L'Or de Louis

This is a beautiful orange blossom and jasmine fragrance. If I focus, I faintly get the fruit, smoke, and wood but on my skin and the silage surrounding me, it is mostly white floral and honey with a touch of iris, though not enough to make it powdery. It's actually a very simple and beautifully crafted fragrance with a sunny California feel. Original Giorgio Beverly Hills and Van Cleef and Arpels' California Reverie also make me think of that state, but the former is way too strong and dated, and the latter way too weak. This is a happy medium between the very strong white floral bomb that is GBH and the too tame CR. This, like CR, has a prominent honey note which adds a lovely sweetness rounding out the composition beautifully. It's as if I am holding a bouquet of jasmine while standing in the middle of an orange grove and smelling the honey from the beehives nearby. The orange blossom and jasmine blended with the honey are just intoxicating to me. I'm not really surprised this won an award since this beautiful creation deserves it. Instant love and a fb is already on the way. Edit 3/29 - I received my bottle, and Oh MY! it is even better than the sample. Maybe because I am able to spray with abandon, but I am picking up so much more than I did before, and I am just loving it. The orange blossom is a little indolic and in addition to having the floral scent there is a trace of oranges itself in the orange blossom that smells sooo good. Wow, I thought this was wonderful before but now it is that times 10. There is one thing I am concerned about, and that is the flecks of gold in the perfume. I'm wondering if they will eventually clog up the sprayer. Would anyone know about that? I certainly hope not because I wouldn't want to miss a single drop of this gorgeous perfume.

I bought the travel size because I don't spend $245 for fragrances. I think it's well done, strong but not headache inducing and long lasting. I'm glad they offer a travel size because it means I can have it on my shelf and wear it any time. I love it. It's grand and warm. I love white florals and every note from an orange, from the root to the flower. I'm used to orange blossom being soft and girlish. However, this is the most mature and stately orange blossom I've ever smelled. I can't really identify the other notes but they add some warm and sweetness that gives it oomph and class and warmth. I DO love a soapy citrus, even though this seems much less soapy to me. I agree with Mjo and hauntedfuture. It is spectacular in the opening and it does last a full work day with 2-3 feet projection. I only use 1-2 sprays because it is strong. I'm not sure I'd wear it in summer, but I love it for cool/cold weather. This is like a mature, warm option when I get tired of Matin Blanc.

This is a beautiful, mature, slightly indolic orange blossom and jasmine forward fragrance. It has a bit of a "grand dame" feel about it, but at the same time, it's easily recognizable as a sleeker, 2020's take on a big, blousy, elegant white floral. L'Or de Louis has a gorgeous citrus floral opening, with the orange blossom and jasmine becoming richer and richer toward the heart. They are joined then by honey and musk (I could easily see this all becoming a bit animalic for some people.) There's also a beautiful creamy iris thing going on. There is definitely a smoke note in the base - somewhere between cigarette smoke and campfire smoke. Very nice. I think this is my favorite so far from Arquiste. It also reminds me a lot of Madagascan Jasmine by Grandiflora, if you've smelled that one.

I bought the smaller travel size, to test it over a few months. At first the orange blossom/jasmine was overwhelming to me. I love that scent, but it can be too much "white floral." However, I am now finding that I absolutely love this fragrance. It's very sweet and linear at first: orange blossoms and jasmine, cut with teh bergamot, but with a dry feel - an undertone that is almost like hay in the sun. After about an hour, the honey and cedar come out to play with the orange, and it's magic on my skin. I get 4-6 hours out of it. Love this after a shower, before bed. Also: after developing at autoimmune condition, many perfumes give me a raging headache. The Arquiste line does not. I'll probably put a full bottle on my Christmas list this year.

ive grown up around orange blossom trees most of my life, and this reminds me of the way their scent would travel over the grass in warm weather. to be fair, orange blossom notes are appreciated in any perfume i sample, but this one is just soooo beautiful. the jasmine and pomegranate lend a complex sweetness, and the smoke and orris give me a warm, clean, almost mineral type of vibe on the first spray. however, someone else said it reminds them of sweat and chlorine, which i can smell on the drydown.

This fragrance is truly underrated, I can’t get enough of it. Having grown up in Southern California, the scent of orange blossoms and jasmine, when done right, brings back a deep sense of nostalgia and joy. This takes me straight to my childhood: a perfect spring day, 75° with the sun on my skin and a hint of salt from sweat. I don’t pick up on the smoke note, yet there’s an undeniable warmth to it. It’s a dry floral with a slightly vintage feel. This is gorgeous.

This is the perfect mix of old & new. A slighlty vintage, very slightly indolic vibe mixed with a modern, smooth and very easy to wear fragrance while remaining unique in a sea of orange blossom fragrances. No sharp edges here. The middle to drydown are the most beautiful to me. This is the first time I have fallen for an Orange Blossom centric fragrance. Deserving of it's award in my opinion!

Many other reviewers have it nailed... An overall expensive smelling, interesting, if slightly challenging white floral. Longevity is good, which is what you should expect given price. Indolic, but not offensive - very good balance there. Would not wear every day, but good for formal settings IMO Edit to add that the skin scent is the definition of old school luxury. Upping rating to love

I think I might get stung by a bee wearing this fragrance. It very strongly smells like a familiar flower... But I can't figure out what it is. Maybe night blooming Jasmine, but extra strong. The crazy thing is.. is the fragrance fades in about an hour or two.

Per the Arquiste website, this has a "firewood smoke" note in it, which ruins the whole thing for me. It might not come across as so smoky on some people, but my skin always amplifies smoke. It is beautiful in the opening, though.

Dry and dusty yet polleny orange blossoms spiked with sharp bergamot set the tone in this perfume. The orange blossoms feel squeezed of any moisture or lushness; they remind me a bit of narcissus. I always think of narcissus as a “gold” note in perfume, and this perfume is well named. It feels very golden. After a while a creamy jasmine almost dripping with honey comes in, and it adds some moisture back so that the dusty sharp feeling I get initially with L’Or de Louis dials back a bit. This isn’t an indolic jasmine at all, although there is something a little animalic hovering around in the background. The dry down keeps a sweet floral feeling, with an almost powdery musk in the background.This again is like a dialogue between opposing textures of soft and dry and lush. It makes this perfume easier to wear as a white floral then some of the more really indolic tuberose and jasmine fragrances that take up an entire room. L’Or de Louis has good longevity of about 12 hours on skin and casts an arms length scent bubble.

L’or De Louis is a modern classic that’s herbaceous and spicy in all the right places. It opens as a steaming china cup of aromatic jasmine tea. The green tea note gives a subtle but delicate nuances of infused steam which wafts with a herbaceous and naturally pure aroma. This hot green tea note is combined with a base of spicy oriental amber that’s warm and powdery. To me, L’or De Louis captures the ambiance of a Chinese empress from a high dynasty in fine silks, powdered makeup and hot tea-filled porcelains. Arquiste describe this as a “solar scent including 24 karat gold flakes, transporting you to Versailles' Grand Orangery during the Sun King's reign” which isn’t too far off my Imperial China interpretation. A bolder version of L’or De Louis could be Sacred Scarab - L’or De Louis is far softer, refined and delicate with an old-money style luxury. I love how this is a modern classic that replicates an insight into a time gone by. I’m glad it won the Indie Fragrance of the Year 2024 as it beats the other nominees.

I got a free sample of this with my bottle of zoologist nightingale. This is a nice enough orange blossom/neroli scent with slight hints of tart pomegranate, jasmine and honey. Is it ground breaking, no. It smells like a 100 other orange blossom and neroli soliflore fragrances on the market today. I can sense a slight vanilla and frankincense smoke in the far distance when I smell it up close but I wish that part of the fragrance was more pronounced. Then we would have something much more interesting. All we have here is at best a slightly different take on an orange blossom or neroli summer cologne. And for what this brand charged per bottle they have to do better than this. Fragonard has several orange blossom fragrances that I have sampled that will give you the same scent for a lot less $.

Got a sample and was surprised by this. It's a soapy, bright fizzy champagne on me before becoming a powdery shaving scent -- but think of a luxurious, indulgent shave. Not a barber shop, but someone who has learned the techniques and works at home more intimately. After a while, the smoke comes through with that powdery shave drydown with hints of neroli still sparkling through. I like it -- I wouldn't spend money on it, but if I was gifted, I would certainly wear it. It's a unisex smell to me and I think would be a lovely surprise on a man -- the cedar is not very noticeable compared to other unisex-leaning scents, and I think this would create a sense of playful, bubbly intrigue for the one who encounters the male wearer.

I don’t pick up the smoke note, and I would describe the floral on my skin to be equal part orange blossom and jasmine. As a few other reviewers noted, there’s a retro vibe to the overall composition. L'Or de Louis reminds me of being a So-cal kid in the early 1970s; an innocent time in my life when I lived in Anaheim, had a pool and rode my kool-kat-sissy-bar-lime-green-bike around the block after school—trying to catch up with the cute boy in my first grade class. This is simple, clean, non-challenging, and perfect for days when you don’t want to think about the upcoming U.S. presidential election or apocalyptic disasters. L'Or de Louis is a daydreaming scent, best for walking the dog and going for a picnic.

Oddly stuffy for a white floral - as in, you can feel it in your nose and it takes up space in the air. Dense aroma molecules maybe? It's probably the musk.

Wow! This won INDIE fragrance of the year!

Abstract. Structurally rare and unique. Upside down pyramid structure with simplistic, ghostly base carrying fleeting blossoms of white flowers as top notes, and usual woody sweet musk as medium that connects & transitions. This one may smell ordinary, but the idea is very interesting. I think it experiments with orders, common recipes and linearity. 5/10

I bought a sample based on the creative inspiration behind this fragrance, plus I love orange blossom. I also love the artistry of Arquiste as a house. However, I hate to say, I DESPISE this. The florals in this are so vintage which I guess makes sense based on the inspiration being Louis the XIV who reigned in (maybe) the 1600’s (!?) The smoke note mixed with the vintage florals honestly makes me nauseous. Big no from me!

The opening is superbe; lots of orange blossom and bergamote. It smells super fresh at this stage. I did not get any pomegranate(tbh, I don't even remember how they smell lol) The more time passes, the sweeter it gets, as the honey note becomes more and more prominent. I will have to try it again, but I like it!