Saturday Question: What’s Your Favourite L’Artisan Fragrance?

/ australianperfumejunkiescom

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Portia

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Hello Fellow Fumies,

Every Saturday we have a Question, an idea purloined from Olfactoria’s Travels. Everyone gets to chime in with an answer, chat with other responders and it is a fun event each week. Taking sides never means taking offence and everyone keeps it respectful and light, even though we can sometimes trawl the depths.

The idea is you’ll see it on the weekend or chime in through the week. Hopefully you will come back and see if anyone has responded to your comment and you can reply to them.

Over 100 responses I will draw a Scent Sample Pack (from my collection)
This week:

  1. L’Artisan Seville a l’Aube
  2. L’Artisan Iris Pallida
  3. L’Artisan Vanille Absolument
  4. L’Artisan Coeur de Vetiver Sacre
  5. L’Artisan La Haie Fleurie

Last Weeks Winner: Didn’t make 100

eMail me at (portia underscore turbo at yahoo dot com dot au) with your address please

Saturday Question: What’s Your Favourite L’Artisan Fragrance?

L’Artisan are important. They may not have been the first ever niche fragrance house but the definitely made the genre their own. Now by niche I’m not talking about the wannabes that we see a lot of today. I’m talking new adventures, first time uses of notes and styles. L’Artisan took Ambre and made it the whole reason for a fragrance, L’Eau d’Amber 1978. The same year Mure et Musc, a fruity fragrance with minty backdrop. They were the first to bring out a fig scent that went crazy Premier Figuier 1994. La Chasse aux Papillons came out in 1999! These guys have been there, making waves and guiding the trends since niche became Niche.

My Answer:

Seville a l`Aube 2012:  This is my second bottle. Back when it was first launched Seville a l`Aube was supposed to be a Limited Edition so I bought two back ups. Those earlier bottles have a jasmine that turns floor orange over time.

Why is Seville a l`Aube my favourite? In 2012 I was brand new to blogging and this amazing thing was happening. A perfume blogger, Denyse Beaulieu, had got together with a perfumer and helped create a fragrance. Not only that but she wrote a book called The Perfume Lover about the creation of the perfume, what each note meant and the trials and tribulations of it all. This was unbelievable. Though I’d never wished for such a thing, that it was possible was a revelation. It also provided amazing insights into how a fragrance can be created.

Now this could all have ended badly in a shit fragrance but NO! Seville a l`Aube is the loveliest orange blossom. It’s tricked out with honey, wax, incense and a bunch of flowers and resins but they only serve to make this spectacular orange blossom scent even more lovely and special. I don’t reach for it much in high summer but spring, autumn and warmer winter days seem to be perfect wearing weathers for me. If it’s too hot the fragrance starts to smell more like sticky orange juice fingers after eating quarters at half time of a footy game.

Then in 2013 I met Denyse Beaulieu while in Paris and we became buddies. Seville a l`Aube has been an integral part of my fragrant journey and I love it for the scent and the memories.

My Saturday Question to you is:

What’s Your Favourite L’Artisan Fragrance?

85 thoughts on “Saturday Question: What’s Your Favourite L’Artisan Fragrance?”

  1. Artisan has many fine smells….Dzing! is amazing….the fig one yummy….but the one for me has to be Tea for Two….that gorgeous pipe tobacco smell is just heaven…

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  2. That’s a tough one – there are a few, but I absolutely adore Salome by Papillon Artisan Perfumes. Stunning, and never fails to garner compliments whenever I wear it. Insulo by Jeroboam is another favourite – gorgeous!

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  3. Passage d’Enfer for its gentle flowers, slightly medicinal yet warm incense notes, and hint of spices. It is exceptionally versatile and wears beautifully for me whatever the weather.

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    • Ahhhh! CM I have often thought to buy Saffran Troubling and have tested it a few times. Bought a couple of samples and love it but it just never seems to enter my collection in FB form.
      Portia xx

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      • I plowed through a 1 oz decant in record speed! IF i ever decide to buy a FB of any Lartisan it will be that one…

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        • You have such control CM. If that ws me I’d have a FB winging its way to me by 20ml. For sure.
          Portia xx

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      • What??? I am very surprised you don’t get cumin from it as I know your nose (like mine) hones in on the cumin 🙂
        The first time I tried it many years ago it was full on cumin (don’t get me wrong I love cumin in food…I put curry on my four slices of pizza every week..but I never liked it in perfume)….but then with my recent decant and heavy spraying (versus dabbing) I get the saffron rose wood pudding….definitely full bottle worthy.

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  5. My first ever niche was La Chasse aux Papillons, which I still love and use a lot in summer. I also adore Séville à l’Aube, especially in spring, and Fleur de Liane on the hottest days. There are so many I still have to try, especially Tea for Two, Dzing! and Timbuktu, and I have a yearning for the discontinued Côte d’Amour, of which I dropped and broke a large bottle a few years ago!

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    • Hey Mary,
      I LOVE Côte d’Amour. Did you know it was a Natural Perfume? Wasn’t it fab. They brought it back a couple of years ago and I have seen it on the discounters.
      La Chasse aux Papillons is beautiful.
      Portia xx

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    • Woo HOO Morrigan! Vanille Absolument is wonderful. It’s weird though, I rarely reach for it. This winter I’m going to put it on my desk and wear the shit outta it.
      Portia xx

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  7. Finally an easier question! That would be Timbuktu, without a doubt. I love that it’s original, and at the same time smells wonderful. I remember trying it two or three years ago, when I had just started on this fragrant journey, and I wasn’t impressed. But since then my nose and taste have evolved, and I committed to a full bottle a year ago and I just love it.

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    • I’m glad you like this question JH. I try to make them broad enough for everyone to have a punt with.
      Good choice. Timbuktu, even the name is fabulous.
      Portia xx

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  9. Rose Privée – gorgeous rose scent. It contains may rose, magnolia, lilac, carnation, basil, patchouli, hay, violet leaf and amber. It is a perfect spring perfume.

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    • Hi there AnnieZ,
      I’m so glad to read this is a winner on you. Sadly it was a bit limp on my skin.
      Love the bottle with the roses.
      Portia xx

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  11. Your experience with Denyse Beaulieu is interesting…I took the book out of the library and when I returned it I slipped a scented strip into it. Hopefully the next reader would enjoy it as much as I did.
    I like Tea for Two a lot and probably my favourite is Traversee du Bosphore.

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  13. There are so many fragrances created by this house, which I’d like to become better aquatinted with and are on my sampling wish list The only one I own is Al Oudh, my favorite oudh perfume.I’m generally not a fan of most oudhs but love this one. I’ve sampled Skin on Skin, Timbuktu, and Dzing.

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    • Hey Kathleen,
      If you are going to love an Oudh then Al Oudh is a great one to fall for. I have a bottle too and it’s excellent. perfectly wearable yet full of the oudh experience.
      Portia x

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  14. Séville à l’Aube is my favourite orange blossom. I am friends with Denyse too, we see each other every year in Montréal when she comes to visit her parents (Montréal is her home town). I love quite a few L’Artisans though: Dzongkha, Traversée du Bosphore, Noir Exquis, Passage d’Enfer and Voleur de Roses just to name a few.

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    • YAY! Snap TaraC. Isn’t Denyse a riot. I love her stories and could listen for HOURS!
      Lucky you getting a regular catch up.
      Portia xx

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  15. Definitely Voleur de Roses!
    Possibly my favourite patchouli/rose combo.
    Feels like you are “whistling past the graveyard” when you wear it. Very somber.
    Tea for Two is a close second. X

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  16. L’artisan was my first major indulgence when i discovered Luckyscent around 2005 or so. I fell head over heels for Fleur d’Oranger 2005 and Fleur de Narcisse 2006, and it took some time to save up for bottles. They remain two of the most cherished perfumes in my collection. I wore them often in those days, so the scent memories locked within are just as precious as the breathtaking fragrances themselves. ❤

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    • WOW Erica,
      Both before my time in the niche world. How lucky you are to know these.
      Portia xx

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  18. Perhaps my favorite house, and I’m especially delighted by the old creations of the late Jean Laporte. One of my first purchases when I became interested in fragrances was the beautiful Epices de la Passion Coffret about 15 years ago. But my favorite, at this particular moment, is L’Eau des Merveilleuses. The combination of mango and vanilla which would seem light and soft, but are combined with a deep, somber base is brilliant.

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  19. I haven’t tried a lot of l’Artisan’s perfunes yet but those I have are special to me. The one I love the most is Dzing! and I plan on getting full bottles of Timbuktu, Mure et Musc (the original one and Extreme). Vanilia is maybe not full bottle worthy but I do like it a lot.

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  20. I can’t seem to fall for this house though I keep trying. I have tried these, and of them only like five. No loves. The rest are okay or dislikes.
    Dzing!
    Safran Troublant
    Cote d’Amour
    Coeur de Vetiver Sacre
    The Pour un Ete
    Havana Vanille
    Noir Exquis
    La Haie Fleurie
    Voleur de Roses
    La Chasse Aux Papillons
    Batucada
    Caligna
    L’eau d’Ambre Extreme
    Fou d’Absinthe
    Mure et Musc Extreme
    Nuit de Tubereuse
    Premier Figuier
    Seville a L’Aube
    Timbuktu

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    • Wow, quite similar to my top!

      I just wonder what other people smell in Skin on Skin?)) I’ve read so many reviews describing it as a gorgeous leathery fragrance but all I smell is road works in a hot sunny afternoon.

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      • Interesting Anastasia.
        Skin on Skin smells like a fruity leather to me in the vein of Daim Blond or Bottega Veneta.
        Porttia xx

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    • I think I could only copy your words Gina. I have tried around ten of their perfumes but except Dzing! of which I bought a partial bottle, I wouldn’t buy anything so far. I haven’t tried Safran Troublant, Caligna and the Vanilla perfumes but I will for sure because I feel I need to give L’Artisan another chance.

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  21. La Chasse aux Papillons was my first bottle from L’artisan. So beautiful, to my nose it’s the perfect smell of honeysuckle and tender blossoms in a summer garden. Thanks for the reminder I must wear it soon.

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  22. My favorite is Noir Exquise….BUT, my favorite-favorite would absolutely be Safran Troublant, if–it lasted and projected. For a breathtaking five minutes it is just lovely, barely skirting gourmand, which it does, and the most perfectly balanced spice wood and rose, among other notes. I don’t find it goes skanky or cumin on me at all. I follow by email. Thank you for the giveaway!

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    • Common complaint about the L’Artisan range sadly Shiva-woman. I don’t remember them being quite so fleeting 10 years ago.
      Portia xx

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  23. Passage d’Enfer! I need to get my hands on a bunch of that. Safran Troublant might be in first place, actually, if I had equal amounts of both, but you know the heart wants what it can’t have. I follow by e-mail 🙂

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  24. I would *love* Timbuktu if I could just excise the mango note (it’s big, and it sits on the wrong side of rotten/rancid for me, constantly making me think there’s a forgotten fruit bowl nearby).

    Dzing and Passage d’Enfer are the ones for me–thank you Olivia Giacobetti. Though I suspect I’d also like Dzongkha. So many Ive not tried. Including Seville a l’aube, which sounds delish.

    Butterfly hunt was too watercoloured, and given away to someone who is better at being pretty and floaty than me.

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  25. Strangely, Seville would be my favourite. It has taken me a year to know it. I could not understand it at first, let alone like it. It came to me about 2 months ago that of all the L’Artisans I have tried, this captures my soul the most. I do not know why I love it; I just do. That is good enough. Xx

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    • Thanks for giving me hope that I too can come to an understanding of this fragrance. I just haven’t been able to enjoy it on my skin the way I was assuming I would, but I am unwilling to give up. Maybe I’m trying it in the wrong season? I adore the book and the whole story. And I theoretically love all the notes. I wonder if I’m over-spraying?

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    • I love it when suddenly a fragrance I could not connect to becomes a real gem in my collection. It hasn’t happened in a while though Kate. Glad you love Seville a l’aude too.
      Portia xx

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  26. I admire L‘Artisan for the same reasons that you have
    mentioned.
    They have not only contributed to promote niche perfumery, they have pushed and tested the limits of modern scents. One of my favourites is probably their most daring fragrance, Dzing!

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  27. I may also go for Saffran Troublant. I have many of their classics but I think I need to wear and better understand them. I have not really experimented with them.

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  28. This weekend is L’Artisan’s weekend)) Just had a meetup dedicated to this House yesterday.

    It’s really hard to choose! My very favourite is probably Bois Farine. And also Premier Figuer. And 32 Venenum. No, I can’t choose only one 😀

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  29. I have sampled very few from this brand.I am fairly sure I would have loved some of the earlier scents, but haven’t sampled a lot of the newer ones. Seville à l’ Aube is the only one I have a full bottle of, bought less than a year after it was issued, and I still love it.

    It is one of few scents where I can tolerate lavender (the lavender is supposedly a special quality in this one)and the incense doesn’t bother me either. The scent doesn’t vanish in colder weather, so is perfecr in September/October and in early spring. I’m sad that the green blast in the top notes is not there anymore (petitgrain?), it was such a surprise when I first tried this scent.The rest of the composition is so warm and the scent seems to stay intact other than the top notes (they only ever lasted 15 minutes anyway).

    I’m sure I would have tested and perhaps owned more from this brand had the bottles been a little smaller.

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    • If you look you can find 50ml bottles of most of the range Ingeborg. If you sample some and love one then try FragranceNet because they often have them.
      Portia xx

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  30. I’m pretty new to L’Artisan (well I’m pretty new to everything), but I LOVE the coolness of Histoire d’Orangers and Air d’Bretagne satisfies my calone cravings without sending me to far from real ocean smells. I’ve sampled 60 Mirabilis too from the Natura Fabularis collection (with the buzzy bee on the bottle), and that was enchanting, woody sweet incense, yet subtle and deceptively simple since apparently it took 60 revisions. Like the melding of earth and smoky sky.

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  31. Super Saturday question Portia x Mure et musc was my first dip into the L’artisan sea. I now have Dzing! and Voleur de Roses in my collection. I absolutely adore Vanille Absolument which is sadly discontinued. Also big fan of Safran Troublant, Passage d’Enfer and Al Oudh. And still so many to try!

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    • Melanie, have you tried any of more recent Dzing’s reformulations (without the tiger on the label), are they any good?

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  32. Without a shadow of a doubt, Seville a l’Aube. So good they wrote a book about its creation. Its blend of orange and honey makes it the perfect shoulder season scent.

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  33. I am very lucky to have a full bottle of Vanillia from the year I made a solid effort to collect all the five stars from Perfumes: The Guide. I’ve been bummed that I don’t like it on myself. I have a bottle of Drole de Rose which is charming, but disappears from me so quickly that I don’t bother. Timbiktu, and Dzing! Smell so great on my husband that I just leave them in his half of the perfume cabinet. The same is true for All Oudh, which is my favorite, but I just let him wear it, because it’s perfect on him but it goes immediately to the barnyard on me. Seville a L’Aube is nasty sweet on me and I’m not sure how to crack it. I’m unwilling to give up on the dream! Such a fun question Portia.
    Alanna

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  34. I’ve read Denise’s book as well – truly swoonworthy. But my favourite is Tea for Two. It’s my perfect match.

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  37. Checking Fragrantica, L’Artisan has a whopping 94 perfumes to their name. So I can only speak of the 15% of the line I’ve actually tried, but from those my faves are La Chasse aux Papillons Extreme, Nuit de Tubereuse and Poivre Piquant.

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  38. L’Artisan isn’t “my brand” in general – probably because I got to it too late in my perfume life. But I have several perfumes from this house that I like, own and even wear from time to time: Tea for Two, Traversee du Bosphore, L’eau d’Ambre Extreme, Premier Figuier Extrême and Seville a l’aube. I wouldn’t mind to get a couple more but those do not come in 50 (or smaller) bottles – so I’ll pass.

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  39. I don’t have any fragrances from L’Artisan, but I have just this past week picked up a copy of The Perfume Lover. I read the blurb on the back and knew I’d love the book – and the fragrance, as I am a big fan of orange blossom. Plus, the colour and the bottle are both beautiful.
    So without having tried any … I’m willing to put that down as a favourite.

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  41. I’d have to say Verte Violette, as I’m a sucker for anything violet, but Timbuktu runs a close second. Thinking about it, I don’t think I’ve tried all that many of L’Artisan’s offerings – must remedy that quick smart!

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  42. I have 3- Seville a l’Aube, Premier Figuier Extreme and Timbuktu. My favourite of the three is Seville a l’Aube. It’s like nothing else I own.

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