Le Jardin Retrouve has a fun project going on right now and you can still participate. It is called The Perfume Revival Project. A huge file of formulas from Le Jardin Retrouve founder Yuri Gutsatz's long career as a perfumer were found in a forgotten box in the basement of the family home. Yuri's son Michel and his partner Clara Feder wanted to revive some of the perfumes and gave the pile of papers to in-house perfumer Maxence Moutte. He first narrowed it down to one hundred and from that made up eight into perfumes. The eight was narrowed down to four favorites and now Le Jardin Retrouve is asking their customers help in choosing which one of the four should be released. It sounded like fun and I had been impressed with the brands other releases so I sent off for the samples. They arrived beautifully packaged and with a handwritten addressed note. These are my impressions of the four, and let me state from the outset, I'm not good at identifying mystery notes!
YELLOW
This is a floral. Very languid. Makes me want to bring out my Southern drawl. It is a little lemony but very humid and steamy. At first spray I thought I smelled lily, but now it smells like jasmine, and a very green jasmine. This is not a heavy indolic night flower, but a sprinkling of the spiky white flowers over a green leafy bush. It makes me picture myself circa 1980's in a flowy floral dress, shady straw hat, sipping a mint julep under 100-year-old oak trees. I love jasmine (assuming that is what this is) and in fact I love all white flowers, so this feels pretty, airy, and feminine. It's my first sniff and so far, it's my number one pick!
GREEN
This has a very herbal fresh green opening. I sense a peppery note that adds a little heat and spice. As it settles in there is a slightly smoky feel that I sometimes get with vetiver. This one is not reacting on my skin in any exciting way. It is just kind of sitting there. This is a no go for me. Yellow still reigns.
RED
This immediately feels elegant. I have been making travel plans to France all day and I can picture wearing this while strolling alongside the Seine, preferably holding lots of bags from perfume boutiques! It feels like a chypre to me as there is a mossy feel to the base. I can see this one being divisive; it's one of those you love it or you don't type perfumes. Honestly, I can't identify the notes but it has that feel of French perfumes, where it is not the individual notes but the sum of them together that makes the perfume special and elegant. I like this! It's one of those perfumes that after I put it on I look down at what I'm wearing and groan. It makes me want to up my fashion game. I still like Yellow but Red feels a bit more special. Yellow is now nudged to number two.
BLACK
Wow! This one gets right to it! At first spray I am surrounded by a spicy cloud punctuated with shafts of brightness. There is a touch of smoke in the background. If it was a cold day this would immediately shoot to the top of my picks. Not that you couldn't wear this in the heat; it's just one of those scents that would be so cozy in the cold. I don't like to gender label scents, and I could definitely wear this one but I would really, really like it on my husband. There is a really nice masculine vibe. Something about it almost feels a little gourmand at the beginning. The citrus is mixing with some note that comes off slightly sweet to me, plus the spices amplify that effect. This is a really great scent and I think it will be especially popular with the male contingent testing the perfumes.
So my final verdict:
Red
Black
Yellow
Green
It is not too late if you want to participate in the project. You can go to the Le Jardin Retrouve website, or you can go to this page on Facebook for more information: Le Jardin Retrouvé & YOU. You are able to order the set through June 15, and the vote ends June 22nd. I will be interested to see which perfume wins. I don't know about the actual vote, but judging by people's comments on the Facebook page I would say Red and Black seem to be getting a lot of attention.
Samples and photos my own.
So my final verdict:
Red
Black
Yellow
Green
It is not too late if you want to participate in the project. You can go to the Le Jardin Retrouve website, or you can go to this page on Facebook for more information: Le Jardin Retrouvé & YOU. You are able to order the set through June 15, and the vote ends June 22nd. I will be interested to see which perfume wins. I don't know about the actual vote, but judging by people's comments on the Facebook page I would say Red and Black seem to be getting a lot of attention.
Samples and photos my own.
1 comment :
I like the brand though I wish they shipped their perfumes from the U.S. because while I find $50 for 15 ml quite reasonable (I do not need more perfume anyway), I just cannot pay $30 for shipping on top of that. Out of the 6 I tried, I really like 3 (and own one of them) and do not mind the other 3 though I would not probably choose to wear them.
When I saw that project, I was mildly interested but I didn't feel like paying for the privilege to test something that might never become a final product (especially since my tastes do not always coincide with the majority). But it was interesting to read your take, and I'll be curious to know, which perfume wins, and what will be the name.
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