Etat Libre D'orange is a newish (eight year old) perfume house created by Etienne de Swardt. With a stable of thirty perfumes it offers a modernist approach to Perfumerie. It is a brand that has intrigued me ever since I read about it's controversial fragrance Secretions Magnifique (go and google it!).
I love perfume and like perfumes that are unusual or even a little strange - nothing mass market - so this niche perfume house is right up my street so to speak.
I've seen this sampler on Sephora's website a few times but it sells out quickly so when I saw it in stock the other day I had to have one. It costs $12.00 and contains seven scent vials. The packaging contains the composition notes and a little blurb for each scent.
Whilst I'm adverse to humorously titled skin care and make up I like a little humor in my perfumes so I love the names of some of these - Fat Electrician, Putain des Palaces and so on. But you really want to know how the perfumes smell right? Well I liked all of them, they are complex and unusual, they really do develop as you wear them and they are all very different.
Dangerous Complicity has sweet top notes - it is almost a little 'department store-ish" at first but develops into a leathery sandalwood scent. It's a very warm perfume and a little powdery but not that strong or long lasting once developed.
Fat Electrician is lovely, it's smoky, almost incense like, but its softened by is vetiver base and has a creamy vanilla like note. It's a complex scent reminiscent of churches with a hint of myrrh.
Fils de Dieu is a musty citrus. It's quite heavy and powdery with an eastern/oriental feel to it yet very wearable. This is one of my favorites of this selection.
Like This is a peppery scent with a fresh gingery edge which warms up to incorporate licorice. It's a lovely winter like fragrance.
Jasmine and Cigarettes comes on as a pure almost soapy jasmine but develops a clean tobacco like note. It is one of the less complex of the samples and although I really liked it but it didn't last that well on me.
Putain des Palaces is a heady and heavy floral on application. It is very powdery which isn't something that I usually like in a perfume but I really really adore this - it has given me a whole appreciation of powdery fragrances! As this develops it becomes warm - it's defiantly a 'sexy powder' rather than an 'old lady powder'... There is amber in here that makes it a little dirty and this one lasts.
Cologne is fresh and citrusy, as it name suggests, there is a little musk that comes through as it develops giving it a defiantly aftershave -ish feel but anyone can wear it.
Overall, I am so impressed by this sampler. I like all the fragrances and there are some that I covet! I found the whole pack to be an education in perfume and each one made me really consider the perfume and it's ingredients rather than just having a spritz and thinking "that nice" or "I don't like that".
If you want a small treat or a little gift or want to develop your 'nose' I highly recommend this. It's available at www.sephora.com or you can purchase it direct from www.etatlibred'orange.com (where it costs 15 Euros).
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