Rimbaud

I am working my way through my Celine discovery set, and it has been such a treat so far. The perfumes are consistently excellent, and are in keeping with the style of the house, incidentally one of my favourites. Understated but beautifully-composed, they are utterly chic. Rimbaud is no exception. A lavender-iris-vanilla marvel, this is compelling from its opening. It is an unusual combination of notes in my experience, but works really well here. It is most reminiscent of Chanel Jersey to me, but this is more iris-forward. Rimbaud opens with a bright, bracing lavender note, aromatic and realistic, bringing to mind Provençal lavender fields. Some citrus enhances the freshness nicely, but is not the focal point. I love lavender, but it feels quite masculine to me when prominently featured in perfume. Not in this case. The lavender here grabs the attention before mellowing into a smooth, powdery orris-lavender accord. As it develops, smooth white florals emerge, adding body and enhancing the iris-lavender accord. The white florals are softly sweet, with neroli giving it a soft orange nuance. Some powdery vanilla emerges as it dries down, complemented nicely by dry, woody notes. Sillage and longevity are moderate. It is a unisex, year-round daytime scent. A deceptively simple scent that is as cohesive as it is compelling, Rimbaud is beautifully-composed. Refined yet relaxed, sensual yet breezy, unusual yet wearable, this is French elegance, bottled. Another gem from Celine. 4.5/5.

Yes, Rimbaud is being discontinued, as confirmed to me in an email from Celine. New discovery sets are being made without it. Me, being smitten with almost all of their fragrances that I tested, and realizing that the notes of Rimbaud sound dreamy, ordered a bottle immediately. I kind of expected to return it (they always send a sample of the fragrance you bought), because with the amount of perfumes I have, my standards to add to the collection are very, very strict these days. Nope. Celine has done it again to me. Their unmistakable DNA is me in a bottle. This gorgeous orris/vanilla motif that is present in all of their perfumes, and that makes Celine fragrances absolutely unmistakable, is here as well. Rimbaud is such a gorgeous take on Lavender. It is, perhaps, one of the few feminine leaning lavenders, or at least the one that doesn't scream "Men's". Incredibly soft and calming scent, a bit sweet. The absolute best part is the first 20 minutes or so, when the lavender is the strongest... like a sweet lavender tea with milk a a touch of lemon zest. I wish this stage lasted longer! Overall though, it is VERY long lasting. This gorgeous, lightly smokey lavender (yes, it is still very much detectable in the drydown)/vanilla/orris is eternal.

Much lovelier than I expected or first experienced even at the initial spray. It opened as a pleasant, slightly sweet combination of Bois D'Argent and Eau Noire. The lavender note is the same herbal, green, slightly candied note found in Eau Noire (totally minus the immortelle, coffee, etc.). This rests upon the orris root, Iso E Super/Ambroxan/Dry woods accord of Bois D'Argent. This is all undergirded by a dry, sweet vanilla. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, though, and the final drydown is an addictive mix of vanilla, lavender, amber, orris, woods that wafts a beautiful sillage that is delicious but never too sweet. I get the comparison to the "ur-vanilla-lavender fragrance" that is Caron PUH, but this is woodier, more ambery, and smoother and not quite as powdery and opaque. Going through my travel spray quickly. Edited to add: I've been wearing this almost exclusively for a week or so now and I find it a really beautiful, accessible, and still interesting "easy reach." The far drydown that lingers on shirts is a crisp, sweet lavender tonka that is just beautiful.

Rimbaud is perhaps the most calming fragrance that I've ever sprayed in my life. It is on the sweeter side of the Celine offerings, which I love. I would rate it the second sweetest after Zouzou. The opening of the bright citrusy lavender and sweet florals is exceptional. Just when you think it is gone, you get a faint whiff of an airy, cool, dimensional vanilla. The lavender is more of an earthy supporting role, vs. a full on blast. On par with usual Celine performance, but this is so special I don't mind decanting into a travel bottle and applying a few times per day, or just overspraying. It also smells amazing on clothes... 200ml bottle worthy- I regret not getting this ahead of other Celine offerings... This should be rated much, much higher.

This is the first “your skin but better” scent that has actually lived up to the your skin but better idea. The blast of neroli and lavender are intense at first spray, but what I end up with is a soft delicate cloud of vanilla lavender citrus goodness that floats around me and lingers on clothes. I have gotten compliments with this. It’s sweet but not gourmand sweet. For such a tender fragrance this has surprising lasting power, even in the summer heat. This is full year worthy, full bottle worthy. I think it can be worn casually but absolutely feels chic enough to dress up. I can’t wait to see how it performs in the dead of winter. So happy I have this in my collection.

Lavender is my favorite flower and note and I’ve been looking for the perfect lavender perfume, so when I knew about Rimbaud, had to get it. Not the lavender I’m looking for, however it’s such a beautiful, light, baby, citrusy without being overwhelming, calming scent and I love it so much. Heard it’s getting discontinued but it’s still easy finding at Celine stores in Japan. For me, this is the son of Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino with O Boticário’s Thaty, two of my favorite fragrances that now have a third. On my skin, projects beautifully and lasts a decent amount of time.

The opening and initial lavender hit is very reminiscent of Pour un homme, but this calms down relatively quickly. What comes next for me is the orris and vanilla, and I was very quickly reminded of the 2014 reformulation of Helmut Lang's Cologne. Very gentle musk-like scent, with the sweetness of the vanilla and a now quieter lavender still present. Very nice, dandy-like indeed, but a bit redundant in my view if you own one (or both) of the fragrances mentioned above. Fits well within the existing Céline line though.

@xxdarkstarxx, I think I read that they are discontinuing this fragrance. Like you, I went back and forth for what felt like forever, should I buy it, is it worth the expense, etc. I finally broke down and got it. There's something about this fragrance that is so comforting to me, and on the days that I crave it, I'm absolutely SO HAPPY that I own it. I reach for it more frequently than I thought I would!

Beautifully blended unisex lavender. Photorealistic lavender right out of the bottle. 20 minutes in, the lavender melts down into the mid/base notes and I find it smells like a dry lavender biscuit on me. Very comforting scent and is one of my easy crowd-pleasing grabs when I don't know which scent I'm really in the mood for. Also love these Celine bottles!

Really like this stuff! Like others have said, it’s essentially a powdery lavender and vanilla scent. Nice and airy. I think 4 sprays would be perfect for this one. Two on the neck and two on the chest. Pretty unisex but I’d say leans a little more feminine, so this isn’t a scent for guys who aren’t secure in their sexuality and masculinity. ;)

photorealistic fresh lavender scent : reminds of the time I was in huge lavender on top of the mountain in Tasmania. Love how the vanilla is not that obvious because it can be distracting or take away from lavender. Performance is tragic especially for the price point : it's shockingly short living.

Remarkably similar to Pour Un Homme but ten times more pricey Today I spayed one on each arm. There difference is only in the first twenty minutes, with the lavender of Rimbaud being more natural smelling and more effusive whilst being less screechy. But the dry down is 100% identical to my nose.

The best lavender to ever exist. Fresher than Caron, thanks to the modern touch from neroli and citruses and a less vanillic base, less sweet than TF Lavender Extreme. Moderate performance but with a few sprays can definitely smell whiffs from morning to evening.

I am so sad that Rimbaud is being discontinued. This fragrance is shunned because of the herbal opening, but those patient enough for the drydown know the unspoken beauty of the soft vanilla combined with that buttery smooth orris note Celine is known for.

This fragrance has the most sensationally beautiful soft herbal vanilla dry down. The trouble is I have to bury my nose in my wrist to smell it. What a bummer. Absolutely not worth the price. I freaking bought a bottle anyway.

powdery vanilla and photorealistic lavender. absolutely beautiful. very airy but has surprisingly good longevity. you can smell the lavender for hours after applying. tied for my favorite celine frag with black tie.

A lovely and distinguished, soft fougere centered around a beautiful lavender. Fresh, subtle and cold. A little too transparent and airy for me but it's certainly enjoyable.

I know nothing about Rimbaud the man, but I like to think I know a little about fragrance, (although that's debatable) this is a very fine lavender. How ever that is conjured, maintained, sustained, created or circumstances leading to the curation of fine lavender material, whatever is going on here the lavender note itself is superior. I would say I don't like a lavender centric perfume and yet it's the basis of fougere's and other predominantly masuline fragrances which I love. Also two which spring to mind, and I find to be clever lavender's are Eau noire and Frederic Malle's Music for a while, two perfumes you wouldn't imagine a non lavender lover would hold in such high regard, but the instant I smelled Rimbaud I left the lavender possessed a certain inimitable quality. Then the softening of the top notes, a fresh bergamot or something? and the pominent lavender dying back into a creamy, white floral wax. It's no where near as cologne, neroli/petitgrain or perhaps big jasmine as you might think, Rimbaud mainly leans on the lovely materials of Nightclubbing namely Orris butter and musk. Now if this was some indy sticking orris in everything as some sort of opulent, signature, calling card, I might cry...'Cheat!' that's cheating everyone loves orris butter, a quick way to phone in luxury, appeal and general thickness. However, here in Celine it appears to be done with great skill and subtlety, masking itself from view and having real development, I haven't checked but I'm assuming they all contain this lovely, creamy thread? Not a bad signature and reminiscent of the arts and materials line from Guerlain and the perpetual custard vanilla. Rimbaud is not quite on par with the lightness of Chanel's Boy or the creativity of Music for a while, however it's more interesting than the reference in this genre, Caron Homme, which is a really lovely vibe between vanilla and lavender. It's nice. I mean is nice good enough at this price? That's upto you, but if you crave those uncluttered aesthetics, and a bit of luxury without the bells and whistles, gold shit and baubles then Celine is a good option for you.

Wow this is one of the most beautiful and soft uses of lavender that I have come across. I love the combo with the iris and vanilla. Fleeting is a (sadly) perfect way to describe this. I see so many negative reviews for Celine’s HP line but personally have fallen in love with almost every scent I have tried from the discovery set. They (to this point) have all been very soft with intimate projection and Rimbaud is no exception. The bright spotlight that the neroli / citrus points on the dry and herbaceous lavender in the opening is so fresh. (I also want to point out how soft and delicately the neroli is used here...not brash or soapy.) The transition into the powdery, fluffy “vanilla / iris +” combo that Celine seems to do so beautifully is quick. The rest of the wear envelopes you in a cloud of exactly that...slightly sweet vanilla, smooth powdery iris with hazy lavender and tendrils of white floral. It’s close to skin, but I still catch ephemeral wisps of it (which of course I wish for more of). Understated elegant perfume that’s pricey and not for someone looking for a “beast mode’ perfume. Easily unisex although leans a bit feminine despite lavender being more typically masculine. A beautiful and comforting day dream of a perfume.

Straightforwardly enjoyable, wholesome, naturalistic lavender. Like a big sheaf of dried lavender hanging in a French farmhouse. Not even remotely metallic as lavender can often be in perfume, just soft and centre-ing. The softness is down to a perfectly-blended orris root in the Celine house style — buttery, fine powder, slightly woody — with heliotrope and the tiniest smidgen of vanilla that never oversteps the focus on lavender. There's nothing here like the back-and-forth between lavender and vanilla of Jicky , for example. Almost purely aromatic-floral, a celebration of traditional lavender, with a subtle white floral twist buoyed by smoky neroli in the opening and that super-soft base. For some Rimbaud may struggle to escape natural lavender's dried flower/pot pourri association (or laundry day for French people) but I think it's close to perfection.