In Which I Am Hard to Please
 It is difficult to please me with fruity scents, because, and I will freely admit it, my set of rules keeps changing. Ordinarily, I would maintain that the less fruit the better. So I feel bad saying what I am about to say regarding Parfums Delrae's new perfume, Emotionelle...It is too perfumey, and the "perfumey" part does not let me enjoy the delicious juiciness of melon in full. Don't get me wrong, I think, the scent is sublime. It is gracefully delicate and intense at the same time. The "perfumey" part is, I suppose, constituted of cedar, vetiver, labdanum and spices...I was tempted to write, cumin, but I might be making it up. Imagine Diorama, Diorella or Le Parfum de Therese, imagine that very specific, very recognizable something that most if not all Edmond Roudnitska's creations have. Something perfumey and dirty, and I mean both as a compliment. And add to that E. Roundnitska base a lot of melon. A LOT of melon. (Yes, the three scents I mentioned already have some anyway.) Basically, I would describe Michele Roudnitska's Emotionelle as equal parts melon and Edmond Roudnistka. And - it pains me to type this - in this particular instance, I wish there was less of the latter here. So much perfumey-ness just does not go with so much melon, in my humble opinion. SOME melon, as in Le Parfum de Therese, for example, is a perfect, playful, joie de vivre twist that puts a smile on a chic face of the maitre's compositions. But when there is a lot of both the fruit and the chic perfuminess, it just does not work for me. I guess, because I love melon so, if there is a lot of it in a fragrance, that is ALL I want to smell in a fragrance. Not so with peaches. Having gone on about how there is too much perfume in Emotionelle, I feel awkward criticizing MDCI's Peche Cardinal for not being perfumey enough. But there you have it. It is not. It is too peachy. Peachy is childish, too girly, invariably smells too chemical in such quantities, and it makes me uncomfortable. Especially when it is blended with coconut. I love the slight booziness of davana in Peche Cardinal and I enjoy the elegance of the musky-woody base. I am guessing, the creators were aiming for a modern take on a peachy chypre, trying to do a playful take on a classic. For me, they might need to do take two. Having said that, I was trying to come up with a single name of a peach fragrance I love, and failed. So it is actually unfair of me to critisize Peche Cardinal at all. When it comes to peach, I am not just hard but impossible to please.Both available at Luckyscent, Emotionelle for $135.00, Peche Cardinal for $235.00-$610.00. |
posted by Marina |
12:03 AM
25 Comments:
When I first tried Emotionelle, I was convinced I was going to need a bottle ASAP. Thanking the perfume Gods that I waited 15 minutes before typing in an order. That's how long it took for me to fall *completely* out of love w/ it. Frankly, it's one of the few scents I've tried recently that has been an absolute scrubber for me. Cannot at all explain my initial infatuation. Must have been under a temporary hex. The MDCI I like. I just don't love it. And, come to think of it, I can't think of a peach scent I'm enamored w/ either. But will have to give this some more thought when I'm more awake.
I love melon - I know, I am in the minority - and I really love peach. One peach-heavy fragrance I love is Sali Oguri'a Pink Manhattan, where peach meets gardenia and hibiscus. It's girly all right, but I really love it. The gardenia certainly keeps it from being childish!
Lady Caron has a good dose of peach in it, but it is such a seamless fragrance that it's like a gentle haze of fruit melding with the florals. Needless to say I completely adore it.
Hmm. I tried Emotionnelle to review it and really loved it -- I don't get that perfuminess you talk about. But the DelRaes *do* tend to be very intense as a rule. Well, at least I'm glad to find someone else who's not a melon hater (it seems there's a lot out there).
The MDCI I've had for weeks and weeks, and couldn't muster up the gumption to review it, because I love Claude Marchal, and, well... like you, I find the peach way too present, and can't get around it!
L,
It was EXACTLY how it was with me. From- I need this to- I cannot stand it.
Donna,
You need to try both of these then, for sure! They are beautiful, just not for me right now.
Denyse,
You know, last time I wrote about a melon scent (Soliani's), it turns out there are a lot of closet melon fans :-)
From another melon fan, thank you so much for this review! I've been searching for the perfect, juicy, melon fragrance for ages and have been unsuccessful. I am waiting for Emotionelle in a swap although the reviews are so poor, thanks to so many melon-haters. Your description gives me a very good (and seemingly unbiased!) idea of what this smells like. Seems like the search is still on. I've read that Caron Royal Bain de Champagne/Caron and Laura Biagiotti's Laura are excellent interpretations of melons. Would you/anyone agree?
On the hunt,
lovethescents
S,
You must try Hilda Soliani Mangiamo dopo teatro! THE best melon.
Actually, I MUST try all those Solianis! They all sound fabulous but aren't very available (Luckyscent not included). Thanks for the advice :-)
lovethescents
S,
Theperfumedcourt would have samples too, I am sure, if LS is not convenient.
I liked the first few minutes of Emotionelle as performance art, but then ran from it. I haven't tried the MDCI one, but since I don't think I've ever smelled a peach scent that I could stand I don't think I need to.
I think I can live without both fragrances under review, which, given their price tags, is just as well. Fruitiness in perfume is one of those things that has to be carried off with real artistry to be bearable at all. I am wearing Le Parfum de Therese today, which is a spring favourite. I never fail to be amazed by how delicately, amazingly balanced it is. Given that I'm not a fan of melon or indolic notes in perfume generally, the fact that I adore it and keep wearing it is a testament to how masterful, how perfectly balanced, a creation it is. I love the idea of peach in a scent though. It's so delicious in real life. I've been meaning to try Keiko Mecheri's Peau de Peche and Sali Oguri's Pink Manhattan for a while, but they are hard to get your mits on in Europe...
M, I thought Emotionelle was so beautifully done, like all of the DelRaes, that it pained me to admit that I don't like prominent melon smells at all. Melons have a tendency to give me a stomach ache, so I guess smelling them just brings up that queasy association immediately.
And, PC was just too peachy and jammy for me. It reminded me of a grown-up version of YSL Babydoll which, talk about associations, reminds my of my daughter's junior high obsession with the latter fragrance. Hmmm...I have not been in junior high for decades, so now's not the time to smell like it!
Happily, the DelRae and MDCI are still my favorite niche lines regardless of these minor "missteps."
Hugs!
And, please excuse the typos!
Melon as in Le Parfum de Therese. Peach as in Peau de Peche by Keiko Mecheri. Too much and the fragrance becomes plastic-ish, but when well done, so feminine and jolly. Your post guided me to spray on a dab of PdT on one wrist, and to wonder if Eau de Ciel by AG may hide a peachy note or if it merely my chemical ignorance that makes me confuse something in that creamy heart with something else.
Tom,
Seems like L and I had the same reaction, loved it then ran from it.
Mimi,
Precisely, Le Parfum de Therese is an exercise in balance. Here, the balance was tipped either by two much melon or...the other stuff.
R,
I love both lines too and will forgive Delrae all for the other beautiful scents and MDCI for Enlevement. :-)
Fabiana,
Ciel has linden. To me, that note has a certain creamy, edible undertone. Perhaps that's it?
The linden, indeed, that also gives that quality to La Chasse, doesn't it? Excuse my ignorance, but only by exposing it I may learn a little bit more. I am waiting for your next post, always
La Chasse, definitely. And also, if you ever have a chance to try Guerlain's Aroma Allegoria Apaisant- that gourmand quality of linden is very apparent there.
I take notes from your blogs :-)
I agree. Melon should not be overloaded.
Btw, can you do a review on Coco Mlle pleaaaase?
Hi, I kind of did:
http://tinyurl.com/c8cjnv
I have always loved melon (so, Flora, you're not alone!), but peach was not among my favpurite scents. Probably, after this review I'll change my mind.
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