Place Vendôme

I'm growing increasingly enamoured of the oeuvre of Nathalie Lorson, and Place Vendome is not breaking my lucky run. It's a beautiful, transparent, rose-happy floral that you can buy for a steal, which is true of so many Boucheron frags. I find this house to be quite underrated; same with Lalique, another French line with gorgeous bottles that Lorson has contributed to. I snagged the sweetest little purse-spray, in an elegant and practical cloth sheath with a metal bar clasp, for less than $12 on Fragrance Net. You can get a 3.3 oz bottle for less than $30 on sale. I'd call this a fantastic bargain, even a blind buy, for anyone who enjoys floaty, friendly, diaphanous French florals in the tradition of Jaipur Bracelet, although that one is greener, and this one is more honeyed, with a gourmandish praline note. PV seems to get more creamy and ambery in the drydown, and I'm getting much more jasmine (slightly indolic but not what I'd call dirty) than rose or any other floral. It reminds me a bit of Calvin Klein's Beauty, only it projects much better and seems to have a lot more going on in terms of its notes and development. This one sparkles a bit more on the skin, if that makes any sense. Update: This is really beautiful on my skin, and it gives me a serene feeling, probably because of the combination of honey and cedar, the strongest note for me on the drydown (along with the orange blossom and jasmine). Such an elegant, heavy bottle, too; it wears a bit light, so I'm glad I bought the purse spray. Update: Wearing again on a warm late September afternoon and really enjoying it. It's not a big projector, especially after the third hour or so, but I enjoy the clean woody-floral-amber drydown. Plus, the 100-ml bottle is impossibly beautiful, and I got a very good deal on it on the gray market. I'll probably die before I use it all, but what an easy reach, almost a no-brainer, for those who enjoy the subtler, friendlier French EDPs. It reminds me of a drier and more elegant Dior J'Adore, or maybe Gabrielle. The honey note is discernible, but it's not as prominent as it is in Lalique pour femme, not to mention Serge Lutens Fils de Joie or Un Bois Vanille (there it's more beeswax than honey, I suppose). Anyway, this is a honeyed floral, but the cedar and benzoin base are what you are going to spend the most time with, and fortunately those notes are very appealing to my nose, at least on my skin. I think the reason many people are disappointed with the longevity is that it doesn't contain a musk note, that I can find/discern, and maybe the ambers can go only so far as fixatives. At any rate, I'm fine with the longevity being moderate--six or seven hours for me, with the majority of that being very close-wearing, almost skin scent territory. I have too many fragrances that throw like an em-effer but can't be safely worn in public. As a confirmed frag hag, I love those, but I don't want to give anyone a sick headache. I get those, just not from perfume, and I would 't want to be the cause of one. This might sicken the hypersensitive, but it isn't so strong that most people are going to smell it outside of an arm's length scent bubble (or even more intimate proximity), so I say this is safe for the office, for those forced to go to them.

I decided to buy a perfume for my birthday and I knew I'm going to buy something I've been dreaming about for a long time - Chanel Coco Mademoiselle ( a full bottle, so far I've had only some samples and a decant). I entered that glamorous shop, a real Chanel look and attitude, took my time, tried some perfumes (keeping in mind what I'm going to buy actually) and then I tested this. And all my Chanel dream started to fade away. This amazing scent is something very special! Rich, warm, sweet (not sickening sweet), very elegant, feminine, French in the end! The opening is fresh (could be the tangerine and pepper mixture), but then quickly becomes warm (honey, praline), hugging, but still elegant due to a sophisticated flower composition (the jasmine is subtle, yet so beautiful, so sensual). Then on my skin I felt some classic, but light rose powder, which I loved instantly. And the base - a pure luxury, a sensual, adult, a bit reserved elegance. Yes, it has something in common with Elie Saab, the same luxury, the same vibe. And the bottle is adorable, a piece of French classic vintage wonder. I sprayed this on one wrist and the Chanel Coco Mademoiselle on the other and walked out of the shop to see how they both change on my skin. Really- sometimes this scent smelt even better than my dream Chanel. Like some golden, sparkling champagne, a transparent veil of elegance and a proof of a good taste. But I had to decide for I couldn't take both. In the end I bought Chanel 50 ml bottle following my dream (and I don't regret), but this was hugging me everywhere I went that day. In the evening I ordered it. Now It's on my wrist. A big, big love. Something really beautiful, "real", and maybe underrated.

Hi!!! I have both Elie Saab and Place Vendome and will try to explain the difference as best I can. Let's start with Place Vendome... Place Vendome out of the bottle is creamy and sweet. A combination of the honey, benzoin and praline. But it is not foody and I think it is a nice departure from the traditional vanilla scents out there. It's a beautiful soft and creamy blend. PV is also a better blend of florals. Where ES is all about the orange blossom & honey PV is really a beautiful floral blend. I also get the hint of tangerine & pepper at the top. PV is currently my new favorite scent and I am spraying like crazy!! I highly suggest sampling if you get the chance. I feel the two scents are different enough that on my skin the two scents do not overlap each other making it easy to justify having a bottle of each. ES out of the bottle to me is darker...heavier. The patch immediately comes forward and weighs the fragrance down a bit. ES to me is dark, heavy, honey dripping orange blossom. I love it. PV always retains its floral light creaminess. I feel like it more closely resembles Lancome La Vie Est Belle and Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina because of its creaminess and floral notes. They are not the same...they just feel like they would be in the same family. I was also excited to try Estée Lauder Modern Muse. This to me is way too similar to Elie Saab. If you have one you definitely do not need the other...and ES is blended better IMO. Hope that helps!!!

This is so divine! It's not groundbreaking or original but it is extremely well blended and beautiful. It has a clean, fresh, floral scent that is sweet and somehow deep yet light at the same time. I thought this was very weak until I wore it out and realised my scent trail was radiating! It lasts a long time although it settles into a skin scent after a few hours. Up close to the skin where I spray I get more of the benzoin, honey and praline and the trail has more of the white florals present. Very interesting and enjoyable to wear. Ladylike, elegant and classy fragrance that could be worn by most ages (I would say 25 - 50) as a signature scent. It mixes very well with other fragrances in an effortless way. If you are looking for a heavy hitting, obnoxious fragrance this is not it, but if you want something that will make you smell effortlessly, naturally amazing to yourself and everyone around you then this is a great choice. I picked up a 100ml bottle for very little and it seems easy to get deals on this but it smells very expensive. You do get a hit of alcohol when you spray initially but this disappears in 5 seconds. The bottle is lovely and I would keep it for that even if I didn't love the juice! Will definitely repurchase and I want to try the others in the range now.

Place Vendome is SIMPLY STUNNING! Where has this bright and vivacious fragrance been hiding from me? This scent is mature but not to be worn only by the mature woman. It is elegant, and traditional, but not at all dated. It is refined but somehow manages to be coquettish too. PV exudes wealth and would shine at any formal affair. She would also be arrantly appropriate for a long walk on the beach at sunset with a lover, or in a conference with a client. To my nose it opened with yummy honey and orange blossom. The light shower of pepper is perfect with the Truffle, Jasmine and discreet Rose elements. The Benzoin is the perfect ingredient to add a touch of Vanilla-ish heaven, which rounds out this stellar creation. This is a perfectly balanced and well rounded fragrance. This wore well on me for about 5 hours. Sillage is moderate to slightly heavy. After wearing her several times now, I cannot imagine my fragrance collection without it! I can see another bottle of this headed my way very soon! Place Vendome is a SUPERBLY, multi faceted fragrance, in a equally astounding, multi faceted bottle. I have been searching forever, for what I would want to call my signature fragrance...Place Vendome, could just be what I have been longing for.