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Post by Anne-Marie

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I first tried La Panthère in an airport hotel in Sydney. My colleague and I had missed a connecting flight to our home city. It was late, and we were tired and cross. But in the end I thought there seemed nothing for it but to relax, have a shower, order room service, and crack open a Cartier mini set I’d bought in Paris at Charles de Gaulle airport. Fun

It happened that I did not have internet access that evening, so I was testing blind.

La Panthère by Cartier 2014

La Panthère by Mathilde Laurent

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Rhubarb, strawberry, dried fruits, anise, bergamot
Heart: Gardenia, orange blossom, pear, rose, ylang ylang
Base: Musk, oakmoss, patchouli, leather

In the absence of this information I panicked a bit because the opening of La Panthère seemed strident, almost screechy. It reminded me of fragrances I dislike including Dior’s J’Adore and Miss Dior Cherie, and Chanel’s Coco Mademoiselle. I thought I’d made a mistake. But during the night as I woke up momentarily here and there I was delighted in a drowsy way with what I could smell: a very intimate scent of warm contented skin, not animalic, but sexy as hell.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Gardenia is not something I know well, either as a flower or a perfume note so I can’t comment much on its use here except that I like it. And what saves La Panthère for me in particular is its chypre-like character. A lot of reviewers find it a chic, elegant, intelligent fragrance and I agree. Fruity chypre it may be, but La Panthère is too vivid and modern to really stand comparison with classical greats like Guerlain’s Mitsouko or Rochas’ Femme. It’s cleaner than YSL’s Yvresse and more supple than Badgely Mischka, which seems lugubrious next to La Panthère.

That brightness stays all the way through the life of the fragrance on my skin, and a few generous dabs from a mini lasts me ALL DAY. I could be extra-sensitive to notes like strawberry, rhubarb and pear – normally I hate them – and that’s maybe why La Panthère won’t quite leave me alone. I like it very much but by the end of the day I’m often rather tired of it.

Photo Stolen Flickr

Showering it off is like kicking off a pair of gorgeous but tight little shoes. Ahhh, that’s better. Looking back, I’m surprised I slept so well that first night I wore La Panthère . Like the shoes, La Panthère is wonderful to put on and wonderful to take off.

Further reading: Bois de Jasmin and Perfume Posse
FragranceNet has $83/50ml before Coupon
My Perfume Samples has $3/ml to $9/5ml

Do you have a ‘chic little shoe’ fragrance?

Until next time, keep spritzing!
Anne-Marie xx

Cartier – La Panthère, the feminine fragrance