L'Envol de Cartier Eau de Parfum

L’Envol de Cartier is an odd one but in a very pleasing way. Mathilde Laurent charts her own path with her compositions, even when the mandate is a simple oriental structure, and I adore her for it. She steps off the typical “sweet amber woods oriental” pathway, while still maintaining direction, with the use of honey stringing from top to bottom of the perfume. It’s a lovely honey accord; clean, clear, and sweet like a simple cane sugar syrup but with just enough of a funky, earthy, waxy edge to be almost civet like in the way the old school orientals often were. All of the dusty, cloudy, yellow pollen textures in the honey have been stripped away without leaving the accord at a deficit for it. The first sprays billow the honey accord into the air with lavender, artemisia, and sage. The lavender’s very gently soapy qualities accentuate the honey’s cleanliness and translucency. The artemisia and sage providing hardened greens and cool herbal greens to make sure the sweet and soapy are kept in check. The honey begins to calm down but it is still the focal point when the lavender and greens dispense, joined in this heart layer instead with violet leaf and peppercorns. The effect is largely the same, with violet leaf’s lightweight, off-gassing chemical/fuel type accord that is notably smooth in texture, not alarming as it can often be, making sure the presentation is still energetic and transparent. The fruity, piquant, and waxy peppercorns keep the honey austere. The woody dry down is interestingly floral. Slightly scratchy-powdery from the orris and musks, with the honey still ringing true with it’s translucent floral sweetness and bending guaiac’s, vetiver’s, and patchouli’s woody and earthy dimensions to a dark woody rock rose type accord. What is L’Envol? An oriental, sure - but a sweet amber woods oriental? A floral woods oriental? A fougere-oriental cross with the soapy and herbaceous top and middle? The answer is all of the above. This doesn’t neatly slot into any modern category, particularly those categories houses aim for to shift more bottles than ideas. Which also means that the aggressively mediocre tastes of the perfume consuming public are not likely going to find themselves gravitating to it. This is sad and unfortunate, but likely been proven true since Cartier have discontinued this gem. This has been a staple of mine and my partner’s daily wearers for years. Easily wearable across seasons and occasions, and nearly always earning a question or compliment - yet no one bought it. What a shame. Its achievement of lightweight translucency and cleanliness yet with a bit of oriental richness and skank makes it pretty unique in the field. Looking at my bottles in their cabinet is a bit like looking at the last dodo birds: too alluring and interesting to resist, yet too odd to live.

★★★★1⁄2 All the current contemporary offerings in the designer spectrum produce a noise of amber and oud that makes me give up on all hope and turn to old favourites (most of them reformulated in such way that are only caricatures of their original profiles) I was in the local perfume store, trying to survive that noise, smelling new designer offerings such as the new Ferragamo Uomo or the new Le Male Essence, leaving me unimpressed and tired. The beautiful bottle of Cartier kept me in the store as I was about to leave, so I immediately went for it and sprayed it on a paper. Suddenly, there was no noise anymore, it all became silent and very clear. I was experiencing a solid concept that felt both familiar and new at the same time, casual and elegant, a moment that caught me by surprise. In a market that praises Dior's Sauvage as a modern classic, Mathilde Laurent managed to create a scent that might not be challenging or edgy, but a voice that suggests a character of its own in the fragrance field of the contemporary masculines. L'Envol (Flight or Departure in French) is an airy honey note that floats over a base of iris patchouli and Gaiac wood. It is a linear scent, although as time passes the iris is getting stronger and turns the scent more powdery while the earthy patchouli keeps the character masculine. The Gaiac wood aids in the transparency of the scent, the way pear wood acts in Dior's Higher, which is a fragrance that tried to achieve the same character (a masculine woody fresh transparent airy scent) that I personally liked, but never really loved. The airiness of the honey drenched Envol is -in my opinion- associated with a violet note that my nose detects but is not listed. If you spray Aqua Fahrenheit and smell them side by side you will notice that they share a common "breeziness" that is also evident in Burberry Touch, which in my opinion, is what makes Envol sensual and true to the "flight" concept. It's a sophisticated complex cosy blanket. Refined and easy but a product of skill and thought due to its complexity. Overall, it is a beautiful classy scent, definitely modern, not loud (which is not a bad thing) with moderate sillage and a decent longevity of 8 hours on my skin. It is definitely not a unique smell since it shares similarities with other fragrances like I mentioned, but it is definitely doing something that has kinda been done before but with impeccable execution and quality, a revisit of a concept back from the near past which is necessary in the blandness that rules the market in the present. This scent works best as an autumn or winter scent, but due to its airiness it may work in higher temperatures too, which makes it signature scent potential!

I avoided L'Envol for quite some time, having read many reviews describing it as old-fashioned and derivative. Plus, the bottle always seemed a bit gimmicky to me. When I finally did test it, though, I was pleasantly surprised and immediately charmed. If I hadn't read that there was a honey note in this, I wouldn't have identified it as such. That's not to say that L'Envol isn't a superbly mellifluous fragrance: warm, blond woods softened with a touch of powdery iris and diffused by breezy violet leaf, subtly energized with a crackle of spicy-aromatic pepper and herbs, all cushioned on a plush pillow of neutral musk. The honey sings in a clear, gently sweet tenor, suspending all the other notes in glimmering gilded light. The name is well chosen: "envol" (takeoff) comes from the French verb "s'envoler" (to fly away, to fly off, to take off), itself a pronominal derivative of "voler" (to fly). Although the bottle design suggests that Cartier was inspired by the aviatic sense of the term (imagine a dashing WWI pilot in leather bomber jacket and long white scarf), for me, it's the word's avian connotations that come to mind: the graceful swooping of a nimble, elegant bird through the dappled light of the late-afternoon woods. L'Envol is a very beautiful fragrance—I wish I'd discovered it sooner. I can see why it might come off as old-fashioned to some; there's something in the herbal floralcy that evokes men's fragrances from decades past. But this fragrance has such singular character, such dreamlike majesty. Vintage? Perhaps. Dated? Absolutely not. Just because something lies outside of the mainstream doesn’t make it démodé or tasteless. L'Envol checks all my boxes as a fraghead: unique, well-blended, ethereal, versatile, evocative, and timeless. The only category in which it is minutely lacking is performance: it has decent sillage, but only lasts 3-4 hours on me before becoming a skin scent. That said, it suits almost every season, hour, and occasion, and is deliciously genderless. The only other fragrance that bears any resemblance to L'Envol for me is Guerlain's Chamade Pour Homme, which has similarly floral-herbal-ozonic facets, but which is less sweet and peppery. And I must admit: the bottle has grown on me. It's oversized and well designed, sprays like a dream, and the interplay between the silver metal and lettering, clear glass, and golden fluid is stunning. I may have to stock up on a refill cartridge...

Elegant and versatile, smooth and soft, warm, mellow, slightly sweet scent with a hint of honey. Good for almost any occasion in autumn and colder weather in general. The scent is created by Mathilde Laurent, in-house parfymer of Cartier. I like her style, Pasha de Cartier Parfum being one of her other creations, a scent that I also like. And like music, when one likes one composer, well, one just likes the general style. The same holds true with perfumers. As I understand, the theme of this scent refers to old grand voyages involving the Orient, although I would not classify this as an oriental scent. It is not. However, there is some hint of Orient in this scent, aptly named as “departutre/takeoff” in English. In his modern classification of perfumes, Jean-Claude Ellena would probably classify this as a “Narrative” perfume, scent intended to tell a story, describing place or journey. There is certainly something, that reminds me of aviators of the old and the aforementioned grand voyages. With respect to actual scent, it opens up with a prominent hint of honey, combined with florals and woods. Then, within 30 minutes, it starts to mellow, honey losing its prominence and the scent tames down to a pleasant, mellow combination of woods, honey (still noticeable), some iris and maybe musk. All in all, I am very satisfied with this scent. It is interesting, yet not overwhelmingly curious. Considering its moderate sillage, this is a fairly safe office scent. However, I emphasise that the scent is not dull. No. I could well imagine wearing this scent to a dinner and not feel a bit unprepared for such occasion. With respect to longevity, it is good. Whole working day on my skin. As for other issues, for me, this is clearly a scent for colder weather. That means, weather that is cold enough to require a coat while walking outside. Although I have tried the scent while the weather was very warm in summer, it simply did not work out for me then. No. It felt totally out of place in warm weather. Furthermore, I would be surprised if this enjoyed enthusiasm form younger crowd, that is, those under 30 or the like, the scent may well be too sophisticated for them. In conclusion, elegant, interesting yet versatile scent for autumn and colder weather.

I've never been a huge fan of Cartier scents - I always thought they were a bit too mature and conservative for me, and honestly I think that impression was correct. I've even smelt this various time in stores and liked it but didn't love it. But after the space of many years, something drew me back to this and I decided to pull the trigger on a 100ml refill bottle which was going for cheap before they get too expensive. I'm glad I did, because this is absolutely beautiful and the first Cartier other than Declaration Parfum and Must de Cartier Pour Homme which has really spoken to me. On my skin I get a strong but not gooey or overly sweet honey note along with powdered purple flowers (iris + lavender + a strong violet impression) and musk. Decidedly anti-modern in character, this easily smells like something that could've come out in the 70s, and I love it for that. The overall impression is warm, fuzzy, soft, airy, and clean, which is exactly how I want to smell. Still sort of processing everything since I've just received it but it really goes to show you how much your tastes change on your fragrance journey. I've been seriously in the game for 10 years and I've gone through so many different phases in that time. What I initially dismissed as staid and boring when I was younger I can now recognize as a beautiful piece of olfactory artistry. This is Cartier, so the blending and the quality of the ingredients are absolutely top notch. Can't really comment on performance as of yet but my gf said the initial sprays were extremely strong and I'm getting consistent wafts off my skin. Doubt it will be a performance monster but it definitely is present. Overall, a lovely scent that I will be using quite a lot of on cool spring days!

I feel that this is my favourite offering from Cartier aside from their hard to find Private Line (I believe that was the term but not 100%). I should also state that regarding my tastes & style, Cartier is also more than likely my favourite Designer house (them or Hermes). I used to love Pasha Parfum until I smelled L'envol EDP. It reminds me a bit of Pasha Parfum but with a lot more subtle & gentlemanly characteristics & nuances from the Lavender & Iris. To my nose, it starts off sweet but far from a hard hitting Gourmand, Honey is lovely if you want sweet while not hitting people over the head with sweetness. Lavender is also more than likely my favourite note as it rings of cleanliness & sophistication, and a nice powdery Iris is such a gentleman's note & once this starts to dry down, that Iris is definitely there. Not DHI levels, but it's there. I'm also a sucker for Cedar as it gives a nice solid backbone (my favourite Cedar is in Terre D'Hermes Parfum, the spice of that one is next level to me). I can't speak on Longevity or Sillage as I just picked it up today, but I can imagine Longevity is around the 8ish hour mark & I can tell the Sillage is average or above. Also, still being new to this journey (I started last year about this time) but I definitely am catching what I'm guessing is the Artemisia & Sage mixing with the Honey, creating a very unique bitter sweet feel. The opening is very much unlike any I've ever smelled before. Definitely not blind buy worthy as it what I'd consider to be an acquired taste, but I absolutely love it.

I love you, honeybear There's a trend specially in niche to create a scent that evoques a fake sophistication and pretentiousness. I don't know why but people go crazy over that type of scent. They usually say that's "niche quality" which I don't agree at all, mainly because there isn't such thing as "niche quality". Niche means availability and price, not quality. Don't get me wrong, I love many niche fragrances and indie ones, as much as I love designer ones, as long as they smell good, are unique and well blended. But the hype around overrated niche brands these days is enormous. This Cartier is a true high quality woody fragrance and more unique that many out there (as many other fragrances from this slightly underrated brand are). This one is focused on honey and fresh violet leaves. Not a tipical combination but a successful one. It starts out very fresh and sweet with a big dose of violet leaves and ambrosia (honey). The gaiac wood is melted in the honey accord, giving a slightly creamy and woody tone to the composition. The evolution is smooth and barely exists. The fragrance become more airy, less sweet and with a touch of musk in the drydown but nothing crazy. Overall, an airy, fresh and sweet woody composition, with an aura of elegance around. Very long lasting (8+ hours), and completely unisex in opinion. It's unique, interesting, mature yet modern, and a must buy for people who apreciate Woody floral musk compositions or just want to have a great modern masculine fragrance. 5/5

Let me tell you my story of how I discovered this scent. It was a late summer night. We were out for a drink with two friends of mine after a good surf sesh. One of them was wearing this fragrance. We was chatting about the ride in a bar on the shore. The evening breeze was moving the smell of this thing around us and I was blown away. It was like the breeze makes it more alive and you feel surrounded by this gorgeous perfume. Some of you guys pointed out "delicately impressed" this is exactly how I was back then. I didn't ask the guy what he is wearing but weeks even months later I catch myself thinking of this scent and the memory of this night. Few months ago I was like "ok that's it, I'm gonna ask him what he was wearing that night almost year ago" imagine how awkward I felt typing him this question, he's not that close friend of mine... On the other side do you realise how big of a compliment my question was?! This is L'envol to me. I'm not a frag snob, collector, or a top mid base notes expert, no. I'm just a regular guy who enjoys more unique frags I guess. Now since I own it, I see what gets me about the smell. It's the honey, the violet and sometimes I catch a petrol like smell in the background. One more thing, when it's windy around you there is something herbal that goes in front makes the scent feels alive. It's beautiful and unique, I love it! 10/10

I tested it on a blotter nearly by accident: I dodn't come in the store to test that one. I had to immediately test it on skin: I have smelled a bunch of fragrances, but never one like this. The iris-violet blend reminded immediately of Prada L'Homme. But where Prada made just a mainstream frag for young boys (with a boring pastry vanilla), Cartier managed to create a piece of history, for confident men. More mature women may also think of wearing L'Envol assuming it fits their personality, but I'd suggest the EDT over the EDP in that case. This EDP has good projection in the first 4 to 5 hours, then settles as a skin scent. I can still clearly smell it after 15 hours... This is simply fantastic and really unique in my opinion. For a confident 30+ professional, L'Envol during the day, and Fahrenheit in the evening. This is a masterpiece. At current prices, it's a steal. Merci Madame Laurent! 30+ men, Fall/Spring days (possibly evenings). Edit: the more I smell it, the more I fall in love. The blend honey/iris/guaiac wood/violet is simply masterful. Good projection and great longevity: What else? Also: refills can currently be bought for less than $30 shipped... (no need for the fancy bottle if you only care about the juice, the refill is fully functionnal by itself! only difference: it cannot stand vertical... who cares?)

The first time I tried L'envol EDP, I was in a luxury mall with stores that have almost all of the high-end, luxury fragrance brands. I had tried maybe 50 different fragrances before this one, my nose was tired and simply off after trying many fragrances. But even in that condition, this fragrance instantly caught my attention. It rarely happens to me to be attracted to a fragrance this much. This is an absolutely amazing fragrance. This fragrance easily beats most of the niche or luxury fragrances from the creativity of scent, quality of ingredients, and even bottle design. It is a very well-blended, and refined fragrance. I truly appreciate Mathilda, the perfumer of this fragrance, who tried to go beyond the limitation of marketing in a designer house and create something novel. This fragrance is centered around the note of honey. The note of honey is presented from top to bottom and all other notes play around this central note. It's totally unisex with good longevity and a good projection. A perfect office scent and a signature scent. 9/10

L'Envol EDP is a love for me. I'm seeing a lot of reviewers that said it had to grow on them over time but I really enjoyed this from the first wearing. Some other reviewers are saying this is an updated, upscale version of Stetson. I'm not really seeing the resemblance. Stetson has this slightly sweet, powdery combination going on that I don't mind but my wife absolutely cannot stand. L'envol is sweeter and doesn't have the powdery feel so much for me. Though it has quite a bit of sweetness it still has thin, airy sillage to it and not thick and cloying. It's fairly sweet, floral, woody and fresh. It's well blended so specific notes don't really jump out for me. It seems fairly original to me, doesn't immediately remind me of anything else. I see this working as well for a woman as for a man. With three sprays I can still pick it up after the 12 hour mark. A classy, well done bottle as always with Cartier too. I highly recommend L'Envol, another home run fragrance from Cartier for me like Santos and Declaration.

Have to be honest, first spray and I was wondering what the hell i’d done blind buying 100ml of this. It leant feminine and too sweet on me. The violet was overpowering and I was thinking about putting it on eBay or FB marketplace. However, after about 15-20 minutes, L’envol fully comes into a class of its own. Elegant, sophisticated, unique, and more masculine, but could easily be worn by women who like powdery frags. The honey, woods and violet combine wonderfully to create a creamy vibe. 4 hours in and I’m unsure if it’s my skin, but this seems to have become more prominent. The musk also seems to come alive with the violet still leading the way. Projection is moderate. I’d imagine with a bit of spring warmth, this’ll radiate beautifully round the office tomorrow. Overall, a wonderfully blended, high-quality scent. My first from Cartier and, somehow, I don’t think it’ll be the last. Big lesson for me today - don’t judge things too quickly. I’m glad I found this.

L’Envol is a fragrance that strays from the obvious. It is not a perfume to impress at first spray, but rather to be discovered little by little. Its introspective, soft and warm aura makes it almost meditative, with a serene and intellectual elegance. It is perfect for men who value discreet sophistication, personality and depth. A perfume with soul, concept and impeccable execution. L’Envol de Cartier is for those who seek to break away from the ordinary and explore fragrances with purpose, richness and lightness. An inner flight with a fragrance of contemplation. Score: 9/10 L’Envol de Cartier EDP has moderate projection — it makes its presence felt without being invasive, remaining elegant and discreet. Its longevity is above average, lasting easily 7 to 9 hours on the skin, with the amber and honeyed base extending comfortably and envelopingly. Ideal for mild or cold climates, in formal environments or occasions when silence is worth more than shouting.

What a beautiful unusual fragrance that within ten minutes of smelling the sample I just had to purchase this. Lovely fresh airy honey and woods with hints of iris and violet on a bed of patchouli. It's light and bewitching and the smooth honey musk just has your head spinning. The beauty of this fragrance is how it develops on your skin. After the honey musk recedes and the woody notes come to the forefront a beautiful violet accord just blooms from the composition and becomes the star of the show. The whole scent is enveloped in this airy breeze that just surrounds you with a gorgeous cloud of a hazy violet accord. It's smooth, bewitching, classy and simply stunning! Now it lasts for several hours or so and totally worth it. Perfect for a evening out to a restaurant or a night on the town. The bottle is a real beauty too. Have not smelled anything like this, so refreshing when a scent comes along and renews your faith in fragrances. Love it!

I've been collecting and testing for a while and it's hard to find a fragrance that surprises me because of its character anymore..., but then, I got this. This is a fragrance that doesn't pretend to be modern or doesn't need a fancy commercial that makes the watcher feel like a man, nope, this is a fragrance that plays on a different level. I do consider it unisex, mainly because I think matching genres to scents is kinda silly, but also because I could picture an elegant woman wearing this...and me complimenting her on it, same way that I wore this and my wife complimented me on it. Its powdery and the honey and the iris play a beautiful symphony on your skin, it's soft but not forgivable, it's like walking into a jazz bar where a soloist piano is playing, it's drinking good scotch because you like it...not to make others think you do. I recommend this, a ton, I'm not a huge Cartier fan but dang it, I love this thing.

Whatever you do, dont judge this on the opening. I like the green (and a slight Farenheit vibe) opening but this fragrance changes after 20 minutes. L'Envol is an elegant scent with moderate projection after the dry down that is a balance a refined sweet earthiness. It reminds me of smell of honeydew in a forest in summer while in the background is a slight odour of decaying leaves and ferns in the undergrowth, and I love it. While this could be a signature scent, I would definely reserve this for dates and events where you want to be the person with a very classy scent that doesnt overpower the person sitting near you. It is unisex and I would like this on a women because it is so appealing to me. It you like my description then you will like this fragrance. There is a little bit of the Pasha DNA in this, but not in a redundant way. In fact, if Pasha was your signature scent, this would compliment your collection.

I find this as a gorgeous floral scent for a man and a great office scent as well. It has this subtle but masculine scent trail. Very manly and elegant. Somehow there's a faint vibe to it that's familiar to my nose, although they're not the same, I thought it was Dior Fahrenheit maybe because of the violet leaf note. It was a blind buy for me and I can't be any happier. I got a small 30 ml bottle and that's good enough for me to add to my modest collection and wear from time to time. Best for cooler weather, any time of the day. Probably this caters more to gentlemen 30+ Performance and longevity are just about right for the price point. A must for hobbyist and collectors imho. I’ll give this wonderful juice a 9/10 “Let us spread the scents of peace and kindness. The two most beautiful fragrance in the world that will cost you nothing and will get you a totally different kind of compliments” 🙏

Elegant, subtle, refined, slightly woody-floral, it looks like a perfect early spring fragrance, although you can play with it in any season. It forces you to be a little more elegant, starting from smart-casual up to super elegant. Honey, although predominant, is more aerated and quickly gives way to guaiac wood and iris. Even if the opening is noisy, in 10 minutes it calms down and becomes like a cloud around you, without projecting. It is designed to attract attention through subtlety. Similar "behavior" we found it to Prada L'Homme but a bit more elegant. It needs to be understood, worn a few times until it resonates with you. It's not the "bubble gum" genre or the Armani code profumo / Dior Homme genre that captivates anyone from the first second. P. S .: For warmer days I recommend the EDT version, which gives you a lemonade sensation with honey and sparkling water.

I’ve been meaning to write about this fragrance for years, and now, as my 9 ml travel-size bottle is almost gone, I finally feel I have to. The scent is very linear from start to finish. On first spray, it opens with a rich blend of florals and berries mingled with honey, reminiscent of a special variety of blueberry preserved in honey. The base is musky and slightly soapy, giving the composition a soft, clean finish. It combines a sense of vintage perfume complexity with the precision and neatness of contemporary perfumery. To my taste, the fragrance leans slightly feminine, though it remains approachable as a unisex scent. Even though I like to think I’ve smelled nearly a thousand scents, this one is truly unique. It’s a shame that this distinctive fragrance has been discontinued, though I suppose it’s not entirely surprising. Rating: 7.5/10

I like this and as a woman, I’d certainly wear this. Although it’s a warm scent, it still manages to be clean and reminds me of a luxury adult bubble bath that I have. There’s an almond scented Lush bubble bar that reminds me of this too. It’s really delicious and soothing. A creamy, spicy, clean, smooth-chewy-marzipan, Oriental and unisex scent. A niche quality treat from Cartier. I’m really tempted to get a full bottle. Edit: So I discovered the original scent card a few months later (after wondering what the amazing smell was and where it was coming from) and it was still smelling wonderful. So I had to buy myself the largest bottle of the parfum and I’m smitten. It’s perfect in these cold winter months. It’s not too strong, not too sweet, enchantingly woody and absolutely unisex. It’s a balanced blend of perfection and I love it.