Belle d'Amour

Oh, this is lovely. And I didn't expected it to be. Angelica and I are not always the best friends. It's not as difficult as anise or licorice, but if it's not wrapped up snuggly, it screams in my face. Or nose. But this is adorable. If I didn't already know what it is, I would be highly intrigued, obsessed even. Delicately powdery, delightfully aromatic, sweet but not sticky. It's unexpected and I love it. Blackcurrant is more fruity than green. Angelica is not common note, so I guess comparaison with Angélique Noire stands, but this is so delicate and airy. No one could ever be offended by it. Let's see if I want to wear it. With time, it's more about blackcurrant and vanilla and less about angelica. And vanilla is bright and lively. Delightful. It reminds me of my mother's cheesecake; light, creamy, fresh and tangy. She caught three sons in law with that cake. No, she didn't, but three unrelated men declared it was their favorite cake. Ever. And she baked a lot...not anymore. Since her allergy to flour flared, pastry is forbidden to her. It's a tragedy. It's better than Blossom Love from Amouage. If you like fluffy vanillas like N°5 Eau Première, you will love this. And it's more interesting than Infusion de Vanille too.

Belle d'Amour opens with a very intense note of bergamot which quickly fades in favor of vanilla. A very pretty vanilla I must say, delicious but not too much and quite enveloping. Then come a hint of amber which warms everything up and an indefinable fruity note in the background (blackcurrant?). After a few minutes, on my skin, we are mainly on a vanilla/bergamot duo, slightly amber and enhanced with a note of rose (which takes up more and more space). The impression of 'gourmandise' grows because there is a sort of icing sugar effect which covers everything, but in a very gentle way, without any aggressiveness. It's very cute and very pleasant, a 'Love Beauty' who comes out of her vanilla bubble bath and who dolls herself up with a powder with scents of bergamot and rose before going to meet her lover. Romantic and mischievous at the same time. Edit: excellent staying power, tested around 3 p.m., at midnight the smell was still present. Edit 2: re-tested via vaporizer, there is indeed angelica from a to z and a similarity with Angélique Noire but the Guerlain is better imo. On the other hand, the Fragonard is far cheaper...

I'm so lucky, because this fragrance smells better on my skin than on a blotter/ towelette. When I first smelled it from the little pouch, I thought I would not like it: it was pleasant but the angelica was too overpowering for my liking, and the vanilla maybe a little too cloying. But then I tried it on my skin, and oh my. I was in love with Belle d'Amour. I kept sniffing my wrists, and by the next morning I ordered a bottle. Belle d'Amour is a green vanilla scent. I can't really detect rose, to me jasmine is a more prominent flower here, which I prefer. The perfume is warm and cosy, but has some almost ephemeral lightness to it. I don't think I've ever called a perfume lovely, but here it seems to be the perfect adjective.

In the last days of September I was immediately hooked, which is unusual for me. Black cassis with a drop of bright greenness, apple I would have said first, but it was the angelica note. I grow angelicas near the pond, in my garden, and sometimes we eat their stems candied in sugar, it’s delicious. Sweet, spicy and fresh in the same time. I love the cottony base, more tonka bean than real vanilla, so cosy and addictive. It swirls around the initial fruity freshness. I get a mellow flower too, or its shadow. This blend makes me feel softly sexy and relaxed.

I found this scent because I love Angelique Noire by the same perfumer, but I didn’t love the price. I found it listed in the “reminds me of” section on here (love that section!). This is very reminiscent of Angelique Noire, but it’s fresher, more bitter, greener, less sweet... and in my opinion, superior to AN which smells a little too much like bubbleyum to me. It’s less smooth, but it smells more intriguing, herbal, and clean. Love it. Happy it’s more affordable, as well.