• 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

Molinard Les Amoureux de Peynet ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 14 December 2017 4 Comments

Molinard Les Amoureux de Peynet

French perfume house Molinard recently launched Les Amoureux de Peynet, a fragrance inspired by French illustrator Raymond Peynet. That name didn't mean anything to me at first, but once I did a quick search, I realized I'd seen those "lovers" before. Peynet first sketched the duo of the wispy-haired, bowler-hatted violinist-poet and his perky lady-love in 1942, but they appeared in his artwork and on countless trinkets throughout the 1950s and 1960s. (Just check eBay, and you'll see what I mean.) The lovers often appeared together on a park bench — that is, when they weren't canoodling in a gazebo, a rowboat, or some similarly whimsical venue.

To get back to my point, I must have seen some Peynet collectible at a family member's home or a friend's house in my youth, because they look very familiar. And here they are on the bottle for their very own perfume, "a fresh and sparkling fragrance, with delicate spicy notes of ginger." It was developed for Molinard by perfumer Mathieu Nardin and its composition includes top notes of bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit and verbena; heart notes of petitgrain, ginger, nutmeg and jasmine; and base notes of woods, vetiver, amber and musk.

Fortunately, Les Amoureux de Peynet (the fragrance) is less cloying than the original lovers (sorry, Peynet fans!). It's a sheer and wearable citrus-spice scent with a few floral notes woven in, and it could be worn by men or women. It starts off with lots of bitter orange and petitgrain, so its citrus side is sharp and twiggy, rather than juicy. I've especially been enjoying the ginger heart of Les Amoureux. I haven't tried a ginger-centered perfume in a long time — there aren't many around, are there? — and this ginger is piquant but airy. It's warming (just like real ginger root) and comforting, but not in the typical gourmand way.

There are some subtle jasmine and rose notes hovering around the ginger, but spice is definitely the main idea here. The base of Les Amoureux de Peynet is still gingery, with some contemporary smooth sandalwood and clean musk notes. The fragrance wears very decently for an "eau fraîche" and it could easily be pulled off by men as well as women. All in all, nothing groundbreaking, but it's cheerful and smart and easy to enjoy. Also, I have to admit that the bottle is adorable. It definitely captures "les amoureux" at their best. 

Bonus fact: Peynet's lovers have a perfumed past. Peynet created advertisements and packaging for Schiaparelli's Succès Fou in 1953, incorporating "les amoureux." You can see a few examples here.

Molinard Les Amoureux de Peynet is $59 for 100 ml Eau Fraîche at Beautyhabit in the US. In the UK, try Allbeauty.

Possibly of interest

Molinard Les Amoureux de Peynet ~ new perfume
Molinard Le Reve Nirmala ~ new perfume
Molinard Habanita La Cologne ~ new perfume

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: ginger, mathieu nardin, molinard

Advertisement


4 Comments

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

  1. littlecooling says:
    14 December 2017 at 3:36 pm

    Sounds like a lovely perfume :)
    The only ginger based perfume, I can remember testing was the one from Origins..but I’m sure I have tested others, but I can’t come to mind of any :)
    What a great price and the bottle is truly lovely :)

    Thanks for the lovely review, Jessica :)

    Log in to Reply
    • Jessica says:
      14 December 2017 at 5:17 pm

      Thank you, N! :) I remember that Origins fragrance, too…and I used to like Caron’s ginger/licorice fragrance…and of course I love to eat or drink anything flavored with real ginger!

      Log in to Reply
      • littlecooling says:
        14 December 2017 at 5:23 pm

        Oh yes, me too…ginger snaps, ginger bread, ginger beer, ginger tea, ginger shots..you name it and I’m there ;)

        Log in to Reply
  2. Filomena says:
    20 December 2017 at 9:49 am

    My favorite gingery fragrance is Serge Lutens Five O’clock Gigembre.

    Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

From NST at Twitter

  • "D.S. & Durga founders on building their business: ‘There are no rules’" (glossy) https://t.co/sS437k795O, 5 hours ago
  • "You're Probably Making At Least One Of These Perfume Mistakes" (and it probably doesn't matter. instyle) https://t.co/otEVzNVKyh, 5 hours ago
  • Updated info on Regime des Fleurs Tears https://t.co/bNPNPDGRVJ, 5 hours ago
  • "Luxury perfume pioneer Frédéric Malle on hot China market, wannabe niche fragrances and buying perfume online" (so… https://t.co/ZlIJKQDKBV,
  • "Corpse flower on WSU Vancouver campus about to bloom again" (fox12oregon) https://t.co/OWe1pYenwr,

Browse by…

Topic

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

Date

July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
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

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

TBA September ~ fall swapmeet

TBA October ~ fall splitmeet

List of upcoming Friday projects

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 © 2005-2022 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.