Hello my lovelies,
While in Vienna recently Birgit and Sandra from Olfactoria’sTravels took me to the only known place on earth where they let you mix & match your Frederic Malle 3 x 10ml set when you grab it!! I think it was called Day Spa? Anyway, tell Birgit you are coming to Vienna and she will give you the address. Here is one of my lovely scores:
En Passant by Frederic Malle 2000
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Lilac, surrounded by watery and green notes, cucumber and wheat
This morning in Sydney the weather is beautiful. Crisp, sunny, warm: it feels more like spring than Autumn 10am and 21 degrees celcius. I am writing a week ahead of today and Kath and I are doing the office work, well Kath is doing the office work and I am writing to you. As I went to spritz myself this morning I also gave Kath a healthy squirt too.
I love the pretty green sappy swoosh directly after the spritz, the cucumber and watery greens, it’s fresh, wet and slightly plastic. I find flowers often give me a plastic vibe, not a wet Tupperware stink but a slightly unreal-ness, lilac has it in spades. I could walk out the back door into a spring garden in my mind. This is crisp and elegant but in a less formal tone, less knowing than Chanel 19. A younger, free-er, lighter and happier version of one of my favourites, without being like it at all.
Photo Stolen DeviantArt
It’s hard to get my head around how beautiful and delicate En Passant is, usually not my style at all but there is something alluring and beguiling about this little Frederic Malle stunner that keeps me coming back to my wrists again and again.. En Passant is seriously selfish, introverted fragrance. You won’t skunk anyone at the office or anywhere, you will give an aura of fresh vitality and exuberance.
Photo Stolen FragranticaFurther reading ISmellThereforeIAm and PerfumePosse
MeccaCosmetica in Australia has $194/50ml (Free shipping within Australia)
BarneysNewYork has $155/50ml
SurrenderToChance starts at $6/ml
There is something magical and whimsical for me even in the name Frederic Malle. His scent curation adds a patina of glory to everything with his name on it. I wonder if I would find En Passant as alluring and interesting if it was by Woolworths Home Brand? Would I sneer at its trite simplicity? What do you think?
Portia xx
Australian Perfume Junkies 
Reblogged this on sita4u.
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Thanks Sita
Portia xx
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yw.
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Woolworth´s Homebrand? Not.
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HA HA HA! OK probably not but I have a couple of cheapness that are simple and beautiful, very tasteful. That’s why I asked the question
Portia c
Xxx
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There´s cheap. And then there´s Woolworth´s. Although they do do a good Pick`n`Mix.
😉
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Woolworth’s is long gone here in the US, and I’m no perfume snob, but I don’t think they could have done both lovely and simple.
En Passant was pure cat pee on me the first few times I wore it (and quickly scrubbed it off). Then one day it wasn’t pee; it was bread and lilac and rain, and I haven’t smelled pee since. I hope others aren’t smelling pee on me when I wear it.
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Hey LaurenW,
I am so glad that the cat pee stage has passed for you. There is yet to be a cat pee frag on me, thank goodness. Who cares what they smell, this obsession is for us.
Portia xx
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I wore En Passant to a party last Saturday, and was hugging many people. Most of them said, you smell so good. 🙂 This blog post has inspired me to wear it more.
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Aha!! The frag change over! We have to be careful about how loudly we dislike something in the fragrance world, it usually comes back and bites us on the ass. I’m glad you’;re loving your En Passant now LaurenW
Portia xx
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Lilac risks the “house brand” effect no matter the name on the label. Fortunately, introducing cool or wet elements seems to help put the literal lilac in situ. That makes me wonder if a successful single note floral is even possible outside of its garden and seasonal context? Who could stand blind testing all the lilac frags out there to answer that question! Whoaah! This is beginning to sound just like a “house brand” lilac smells…
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Hi Azar,
I’d love to be on a frag panel trying 200 lilac scents over a week to see which I found most representational yet beautiful. That would seriously be pretty close to my idea of heaven,
Portia xxx
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Hi Portia,
When I think of all the bad lilac scents I’ve encountered over the years it scares my nose a lot BUT when you describe a 200 scent lilac testing panel as heaven it sounds like fun!
Azar
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En Passant reached me for the first time a few weeks ago and for the two weeks of lilac season I was obsessed with it and wore it a lot. With that season gone I don’t find too many occasions to wear it, but it has joined my tiny sub-collection of airplane fragrances, ie those that give me something with which to occupy my nose but won’t disturb any perfume-averse person who has the bad luck to sit next to me.
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Hi FeralJasmine,
Isn’t it funny how we go through frag stages? We slide into a new love and wear it nearly exclusively for a while and then have to seriously think hard to get it back on our skin. I like En Passant, ce train lay enjoyed the process of wearing it for the review purposes and can think of a few places I will wear it. Mainly as a focus or sleep scent but you are. Spot. On with plane travel, that will work too.
Portia xx
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My intense hatred for Angel dates from the time that I sat next to somebody wearing it on a long plane trip. She reapplied regularly. It builds up, rather as if somebody was forcing one piece of caramel cake after another down your throat.
There, Portia, yours is the only blog on which I haven’t whined about my Angel Hell Trip, and now I’ve checked that box and should refrain from ever telling it again! Don’t know if I will, but I should.
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Angel and I are not really friends either. I get it. TOTALLY,
Portia xx
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Dearest Portia
Lovely review, and a perfectly lovely sentiment… I do wish all travel packs from all brands (Diptyque take note) would allow a mix and match approach.
Yours ever
The Perfumed Dandy
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YEAH TPD!, I’m with you The Different Company do it.
Portia xx
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I wanted to love this perfume: I love lilacs, I admire the brand… But no. And it’s not even the case when it’s nice but not love: there is some note in it that makes it unpleasant on my skin.
Aside from that, it’s great that they allowed you to combine the travel set: I would have bought 3 more Frederic Malle’s perfumes if I could mix them (now I own two FB and 1 travel spray).
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How lucky! I wish you could mix and match the travel set at every place that sells FM. Sigh. Well, it’s just one more reason to head to Vienna 🙂
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