Perle de Mousse by Bertrand Duchafour for Ann Gerard 2012

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

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Gabriella

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Ann Gerard

Perle de Mousse

Hello APJ friends! Hoping you’ve all had a wonderfully fragrant time over the past month and that you enjoy today’s post.

It’s a very warm spring day. Sitting under an expanse of huge oak trees you feel the gentlest caress of a breeze. The air is rich with the smell of greenery: the lush grass, the ivy curling its way around the tree trunks, the fresh stemminess of white flowers. You feel the warmth of the dappled sunlight on your face, relish in the way it washes over you with its honeyed rays.Your significant other has surprised you with an impromptu picnic: it’s a treat following your decision to take a half day from work. It seems like you’ve spent years chained to your desk staring at a computer screen. You’re loving your newfound languidness. Sipping your champagne, you delight as its fizziness tickles your nose, quenches your throat. You take a deep breathful of mossy greenness.

Photo Stolen cntraveller.

Gently, you arch your back, loosen your hair from its tight chignon, smooth your crisp white shirt and remove your heels, delighting in the sensation of tingly grass blades on your soles. You lie back on the soft cotton rug, reach over to lay your head on your man’s shoulder. His shirt gently caresses your face, you smell the gentlest whiff of his citrus cologne. Your eyes close and you drift towards sleep in the soft yellow light.

Very few perfumes conjure up a complete story in my mind on first sniff, but Perle de Mousse is one of them.

Ann Gerard Photo Stolen elsa-vanier

The fragrance is a green chypre, composed by Bertrand Duchafour for Parisian jeweller, Ann Gerard. It is part of a trio of scents, the others being Ciel d’Opale, a linden-based fragrance and Cuir de Nacre, a leather perfume originally sold in a limited edition under the name Pleine Lune.

Perle de Mousse features notes of: aldehydes, pink pepper, bergamot, green mandarin, galbanum resin, ivy, lily of the valley, hawthorn, Bulgarian rose, clove, jasmine, gardenia, lentiscus absolute, ambergris, musk and a hint of vanilla.


Photo stolen from http://www.anngerard.com/
The perfume opens with a sharp burst of aldehydes and a sumptuous accord of galbanum and ivy: rich, verdant and dense. After this initial green spark, the composition quietens down quite rapidly and becomes linear in feel. The mandarin note is interspersed with lily of the valley and the other white florals, with no one note standing out.

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Perle de Mousse is an extremely soft and delicate chypre that gives a cursory nod to the Dior greats by Edmond Roudnitska: Diorella, Eau Sauvage and Diorissimo whilst still being completely its own scent. Anyone looking for a powerful tenacious green chypre or a typical Duchafour composition won’t find it here. Perle de Mousse is extremely gentle, with average sillage and longevity. Despite its ethereality, it is still a stunningly beautiful fragrance and a must try for any green or chypre fans.

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SurrenderToChance has the range starting at $4/ml
LuckyScent has a Discovery Collection 3 x 9ml in a coffret $65 or 60ml/$165
With much love till next time,
M x

14 thoughts on “Perle de Mousse by Bertrand Duchafour for Ann Gerard 2012”

  2. I’ve been wanting to try these – everyone is raving about them…and your description has me drooling (though it will be a couple more turns around the sun before Spring lands here again).

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  4. I love this whole line. You’re right to mention that they are not in any way typical Duchaufour powerhouses. And they are nothing like the Neela Vermeire line in style. They are so subtle, yet so much fun! I want FBs of all 3.

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    • Hi Masha,

      Yes indeed it’s very different from a typical Duchafour. I can’t wait to try the other 2, so glad you love them!

      M x

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  5. Oooooh, now I want to try. I love it when a new line has a modest offering – I can get a bit overwhelmed when there’s too much to sample (looking at you, Ramon Monegal). And isn’t that a gorgeous bottle!

    That was a beautiful word picture you painted there, Madeleine. Wonderful job.

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    • Thank you Dionne! Yes totally agree that smaller lines are much more manageable. Glad I have inspired you to try! M x

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  6. It looks like I really need this discovery set – all three sound very interesting and up my alley. Madeleine, thank you for bringing it to our attention!

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