Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne (2009
Blue-Mauve Rose {Perfume Review}
The bottle is very pretty, like a feminine flask with an antique flair, one that could have almost belonged to Marie-Antoinette. It has a nice heft; the facets of the faceted glass bottle is more harmonious to my eye in the bigger size although the petite size is still very pretty and pleasant to hold in the palm of the hand.
Parisienne is the latest feminine launch by
Yves Saint Laurent. We have covered the topic before by following with Kate Moss. I did not have any preconceived notions about the composition nor any particular expectations. What I discovered is a very particular poetical atmosphere. There is at the center of the composition a very interesting work on color so as to create a fictional rose that is bluish and mauve in turns. It is a very romantic composition, more wistful than Paris, very soft and feminine.
The composition is by Sophia Grojsman and
Sophie Labbé of IFF. Grojsman is the author of Paris, a perfume that refreshed the genre of the rose soliflore for a new generation of women and the next ones to come. She is considered unofficially the queen of rose perfumes for such landmark perfumes as Paris, Trésor, Yvresse, CK Eternity, White Linen. Sophie Labbé has also tackled some rose accords of note in Cacharel Amor pour Homme or Pure White Linen.
About Parisienne the perfumers said that,
"It is a great floral with a woodsy structure, luminous even in its aspect of mystery (...) It is the perfume of ultra femininity, warmed by the imprint of the man who brushed against her."
"un grand floral à la structure boisée, lumineux même dans sa part de mystère (...). C'est le parfum de l'ultra-féminité, réchauffée par l'empreinte de l'homme qui l'a effleurée." ...
Notes are: vinyl gloss, nail polish, accord of stiletto heel in asphalt, cranberry, Damascus rose, delicate violet, fresh peony, leather, patchouli, vetiver, musk and sandalwood.
Parisienne is a rose perfume based on a rose-violet-peony accord with woody accents. The rose-violet accord is different from the one in Paris because it is not powdery at all but rather aims at and imposes a subtle watercolor effect which is painterly rather than aquatic. The composition feels at times like you are looking at it through a blue or mauve pastel gauzy veil as if it were an homage paid to another classic of 20th perfumery, L'Heure Bleue by Guerlain. It does not smell like the perfume by Jacques Guerlain but it seems to be like a poetical homage to this famous olfactory painting of Paris and the Parisienne.
The rose accord here has been fleshed out with some fruity and candied nuances but in soft doses. The peony which smells quite a bit like lychee with some green nuances to my nose brings its fruity facet in the top notes. An edgy, admittedly urban, rocker style has been incorporated with some touches of metal, asphalt, nail polish, and vinyl gloss, but those nuances are not dominant nor styled to feel discordant. They add a touch of modernity. I personally prefer not to linger too much on the details of these modernistic notes as they tend to make me think too much and too prosaically of metallic musks. The personality of the fragrance remains romantic throughout even betraying a bit of nostalgia for a child's indulgence when the rose-violet accord conjures up old-fashioned violet-flavored candies by Flavigny. The floral accord is a bit jammy, berry-like (cranberries; blackberry) elegant, never literally gourmand. The perfume is enveloping, soft, downy like peach skin.
I retain from Parisienne the impression of a mauve-bluish rose that is all delicacy and mystery offering an intriguing palette of soft, cold pastel colors. It seems that it will be a perfect match for the gray of Paris roofs especially against the skyline in the fall.
Photo credits:
femina.fr
reviewed by Marie-Helene Wagner on August 17, 2009
The bottle is very pretty, like a feminine flask with an antique flair, one that could have almost belonged to Marie-Antoinette. It has a nice heft; the facets of the faceted glass bottle is more harmonious to my eye in the bigger size although the petite size is still very pretty and pleasant to hold in the palm of the hand.
But overall it's quite nice. The concept and background is especially lovely!
