Hiya Crew,

I have had some of the Rancé soaps for a while now. For a creamy soft bathing experience they are pretty damn awesome but I’ve always felt the fragrances were a little generic. Not bad but not something to get mega excited about either. Recently my mate Nick at Libertine Parfumerie sent me a bottle of Eau Sublime…..

Eau Sublime by Jeanne Sandra Rancé for Rancé 1795

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Mandarin, Neroli, Hyacinth, Lime
Heart: Lily-of-the-valley, Lilac, Myrtle
Base: White Musk, Vanilla, Florentine Iris

From Rancé 1795 site: Eau Sublime Eau de Toilette pour Femme dedicated to Josephine, Napoleon’s bride, by François Rancé in 1801.

Eau Sublime is pretty. It opens green, juicy citrus and sparkles. There’s a dewy note and it’s all rather cool to begin. As we get further into the heart there is a pretty bouquet with a slight metallic tinge. Then the fragrance basically leaves my ability to smell for an hour or two, yes it has happened on repeated wearings, with and without moisturiser, on different parts of my body. Then an aquatic iris comes in and stays at a very low hum for ages, hours in fact, barely discernible except when I move and get a huff from my wrist or out of my top. It’s almost not there at all but the air cools, like air conditioning in a florist shop but without very many flowers in there. Maybe the end of the day when only the memory of flowers and a bunch of cut stalks are in the bins.

Photo Stolen WikiCommons

I do love these recreated houses, and I’m sure that Eau Sublime owes a debt in part to the original, more than just the name hopefully. Somewhere though, in the fragrance, the story doesn’t ring quite true. Eau Sublime in this time is very synthetic to my nose, way too unnatural for 1801. It’s a minor thing but……

I can see why Rancé’s Eau Sublime is popular currently. It’s a pretty green whisper of nothing on my skin. Lovely opening that leaves a very slight hint of fragrance for the rest of the day. A clean, fresh, cool and dewy freshness. I can totally understand that that’s what some people want from their scent experience. The bottle is lovely and fun and no one will be skunked by you. I want my fragrance to work harder than that though. More projection, more story, more everything.

Photo Stolen Pixabay

First In Fragrance has €59/50ml

Where do you stand? Have you tried Eau Sublime? Was it what you want from a fragrance? Did it live on you like it does on me or did you get a different ride?
Portia xx