokers that misses (sometimes, anyway) the smell of a freshly lit cigarette. In Jasmin et Cigarette what I smell, mostly, is tobacco leaf — a smell that (oddly?) reminds me more of perfume than smoking. There's also some hay, and a bit of sweetness, and a bit of pale wood. There is only the tiniest whiff of anything like smoke, and the reviewers who mention overflowing ashtrays must have way more sensitive noses than I do. Then just as I think the tobacco + smoke is going to gather steam and make a real showing, the whole thing starts to settle; it doesn't really fade away entirely, but it gets quiet and the jasmine starts to smell thin.
Jasmin et Cigarette is another close call. It's a great idea; I had no idea I wanted a jasmine + cigarette fragrance, but now I know. This one is just a bit too tame and office-friendly, and in the end I agree with the reviewer at Luckyscent who noted that if "this were a woman, she'd be dressed in preppy j crew with sexy lingerie underneath". Yes, exactly, not Greta Garbo or Marlene Dietrich but Cameron Diaz, maybe, or Reese Witherspoon. Close, but no cigar.
Etat Libre d'Orange Jasmin et Cigarette features notes of jasmine absolute, tobacco, hay, apricot, tonka bean, tumeric, cedar and musk. It can be found in 50 ml Eau de Parfum, $80. For buying information, see the listing for Etat Libre d'Orange under Perfume Houses.
1. My purgatory basket is where fragrances go when I can't make up my mind about them.
Wow hitting an ELDO stride! Yay! I agree none are as hard hitting interesting and bottle worthy AS Like This, which Ive crowned sent of self for a year or two, but I have invested also in Noel Au Balcon which is just so easy to wear and slightly offbeat, actually working nicely in spring. Josephine Baker is actually looking like it will be great this summer, very happy and again, slightly interesting and unexpected. I never fell for J & C, finding both the jasmine to not be jasminy enough and the cigarette to not be cigarett-y enough, and it doesn’t have that usual eldo something, that familiar but offbeat vibe. They are one of my top fav lines.
And Noel is one of the handful I haven’t gotten to yet…I’ll move it to the front of the pack. I did hear good things about it.
I’m really curious about this one, too; sounds like something I’d like. Look forward to reading your take on it, as we seem to be of the same mind about JetC.
I asked for a sample of Noel al Balcon with a recent Luckyscent order. Only tried a teeny schmear so far but it was very promising!
My favorite so far from ELDO is Rossy de Palma.
If I were to guess, I think you’ll find it pleasant and wearable, even quite nice…but it won’t bowl you over. I quite like it myself, but my taste runs a bit more to the office-friendly and “pretty” than yours.
It’s all gross ashtray for me, but I have never smoked so maybe that’s why…
I wonder? Or if there’s just something there I can’t smell, or that I don’t interpret the same way. I was interested at how many people said Martin Margiela Untitled smelled cigarette-like, or smoky.
Cristalle has a distinct ashtray note, which I didn’t pick up on the first handful of times I wore it, but it’s now become really distracting to me. I think I’m probably sensitive to that note. It’s in the old Oscar de la Renta, and in White Diamonds, too, but since those are pretty jam-packed full of big rich florals, the ashtray note stands out less to me. There’s just a wee hint of it in Tabac Aurea, which I love, but perhaps it’s not bothersome to me in that composition because there aren’t many florals in there? I don’t know.
I think I’ll skip J et C, being neither a fan of jasmine nor of the ashtray thing. (Hotel Slut’s pretty good. Rossy de Palma was pretty good, too, but since I cut my rose chypre teeth on L’Arte di Gucci, Rossy underwhelmed.)
M: I detest the ashtray note, and thankfully I do not get it in Cristalle. Do you detect it in both vintage and current? Tobacco leaf itself doesn’t really bother me. Do you like MMM Untitled if you’ve tried it? That was unbearably ashtray to me.
Funny, I’ve been eyeing that sample of MMM Untitled askance for at least a couple of weeks. Haven’t tried it yet. Maybe today I will bite the bullet and report back.
I have not tried modern Cristalle. What I have is an older (2ml dabber) sample of edt from TPC. It is almost unbearably ashtray for me, although that didn’t show up until the third time I wore it – and the fourth. It’s almost gone now, and possibly you could say one sample is not representative.
Joe- I did get an unbearable ashtray note from MMM. I like a bit of ash (sometimes) here and there (Bvlgari Black, Trezieme) but MMM is unbearable to me.
I get tobacco, maybe not ash try tho’, from Cristalle. It puts me off it completely. Funny, I think you are the only other person I’ve known to mention this aspect of Cristalle.
I absolutely cannot go near cigarettes in any way, shape or form, so I’m happy to keep away from J&C.
So interesting…pretty sure that what you’re calling an ashtray note in Cristalle is part & parcel (to me, mind you) of real oakmoss. But hard to say.
I don’t know! I have some samples of oakmoss absolute and vintage Miss Dior parfum (thanks, Tamara!) and DSH’s version of Chypre, and they don’t have that ashtray vibe.
But Aromatics Elixir does, to my nose, so maybe you’re right.
Hmmm, now I’m thinking I ought to sample the Rossy and the Hotel Slut, especially since L’Arte was Too Much for me.
Rossy de Palma is really well done. I didn’t include it in my list above just because I didn’t think it was all that original. Still, well done, and worth trying.
It’s nice. An even softer rose chypre would be Parfum d’Empire Eau Suave.
As chance would have it my ELdO sample set arrived this morning (woo hoo), and I am now sitting with Secretions Magnifiques on one wrist (good grief) and Jasmin et Cigarettes on the other. I am very pleasantly surprised by the Jasmin (and I don’t think it is only through comparison with the other wrist), I have yet to find my perfect jasmine scent, a note I love, and this version is very pretty. It’s sweet but not cloying, it has depth but still smells of a light summer evening. I am just undecided on the tobacco note, it isn’t over powering, and as a non-smoker it doesn’t have that stale whiff that I seriously dislike, this is definitely a gentle leaf version. I may have to do some more comparisons – has anyone tried AA Jasminora?
I am waiting to try the Jasminora — I’ve heard good things. Guessing it will be fresher & lighter, but obviously I don’t really know.
Had a sniff of the new AA the other day. It seemed fine, if unoriginal, and less simple-minded than recent AA offerings…
I like this one, actually have a FB of it, but must admit that I’m not the typical jasmine fan. What I experience is a continuous switching between tobacco and the flowery notes, during hours, which I find interesting (although you’re right, the two notes on their own would probably be boring)
Glad to see a fan, hope more fans stick up for it 🙂
i wouldn’t describe myself as preppy (far from it), but this sounds so interesting to me. jasmine is one of my favorite fragrances and the tobacco just makes it seem so unusual and alluring. i hope i run across this one someday.
Do give it a shot then!
I’m one of those that gets an overflowing ashtray, at least on my skin. And I definitely don’t have a particularly sensitive nose. Despite my best efforts my nose is about as dumb as a doorknob. I like the smell of a tobacconist shop, so its not that – it literally smells like harsh, burnt out cigarettes – in fact – my chest gets a little tight when I smell it!
Wow, that’s intense if it gives you a physical reaction.
Its weird: I’m not sure if there’s a chemical in the perfume that my respiratory system is sensitive to, or, if the smell is so closely associated with the experience of that chemical that my lungs just contract in expectation.
I have to say, the last three reviews on here (yours, Kevin’s, and Angela’s) have been extremely entertaining and some of the highlights of my last three days (I know, dull existence). I’m definitely intrigued by this fragrance, obviously being susceptible to the “femme fatale” draw it purports, but also because I’m not sure I have ever really smelled or understood a full-on tabacco/ cigarette note in perfume. I am wearing Back to Black right now, and I have only ever gotten the boozy fruit + honey, I don’t understand (but want to!) where the tabacco is. Is it the slightly mentholated smell? Is that tobacco note totally different from a so-called cigarette note?
Yes, different, it smells like the leaf — think unlit cigar. Many American cigarettes have hardly any tobacco smell at all. I would tell you that you must try Caron Tabac Blond, except I’m not up to date — don’t know if it’s been reformulated to death or not.
Meg, I agree: Back to Black always smells like honey to me, too, plus something like patchouli that I can’t identify – maybe one of those re-engineered, cleaned-up patchoulis? I would never have identified it as tobacco – but maybe it’s a cleaned-up tobacco? I do like Back to Black!
I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a fan of this, but it’s my favorite of the line. (which isn’t saying much, as none have really thrilled me.)
I didn’t get any indoles in the jasmine at all, which disappointed me, as I like my jasmine verra verra dirty, and like you, I got very little cigarette. I don’t care for the smell of cigarrette, but I was nonetheless disappointed not to smell it, because it seemed like it would be very interesting in the jasmine mix. I also get some sort of citrus and maybe a hint of mint in the opening.
I’d happily swap for a bottle of this, but I don’t see myself springing for a FB.
Yeah. I’d wear it if I had it. Don’t think I’m going to go out of my way to get it though.
i do get lots of ashtray in this one and happen to really like it. i also like fat electrician, tom of finland, and noel, and i really love like this. guess i’m in the minority when it comes to eldo. can’t wait for rue 69!!!
Oh, seriously doubt you’re in the minority! Those of like mind are always first to comment, right?
Nice to see a string of ELdO reviews, Robin. I only own Like This, but I’ll definitely buy Vierges et Toreros when my decant is used up. I also like Putain, Charogne, and Noel, and enjoy my decant of Eloge du Traitre from time to time. I agree with you about Fat Electrician — it’s good, but there’s an embarrassment of vetiver riches.
I’ve never tried JetC though, but to build on Tara’s and Mals’s comments above, I’m very afraid I’d get the ashtray. I loathe cig smoke, and I am one of the people who gets ashtray in MMM Untitled to the point where I can’t enjoy the scent at all. (I don’t get that in Cristalle, however.) I suppose I should try JetC sometime just to add to my knowledge base, but I’ve been in no hurry. If it ended up mostly tobacco leaf on me, I wouldn’t mind at all.
Agree the ELdO reviews are alot of fun and I’m looking forward to the next. PR about fragrances is so often overblown. ELdO does it with wit, at least, and it’s so provocative that it’s begging for a response. We’ll see if Jessica has an out-of-gender experience with Archives 69. Eloge du Traitre is my fave, but it hasn’t sent me on the lam.
Sometimes it seems witty, but admittedly, to me sometimes it just seems silly. Sometimes maybe they’re just trying too hard, and it doesn’t really seem as provocative as they want it to, maybe that’s it? But whichever, it does make for a change, and we all need a change from run-of-the-mill ad copy.
VeT is a really cool scent. I do like that they’ve got some things that aren’t anything like anything else on the market.
Thanks for this review, Robin. I’m a really jasmine lover – been known to wear jasmine perfume oil from the health food store – but I don’t like it too sweet so J&C is on my “to try” list. As for the “C”, I’m not interested is last week’s overflowing ashtray but there’s something about the smell of a freshly lit cigarette wafting around a corner . . .
Might as well give it a shot then.
Came and read this just to stick up for one of my faves, R. I don’t think it’s a masterpiece, more like one of those rough sketches that has a compelling charm all it’s own, but I still like it very much. For me it opens with a strong whiff of cigarette smoke and indolic jasmine (as you note), then quiets to jasmine+unsmoked tobacco, which meld together to give the flowers a honeyed, slightly dirty effect that I love. I think it’s a neat trick, going from smoke to unsmoked, and the whole thing has a louche feel to it that goes well with the brand and (sometimes) my fantasy life. My real life being distinctly un-louche.
Good, I like it when people stick up for their favorites!
And yeah, I had to laugh at my complaint over getting Cameron Diaz instead of Marlene Dietrich…my life can’t live up to Cameron Diaz either!
I quite like this one! I thought the jasmine was rather sharp, and though I prefer a dirtier indolic jasmine, I think it balances out the surprising cigarette smell very smartly. It takes 20 minutes or so to warm up on me, and then I’m like, “What, who’s smoking? Oh, it’s me, ha ha, neat.”
Didn’t get any hay, though, unfortunately. Love hay.
Oh good, glad to see a building posse of fans 🙂
So here’s the thing…
I love jasmine. I have two jasmine bushes flanking my front porch, in pots, and the smell…at night…well, it’s just fantastic. I also love really strong jasmine prominent fragrances like A La Nuit and Jasmine Nuit and Sarassins and…well, you get the drift.
But, for some strange reason it seems like the more ‘modern’ jasmine releases give me a SPLITTING headache. The first time it happened was when I bought a bottle (unsniffed) of Blush by Marc Jacobs. OMG, the headache came almost instantaneously when I applied it. Then, the same exact thing hapened with Vetiver Pour Elle (that jasmine note in amongst the vetiver) and the new Habit Rouge Sport (same thing – jasmine arranged atop a sheer oriental base). And most of all – Jasmine et Cigarette. HUGE headache. I loved the smell – what a lovely mix! But I could not tolerate the ache.
🙁
Very interesting…so some synthetic jasmine chemical must bother you. The MJ Blush & the Vetiver would both have a lot of hedione, I’d think, but that’s in so many things that it doesn’t seem a likely culprit. And after that, we’ve exhausted my knowledge of jasmine chemicals, LOL…
I smell the cigarette more as an accent, like vetiver in other perfumes, but a bit harsher than vetiver. I find it strangely compelling. Sweetlife nailed it – it has that louche appeal. And another blogger (wish I could remember who and credit) described it as smelling “like a cigarette stubbed out in cheap jasmine perfume.” I think it’s the smell of a William Eggleston photo.
Hard to imagine wearing Jasmin et Cigarette. What would people think, LOL! That I had taken up smoking and hanging out in cheap hotels, that’s what! 🙂
I think I’d rather have my cigarette stubbed out in expensive jasmine perfume — maybe that’s the problem, LOL…
I think ELDO has 24 fragrances, not 22 🙂 I’ve tried most of them, like quite a few, love one (own a FB of Rien). I was quite taken by Jasmin et Cigarette at first, and found the juxtaposition of the two key notes delightful and strange. But the cigarette note smells stale to me upon subsequent wearings, like the smell of an air-conditioned space where smokers used to congregate a long time ago.
I was not counting Josephine Baker or Sex Pistols, since they don’t list them on their website, and not sure but I don’t think they put their brand name on the packaging.
De-lurking to add another voice in support of JetC. 🙂 I am not a fan of jasmine perfumes (though the actual plants are lovely), but I absolutely love unsweet smoke smells, so the contrast makes this one work for me. I get a strong cigarette aroma — AgentBetty hit it on the nose with that “who’s smoking?” comment — but in a good way. All together, the scent makes me picture a European business woman of a certain age who put on good perfume earlier in the morning but has smoked a cigarette on the way back from an afternoon meeting.
Nice, thanks!
I tried a sample of this and loved it-I got a wonderful smokey/musky jasmine. Not enough love to buy, but I liked it. As gross as it sounds, Secretions is one that’s full-bottle worthy (for me).
Hey, Secretions must work on *somebody*! Lucky you.
Hehe. The top comment of full bottle worthy got me thinking of Seinfeld 🙂 For me, J&C was decant-worthy but not FB-worthy…Like This and 1/2 price Hotel Slut were FB-worthy.
I am intrigued about this Noel….
If you adore L’Artisan Fleur de Narcisse, but can’t afford it, buy this instead. It is, in vulgar parlance, “a knockoff” of same.
Currently awaiting my fb to be delivered after obsessing over a sample. I love J et C! For me, it wears close to the skin and I can’t stop sniffing my wrists. Complex, warm scents do not wear well on me so I’m usually stuck with a fresh floral. J et C gives me a little something interesting. I don’t smell ashtray, at all. I do get a faint whiff of smoke and tender tobacco leaves mingling with Jasmine and apricot.