Lilas

Purple floral symphony. Imagine a garden in May or early June, mornings are still quite fresh and lilac is in its most majestic bloom. Linden flowers are just starting to open with that enchanting yellow and green honey powder. Gorgeous stuff... In the corner there is a hawthorne bush buzzing with bees. It's too late in season for violettes, but you smell them anyway and even that rich, pungent smell of wet soil. Precoceous heliotrope enjoys the sunniest spot of the garden. As you go about your day, pillowy honey vanilla memory of heliotrope follows you. While En Passant is wet, dewy lilac, this one is more earthy and powdery. Why, yes, I just compared it with Olivia Giacobetti's mastarpiece. It stands on its own. It has more caracter and it's more natural and fresh than Lilac Love, for exemple. I do enjoy when underappreciated flowers in perfumery are brought to light this gracefully. So, yes, I'm getting myself a bottle. It has so much more presence and body than previous flowers of the year, therefore better longevity and sillage. This lilac is more gouache than aquarelle. And no, it doesn't remind of perfumed toilet paper, not one bit. Early March...so, I got myself 'Chambre d'Amis' room spray, I'm in purple flower phase. And it's absolutely gorgeous! Officialy, it's black locust, orange blossom, violet, jasmine and lily on the bed of cedar, sandalwood and inevitable musk. Well, I smell lilac and mimosa too. I love it so much that I sprayed it on my skin. Stupid, I know, but so far, so good. Can't believe I did that! OK, next time, I'll do it on clothes... It's very close to this Lilas, I believe it inspired it. Like aquarelle version.

These days, fragrances hardly ever impress me that much. Lilas is an exception. This is EDT so obviously doesn't live on your skin whole day. And it is its only negative aspect. Besides that, what a gorgeous, authentic lilac scent... The other notes are just a subtle background to lilac and I can hardly distinguish them from the composition. They may be just a 'technical' addition - to overcome challenges with extracting lilac essence as it is. It works just perfectly. If you're afraid lilac scent is amalgamated and lost between some other notes listed above - don't be. I cannot detect cloves, black currant or lemon at all. And definitely not vanilla, even in the drydown. It probably sits there, but calmly in the base. As for the other florals, I get linden and perhaps just a bit of heliotrope but they do not stand out in any way. This is not soapy, powdery, almondy or generally 'cologne' - as A Drop d'Issey by Issey Miyake is on me after a while, which I hate. I haven't smelled En Passant nor Lilac Love to compare. I wouldn't agree it's more EDP and complex. To some extent yes - because all the other notes make it technically very well crafted and elaborated behind the scene - but the general impression of the final result is a fresh and one-directional EDT thing, in the best possible way. It's a fresh, slightly dewy bouquet of lilacs - just that but made on a masterpiece level. Being focused on lilac, this thing knows exactly what it is and it does the job perfectly. A true ode to the flower of the year.

I won this from the editor contest here at Fragrantica. It is really an excellent dupe for my bottle of Ose. The heliotrope in both of those fragrances is very strong and gives the impression that there are cherry blossoms right next to the lilac bushes. The touch of cloves works wonders here because flowers are spicy. Lilas has a touch of linden blossom that Ose lacks so this is less sweet than Ose but they are very very similar. The dry down on Lilas is more musky overall as well. The bottle is darling and so is the box. I can see why people would collect these soliflores from Fragonard. I have their Violette. I may want more in the future. Charming, graceful, delightful. Easy spring dumb reach. Thank you Fragrantica for this lovely gift!

Lilas is indescribably beautiful! I’d read so many reviews here saying it's a photorealistic lilac, that I just bought it blind. I did have realistic expectations, though; at $37 for 50ml, how great could it be? The answer is, VERY. A gorgeous scent with moderate longevity, if you love lilacs you won't be able to stop sniffing your wrist. Plus the Fragonard website was user friendly... and also just plain friendly since having spent $105, I could choose 3 samples AND a free gift of a really nice 100% cotton table runner and 6 cotton napkins, in the pattern of another of their fragrances. (Also purchased Tilleul Cedrat - review to come.) It was a great online experience and I recommend this company - and this fragrance - without hesitation.

Insanely lovely and realistic lilac scent. Not just the pretty flowers, with their unique scent that blends creamy and sharp, but the crisp greenness of cut stems too. Wear a spritz on each elbow to bed after an evening shower, with fresh-washed sheets and the window open on a balmy night, and you’ll be in heaven. The bottle is gorgeous and it (and really any of the Fragonard flowers of the year line) makes a really lovely and simple gift, just saying. One for me, one for mothers day, and I kept the free gifts with purchase.