If you're perfume-obsessed, it's always a crushing blow when one of your favorite scents is discontinued. Once gone, a fragrance almost never returns; today I'm happy to be able to discuss one of the rare exceptions to that rule. If you've been keeping track of this sort of thing (as I have!), you may have recently been cheered to learn that L'Artisan Parfumeur was reissuing several fragrances that had been discontinued, including Tea for Two, L'Eau de Caporal and Oeillet Sauvage. (Bois Farine has also become easier to find than it was at this time last year, thank goodness.)
Oeillet Sauvage was developed by perfumer Anne Flipo and originally launched in 2000. Its current press release describes it as a "spicy and vibrant fragrance - an ode to carnations in bloom in the wild" that captures the flower's "exuberance" and "sensuality." Oeillet Sauvage's composition includes notes of pepper, pink peppercorn, carnation, rose, ylang-ylang, white lily, wallflower, vanilla, cedar and musk.
I'm so glad that this fragrance is "back by popular demand," because I really do love carnation fragrances — and my very favorites are soft, rose-tinged carnations, like Etro Dianthus or Caron Bellodgia (before its dreadful reformulation), rather than the fiery Caron Poivre (vintage only!) or the spicy-clovey Floris Malmaison. Oeillet Sauvage definitely falls into the first category. Its peppery notes are gently nose-tickling, but not sneeze-y. The bouquet of carnation and rose and white petals is a little bit creamy, and more than a little bit powdery. The vanilla adds sweetness without reading as a gourmand note, and the cedar keeps everything from turning too fluffy.
Oeillet Sauvage really isn't a "wild" or "savage" take on carnation, but I love it despite its pretensions to fierceness. As you may know, I'm typically a fan of well-made feminine florals that have a nostalgic touch, and this one has always ranked high on my list of favorite L'Artisan Parfumeur scents. My bottle of Oeillet Sauvage has long stood beside my bottle of Drôle de Rose, not just because they come from the same house, but because they both make me smile and they make me feel the same way: cheerful and pretty.
I did a side-by-side comparison of the "new" Oeillet Sauvage with that older bottle I've been hoarding for years, and the results were favorable. Allowing for a slight deepening and aging of the older fragrance, the two versions are very, very close. The older fragrance seems to have a stronger note of custard-y ylang-ylang; without that accent, the new fragrance feels a touch more peppery-powdery. Otherwise, they're nearly identical, and the new Oeillet Sauvage still doesn't have much staying power — of course, it's an Eau de Toilette, so we aren't meant to expect much longevity. All in all, I'm welcoming this fragrance back with open arms (and wrists).
Are you an old fan of any of these L'Artisan Parfumeur re-releases? Is there any other L'Artisan Parfumeur fragrance that you wish you had easier access to? Feel free to comment.
L'Artisan Parfumeur Oeillet Sauvage is available as 100 ml ($145) Eau de Toilette. For purchasing information, see the listing for L'Artisan Parfumeur under Perfume Houses.
Note: top image is Carnation [doubled] by Danielle at flickr; some rights reserved.
I wish I had a bottle of Orchidee Blanche. I have a large decant which I wear once in a while. I am hording it b/c it’s so special. I am glad they brought back some of their oldies. It’s sad to see a well loved fragrance discontinued.
Ah, I’m glad someone has mentioned Orchidee Blanche. That one was a beauty, I agree! I’ve never found anything else quite like it…although Terry de Gunzberg’s Ombre Mercure falls into the same “family.”
This sounds lovely but Oeillet is a truly ugly word, isn’t it? It sounds too much like oh yeah!
I really do like L’Eau de L’Artisan and in spite of it being their namesake fragrance, it seems to be pretty hard to find outside of the discounters. It smells pretty much how I hoped Lush Grass shower gel would (such a disappointment on that one!) and I get a tomato leaf vibe from it that I just love.
Oh yeah, Oeillet!
I wonder why L’Eau has become hard to find. That is such a refreshing scent…
Wasn’t it discontinued in the last round?
‘Oh yeah, Oeillet’ made me giggle, LOL. You could say, ‘Oeillet’ in a song and nobody would notice..except maybe a Frenchman.
I remember trying TfT and not thinking much of it. It seems to be such a love for many..I may need to sample it again sometime..but I remember we didn’t hit it off first time around.
Haven’t tried OS or Caporal.
Thanks for the review, always up for a carnation. A carnation I like recently is Oeillet Louis XV.
I love it, too. It was my first L’artisan scent.
I love carnation scents, although I am a fan of the softer, vintage variety AND the fiery, spicy ones also. One of my all time favorite carnation scents is vintage L’Air du Temps. It and vintage Equipage by Hermes really do smell like carnations (rather than cloves).
How would you compare this to the Serge Lutens Oeillet?
I wish L’Artisan would bring back Santal. I am also glad that I have a bottle of Dzing! in my wardrobe – it was tricky getting it for a while there.
Vintage L’Air du Temps is gorgeous! The current-day formulation, not so much…
SL Vitriol l’Oeillet somehow left me cold. It was a little too spicy for me, but somehow still not spicy enough to do what it said it was doing. I prefer Aedes’s Oeillet Bengale for a spicy-incensey carnation!
With you on both counts – liked O Bengale, thought Vitriol was a waste of time.
*feeling vindicated*
Also didn’t like the SL
The older version was very pretty. I like my carnations from rosy-pretty (Fragonard Billet-Doux, Etro Dianthus) to spicy (Poivre, DSH Oeillets Rouges), and I’m glad to see this one back.
To be honest, L’Artisan has many fewer hits for me than misses, but I do wish I could get my hands on some Jacinthe de Bois.
Jacinthe de Bois was a pretty one! I also remember a carrot-themed fragrance from that era…right?
Dawn Spencer Hurwitz Oeillet Rouges is another good “hot” carnation!
Fleur de Carotte, Olivia Giacobetti
Yes! and that group of florals had such pretty packaging before it was switched to the “regular” bottles.
I too would love to see Orchidée Blanche come back! As well as La Haie Fleurie. But I am happy to have Tea for Two back in the meantime.
Tea for Two! Thank goodness. It’s a classic.
Wow I missed that Tea For Two had ever been discontinued, but I’m glad it’s back!
I think I’ll wear it today
I wasn’t a fan of this one (to put it mildly), but I am glad they’re bringing fragrances back.
Same here! I used to say that there was a L’Artisan Parfumeur fragrance for everyone…but then so many of them seemed to disappear…so all the relaunches are a good thing!
I love this scent! Fell for it hook, line and sinker.
I never got to try it when it first came out, so this is a new one for me. The combo of carnation and vanilla is cheerful & pretty as you say.
I’d love to find a split of it as I could never get thru 100ml’s.
If we find a few takers (either 20 or 25 mLs each), I will do it. I can’t go through 100 mLs either!
Anyone else interested, please email me.
I wish they’d released it in a smaller bottle as well…but you can’t have everything, I guess!
Hooray! New love for OS!
Wow, this sounds right up my alley. I haven’t been to Barneys in a while but the Beauty Event is next week so I may stop in to check this out! As for my L’AP favorites….I bought back up bottles of Tea for Two and Safran Troublant before they went poof. I love Seville a l’Aube as well.
Seville a l’Aube might be the orange blossom fragrance that I most enjoy wearing! Really lovely.
I’ve been trying to ignore the Beauty Event…it’s tough!
Love Seville a l’Aube and would easily take 20-25 mls of that one too
Vanilia was the first fragrance that turned me into a perfumoholic and i wish Lartisan would release it again.
I was glad to hear that tea for two & traversee du bosphore will also be coming back
I am a big fan of T du B!!
Vanilia was so nice…a much more wearable alternative to Angel!
I love carnations more than any other flower, from vicious (Comme des Garçons Carnation) to creamy-soft (Guerlain Terracotta Voile d’Ete), from peppery (Caron Coup de Fouet) to herbal (Old Spice), but I just could not take a shine to either vintage Oeillet Sauvage or Luten’s Vitriol d’Oeillet. I thought they were both boring. Sorry!
Two nice carnations that came out last year, in addition to Oeillet Bengale, are Oriza L LeGrand Royal Oeillet and Villoresi Garofano Vintage Collection. I never got to try the orignial Garofano, but the 2014 re-do was very nice, if somewhat clove heavy.
I like the SL (I know that’s weird) and vintage Bellodgia. The discontinued L’AP scents that were spectacular were the limited edition harvest scents, Iris Pallida, as well as orange blossom and narcissus. There is nothing else like them. I’d also like to see them do rose and maybe ylang-ylang. I’d say jasmine, but SL A la Nuit is the ultimate jasmine soliflore.