La Panthere

This is like the little black dress of perfumery that can be worn a thousand ways... To start with, imagine that deep in the heart of a dark & mossy forest, you're having a picnic with champagne, strawberries & whipped-cream. This is all about oakmoss, musk & gardenia with a faint fruity top note accent. Oakmoss is present from the start here, which powers the trail, and gardenia is multi-faceted with powdery, green, creamy, honey & faint fruity tones. The musk is listed as an animalic musk in the write-up, and although there's an animalic quality I don't get civettone per se. This actually gets more and more beautiful as it's drying down, it softens to where I get the creamy quality and fruity quality more. If you're a fan of classic perfumery, and old school chypres, you will probably appreciate this classic with a twist. I would put it in a class with favourites like Diva Emanuel Ungaro, Paloma Picasso, and the more recent Agent Provocateur Agent Provocateur (although it's not identical to any of these). A little goes a long way here (one spray), as with most classic chypres, and generates the most beautiful sillage. These type of chypres I haven't always had the confidence to wear out, but more recently I've discovered just how amazing and versatile they can be. For a more gourmand wear, I like one spray of this as a base for a creamy strawberry gourmand like Strawberry Ice Cream Demeter, or layering one spray of this over Strawberry Cheesecake Bodycology. On it's own, one spray works with sneakers and a jean jacket, while 2 or 3 sprays delivers a dark, daring, formal, evening-wear, vampire-like quality. It definitely can do a lot of things, just like the LBD. Love it, 10/10. Contrst to La Panthere EDT Cartier: These are different, and the EDP is much bolder, sweeter and has the strawberry accent, while the EDT is much more floral (although there's a trace of the EDP in the EDT). Both have good performance but the EDP is stronger. Contrast to Paloma Picasso Paloma Picasso: These are different, but there are similarities with both being classic chypres. La Panthere is a lot sweeter & creamier, while Paloma Picasso is a lot more animalic. Both have excellent performance. Contrast to Agent Provocateur Agent Provocateur: These are different, but there are similarities with both having a creamy floral heart and an earthy base with leather facets. La Panthere is a lot sweeter with a gardenia heart, strawberry accent and oakmoss base, while Agent Provocateur is a creamy rose-leather with saffron accent and musk-vetiver base. Both have excellent performance. Update 04/02/25: Sprayed this on this morning and noticed it has gotten a lot sweeter & creamier, as well as the strawberry is coming more forward. The sweetness is honey-like & creamy. Love it.

I really wanted a bottle of La Panthère , and by that ,I mean I wanted THE bottle of La panthere . I found the bottle design breathtakingly beautiful and unique. So when I glimpsed the Eau de Parfum on marketplace for $30 and 3/4 full ...I jumped on it. I almost didn’t care if I liked the perfume or I didn’t, in fact ,I was convinced that I would probably hate it. Anyhow, I got the perfume and I sat in my car and I sprayed it ,and at first I was ...oh no, I’m not gonna be able to handle this ,and then all of a sudden, as if the very gates of heaven were opening, I found myself smiling. It was if somebody was giving me a warm hug . It made me wonder if through all the hundreds of perfumes that I have sampled ,on a journey in search of an experience that I had when I was very young ,a destination might have been reached. Perfumes like the original Anais,the original Nirmala by Molinard , Fracas and my signature scent, my love, the original angel all sent me somewhere very unique and pleasurable. I cannot even explain to you what note it was that captured me ,although I suspect it was the tuberose , if it’s even in there. It was so well blended and so dynamic and so ethereal ,as it sat on my skin , one small spray on each arm ,it filled my car with this gorgeous floral ,just a hint of spice , an otherworldly warm ,angelic scent. I couldn’t believe that I had been transformed once again. I have been searching for something that really moves me ,that is evocative of something that I can’t even put my finger on , for a very long time. The next morning, I made my coffee ,and there it was again, as a whisper of a warm delicious musk . This perfume evolved through all of those hours , in the most amazing way ,as if to say no no, our affair is not over. Had Cartier bottled it in a Windex bottle , I would have bought it. Now, I am extremely excited to try both the toilette and the parfum version. I don’t know why I can’t leave well enough alone , ..,.an addict, an explorer , call me what you may. I’m sure this perfume is not for everyone , just like angel was not for everyone and doubly with Fracas or God forbid Michael. It is however one hundred percent for me . I was in search of a bottle, a trinket, a bit of beauty in this sometimes so ugly world , and instead It gave me an experience that I have been in search of for a very long time . I encourage anyone to give it a try ,if only for having another beautiful bottle on your vanity. Do not judge her for initially slapping you in the face, spend the night with her and see if she whispers in your ear. This bottle, may be the only bottle on my vanity for quite a while.

This is an excellent example of a modern chypre which is so easily wearable and timeless. I've wanted La Panthere for a while, I always stole spritzes from testers in shops whenever I passed it and I always stashed blotters I'd sprized with it because I just cant get enough of the elegance it exudes. The bottle is simply stunning; its thick, heavy glass construction feels solid and satisfying, the integrated atomiser produces an excellent mist and the many facets within the bottle make it look like a panther, as a cat lover, I REALLY love this bottle! But, it isnt just about the bottle, its what it contains thats important and as usual, Mathilde Laurent has done an excellent job. The opening is a huge, loud burst of various fruits, except its not sweet, its rather sour and feels very "real" with rhubarb being the most noticable note in the opening, the sour snap begins to settle after about 10 minutes and a warm, lush gardenia and orange blossom combo starts to emerge. I can just about smell some ylang ylang tempering the edges of the white florals before it morphs into a sumptuous, alluring musk. I have to agree with people however that have pointed out that it reminds them of Narciso (white cube), except La Panthere is less woody and feels more rounded, I actually dare say (as a huge NR fan) its better than Narciso to my nose, its less peircing and more soft, the gardenia-musk then settles to become a soft, almost skin-musk scent on my skin. The longevity is excellent, I'm at the 6hr mark but, La Panthere is still present and noticable, the silage is also excellent, its quite strong after initally applying but quickly softens and become more aura-like, its sexy, alluring but I also don't find it hard to wear or feel like I'm too young for it (I'm 24 for reference), I'm currently wearing it with jeans and a t-shirt and I don't feel like its too much or out of place, its like it enhances how I naturally smell; your skin but better. It could work well in a professional setting, but I would use caution if you work in a very enclosed environment due to how polarizing and strong this is. I picture someone like Dr Suzannah Lipscombe wearing this or a really knowledgable, confident museum or art gallery curator. Its excellent to wear smart-casually or for more formal occasions as well as for nights out. Personally, because I love how La Panthere makes me feel, I couldn't just save it for special occasions, its so damn amazing and it makes even running to the supermarket feel like a glamourous experience. For sure repurchase worthy!

Polarizing and fierce! I wear this when I want to annoy people. I love her Gardenia with Oakmoss and dried fruits personally. Most people have no idea what great perfumery is. They either think it is about smelling like a soliflore flower, a fruit cake or some dessert. I have more evolved taste. I love complexity. I always have. This is one of the Alphas of complex perfumery! The general population just cannot take her. She is not a crowd pleaser...but then the woman who wears her will not be a crowd pleaser either. She is the one who could give a damn about what others think. She does not live for approval by others. She is the Alpha female. Much like the woman who wears Coco, Diva, No. 19 or Shalimar as her signatures. An Alpha female is the woman who will call you out. She will also support you. She will also be the one who continually invests in herself. She has her own swagger. She is one from whom others need approval. They just wait for her to notice and compliment them. Yet they never compliment her. She could care less. She knows who she is. Her best friends are usually men since her mentality is closer to theirs. The Alphas are the ones attacked by the lesser females. It is suvival of the fittest. The Alpha female will win even if she does not want to fight at all. She is more intuitive, intelligent and steps ahead. She knows what makes people tick. She sees all possible outcomes from the moment she meets the lessers. She makes her move and the lessers never see their demise coming. She is not part of clique. She often lives with her man who is also an Alpha in a sanctuary far away from the chaos and cattiness. She will have fabulous friends but not too many. Quality is better than quantity. One of the Alphas of perfumery is La Panthere. She will be tested and she will be victorious. She is perfect in all her complexity. She is womanly yet she has a somewhat masculine facet just like the woman who wears her. She is the spectacular Panther, Queen of the Jungle. She walks alone except when mating or when she has cubs. She has pride...and she is fierce. Time will tell one day....La Panthere will become one of the Grand Dames of perfumery.

I recently reviewed La Panthère Le Parfum, meaning to smell the original again for comparison. I had forgotten how good this is. It is a beautifully composed, fruity modern chypre, whereas Le Parfum is a more polarising scent - a simpler, stronger, 1980s-style, apricot-heavy chypre. They clearly share the same DNA, however. Some of the individual notes don't appeal to me on paper (looking at you, rhubarb, strawberry and dried fruits!), but they make for a sublime combination. The fruity notes are realistic and perfectly balanced - adding just the right amount of sweetness. There is a tartness to the opening that mellows beautifully as it develops. LP opens with tart bergamot and rhubarb, which are shortly joined by freshly sweet strawberry and aromatic dried fruits. I'm not a fruity scent lover, but this opening is excellent and unusual - a far cry from the synthetic, syrupy fruit cocktail that seems to permeate current sweet scents. The floral notes creep in after a little while, forming a rich, sweet bouquet. The white florals are lush and sweet, while powdery rose rounds it out. The juicy, sweet pear note keeps things fruity before the drydown. The drydown is beautiful - mossy, chypre goodness. It is one of the nicest modern chypre drydowns I have smelled, featuring a delicious, old-fashioned oakmoss note (I'm unsure of its status, being restricted, but it smells real), along with the perfect amount of earthy patchouli. It becomes animalic is it fades, mossy until the end. Sillage and longevity are both decent. It smells feminine to my nose, and is best worn during autumn/winter. Beautiful from initial spray to final fade, this scent is distinctive yet wearable, featuring many points of interest. Cohesive yet complex, Mathilde Laurent really can do no wrong. I really enjoyed Le Parfum, but this EDP is my preference. I need a full bottle. 4.5/5.