Fleurs Historiques et Cacao

“Madame de Pompadour excelled at an art which the majority of human beings thoroughly despise because it is unprofitable and ephemeral: the art of living.” ― Nancy Mitford, Madame de Pompadour Mistress of King Louis XV What an interesting experience. It needs time to settle down into the skin, and it probably (I am assuming) will get better with age. But once it does mellow out and start to show itself off, it's really really interesting and really rather lovely. It's very smooth, you can really feel this fragrance. It's like cozying up into a well made animal fiber blanket. The cocoa is photo-realistic, the lavender plays so very well, and there is something sweet within it all that continues to amplify on the skin as it sits and warms. It rounds out to an almost linen like, fresh fragrance, a large departure from where it starts. It continues to becoming more and more beautiful. Overall a really wonderfully well done perfume oil with limited projection and longevity. 7.5 nearly an 8/10

Without going into notes or morphing I'll say the melange of all the notes creates a green, foody, sharp, yet powdery incense around my wrist. It's an incredibly strange mix and yet I can't stop sniffing it. It's like walking on an avenue past an Indian food stall, a barbershop, a head shop, and an herbalist. (Edit: on the second wearing I got a stronger candy vibe than before---super sweet violet pastilles sucked on outside the southeast Asian food store on our avenue. Second edit: the more often I wear this, the more addictive and amazing it becomes.) Gentlemen, this might be truly exotic on you as despite a few minutes of sweetness the blend leans masculine until the cacao arrives. We all know that chocolate lures the ladies. Ladies, you will stand out from the crowd of Lah Vee Eh Belllles if you wear this. FHeC is powerful stuff so the regular oil is recommended and only two drops, one to the wrist and one to the neck is sufficient. Get ready to travel.

This is a truly unique concoction. The lavender and cocoa balance each other beautifully. Definitely gets better with time as is usually the case with Alkemia.

Initial try on day 1 – calming lavender and a light dusting of coco powder. I’m really enjoying this one! Only recently have I wanted a lavender scent – I haven’t been drawn to it for perfume but use it in bath products and what not. But this is realistic lavender without being too essential oil-y. The coco is very subtle which I am happy about because I’m not a gourmand-y. Something else is tying the scent together, I’m wondering if orange blossom is in there (haven’t looked at the note yet). But I love the overall composition and can’t help but this of Laduree in Paris. Looking at the notes, I can see the thing tying the coco and lavender together is the tea, vanilla musk, grapefruit. It’s more of an earl grey tea scent rather than the orange blossom I was wondering about. Yum! I love! I’m so happy I got this one, surprised it’s no longer offered. I had always thought of ordering it before, happy I jumped on it. As it develops, the cacao is getting richer. I keep sniffing my wrist. It’s sophisticated, calming, historical, and feminine. I think this would be a good scent for me as a therapist, grounding and calming. Further into the drydown, the companion notes are in the forefront (grapefruit blossom, lemon peel, tea) and I love it!

O-M-G !!!!!! What an experience sniffing my just received sample of this. So unique/different IMO. This one was "challenging" at first,but quickly morphed into it's true self. Citrus...cardomom/tea...cacao/lavender..with a touch of floral (grapefruit blossom..??) and then vanilla musk base holding all the notes together....This is some awesome juice. I will be ordering my full bottle asap. Bravo ! Alkemia. Let this scent go thru it's stages on your skin....be patient...it's worth the wait. Hidden Gem, IMO. Individual results may vary.......