L’Essence du Chagrin

[suki]

L'ESSENCE DU CHAGRIN
White chypre, French lavender, rose geranium, opopponax, Peru balsam, bois de rose, lime, and vanilla absolute.

This is the one of the five that I was least sure about, but the note combination intrigued me enough to take a chance- let's see how it is!

In the Bottle: The lavender is of the 19th Century Men's Cologne variety. Very dapper. In the bottle, this is the dominant note. So much so, that I don't smell anything else.

Wet On Skin: the Rose Geranium is starting to show itself now. It's interesting- this is shaping up to be *very* floral, but it definitely reads to my nose as masculine. I'm curious to see what shifts happen next!

Dry Down: This is *really* interesting. I feel like this scent has two levels going on, neither of which have ANY thing to do with the other. On the top more obvious level, there's the gentlemen's floral- here is where the lavender, geranium, bois de rose and chypre reside. But then there's this *under* current, and it's the rich sweet balsam, vanilla and opopponax live, and that under current creates the experience- I kid you not - of standing in an English garden with the smell of pancakes wafting in from the neighbor's kitchen.

In All: Low to moderate throw, too light for the end of winter, but I anticipate it being a nice daytime scent for early to mid spring. I also plan on having my bf wear this scent, as I have a feeling I'll like it more on him than on myself.

A nice counter point to the rest of the series.

[zagadka]

I left my options to the goblins, and based on my sad story about my bunnyboy who recently passed, they thought this was appropriate. And I didn't mind, I LOVE lavender, so I was pumped to get this one!!

 

In the bottle, its heavy, cologney lavender. Wet, its all lavender.

 

Then, it morphs into a stinging, white floral which sends me to the hills. White florals just never work for me. It felt a bit soapy, light, clean and fresh like spring, so if you like those kind of fragrances, this shouldn't disappoint.

[AmyO'Shields]

This is beautiful...and dark/haunting. Lavender, Oakmoss and just a hint of Lime. Very lovely.

[OctoberGwen]

I was curious about this one because of the rose geranium, which I love in real life (as a plant smell.) I detect it here, along with the French lavender and a hint of lime. I do not find this overly floral.

 

I agree with VioletChaos: on top it's a very "Victorian gentlemen" scent with something else entirely happening underneath. I do also find it rather haunting and I think it fits the theme of the scent very well.

 

This isn't something I'll wear, though.

Edited February 25, 2012 by OctoberGwen

[angelicruin]

Lots of lavender on my skin, along with rose, and something slightly bitter...It definitely does have a Victorian vibe to it.

[Incendiare]

Whoo, now that's strong in the vial. Lots of lavender. My mom commented that she thought this was very cologne-y in the vial. I can also smell the lime behind the lavender. Very unusual combination. On me, it's still so lavender-y. I just can't get past it. This gets a bit balsamy over time, and something dry shows up too. Like a dry, slightly bitter wood. Not my thing.

[countessmouse]

Lots of lovely dry, spicy lavender - but, dammit, it has absolutely NO throw on me. Three hours after application, I can barely smell it.

 

I had such hopes...

[Clueit]

I'm reminded of Old Scratch when I wear this however it does not have the darkness of the patchouli and is smoothed by soft florals and sweetness.

Sadly it fades quickly but I did only put a little on. I think perhaps I will need more if I am to keep wearing this.

[midnight_aeval]

I'm getting a sort of sour lavender scent with this blend. It has a bitter/poisonous edge to it. Don't think I could wear this one.

[Blood onmy hands]

This is mostly a sharp, kinda soapy lavender cologne smell on me, with hints of dry, bitter wood and perfumey rose. But mostly lavender soap. I like my lavenders to be more creamy, smooth, sweet and cool smelling. I really enjoy herby rose geranium, but can't pick it out here. The lavender seems to drown out the other notes.

[zankoku_zen]

Soft lavender, hints of geranium. On wet, it's much more piercing because of the lime, but on wet, it warms up because of the notes of vanilla and rose.

 

Soft, haunting, painful.

[Drarra]

Reading the description, I had a feeling that this was the Inquisition scent that would be the least popular. But, let's face it, this was a perfume that I needed to own. I adore chypres, lavender, lime... and the rest of the notes aren't horrible. Bois de rose was the only possible offender here. And maybe vanilla.

 

In the bottle:This smells darker than I expected, somehow, and I think it must be the balsam, vanilla (not nearly as sweet as I was fearing!!) and opopponax grounding the entire scent. At first whiff, I get the bright lavender and chypre layered over that delicious darkness. There is a lot going on here.

 

Wet, I mostly smell the bright notes - the chypre, lavender and lime really shine here. I see at this moment why other people described this as a "Victorian gentlement" scent.

 

After drydown:A chypre which is deepened by the oppopnax and the vanilla absolute (and maybe the balsam adding some woodiness). It's interesting to me that the floral notes really dry into the chypre, leaving something rich and sexy. The lavender still stands out here, and interesting juxtaposition to the vanilla.

 

My thoughts: This is a welcome addition to my collection! I've been exploring chypre perfumes of late, and this is a welcome addition. It is different from the other chypre scents I have tried, and I really like that. If you love lavender, this is definitely a great scent to try, especially as it boasts a lot of beautiful, sorrowful complexity.

[milo]

Strong musky lavender at first, almost like a red musk, though rm is not listed. Dry, lavender and orris powder, which I don't mind, as I like powder in small doses. I'll certainly use up the imp, probably more at night for a sleep blend.

[ami226]

On the skin: This is a light pretty scent. Very dry and I can smell.... lavender and rose. It almost smells like dried flowers instead of fresh ones. I would describe this scent as being a white/leaning toward purple scent.

 

Not for me.

[Eemia]

Lots of beautifully intense lavender at first. Not the wispy, transparent type but smog-thick and sharp. I like it in all its forms so I was happy to find it at the forefront. Soon the lavender softens and becomes more of a mingled floral that's very heady, like I sprayed clouds of it and walked through it rather than simply dabbing it on my wrists. The geranium is rich here and stands out to me more so than anything else, and it's backed by a dark mixture of something that smells like a cross between an aldehyde and a wood. It's very voluptuous at this point and while it's lovely in its own right, it doesn't feel like me. Like it's the wrong combination of strong floral notes for my chemistry so it felt like a borrowed perfume rather than one I own and love.

 

It becomes powdery and slightly woody as it dries down, and the florals are disappearing. Then it's all faint vanilla skin scent. Lots of different stages to this one and the most memorable one is unfortunately the one that I can't reconcile with my personality. Otherwise this would be perfect for me given my love of florals and lavender in particular. If I mix a drop with a plain body lotion it completely skips that mid-wear floral scent that doesn't work on me so whenever I want to enjoy it I have to use it like that.

[filigree_shadow]

I got this because with those notes, it either could have been great or it could have been pee-yoo, and I gave it a 50-50 shot either way. Well, it's not exactly pee-yoo, but the lavender is too strong for me. That's my least favorite note in the line-up, so of course that's what I smell most strongly. It's kind of a harsh herby lavender on me, and that's not the kind I like.

[LiberAmoris]

L’Essence du Chagrin is a pretty lavendery chypre, a little astringent and even a bit soapy at first, but drying down to a fresh and woodsy soft lavender. I get very little vanilla. The lime adds brightness, but it burns off quickly. It really does have a melancholy feel to it, although the lavender makes it also feel very calming.

 

There's definitely a dapper men's cologne vibe going on, and the lavender in this blend makes it lean toward fougere...so I can also see the comparisons with Old Scratch. Very nice.