Impressions de Giverny

Glorious! Sweepingly gorgeous, complex, ultra-classy, ultra-layered niche floral which bowled me over completely - and I'm another who normally sticks with resins, leathers, woods and rough, 'dark', strong scents. Whereas this is the smell of the MOST manicured, refined, pruned, clipped, hand-watered, hand-mown, daily-weeded exhibition gardens you can imagine. Conjures mental images of impeccably elegant French grandes dames in Chanel suits striding down immaculate paths to welcome you into their chateaux for an impossibly refined visit. But not at all stuffy or over-formal - there's a real zing of freshness and innocence in there, and it's all just SO well-judged... the aromatics full of rich interest and character, an airy fresh feel of the open air, no one flower growing overbearing or bossy, though that creamy, calm, utterly poised magnolia is definitely at the head of the table. In its subtlety and just sheer 360-degree loveliness it reminds me of the extraordinary opulence of some of Puredistance's compositions. Seems strongly femme to me but don't let that put you off - any human nose should try this and delight from the experience, whether or not you feel you could wear it yourself. Projection's just right - enough for people around you to sense and enjoy, but not feel mugged by - and the sillage is absolutely intoxicating, another trail of nectar goodness to follow through the imaginary chateau grounds. Yes, longevity is disappointing (just hanging on on skin for somewhere between 2 and 3 hours) which is an absolute heartbreaker. And yet and yet. It's SO beautiful - while it's light years away from my own home ground, I want to spend more time with it. Heady, joyful, wonderful days. Formidable!

Fort & Manle's latest, Impressions de Giverny, is a mix of florals and fruits over a woody, resinous base. I do not detect many floral and fruity notes in particular, but the blend seems characteristic of a mix that includes some white florals, rose, citrus, and apple. It's fresh, sweet, floral (but not too floral), and a bit woody with some interesting herbal, spicy undertones as well. Benzoin plays significantly into the dry down especially, giving it a sweeter, more resinous, less floral finish. This is very easy to wear, possibly quite versatile, if it were not for it being a little airy for my usual taste, which would make it more difficult to pass offer in slightly cooler climates or in nighttime wear outdoors. Performance is a bit lackluster but this is partly based on the brand generally having strong fragrances, especially Bojnokopoff, Amber Absolutely, and Suleyman Le Magnifique. Impressions de Giverny is more of a warm weather fragrance in my opinion--it'll shine much better when there's heat to bring it out. 8 out of 10

You're a fleeting memory of heaven, of luxuriating in Eden, in a garden of juicy fruits and tender flowers; there's a softness here, a lightness, uninhibited and wholesome, pure and clean and true. Oh, the details are coming into focus, the feeling of home is beginning to well up--but then it's gone. It's all gone, because: you're a fleeting memory, a tease, nothing more. You're just an impression, an impression of something absolutely, definitively, entirely out of reach. Impressions de Giverny by Fort & Manle.

I have no idea why people have said this smells like Moonlight in Heaven. I own both and would not say they are similar other than sharing terrible performance! Having said that, I still purchased this because it's a perfect beautiful office-safe fragrance. I've tried so many easy breezy floral fragrances and this does stand out as being a unique scent. It's floral, but not too sweet and very modern. The yuzu and apple help brighten it up while the benzoin adds depth. Very pretty. I do recommend trying!

I absolutely adore this fragrance. The fruity and floral notes are truly wonderful. The MAJOR drawback is the longevity. On my skin this doesn't even last 2 hours which is disappointing as I wouldn't shell out the dough for something that I'd literally have to re-spray multiple times throughout the day. If this ever gets reformulated to last longer then it's a definite buy for anyone who loves an immaculate floral. Such a shame about the staying power, otherwise this would be a masterpiece.