Eau Emotionnelle is an Eau de Toilette version of Agent Provocateur’s signature fragrance that was formerly only available as an Eau de Parfum. According to Agent Provocateur, Eau de Parfum was “stripped down to its bare essentials” and on the base of those “bare essentials” was built “a flirtatious and sexy” Eau de Toilette. The scent has been “refreshed” with notes of cape snow bush (wild rosemary), Lie de Vin (?) and pink pepper; white tea and Japanese osmanthus were added to the middle notes and the base was softened making Eau Emotionnelle a fragrance that “Special Agents” can wear every day spraying it generously “in a fragrant veil all over the body”.I have never been a big fan of the Eau de Parfum, it was harsh and a little sour on my skin. Eau Emotionnelle, on the other hand, is much more enjoyable and wearable for me; it is indeed softer, subtler and, despite the warning in the official description, not too fresh for my taste. Having said that, what attracts me to Eau Emotionnelle might be the factors that would turn off a lover of the original Agent Provocateur. Those who adored the intensity, the elegant sharpness of Eau de Parfum, might find the new version a little too delicate (only compared to the EDP, mind you!) and lacking some of its original oomph.
As far as I am concerned, however, Eau Emotionnelle has just the right amount of oomph and piquancy. It is freshER than the original, but it is not really a fresh, summery, sparkling scent. It is softER than Eau de Parfum, but there is nothing fluffy about this fragrance. It is an elegant, rather dry blend of floral (personally, I smell mostly rose here and maybe a little gardenia) and spicy (coriander, pepper) notes. If there existed a black rose species (and maybe they do) that is how they would smell, tangy and wonderfully leathery. This may sound strange, but right from the top notes Eau Emotionnelle smells to me like a perfume that has already spend some time on the skin, on the fabric…you know how sometimes you get a whiff of a scent you wore the day before on a garment you discarded, in this case perhaps on a silk blouse or on the softest leather bag? That elegant, subtle but lingering scent, that is how Eau Emotionnelle smells on my skin, and I adore it.
Eau Emotionnelle is available on AgentProvocateur.com, $65.00 for 50ml, $97.00 for 100ml. The shipping cost to USA is $12.00.
The image is from AgentProvocateur.com
I don't know about you but I must own a scent that contains "cape snow bush". LOL! Wow. This sounds *very* intriguing! I find the original EDP a bit sour at times, too. I have to be in the mood for it. But this one is actually leathery? Ebay, here I come! Oh, btw, have you smelled Coriander by Jean Couturier? It's similar to AP but less sharp.
ReplyDeleteIna,
ReplyDeleteIt is leathery! Well, not Cuir de Russie kind of leathery perhaps, but there is subtle enjoybale lesthery-ness here.
I put Coriander on my To Try list, thank you for the recommendation!
V,
ReplyDeleteDouble thank you, for the translation and for pointing out the mistake!!
I like osmanthus but I'm not sure about the rosemary note, that doesn't sound sexy to me at all.
ReplyDeleteJenny,
ReplyDeleteI think what rosemary does is it adds a certain pleasant sharpness to the composition. It is however not very prominent here.
I actually like the original (but I don't wear it too much). Must sniff this at the store in NY.
ReplyDeleteJudith,
ReplyDeleteThe original is a little "demanding" :-) I would love to know what you think about this one, since you are a fan of the regular AP.
I love your description of "perfume that has already spent some time on the skin." My interest is piqued!
ReplyDeleteG,
ReplyDeleteIt feels "warm" as if it already settled very nicely and comfortably on one's skin. I was quite impressed with this one and I did not expect to like it at al.
Patty,
ReplyDeleteHow do you like the original one? In any case this is worthy of sniffage.
I wear the original when I'm in the mood for a chypre with serious sillage. Your review of the lighter version has intrigued me. I'll make a special trip to the AP store in L.A.
ReplyDeleteIris,
ReplyDeleteSince you like the original, I would especially love to hear what you think about the APEE.
Still haven't made up my mind which I like better, but hoping to review it later in the week so I suppose I'd better make up my mind, LOL...
ReplyDeleteR,
ReplyDeleteSo it means you do like APEE, right?
hey, just dropping by to say hello, and tell you that i have enjoyed reading your blog for some time now! i finally set-up my own blog, and added a link to your blog on my "blogroll". if it's not too much trouble, i would really appreciate a link back to my blog from yours. in any case, keep up the great blog!
ReplyDeleteI love the original so much, so any alteration of it sounds so unpromising to me. But this does sound good, so perhaps I should bit my tongue and try it anyhow? Especially your perception of leathery - this sounds nice ;)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to know what you think about the eau de toilette version, Katie. Would it smell too tame for you I wonder?
ReplyDeleteI hated it and it stayed on my skin the entire day.
ReplyDeleteAw, I am sorry, Sadie. That is how I felt about the regular Agent Provocateur. But this version was actually much softer on me.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised at how much I LOVED the original Agent Provocateur when I tried it. I don't usually go for the super big sexy scents, but I loved the combo of rose and saffron in this one.
ReplyDeleteNormally perfumes containing rose go sour on my skin (I'm looking at YOU Stella!), but this one didn't, so I wound up liking it.
The new version sounds really nice, and I will give it a try if I see it.
C,
ReplyDeleteI thought there was less saffron here than in the original AP, but the rose still "spiced up", although the scent was softer overall.
I wonder if, as a fan of AP, you would like APEE or would find it lacking in something...
I have to say, I love 'em both. AP is one of my favourite scents, but a tad overwhelming on a hot summer day. EE is light enough to carry it off in the heat - and the gorgeous AP drydown is all there for me to enjoy! Now let's hope "Maitresse" won't disappoint...
ReplyDeleteD,
ReplyDeleteIt's great to hear an oopinion of someone who likes the original AP!
I am curious about Maitresse too.
Is it too late to post a comment? I love both AP and APEE. Some have said APEE is so close to AP why bother with them both, but that's the reason I love Eau Emotionnelle. The lightened AP sensibility in APEE means that I can wear one of my favorite fragrances day or night. The original has some serious sillage going on, and I found I could only wear it the evenings. But, Eau Emotionnelle works great in the day! So now, I can wear it whenever the mood strikes. One of the few piggy-backed fragrance names that really *does* represent the original.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree! That's why I love APEE too.
ReplyDelete