Fils de Dieu du riz et des agrumes

Have you ever owned a fragrance, decided to get rid of it, then a few months later regret that decision? That just happened to me with Fils de Dieu du riz et des agrumes. And not only did I fall head over hills this time, I bought the 100ml size which is a rare thing for me with a large collection. I need to review this scent again. What changed? Well I admit to buying the small 30 ml size blind. I had read an article last summer about rice notes and became intrigued by the mention of this perfume. In August warmth, Fils de Dieu du riz disappeared so quickly that I had a hard time picking up on it. Not only that, the scent appeared to be gone in less than 10 minutes. It’s was so light on me that within a few weeks of ownership I figured I must anosmic to it and gave my bottle away. Fast forward to early Seattle spring; our weather is very cool and wet. Unlike other parts of the U.S. our Spring starts in late February and goes until early July. It’s a strange phenomena but it’s the reason the land is green and lush but at the same time we can’t easily grow a tomato. Anyway, I’m digressing, back to the scent. I came upon a splash sample and tried again. It seems cool weather works better with my chemistry. That’s means I need to be heavier than normal on the trigger. Instead of one or two sprays I need four or five. Hence the 100ml size so when I decide to wear this beauty, I can be liberal with my application. Lastly, I can’t get on the gourmand bandwagon with Fils de Dieu du riz. Im not even sure I can pick up the rice note. What I smell is a beautiful spicy citrus with a much more prominent floral note than what is voted here on Fragrantica. There is a creamy quality to the scent even though it burns bright. I absolutely have fallen under its spell. If you had longevity issues with this scent, try the heavy application method in a different season (I’m now getting several hours of performance). You might be pleasantly surprised like I am.

Tropical, oriental... and totally delicious! Etat Libre d'Orange 's gourmand masterpiece is Fils de Dieu de Riz et des Agrumes is a fantastic mix of a deep, animalic vanilla oriental (like Shalimar ), and a savoury gourmand fragrance. It has a crazy list of notes... but I basically get some food-like notes, such as lime, shiso leaf, ginger, coriander, coconut... and white rice, followed by leather, vanilla and castoreum. It's an incredible combination. What I find it comes down to is a (very) well done combination between sweet, rich & creamy... and slightly acid-like savouriness. What I mean is that you have a creamy vanilla flavoured white coconut rice pudding, but also an spicy aromatic herbal mixture of shiso leaf, green cardamom, and the acidity of lime, with dark smoky leather and castoreum. How does it smell? Well, really nice actually! You would think that this combination would not work, but it does... and it's actually very wearable! At least to me anyway. I really like it and I think that if you are someone who likes "exotic" smells (or food) and likes "savoury" fragrances, with a hint of sweetness, then you will like this. Some people say it smells "too much" like food. Well, I personally think the balance is just right. You have leather and castoreum to balance out the gourmand aspect. Having said that, please try it out on your skin first, and give it time. I find it a very well done fragrance (really good perfumer here), and it works well with my skin. I think this is a fragrance for people with "unusual" or "unique" tastes in fragrances (like a lot of the Etat Libre d'Orange line), but I personally like it very much. If you want something very different from anything else, try this one. It may smell like food on you and turn you off... or you may not think like that and really like it anyway! For me it's very special and unique, and I enjoy wearing it every time.

oh i VERY much like this one!! in the bottle and on a sample card, it smells way too tropical for my liking, like sunscreen and piña coladas on a beach. i was scared to spray it on my skin cause usually those scents are instant scrubbers for me. what a pleasant surprise, then, when the second it hit my skin, it immediately mellowed into a warm, spicy bowl of curry. i get the rice note very strongly, and i absolutely LOVE it. one of my favorite ways to cook rice is in a mixture of chicken stock & coconut milk (instead of water), with ginger, sauteed onion, and garlic mixed in. this smells exactly like that, with some fresh steamed greens and mild sauce on top. this scent is so pleasingly warm while still feeling light and refreshing, and the drydown as the green brightness fades into sweet, faintly floral spice is delicious. i'm not a fan of dessert-y gourmand scents, but i'm really enjoying the more savory notes in this one. very easy to love, and none of the pungent artificial fruity & marine notes i feared smelling it straight from the bottle. EDIT 9/30/23: this is becoming a go-to for me. the citrus/spice/rice/green notes are so playful together, but they come together into a very sophisticated, clean, approachable fragrance that i'm not afraid to wear out in public. my QPP says it just smells like warm spice on me, which i am absolutely okay with, because it's a complex, unique warm spice that sits close enough to the skin that the more nuanced notes feel like they're just for me. :)

What a beauty! The opening is the most gorgeous fresh, mouthwatering lime note, combined with steamed rice and coriander; the leaves, not the seeds. It's an unbelievably joyous scent, yummy, but not too foody. Exotic and just the perfect antidote for our grey winter days. Then the car seat leather note that also features in Vierges et Toreros makes a short acte de présence, after which the fragrance transforms into a beautiful fluffy castoreum-amber scent, adorned by rose and coriander. It's a shortlived scent, and I do wish the gorgeous steamed rice and lime had stayed longer, but I enjoy the complete transformation it makes. And anyway, I would buy it for the opening alone. EDIT: not as shortlived as I thought. The beautiful fluffy amber/rose/rice drydown lingers on my skin for a long time. There's a clear tonka note as well, which gives the whole composition the impression of a light rice pudding. Actually, this perfume reminds me a lot of Shalimar. It has the Shalimar structure, but the lemon is replaced by lime, the vanilla by rice steamed in coconut milk and the leather and incense by tonka flavored rice. An exotic, light, summery, quirky, modern (though Shalimar is timeless), Etat Libresque hommage to one of the most beautiful perfumes of all time. I bought a bottle.

I’ve only recently discovered that I enjoy rice notes in fragrance. So when I read about Fils de Dieu du riz et des agrumes I started looking for a good deal. I found a small 30ml and bought it blind. When my bottle arrived I immediately put it on and thought something was wrong. I can really only pick up the notes if I push my nose into the spot I spray. Longevity seemed to be about 10 minutes. Projection is nonexistent, like one inch (if that). Decided to try it again, and a similar problem. What I do smell is lovely, a tropical pudding of rice, coconut and shiso. But it’s gone in a New York minute. Maybe this is the kind of scent that you wear after you’ve purged all other scents for several days? Maybe my nose would work better. But on me Fils de Dieu is an ultra light body spray. I just want a little more oomph from it, and it’s not meant to be. So last night I gave my blind buy to a frag-friend who, upon first spray, loved it. She’s familiar with the scent, having owned Fils de Dieu in the past. So my theory that the juice turned—or was weakened—went out the door. All the listed notes look amazing, just doesn’t work for me. I love reading all the positive reviews, but I’m disappointed.