Last weekend brought a near-record-breaking snowstorm to my little corner of the world, and when mass transit shut down and a temporary travel ban was put in place, I had no choice but to spend a cozy weekend indoors. It was the perfect occasion to spritz on clouds of Lorenzo Villori Teint de Neige or Serge Lutens Rahät Loukoum for fluffy comfort while I curled up to read and write.
Monday arrived right on schedule, however, and the roads had been cleared sufficiently and I had no excuse to hibernate any longer. I had to shrug off my winter-cocoon perfumes and spray on something that would help me to put on my work-clothes, make my commute, and tackle my to-do list. I ended up reaching for an old favorite that I've somehow never reviewed before: Perles de Lalique.
When Perles de Lalique was released in 2006 (a decade ago!), it was promoted as a contemporary take on chypre fragrances, promising sophistication without some of the heavier classical trappings of the genre. It was developed by perfumer Nathalie Lorson, with a composition of Bulgarian rose, orris, Bourbon pepper, patchouli and cashmere woods, and its frosted bottle with black "pearl" borders was inspired by a vintage Lalique vanity set.
Wearing Perles this week, I remembered how much I love it. It still feels like a thoughtful, high-quality fragrance, unlike many later entries in the "contemporary chypre" category. It's a spicy, woody rose, and it opens with an emphatic kick of black pepper: you don't actually have to be a rose-lover to wear this fragrance, but you'd better like pepper quite a bit. The patchouli is more like real patchouli than anything I've smelled in recent releases, and there's an unexpected dose of cedar too.
If I spray on Perles de Lalique just before I put on my coat and leave the house, the pepper and cedar propel me through my commute — with generous sillage! By the time I arrive at the office, the woods have smoothed out and turned softly musky; the rose is dark and subtle. The dry down of Perles wears closer to the skin and feels "classy" but not dramatic; it also happens to skew more androgynous than many of my go-to fragrances. When spring comes, I'll bounce right back to my usual bright, honeyed roses and sheer violets, but for now I'm enjoying a productive mid-winter "reunion" with Perles de Lalique.
Lalique Perles de Lalique is available as 50 ml ($100) and 100 ml ($135) Eau de Parfum via the Lalique website. It can also be found for considerably less on several discount sites. A pure perfume concentration is also available ($600, in a very fancy bottle); let us know if you've ever tried it!
Lovely review Jessica, i have been meaning to try this for a long time, but u know how it is.. so many distractions! Will definetley try it soon, after reading you’re review.
*So* many distractions! The list of things I mean to try is longer that ever. But this one still makes me happy, nearly 10 years after first trying it — so that must mean something!
I’ve never tried Perles de Lalique, but I remember being impressed with Encre Noire. Several Laliques have made it to Nordstrom recently- any others worth trying, Jessica?
I like Amethyst, and I need to try Satine, although it may be a bit too white-floral for my taste!
I tried this a couple of months ago and really enjoyed it! It has quite a bright and optimistic feel for a rose chypre. The frosted bottle is also quite lovely – I never knew it was inspired by a vintage Lalique vanity set!
It does smell ‘sophisticated’ and ‘classy’, but not to the extent that it feels wrong for a klutz like myself
Same here — I’m no Grace Kelly, but I like having a few fragrances that make me feel a little more polished than I really am!
One and a half years ago, I’d fallen already hard down the rabbit hole, a dear friend visited me and she smelled gorgeous. Ofcourse I was sniffing her enthusiastically ???? and she said her husband had chosen this perfume for her, Perles de Lac. Only later it became clear that it was Perles de Lalique. So I love it on her and may ask for a small decant after explaining what that is and providing the hardware.
Oh but Perles de Lac sounds so nice! Or ‘Perles du Lac’ would be correct I guess. I’d wear that perfume! And now I’m thinking of that book, Hotel du Lac, by Anita Brookner. Was it filmed, with Patricia Hodge as the lead? Dear oh dear, I really must get back to work … darn it …
It’s always so easy to get distracted by the comments here. Darn you people for being so interesting.
One of my absolute favorite for spring. Perles de Lalique is absolutely androgynous. As a man, this is probably the one scent that gets me the most complements.
“compliments”
Lol! Should not type on phone in a city bus
hah! Not to worry. That’s where I do some of my own typing.
Lovely review Jessica. I’ve been meaning to try this too but somehow never do. Thank you for bringing it back to my attention.
I’ve enjoyed revisiting it — although I’m also a tiny bit depressed now, feeling that the average level of “niche”/boutique fragrance quality has dipped somewhat over the past decade!
It’s been a long time, but I remember trying this one and finding it a PATCHOULI PATCHOULI rose PATCHOULI PATCHOULI bomb. (But hey, that’s patchophobic me.) It really is pretty packaging.
hah! I do like a bit of patch, as long as it’s balanced by some florals. And I appreciate the packaging even more now than I did when it came out — it’s minimalist yet “luxe,” something that many bottles claim to be but really aren’t.
Sounds great! Even though that bottle looks like it’s got a big hairy spider perched on it.
hah! The parfum bottle is an homage to the Lalique ‘Cactus’ design of 1928. According to Roja Dove (who was Lalique’s spokesperson back in 2006), it is “a ‘boa,’ a halo of exotic feathers.”
I’ll have to dig this one out of the cabinet. I distinctly remember buying it blind and feeling like I lucked out; it’s good, and I love the pepper. I also really liked Encre Noire pour Homme, a great vetiver scent which I use as both perfume and as a room spray.
I think I tried it a few times before I actually purchased it, but I do clearly remember the day I bought in Bergdorf and the nice man who assisted me. I was making bottle purchases more regularly in those days…
Appatently Perles is about 80% Iso E Super and Encre Noir has a hefty dose of it also.
Thanks for this review, Jessica. I notice discount sites, ebay and Amazon are practically paying us to take this: I went looking for samples and found a bottle for under $25!
If $100 is the new “free” for perfume-shopping, then this is a gift!!