C'est la Fete Patchouli

Usually when I write about fragrances I dont get very excited because the notes are not interesting or the overall concept is banal and you all know a bunch of reasons for us to be bored about perfumary. Anyway, I swaped this fragrance with a dear fragrantica and I wasnt expecting mutch actually as when a perfume has "OMG" and "BUY THIS" reviews I usually dont like it at all and never understand the wow thing about it. With C'est la fête patchouli I had an amazing surprise so I'm going to work my english and try to do a decent review about it. Lets start with the bottle. The desing of the glass bottle and the cap are extremely delicate, reminds us of some mermaid tresure, the contrast between the colors is also beautifull: purple, baby blue and gold. Christian Lacroix used once again his Barroc vision to create the bottle. As a lover of Lolita Lempicka's bottle, I think that next to Ces La Fete's they look a little bit kitch - CLF bottle is a perfect way to incorporate a chic and a cheap design and make it work in a very perfect harmony. Love it! The scent. The scent is amazing, dark, masculine, seductive, misterious... CLFP starts with a burts of lemon and bergamot sweetness, a smoky fragrance that is very alluring but in a dark vampiric way. This would be a great perfume for the lovers of gothic style. After a couple of minutes CLFP develops to a woody scent that reminds me a little bit of playdoh, this scent is misleading because its also the big burst of the resin. In this stage the perfume is very herbal too, I dont fully understand why most people dont wear this in summer (nights) I think its actually a really amazing fragrance to work with the heat because its so herbal (not fresh, herbal). Its almost yes a masculine fragrance and as some people said it does reminds me of Obsession Night for Men, but I guess this perception only exists because women are to used to smell sandalwood on men so we associate it immediatly with a masculine perfume. I love sandalwood so this dont bother me at all. Gladly I cant smell my archy enimy jasmin what is a relief for me. I dont even know if I can smell the heliotrop because on my skin CLFP works very woody and smoky. After an hour or two this sandalwood vibe calms down as the Tonka Bean warms up the fragrance and the Patchouli turns more obvious to me. The heat of the skin and the Tonka Bean softens the fragrance and then CLFP works out very sexy, como closer like and less less smokier. I love the three stages of CLFP and I think its a great fragrance for a vintage lover as for a lover of woody/smoky fragrances like I am. Better than many expensive brands around the market. Give it a try, after all you cannot expect less than good from a haute couture genious like Lacroix even if the perfume is made by Avon. Sillage: Very Big - Caution Longevity: Last all day Personality: A Vampire Queen in a black lace wedding gown. 8.5/10 Oh and BUY IT!!!!! :D

I've been looking forwards to this one since its release. The notes sound promising, and I quite found of the bottle design as well. C`est la Fete Patchouli doesn't disappoint me. I think I am very lucky that my skin goes so well with this scent. I don't find it too much fruity notes in the opening or too strong for daily use. The whole construction, as to me, is well-done. It starts with the fruity notes, some sweet mandarin or berries. They are not very juicy, no sickening-sweet, perhaps because the fruity phrase is so brief that doesn't have chance to show itself fully. It got “smashed” by patchouli & woody notes very quickly. Patchouli in China doesn't relate to Hippy movement. It's wide used in Chinese medicine to cure gastric illness and sunstroke. Its scents makes people feel cool, sober and comfort, so it's the feeling that C`est la Fete Patchouli gave to me. Unlike mono-themed patchouli scent, this one smells rounded and warm, almost like sweet cozy amber, with the help of tonka bean; while it has great depth because of the existence of Sandalwood and Cedar, thought I scarcely notice them at first. The staying power is great. a spray lasts almost all day even after a shower, I can still get its faint woody base. An interesting thing is the hardly-noticed woody base. It appears first with the patchouli, but soon nowhere to find, I can only smell its sweetened patchouli. However, when I took shower, the skin where i sprayed the scent got hot water, the sandalwood roared immediately. Very surprised with this well-hided woody base!

Oooh, this cheeky little number has bags of character & is far removed from all the candyfloss fragrances out there - an enjoyable romp through the dark & smokey side of warm & earthy scents. You'll have to dig the patchouli vibe to get into this scent as it kicks off with one hell of an opener - dry as a bone bergamot, patchouli & Marrakech market resins.....it had the same knock-out effect on my skin as Strip! Luckily ClFP settles down quickly & after the initial patchouli-herbal blast has shocked your senses you can sit down & relax into rich resins, ambers & woods coated in a smooth, buttery caramel....not very sweet, but rich & creamy enveloped by a fluffy blanket of heliotrope. I don't get even a whiff of jasmine & no harsh citrus notes, just a touch of candied peel. The best bit is after an hour or so when you are left with a wash of the softest amber. This is DELICIOUS.....I am reminded of Ambre Precieux & other amber greats but with a touch of incense. Oriental floral? Surely not! Oriental spicy vanilla all the way. Not an easy one to pull off, but addictive, unique & comforting with good sillage & longevity.

Rating - Signature This was a blind buy. Bargain on clearance... Well... before buying it I just checked this page, read reviews, notes... Now that I have it I couldn't wait to try it out. The bottle is cute. So first spray... and this frag welcomes me with potent woody/patchouli smell. I thought Strip. Then I thought - cathedral. Smoke, incense and Angel. Yeah that. I am just blown away and happy that I bought it really. It's a true find nowadays. It settles down a bit but still has this incense-y aura and pine-y & lemon sweet under note to it with patchouli. Cool, reminds me of old streets of capital city in my country, I miss it. I will probably buy more if I will be able.

I bought this online and "untried" as it was less than a third of its original price and I was looking for something earthy and rich and liked the look of the notes and the good reviews here. The initial reaction after the first spray was...strong! But this quickly mellowed into a lovely gentle floral scent with a very subtle patchouli background. I've now been wearing it for 8 hours and the base notes are so subtle and warm. My husband came home during the middle stages and the first thing he said was "what's that lovely smell". I've been looking for a new signature for a while and I think...in moderation..this may be it!

Fabulous. Beautiful, adorable patchouli. It's really really gorgeous. Absolutely such lovely patchouli, with citrus and gorgeous heliotrope - so scrumptious. I love love love it. It's so creamy, smooth, herby and sweet; soft and rounded, so mellow. At the very start it's quite a blast of patchouli and citrus, but it quickly softens, mellows and becomes very comfortable, resiny and comforting. I love the contrast. It's an enriching and wonderful perfume, which lasts so well, and has many admirers - my husband number 1, and generally everyone else I come into contact with. It's wonderful. Beautiful beautiful patchouli!

When spraying the atomizer is not overly sensitive so i got a puddle of perfume on my wrist. Braced my self for a rush of spicy strong hippie smell but really got something warm and cozy in the same fashion that Neonatura by Yves R's patchouli has. Comfy just hinting at the mystic strength some patchouli scents have. I don't get vanilla but the resins and jasmine are at a really nice quite strength. Was expecting something with dark raging attitude but actually got level headed open mindedness. Wearing this sipping a good cup of tea may just become a frequent past time of mine.

This smells so much more expensive that what I bought for a slightly used bottle on ebay. At first spray, I thought "oh no" because the citrus was so strong! I thought I may have bought a disaster. But the middle and drydown is, imho, divine! I couldn't believe it when I thought I smelled like I was wearing Coromandel, one of my favorites, and when I woke up the next morning smelling Coromandel even more, I was shocked. It does not smell like Fancy Nights to me. I had to give that one away. It is it's own resinous, white chocolate, bergamot magical concoction!

Gorgeous patch. Herbal and a little powder. The elemi, sandalwood and tonka keep it woody and a little very minimally sweet to take the edge off the bitter herb. This is not hippie head shop patch. This is the dry herbal patch like what the real stuff smells like. It really reminds me of LM Parfums Patchouli Boheme. This fades quickly to a skin scent. It's not a powerhouse but makes you keep sniffing yourself. Great blind buy. Patch lovers MUST have. It is close to the skin but lasts a LONG time. In the base it is all about the tonka and creamy sandalwood.

Absolutely stunning patchouli fragrance, probably the most beautiful I know! Mysterious, warm, ladylike, full of quiet promise and poise. Unlike other patchouli laden scents this doesn't smell of earth or musty basement, it is round, mellow, melancholic thanks to tonka bean, sandalwood and elemi. Alas, my precious purple bottle is half full and I am wearing this scent sparingly, but thanks to more than decent longevity can enjoy it even more. 10 hours on my skin and 24 on clothes. Why oh why it has been discontinued! Stunning beauty.

Velvety, lingering gothic purple potion for Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, seductive as hell, the one you pour over yourself with twisted smile knowing that soon the smell of harsh lacquered furniture opening will knock you down for a minute or two. But after that..... Its pure sensual unisex patchouli for “special occasions” - not earthy but warm and hearty, not naïve, but sexual, not sweet, but balsamic - seduction, seduction, seduction Takes some time to get to know it and accept the conditions, but...nothing ventured, nothing gained

I received this beautiful bottle of perfume from Vie Cafe(thank you!thank you!thank you!)I really and truly love this fragrance. A good source had told me in her words that this was a roll in the dirt kind of dirty patchouli and I agree at first that is exactly what it is, BUT then it turns to this kinda of sweet smell, perhaps its the spicy notes that do it on my skin, whatever it is I love it and the balminess of it is amazing. One of the best swaps ever!!! Ohh and the box is gorgeous too!

i absolutely love this one!!I have the habit of buying perfumes unsnifed based on the composition of the notes,and this one drew my attention.it was apleasant surprise.. avery dark scent,almost masculine on the start, but i agrre with other critics,the drydown is quite caramelized,like burnt sugar mixed with incense.. iwould recomend this for winter evenings..the dissapointing factor is the average longevity of this perfume..iwish it lasted longer!!!

Yay.... Another unsniffed purchased product on line that arrived today. I love it, is so up my alley will buy another bottle today, as this one will be in my favourite to use often fumes. Oriental, sweet but mellow, creamy, opulent, patchouli, all things spice, to the oriental lovers out there I recommend this whole heartedly, with a passion. Does not cost a fortune, but you will radiate like a warm amber gem of desire.....x

Like eating a lemon in church! The initial citrus did not appeal but oh my goodness! The dry down is a lush mix of incense spice and patchouli , warm and sexy, animalistic and definitely inappropriate for mass! Great sillage. This fragrance slaps you rudely round the face with patchouli, but after the initial sting its a treasure. I love it.

On me this fragrance is all about incense (the elemi-note, I presume). As I love incense, this is an amazing perfume. Blind buy (I already owned C'est la vie & C'est la fête), but really happy with it. There is patchouli too, but the incense has the main role, in my opinion. Absolutely adore it :-)

I love this patchouli heavy hitter so much that i had to buy a back up bottle. Thank God its much better than "Fancy Nights"! I hate the papyrus in FN. The patch has a zingy beginning and then the patch really kicks in. Good sillage and fantastic longevity.

I'm in love with this scent! It starts off with a slightly sharp citrus scent and descends into an incense-like state of sweet, peppery deliciousness. The dry down is to die for and the resonance is exceptionally good. What a gorgeous gem of a fragrance!

It ́s a fume for patchouli lovers.I like it very much.The staying power is not as stunning as I thought it would be.This perfume reminds me a bit "le baiser du dragon" (Cartier).It ́s worth the purchase.

Patchouli addict, one of my favourites.