French Affair

I love this fragrance. Although I have not worn it yet. So I will leave a review after I wear it. ALTHOUGH! I slept with someone who was wearing a fairly heavy application of it. So that should count for something. This person sprayed it 3 x before we went to bed. This person wasn't crazy about it, but said it was nice, then they said, "I don't like when fragrances go powdery on me like this. It's turning into a powdery scent". That I found shocking! because I didn't pick up on the powdery note whatsoever. All I picked up on was this strong, woodsy, masculine scent. It wasn't "beastmode", but it was intense. But not your typical fragrance. It definitely smells elevated. Very masculine, woodsy, fresh. It made the inside of my nose tingle. Is that a good thing? What is in this stuff anyways. I found it sexy and stylish. Not a scent I wouldn't usually like since I'm not a vetiver or fan of Chypre perfumes, but this one I loved. It's the type of scent that makes you think they threw caution to the wind and combined all the banned IFRA ingredients. It smells like it could last forever. And then 20 minutes in. Poof! Gone. I thought how sad. It was all an illusion. What a faker. So I went to the washroom to pee.(I'm not sure how else to say that). Okay, let's say I went to get a glass of water instead, and every time I re-entered the room it was back! It smelled great for another 10 minutes and then disappeared again. So for whatever reason, my nose stopped noticing it. But would notice it when I came back to the bedroom. I rate the juice a 10/10, my partner rates it a 7.

The name is quite clever. “French Affair” literally translates to a French romance, but in English the word affair often implies a secret or slightly illicit relationship. The name therefore feels both romantic and a little rebellious. It suggests a kind of attraction with a hint of risk—something you know you probably shouldn’t get close to, but still want to. The opening is a tart freshness from lychee and bergamot. Within the light fruitiness there is the green edge of violet leaf, giving a cool, slightly watery sharpness. After a few minutes the rose begins to appear. Here the rose is supported by cedar and angelica, forming a clean woody structure. You can detect a faint herbal bitterness and a subtle spiciness, and the overall line of the composition feels very precise. This heart is the most beautiful part of the fragrance. The base settles into oakmoss, vetiver, and patchouli. As the scent sinks down it becomes drier and more stable, with a faint salty nuance. The combination of wood shavings and moss can evoke the structure of classic perfumes, but without their heaviness, so the overall impression remains cleaner. Stylistically it follows a fairly typical contemporary chypre direction: clean greenery, clearly defined woods, and a simplified mossy base. Longevity is about average, and projection is moderate, but it maintains a subtle presence around you. It feels particularly suitable for spring and autumn. In slightly cooler weather, the mossy and woody notes seem to open up more in the air.

I have been wearing this lately because it is just so beautiful. Confident Parisian woman with lots of joie de vivre in a classic trench coat with big, dark glasses and a pretty scarf. A bit powdery, chypre-esque, but heavy vetiver too. Modern with a touch of vintage. It can be unisex if you are masculine and can wear powdery fragrances, otherwise I find it leans a little feminine. It's tempting to call it classy and elegant, but those aren't quite the right words. It's refined in a subtle way that isn't showy at all. The opening is very attractive right off the bat--clean, chic and bright. In the heart, there is a nice vetiver that, over time, combines with something a little bit balsamic. I had to look at the notes, but I don't see anything here that would indicate any resins, but to me this smells like a touch of benzoin in the base to balance out the slight tang of the vetiver. I do adore the opening, where I get a big hit of the most realistic lychee I have ever smelled in any perfume (one of my favorite fruits to eat, when I can get them), but at the same time, the longer its on my skin, the more it blends with my chemistry. Splendid from top to bottom. [Came back to say that this reminds me of Mona Di Orio’s magnificent Vetiver. This is even more modern and a bit more androgynous]

This is the first time I'm writing a review to compliment the perfumer- because this fragrance is a piece of art. Upon first spray- the opening was dirty, earthy, sweet and smoky- like an ashtray leftover with a fresh incense stick still burning. It was actually- nice though. The rose was dark and all I kept thinking was that this was something that a goth girl would wear, or an androgynous European man (an artist) who wore a leather jacket and was too pompous to talk to you. These were the images that kept coming to mind. But then, 10 minutes later, I kept smelling my arm and everything changed. The goth-girl-cold-weather scents evolved into spring time fresh florals. It was clean, it was fresh- it smelled like I washed my body using spring floral soap. The goth girl removed the makeup and clothing because Saturday night turned into Sunday morning and she was meeting her parents for brunch. The European man took off the leather jacket and put on his Sunday's best to attend his nephew's holy communion. That is what French Affair is. How Quentin Bisch did this is something that should be studied by perfumers around the world.

I love and own several fragrances created by Quentin Bisch. In many years of acquiring perfumes, I realize if I love a perfumer's "style" of perfumery, I will probably love several of their creations. Perfumers develop a groove, or a niche (so to speak). Having become intrigued with "mossy notes," and after experiencing disappointment with Racine "La Terre, La Nuit," I did a beginner's dive into fragrances with oak moss. Ex Nihilo "French Affair" popped up as a must try in this genre of fragrance categories. I have no words, I really don't. French Affair is glorious, it really is. Ex Nihilo "French Affair" is a contemporary nod to the most traditional chypre fragrances. The perfume's opening citrus notes start things off but quickly give way to violet leaf coupled with rose and angelica. The combination of notes creates a surreal experience. The ingredients scream high quality. And the blending of the notes is impeccable and flawless. The landing of patchouli, vetiver and oak moss ground the gentle floral fragrance in an ethereal and seraphic way. To me, this perfume is unearthly and rapturous.

My favourite offering from Ex Nihilo by a long mile. Such a beautiful, sophisticated, earthy Chypre that somehow manages to stay within the realms of the contemporary and yet is still very wearable. It is not at all an old-fashioned Chypre. It can stand shoulder to shoulder along with some of the best. It's cold, damp and organic but not in any way gloomy like Myths Woman or Chanel No. 19. It's bright and sparkling like the sun shining on raindrops after a storm. Dark clouds are still ominously lingering while the aura of the sun is making them recoil. If you're a Chypre fan, you should test this. I personally find it very empowering to wear. Yes, it is expensive, but the performance is nothing short of beastly. I get an easy 12+ hours from only one or two sprays. It has super strong silage too so don't spray it any more than once or twice. Unisex and a perfectly composed French Chypre for modern times and a must-have for any Chypre collection.

This is a vetiver style fragrance – it’s in the same ballpark as Terre d’Hermès, for me uniquely masculine like most vetiver fragrances are, the rose which is also clearly present makes this more special, more classy, maybe it’s the Oakmoss-Vetiver combo which gives an extra touch to the fragrance, the citrus is in the background and not so much present like in many Vetiver-Citrus combo designer fragrances – I would not say this is immediately a fragrance to be worn by the youth, only if they are very confident and want to smell differently in compare to most youngsters, I get quite some compliments young and old wearing this fragrance ( and I am middle age ), like Terre d’Hermes it is loved by many, if this would be easier to access, it would be loved by many as well but I want to make it clear as well this fragrance is not to compare to Terre d'Hermes, it’s simply a lot better and a more mature scent

Ex Nihilo chose the perfect name for this lovely unisex fragrance, which uses rose oil, violet leaf, and lichi to heavenly effect. It has the underpinnings both of a classic chypre (oakmoss) and of a "new chypre" (vetiver and patchouli) to ground it so it is not all sweet fruit and flowers, and lots of bergamot (common to both kinds of chypres) to make it juicy. The narrative the perfumeur provides for this is of the glamorous designer fantasy of Paris in the 1970s, and I can imagine the famous dandy of the era Jacques de Bascher wearing this. I wish I could afford a full bottle!

Every time I think I know what this smells like, it just shocks me because it's never what I remember. If you're a scent collector and are looking for something entirely it's own creation, this is it. I have had a friend literally grab my wrist to try and figure out what the hell is going on with this scent. Rosewater and patchouli opening, with an odd pink-pepper overtone, and upon deeper inhalation the wood and oakmoss comes forward. This is the absolute scent of androgyny, complex and shifting.

So nice and wonderful! It smells like a sophisticated spring afternoon with a cocktail on a luxury Parisian rooftop. It is manly, but not for everyone to wear, because the rose/violet/litchi notes makes it some kind of sweet, but not feminine. The longevity is great, it lasts all day and gives you whiffs all day long. Sillage is super: people complimented me, without me having the idea the whole room smelled like it.

I'm normally an amber gal, but this is fabulous. Mossy and green and a bit woody, it's moderately long lasting and very sophisticated - feels like a welcome departure from today's fragrances. It totally reminds me of a bottle of YSL Rive Gauche I bought in Paris as a kid in 1980, though my memory might serve me wrong. Gorgeous, and much more beautiful than other Ex Nihilo frags, which I find cloying sweet.

Rainy, Mossy, Dusty and Dirty... in all glorious aspects. To ME this leans masculine, but I can see the right woman pulling it off. As others have said, this pays respects to the old school but absolutely makes it nods to today’s modern world of perfumery. This feels very recognizable yet super unique. Could very well be the most underrated fragrance in the game.

Am I the only one who gets a beautiful cumin note?! In fact I told the SA I love cumin in fragrances & she recommended this. My only regret is that I didn’t purchase the bigger bottle. One last thing is this reminds me of rose 31,not identical but similar enough to be called cousins imho,but different enough to where I need both in my collection.

It’s not a usuall fragrance to blindbuy! It’s something vintage which is not flowery or fruity at all. An exotic vibe which takes you back to dance club cornered with drunk people! It is sweaty and dirty because of violet leaves but on a sexy side. It's completely narcotic and addictive. love it.

Halfway through the bottle. Sexy from start to finish, always interesting. I wear it everywhere. My FU scent.

way better mossy fresh rain dirt type scent than mousse de chene 30 IDGAFFFFF

I put this on this morning, a humid day in Autumn. I remember smelling something fruity-- obviously the litchi and bergamot. It was sweet-- I wasn't prepared, but kissed my partner goodbye, and then I zipped out the door to run to some appointments I didn't smell much except glimpses here and there throughout the morning. But it wasn't the fruity opening notes anymore, it was something else. Something deeper, woodier, I would say that if this scent at a season, it would be fall. It just felt so 'natural' for the surroundings. Some rain, with wet leaves falling down, a mixture of the moss from the nearby forests. When I returned to my flat a few hours later, I was greeted with the top notes again when I opened the front door! A pleasant surprise. 6 hours later I'm still getting whiffs of it from time to time-- the skin smell is pretty low though now, but for some reason it still greets me when I'm not expecting it. I am not sure if I'll purchase a full size of this, but I might grab it again in the upcoming autumnal months.

French Affair reminds me of football games and walks in the park during the fall when the leaves are falling. On the opening all I could smell was oakmoss and a hint of rose and angelica. I had hoped for more litchi and bergamot but was unable to smell either. The drydown became well-blended oakmoss, vetiver and a hint of rose and angelica. Definitely a unisex scent leaning more toward the masculine side, but either way it is very very sexy. The longer I wore it, the more I liked it. Unfortunately it became a skin scent after about twenty minutes. Longevity 2/10 Projection 5/10 Sillage 5/10

What a unique, interesting scent. More oakmoss, lychee and rose (in that order) than vetiver to my nose, though there is some. The lychee/rose combo gives off a feminine fruity vibe while the oakmoss/patchouli keeps it sturdy enough to stay unisex. Now that I think about it, this would be extremely attractive to me on a girl. The major accomplishment of French Affair is that it is a thoroughly refreshing spring scent holding a complexity typically found only in heavier fragrances. The quality here is undeniable.

Opens bright and fruity with the litchi, gets dryer, woodier, and earthier as it dries down and does so quite fast. There's an intensely green, bitter, and slightly metallic cord that dominates, feels damp and dry at the same time? Odd but I like it very much and so does my body chemistry. It's been over 4 hrs and it's still going strong, I get whiffs of my sample. Perfect for transitioning weather, so spring and autumn would be perfect. I'll be finishing my sample and definitely purchasing a full bottle.