Vermeil

I adore all of the exquisite fragrances from Bienaimé! This French perfume house dates back to 1935 and was resurrected in 2021 along with four of their original fragrances. I ordered a sample kit from their website (shipped to me in the U.S.) I will be reviewing each of the four fragrances... VERMEIL: Vermeil reminds me of a mix between Chanel's Misia and Guerlain's dreamy Apres l'Ondee. It opens with the same sparkling aldehydes as Misia that give it an initial burst of champagne. However, Vermeil is less sweet than Misia and more "earthy" perhaps from the carrot seed... I perceive a bit of a root-like quality that grounds it with an understated elegance. Softly feminine and romantic with a nod towards cosmeticy rice powder and expensive lipstick, evoking aristocracy from another era... I envision Joan Fontaine after she becomes the second Mrs. de Winter in Alfred Hitchcock's adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's 1938 novel, Rebecca. While Vermeil is the romantic, demure beauty, Frederic Malle's Lipstick Rose is the glamorous bombshell. Lipstick Rose shouts "look at how beautiful I am" with her coiffed hair, false eyelashes, and plunging necklines, while Vermeil enchants with her natural beauty and well-mannered charm. While they have similar notes, Lipstick Rose is a much heavier, potent fragrance with a fluffier, sweeter powder and stronger hints of candied fruit, while Vermeil is softer, more grounded and au naturale. I adore them both, but they are very different scents. Lipstick Rose is actually one of my top favorites. THE PACKAGING:The beautiful bottles reflect Bienaimé's original Art Deco spirit and are reusable and recyclable. Refills are available for purchase, making these treasures a very reasonably priced luxury. FROM THEIR WEBSITE: Through the rebirth of the brand Bienaimé, the idea is to perpetuate the wonder of these timelessly charming beauty treasures and create a sensory experience that evokes emotion, that of a sweet nostalgia. Dreamlike and poetic universe Bienaimé is an ode to the memories of the past and an immersion into the heart of eternal beauty. I couldn't agree more! IN SUMMARY: This perfume house is a treasure!! I highly recommend ordering a sample kit, and the price is deducted upon the purchase of a perfume! Even the packaging of the kit is exceptional, and it comes with a darling pink and white striped cloth pouch that is perfect for travel. I want one of each of these exquisite fragrances in my collection! But if I must choose one, La Vie en Fleurs is my favorite.

This is what i imagine, a rich person from Normandy in the 1940s at a event smells like. This is by far one of the most, elegant and vintage smelling sents, i have put my nose on. This is very waxy, same feel as when you smell bees wax. The iris is buttery and violet to back it up. The carrot seeds makes this along with the Aldehydes, Iris, Violet Heliotrope makes this feel so vintage and classy. The Raspberry gives it some sweetness and acidety. It lasts about 8 hours on me, and has mid to low sillage. I have a 2ml sample of this, and i'm getting a full bottle soon. 9,6/10 for me.

Very similar to Incaranta and other skanky vintage profiles, but this might actually be my favorite of the bunch. It is easily the smoothest execution in this genre I’ve encountered. It still carries that rebellious, unfiltered edge, but it's blended so masterfully that it remains entirely wearable and enjoyable. While I’ve had to layer Incaranta with extra vanilla just to temper the heavy animalic punch, the balance here is absolute perfection. Truly the Goldilocks / little bear porridge of skanky perfumes, it's just right! Full bottle worthy!

I’ve been wearing this for a few months now and each time I wear it, it scratches an itch I didn’t know it had. Powdery, cool toned, fluffy iris and violet create a cloud of comfort. It reminds me of Violet Ida around the edges—the tone and character of the violet/iris interplay seems familiar. The raspberry, while tempered, keeps the composition from going too far vintage by adding some lift and “spike”. Classic, old-school composition that remains wearable even by today’s standards.

This is far less lipstick than a clean, clear bright iris on a solid bed of aldehydes and some almondy type notes, presumably the heliotrope. One of the most iris forward scents Ive nosed as well, and for me at least its fabulous. Rose makes its presence known through the heart, but here its quite clean, and dries down to reveal some rich sandal in the base. A beautiful addition.