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Monday, August 29, 2016

L'Artisan Parfumeur Eau de l'Artisan: fragrance review

Twenty three years after its introduction to the line of L'Artisan Parfumeur, Olivia Giacobetti's take on the pleasures of a Mediterranean herb garden L'Eau de l'Artisan is still relevant in what concerns a fragrance that replicates its dewy herbaceousness. (I hear Jo Malone launches a whole line devoted to such things as parsley or fennel and carrot blossoms).

via pinterest
The "jardin potager" as it's called in French is usually a patch that features culinary verdant herbs meant to be picked and plucked spontaneously to season a salad here and a pot roast there alongside blossoming plants and vegetables in an aesthetically pleasing way. And personally? I prefer it even to the glories of the roses's beds and the petunias's designs blooming in feisty colors down the path...

L'Eau de l'Artisan beautifully replicates the bunch of them with basil and marjoram being the delectable and quite prominent aromatic heroes. They both give piquancy and a certain earthy bite which is not miles apart from what they offer to a dish.The tension is built between the lemony verbena and the mossy backgrounds which - not unlike the seminal Eau de Campagne by Sisley - translate as a very fresh and very subtle chypre.

I also seem to discern thyme: another popular Med choice, the scorched stems of which dot the hills in summer; the herb often garlands a roasted leg of lamb. Credit to L'Artisan for creating a fragrance that is not meant for mutton dressed as lamb then, as so many mainstream fragrances are, but goes for a little joyful introspection into the memories of our summers spent in the countryside.

7 comments:

  1. I could love this fragrance!
    Jean

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    1. It's cheerful and deceptively simple. You very well could, Jean!

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  2. Love to sample this ... interesting Helg!

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    1. Hi there M!

      It's one of the oldest in the brand that are continuously produced. So I bet there are bottles floating about and decants/samples too. Good luck!

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  3. Anonymous16:06

    I love this. The only thing I want to ask you is this: do you smell the seaweed note in it? I do , and I love it. I live in a Maritime climate and I think OG really nailed this note. It's a crisp refreshing chypre sort of cologne-how many contradictions in terms is that?? I love it. I hope you're having a great summer.
    Best regards,
    Carole

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    Replies
    1. I get side-swept by the herbaceous aspects more than the seaweed, to be honest. It's not as algae and driftwood like as Preparation Parfumee to me, though I also live in a warm and maritime climate; but it might also have to do with how sensitive one's antennae are to specific ingredients. It seems simple but it's more complex than meets the eye, we agree! Thanks for commenting in detail.

      Thanks for the kind words, I did have a relaxing summer, much needed. Hope you got a bit of fun as well! :)

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