Cologne Francais

What an interesting scent this is, and initially not one I would usually choose to wear, but it is beautifully done and an unexpected love.

It is a bit harsh and overly woody on the opening to me, but give it 5-10 minutes and the magic happens. Probably due to the orris root, this smells like the interior of a fragrant wooden cabinet filled with clean clothes. It is smooth, rounded, buttery, a little powdery, and has the delicate, natural neroli found in Parade, but in a less prominent way. The wood is the warm, clean aroma of furniture wood and not a spicy exotic wood. It is intriguing and addictive - the more I smell it the more I love it. I think Celine perfumes have a way of doing that to me.

The longer it dries down, the smoother and fuller it gets. Unfortunately, a majority of the warm woodiness is gone by about 3 hours in, though the smooth, buttery quality of the orris remains. At this point, it becomes a gently powdery neroli scent with the slightest whisper of clean woods.

The projection is moderate. It projects well off skin for 3 hours, and lasts on my skin for 10+ hours, though faintly.

I think this leans very slightly masculine, though I could see this on anyone really. It's a chic, polished, and restrained scent, so it would be great for work and professional settings or if you want to smell incredibly expensive for a day time date. This one screams confidence and money to me, but in a very understated way. A top tier scent if you have someone to impress but don't want to act like you're trying too hard 😉 I rate this one a 9.5/10. It is a suprising stunner.