Fragrance Girl

Perfume Eureka
Sometimes you can read the same phrase about a particular smell or combination of smells many times, but you just don’t get it. Then suddenly it clicks. It’s that perfume eureka moment. Last week I reviewed Le Labo’s Jasmin 17. It’s nice enough, but is never going to set the world on fire. But it reacquainted me with how jasmine smells, how jasmine tea smells(!) and how jasmine perfumes should smell.
Chaotic Mix of Samples
By complete chance, later the same day I was rummaging through my perfume sample collection and came across La Chasse aux Papillons. My sample collection is a chaotic mix of things I’ve been given, bought online, or exchanged in swaps. I try to avoid reading anything about a perfume before I try it – so in general I don’t really have a clue what treasure/trash I’m hoarding. It’s great to discover things afresh without either build-up or disappointment.
Instant Jasmine
Perhaps it was because I’ve recently visited the shop of L’Artisan Parfumeur that I was tempted to try one of their perfumes. Opening the bottle of La Chasse I got an immediate whiff of perfect jasmine – in a way that was completely lacking from Jasmin 17. I swiftly applied a big fat test amount. Instant heaven.
Picture Perfect
What I like about La Chasse is that it’s pretty in a way that very few other perfumes I’ve tried recently are. It doesn’t have notes of amber, aldehyde, musk or anything else that I can think of. It just smells like picture perfect flowers in a summer garden. And what’s more- it has staying power. I can still smell it after applying it more than four hours ago – which, for me is a breakthrough.
White Flower Medley
To get back to my initial point, I’ve read a lot about ‘white flowers’ in perfume. Things like, ‘an orchestra of white flowers’, ‘a perfect mix of white flowers’ etc etc. And I’ve never understood this phrase. Well, now I understand. La Chasse aux Papillons has white flowers including jasmine and orange blossom as key notes.
The Description from L’Artisan Parfumeur’s website:
Linden and citrus blossom — the whole summer medley of aromas are at the heart of “Chasing Butterflies”… A scent playing hide-and- seek amongst the orange and lemon trees. A siesta beneath the old lime tree… Butterflies dancing in an airborne fairy ring, fragrances of summer blossoms, of sweet and delicate tuberoses, wafting through their tiny shivering wings… Such are the scents caught with the butterfly net.
“Chasing Butterflies”... A fragrance drifting on a summer breeze, sunny heat over southern scents. The fragrance of sun-kissed skin — just simply that. To make summer last a little longer! Family : floral fresh
Blend : linden flower, light tuberose, orange blossom
Hmm interestingly not even a mention of jasmine. However, tuberose is mentioned (which I can’t stand). Just goes to show that you have to smell a fragrance before judging whether you will like it or not.
La Chasse aux Papillons is perfect if you want to feel pretty, uncomplicated and just lovely. For a more sexy, evening jasmine fragrance, you may want to try Jasmin Noir by Bvlgari.