Honoré Delights

Floral Fruity Gourmand? My nose says...not really. Musky floral powdery perfection? Absolutely! I've never had the honore pastry, so I can't say if this fragrance smells like the dessert or not. I can only say it doesn't smell like any pastry I've ever had. On top-- Top notes are citrus, but not too bright. I get more neroli than bergamot. They're a little light, which is how I prefer citrus, so we're off to a good start. On my skin, the top notes last about 30 minutes which I found unusual but enjoyed the nice slow transition to the heart. The heart-- The iris is so lovely and powdery in Honore Delights. There is a subtle sweetness during this phase, but it feels like it's coming from the florals (especially orange blossom) and musk mallow. It's not edible in this presentation to me, though with this name, I'm sure it's meant to appeal to gourmand lovers. The heart is softer than the opening, as the top citrus has faded and is very powdery courtesy of a delicate iris. The base-- A soft sweet persistent musk defines the base. Nothing more or less so than that, but it's enough to round Honore Delights out and make this a love for me. Notable-- the softness on the skin sweetish, but not cloying the powder, the musk you have to respray if you want to enjoy it all day--it leaves a bit of an 'after-smell' on the skin when left to simply fade away. For me, there's nothing gourmand here except the name but I still find it a delight.

I was ready to throw in the towel with Ex Nihilo fragrances. None spoke to my nose. This bad boy, however. Wow. Its fluffy, this perfume has a cozy texture to it. Like you are wrapped up in a blanket laying in the clouds. Initial spray is a bit of a peppery musk, but the dry down is magical. Sweet, savory, gourmand fluffy musk. Its angelic, ethereal. I love the review below saying this is what fairies would smell like. Its light and airy, only leaving whispers in the air rather than announcing. I reach for this for daily office wear, its so comforting, welcoming, cozy and quiet. Never annoying or cloying, doesnt project or leave a heavy trail. Great bedtime scent too. I find it lasts a significant amount of time on my skin, HOWEVER, it is very very light. If you want beast mode this is not it. The warm edible, sweet musk will cocoon you all day in the gentlest way. Its a beautiful woman walking through a Parisian city, faint wafts of freshly baked bread and pastries in the air. I love this perfume and crave it so much. Please test it on your skin to appreciate this perfume's depth and beauty (smelling the cap or on paper, you will just pick up a peppery musk)

very, very pretty. honore delights is a fragrance that also has an almost palpable texture - and that's an intense fluffiness, pink and soft. it smells like a bedroom that is entirely pink, adorned with soft furnishings and glittering white light. the neroli and orange blossom give a slight, soft citrus on top of the bed of fluffy, pretty ambrette and iris, and the typical ex nihilo musk sits underneath, soft and clean (this house really does do some objectively good musks, whether dirty and not-to-my-personal taste like is musc infini, or clean, fluffy and soft like in this fragrance and santal calling). it's quiet, it's dainty, it's feminine and it's pure. i really like it, though ex nihilo's offerings as a house on a whole are so damn strong, there's other fragrances from them that i prefer more. and for soft, fluffy, cosy fragrances like honore delights, i do slightly prefer guerlain's cuir beluga, so i feel that this fragrance would be a bit obsolete to me. 8/10 smelled alongside their vision and goals for this fragrance, they absolutely nailed it.

This is a very pretty perfume, with no sharp edges or strong elements. When attempting to rate the strength of the notes for Fragrantica, no single note stands out above any others. I smell a harmony of iris, ambrette, orange blossom/neroli and bergamot. The base is neither too musky nor woody and all the notes flow seamlessly into one another. This is a light and airy "easy reach" for warmer weather, despite the combo of notes making it a tinge gourmand. I'm loving this for summer! I've heard criticism of Ex Nihilo fragrances for having poor longevity. I think part of that may be due to their sprayers-- the stream of liquid from my sprayer is coming out in a wide, fan-shaped mist. It seems like a good portion of the mist isn't connecting with my skin at all, just dissipating into the air. This type of spray lends itself to a very light application and I definitely don't prefer this.

An embodiment of the current 'stealth wealth' craze. A beauty dressed in a cashmere sweater, she's lounging in her tasteful upper-class home and answering any money-related questions with the avoidant 'we're comfortable'. Her home points to generational wealth, manners and class - without being stiff or old-fashioned. It has a distinct guerlinade vibe to it which very quickly dries down to iris/musk combo. There are some similarities with L'Eau d'Hiver but Honore Delights is warm and smooth where LdH is cold and chalky. It also bears a striking resemblance to Guerlain's Parfum Initial minus the caramel/vanilla sweetness. The performance is average at best, probably along the lines of 'wealth whispers'...it's the only factor that makes me hesitate when it comes to buying a FB at that price point.