Eau de Camille

I'm wearing a sample of this and am astounded. THIS is precisely the smell of childhood walks with my grandma in the spring and early summer, when the air was rich with the smell of greenery and honeyed white and yellow blossoms. I'm not sure which blossoms I was actually smelling back then, but this is that smell 100%. I've always wished I could have that scent bottled and now I do! Or at least, I will soon. It's magical-a scent that you wear purely for yourself but is coincidentally just beautiful as a scent for others to experience as well. It is "safe" in the rarest way, not generic or anything like that, just so utterly beautiful and realistic that although it's completely one of a kind, it's the type of nature scent that I can't imagine ANYONE being bothered by, even those who hate perfume, because it doesn't smell like perfume. It smells like lush, warmish yet breezy, sunny flora filled spring air-bottled. I know I'm being repetitive now but this is one of those extremely rare scents that is as close as perfume can ever get to surpassing art and becoming true magic. It is really so insanely realistic that it just totally blows my mind, and trust me I've smelled a LOT of perfume. It kind of gives me a high, and is almost psychedelic, like how LSD can take you back in time, not just a memory but it can seen to literally transport you to a certain time- this does the same. More than photo realistic, trippy. And euphoria inducing. I've tried thousands of perfumes and have only reacted like this to maybe 3 or 4 now. Wow, just wow. What an experience.

I was hurrying to a class before 7 am, when it is dark out. The wind was cold, but it carried the most wonderful scent of green grass, woods, and something fresh carried from afar. It was actually coming from me, it was the Eau de Camille that I had sprayed on that morning. A relatively simple 'green' fragrance that goes on bitterly green, split-foliage and in-your-face. Better to spray and step away from the cloud. The green mellows a bit but remains green for most of the life of Eau de Camille. The drydown is pleasantly sweet, and vanillic, and really nothing like the rest of the scent. While I like Eau d'Hadrien in the summer, I think this would be a great summer scent. It is long lasting and apparent to the wearer(for an AG) but not a sillage monster that will send people running away from you. But I will remember the cold, green scent that I caught on the wind the other morning when I think of this scent. This sort of scent is right up my alley, and I really love it. PS: Yes, I do get the 'herbal soap' references. If you lived in a fairy land, where manufactured scents smelled like the real thing (think...Green Tea smells like green tea candles. Lemons smell like lemon perfume, or cleaning solution, etc.) then Eau de Camille would be the hidden "Irish Spring" so to speak, although, since I've drunk from many a cold spring, I can say that they smell like nothing, except for cold and wet rock.

Simply adore this bitter symphony of nature! The grass is fresh and rotting at the same time, the honeysuckle-moist, I am walking through an awakening garden , peeling the bark of a newly cut twig, enticed by a distant whiff of flowers. I know that they are very close yet I could barely smell them. It is one of the most enchanting perfumes I have ever had. Contrary to many comments here I don ́t think it ́s linear. Not in the least! It ́s just the effect its delicate ingredients produce by playing their music parts together, not taking up solo. Annick Goutal is one of my favourite perfumers. I can never get enough of her beautiful scents and this one is a real masterpiece. I prefer it to Eau d ́Hadrien any moment, any week, any month and year. It bears resemblance to Chevrefeuille, which I love too. But while the latter is brightened up by a substantial amount of fresh ̈lemonade drops ̈ which makes it rather sweet, Eau de Camille is the alluring bitterness itself. However it is not dark at all. It is natural, vivid, tender and magical. Good longevity and soft sillage. 6 out of 5.

This was a blind buy, I'd ordered a sample, and was bidding on a big bottle on ebay. Won the auction, big bottle was delivered, still don't have the sample! When I first sprayed this on it smelled like pure clove oil, and I dislike that scent intensely. After a minute it settled down and I was getting spicy fresh cut grass, and a slightly bitter green note followed by florals. It has fairly decent longevity too, more so than my other Annick Goutal fragrances. EDIT: amazing how the changing seasons can affect a fragrance. When I first tried this it was winter, and I got a very sharp clovelike note that was very dominant . I tried it twice with the same result, and the bottle went to the back of my cabinet for a future swap. Its now spring and as I was going through my collection I pulled this out and gave it another try. What a difference! Now I'm getting the green grassy notes and florals - not a lot of florals but noticeable. Its still a little sharp especially as it starts to dry down, but I'm liking it a lot better!

This starts out with an amazing ivy note. True, deep fresh cool ivy. Very different from the majority of green perfumes that smell like bright grass or leaves. I wish that it stayed on this note. It's incredible. After a few minutes the white florals start to show up. I smell jasmine (not sure how false jasmine differs from from regular jasmine). I smell white floral that I'm not familiar with, which may be the syringa? Not sure, I won't conjecture just to try to sound knowledgeable about florals. I honestly don't smell much honeysuckle (if at all), but that might be because compared to Annick Goutal's Le Chevrefeuille, which is a Honeysuckle haven, they aren't the forerunner in this mix. I do get how people could interpret a soap note. The flowers in this are pure white and clean, but also in full bloom, almost on the verge of being heady. That soft, almost "over ripe" scent white florals can have which to my nose always smells like being on the edge of a soapy powdery smell.

I purchased a small (.25 mL) bottle of this on eBay to try. When I got it, I promptly bought the 3.4 oz and a 4.5 oz tester refill of this in the hopes of making it last as long as I can. I love this perfume. To me (and on me) it smells jsut the way a Spring day does when I catch a wiff of sun-warmed honeysuckle on the breeze. If I could bottle the way cut grass, ivy, green growing things, and honeysuckle smells just after the rain, it would be this perfume. It is entirely feminine without being too frilly or girly. The biggest drawback is what others have said: it fades all too soon. I have found, however, that if I over-spray when applying this perfume (3x as much as I normally would apply), it lasts longer (good thing I bought so much!). I find that I can tolerate the overwhelming scent of initially putting on too much easily as it also fades quickly leaving my glorious spring day behind.

I like this! (Thanks full of colours for the sample!) Green grass on first spritz, which settles right down into an ivy, floral, and barely-there milky sweetness. I suppose this would be, on me, more of a skin scent. Oh, how I wish it were a wee bit stronger! However, since I like softer fragrances and don't mind re-applying, it's on my want list. Update: I now own a bottle, thanks to coffecat17, a generous swapper! Yes, very grassy on application: you might think, "Uh-oh, what have I done? It's too strong!" (There's something vaguely Aliage-y about it at this stage). The dry down is nothing like the first spray -- it's soft, delicate and close to the skin. Lovely. Edit (almost 10 years later): I still love this! Managed to buy another partial bottle from a member a couple of years ago, which I’ve been using sparingly. Shame it’s discontinued.

Like long grasses in a big field with some wildflowers in the background far away, late spring or early summer time. I didn't know the back story when I first sampled it, even though I loved it straight away, but the back story makes perfect sense, Annick chasing her young daughter through a field. I had moments like that with my child when he was tiny. No, it doesn't feel matronly, it might even be the perspective of the child more so than the mother. Also, it doesn't last as is typical for me with this house, but I don't care. Goutal's house is special to me. It also made me think of the field in the film Room with a View when they are taking a day trip to the country-side and the main male character goes in for a kiss.

It's rare, when you lift the cap off a scent and inhale. Your knees go weak, and something in you just collapses. This is what happens when you find exactily the thing you were looking for. What I was looking for apparently was extremely green, bitter edge foliage sparkling green. God I love the top note of Eau de Camille. Interesting that this was made in '83, because the heart really reminds me of "Songes" (that is, floral) while the drydown is reminescent of "Petite Cherie" (that is, vanilla grass). I don't know of any other perfumes with this 'ivy' accord. The entire bottle I have is worth that wonderful topnote.

I really looked forward to trying this one, I was sure I'd like it and I was right. I have a little hiccup with it, I do not like the very bitter opening. I love grass but I have my limits on bitter. The first spray of this is like the taste/scent of a super bitter cucumber peel. Really just stinks. BUT it is so worth the 5 minutes of stink until the honeysuckle and lilac kick in. Man, that is a beautiful scent. So fresh, delicate and green, the epitome of spring. I know I'll wear it often at the end of winter/spring when it's time to feel alive again after hibernation. I am so happy this one turned out well.

Since I've rediscovered this in my collection I must review. It's absolutely my favorite floral and a top summer fragrance. It's very, very green with a pleasant, invigorating sharpness. I find the honeysuckle to be the most prominant floral note. It also has an almost spicy aspect unexplained by its listed notes. That aspect is redolent of the smell of fresh marigolds to me, which I absolutely adore. I have not encountered anything like Camille with such a combo of sensations.

Sadly discontinued, this is one of my summer loves. An irresistibly light green-floral with white flowers. A honeysuckle accord with syringa is distinct and the smell of mown grass and clipped hedges. It's as though you were playing a childhood game of hide and seek, secreted in a shadowy corner of a rambling garden. Pale and simple, sparkling and fresh, Eau de Camille really puts a spring in my step on bright summer days.

I used to walk to work through Leichhardt, Sydney in Australia and the smell of the air that came off the greenery around this pretty suburb on summer mornings is exactly like Eau de Camille to me, so much so that I would question if I'd applied it that morning or not. So classy and natural, feminine and dewy. Pairs perfectly with floaty sun dresses.

Love, Love, Love the earthy green of Camille, but alas this disappears on me within two hours. Not sure if I will purchase this one again. (Camille's Water) Update: I am still wearing this from time to time and it is still very lovely and spring-like. I will always have this in my collection.

Camille is a gorgeous green, fresh beautiful bunch of flowers!! Beautiful!! So pretty! Very feminine and sparkly. Beautiful.

You know how there are fragrances you love, but hardly ever wear? Eau de Camille is the complete opposite for me-- I don't love EdC, I'm not sure if I even like it all that much, but I find myself reaching for it all the time. The scent itself goes on strong and redolent of white florals, and dies down to a whisper of sun-basked meadows. The vegetal honeysuckle is quite assertive here, giving a full impression of earthy roots, sappy green stems, and dewy white buds. Thankfully natural-smelling and not sweet. It smells like gardening, and I wear it always when I garden because it's so appropriate. At the same time, sometimes EdC takes on an abrasive pungency that reminds me of greenish-white-floral chemical cleaning solution, especially within minutes of applying. It does go away, but I find those moments unpleasant. Overall, EdC does not quite stack up to my favorite Annick Goutal masterpieces: Songes, Gardenia Passion, Heure Exquise... but it is extremely pleasant, and much more wearable. I know this is a back-handed compliment, but EdC is much more versatile and appropriate to everyday wear, and it does not compete for your attention, which is why I seem to use it with such frequency. I can wear it day or night, all four seasons.

I should first out myself as a big Annick Goutal fan, I have them all! But II find I use this least each year and I think that's because it can be a bit galbanol/jasmol heavy at first spray. Having said that, it's still a good AG scent, it lasts well, it doesn't suddenly drop off or change into something thin and synthetic. I don't detect much floral, except the earthier notes in jasmine Grand. I get notes not on the chart, like Elemi and some of the more metallic fruits. I prefer natural perfumes, but give AG a pass as they are generally so good. This is one of those scents that could just hit home for some people, it's certainly distinctive and I've been buying it for 10 years, so it must have something!

This one opens like gangbusters-- like standing behind a lawnmower's grass chute and letting it blast you in the face. A little bitter, as others have noted, but the dry down happens fast and is really pretty-- that grass drying in the sun while new spring blossoms yawn open. It smells particularly nice when you're outside. It's not sweet per se, as the ivy keeps it sharp. Sillage and longevity not particularly strong on me.

Bright, fresh, sweet green, floral. I can really smell the privet in this one which is nice. It doesn't move me but I do enjoy it. It's simple and uncomplicated, strikes me as a happy scent. Good for daytime and warmer weather and I would wear this to work if I owned a full bottle, and also perhaps to the farmers market or an outdoor event.

All fragrances of Annick Gouttal, even though i adore the bottles,, stink on me(to be honest, even my daughter said to me, in a loud voice in "Gallerie Lafayette",,mum,, lets get out of here!! This one though, was quite fresh and somehow different,, madragore as well, but on my skin about 20 min!!!!

What a wonderful composition of ivy, honeysuckle and jasmin. I adore ivy, especially in this mix, where clearly could notice jasmin, without sweetnes,(also honeysuckle could be verry heavy, in this composition isn't) Also find it simple, but verry specific, soft, green, and great on my skin.

Just received a sample of this from LuckyScents.com and it smells gently of honeysuckle and jasmine and is a lovely scent. Has lasted several hours on me. It is a nice but not great, scent on me, and I would not buy a full bottle of it. I prefer something like Bvlgari's Jasmin Noir.

That's the smell of wet stems that are cut at the flower shop. Unlike most of the vintage perfumes this one is not outdated. I can imagine wearing it on a spring walk.

Very very green, almost herbal, the smell of the leaf of the flower crushed with a drift of the flower in the background, soft fragrance

This is very beautiful. Annick Goutal is my top favorite fragrance house because of these unique and creative formulations.

I too have fond memories of the vast green lawns of my youth where my cousin and I would throw ourselves down, wrestle, play games and build makeshift cubbyhouses, all the while cushioned by plump itchy green grass. This fragrance smells nothing like this. I think more accurately this has the bitter, poisonous smell that lush green leafy plants develop to deter random animals from chewing thier foliage back to the stem. Not an entirely unfamiliar childhood smell of crushing green leaves to make 'soup' but not the nostalic grassy lawns I was hoping to find in Camille. After about an hour the honeysuckle & jasmine arrive to sweeten & temper the plantlife but it never really gives way. This is just not the kind of 'green' I like in my perfumes although its authentic leafiness does have appeal.

This was all wrong with my chemistry. I am glad I bought only a decant, so please test before buying because this is not for everyone. It started out green and almost identical to grass and ivy, and then maybe gardenia, and then it suddenly took a nosedive from which it could not recover. I think it's the syringa note, and on me it smells like rotten celery with mayonnaise and mustard. I wish I were joking. This was a nightmare with my chemistry, which is unusual as I typically love green perfumes. No way, Jose. I can't wear this, it's a scrubber.

I don't like it at all. It's a dry white floral scent and I expected a fresh sweetly green one and was very excited about the grass and the ivy, but was disappointed. Sorry, I love Annick Goutal but it's a no for me. I'm reselling it on eBay. Or if anyone wants to swap.

combination of sweet soap and sour herbal. does NOT smell like banana republic w or bobbi brown almost bare -- michael edwards lied to me!

Annick Goutal dedicated this fragrance to his daughter Camille. It's a lush green fragrance that evokes the scent of wet grass after a rain. To me it smells more like morning dew. You know how when it's a very cloudy overcast chilly day and there's been either rain or drizzle that dew on grass you see even in such places as front lawns. It's a lush beautiful verdant fragrance which is not very heavy or complex. It smells the same from start to finish. I can detect the honeysuckle which gives it a sweetness and charm. If Goutal was comparing his daughter to honeysuckle and dew that must have been the loveliest little French girl imaginable. The other notes do stand out all of them pop up privet seringa and ivy. At times it smells a bit like a forest too even though it's lacking woods. Sometimes it smells like Irish Spring soap but that could be my nose playing tricks on me. This scent is really very nice and good for layering with other fragrances. It doesn't have the top-middle-base note formula and I normally dislike those kind of linear scents but they're absolutely perfect for layering. This is a green scent so it matches up with chypres, woodsy fragarnces and floral-woodsy scents. I would say that this scent is on the unisex side because of the grass an that wood scent I get coming out of God knows where. It smells like a very light and girlier (girly because of honeysuckle) version of Chanel No. 19. I love how this fragrance immediately brought to mind the morning dew imagery. Love it.

Annick Goutal fragrances are like heaven to me. There is something so distinguishably old-fashioned and classic about them, particularly the more feminine creations from this line. Eau de Camille is a beautiful, delicate floral with green undertones. The greeness in this fragrance is neither harsh nor bitter. It's more of a subtle grassy-ness more than anything else. A very crisp and Summery scent. The jasmine and honeysuckle are really pretty. After an hour or so, the floral blend becomes quite clean and soapy, making it an excellent choice for those that enjoy their florals soft and refreshing. Eau de Camille has been created with love. The perfect gift from a mother to her daughter. There is such a strong sense of purity and child-like innocence conveyed through the composition. I was amazed at how well this fragrance lasted on the skin, especially for that of an EDT. I usually prefer the EDPs for longevity, however in this particular case the EDT suited me fine. Honestly I prefer Annick Goutal's louder scents, however I have come to appreciate all her fragrances, and if I had the money, I would most definitely buy them all. Like some have already mentioned, if strong honeysuckle is what you're after I'd tend to lean more on Le Chevrefeuille for my honeysuckle fix, however for something lighter and prettier, Eau de Camille is perfection.

Very, very green; early morning dew; fresh washing fluttering in the breeze; a jasmine garden in a warm evening. All in my mind when I smell this fragrance! Initial blast is very crisp and green - and then the honeysuckle wafts through along with the jasmine! It becomes a little soapy at a point and reminds me of mum's washing out in the sunbathed garden which had a similar scent as it was drying out! For me at this point it could go either way - headache or...? Thankfully it went in the 'or' direction but I did get such a blast of synthetica going on there! It takes a while to get to dry down on me and I still smell honeysuckle very strongly - the ivy doesn't seem to hit my nose so hard! The 'greenness' has gone and soapiness still lingers! TBH not one of my AG favourites! I can usually buy Annick's perfumes blind - but I made a mistake on this one!

Lovely green meadows with lots of "herbes folles" and ripe wheat spikes. Beautiful composition from a master artist like Annick. I love wearing this scent in late spring, when summer is coming over, when the weather is not so hot as to not commanding wearing deep scents but when cold has left and you want to wear something lighter. This is a merry scent, it gives a smile when sprayed around. Love it. An easy to wear perfume that is never out of place and despite its being so clean and simple, it allows you to be perfect even on most elegant occasions.

Daylight, summer meadow...I laying on the ground, the wind touch the grass and the flowers around me and they are just swaying in the wind...blue sky, light clouds.. On me it's became lightly green. freshly cutted grass note with the ivy.Very natural, cosy smell. The honeysuckle is detectable after a few minutes and it's still detectable in the drydown too very clearly. The end is soapy honeysuckle, the jasmin on me hardly noticable. Delicate, discreet daytime scent, sisters of Folavril.

Valenceis's review is spot on, AGs perfumes are very intimate and this one is no different. Atmosphere and season make a huge difference in how this perfume wears and develops. I also love Crown Perfumery's Sarcanthus for this same reason. It isn't a statement scent nor is it a groundbreaking perfume and it doesn't have nuclear staying power. It is, however, a delicate and very realistic interpretation of dew-covered flowers, hedges and freshly mown grass.

I have to copy pansylady's description: "Very green and unique composition, but on me at least, almost no staying power". Absolutely agree! Eau de Camille is lovely, green, herby, little floral, sort of clean and almost medicinal in a good way and rather unique, but it just doesn't last.I have only a sample, so a small amount, but after pouring half of the content on my wrist, I can smell it (vaguely) for a few minutes and it's gone...

Don't let the honeysuckle note fool you. There is almost nothing sweet about this perfume. It is photorealistically sharp, bitter, green plant life. I would say somewhat vegital, like a green bell pepper, but it's too bitter and flowery to smell edible. It's the exact smell of shoving your face right into a fresh cut bouquet, and motor boating it. It is one of the most realistic floral scents I've ever experienced. Very nicely done.

I had a bedroom located next to a garden, and this fragrance reminds me of how my old bedroom smells, so this one def evokes a childhood memory for me. So green, so natural, delicate and pleasant. The day i sampled eau de camille on my neck and fell asleep, i woke up confused-why im not in my old bedroom. True story, hahaha.

I have to agree with Darling Starling : this one does smell a little like a warmed garden. To me, a lovely smell I like to wear. The honeysuckle is perfect, not too strong. I can see myself wearing this smell in summer mostly : not too fresh, very delicate and soft. But I would also wear it during warmer months, at work.

My one time fav, sadly discontinued. Earlier today I discovered Jo Malone’s Orange Blossom which reminded me strongly and in the nicest possible way of Eau de Camille. My olfactory senses are grateful to both perfumers and their perfumers!

This opened as a herby floral, giving me a grassy feel which was just ok. It kinda stayed like that and almost immediately dried down to nothing. This could be great, if there was any sillage or lasting power to speak of, but no.

I couldn't agree more with valenceis's review : "...these were meant to be worn as a second skin rather than a statement". Annick Goutal's works do not mean to cater to the trend, they heal the heart.

Gigi the fashionista --please note that Annick Goutal is a Woman so it is her daughter not his daughter

Very green and unique composition, but on me at least, almost no staying power-