Extrême Pureté

This is so pretty.. it’s delicate, yet grounded. The citrus is fresh, but sweet and warm.. the tobacco has a hay-like herbal quality, and isn’t overpowering. It all smells so natural and pure... Grès is such a fabulous, sophisticated house, and the price for which its scents are sold are borderline criminal -in a good way.. it seems impossible to sell such high quality fragrances for such a low price. Yet here I am, pretty much nosegasming over a fragrance I picked up for under €20. How the... HOW?? Unfortunately longevity isn’t great, but I don’t think it’s as bad as people make it out to be. Since this is a very subtle scent, I apply it more liberally than other fragrances, but even if I don’t do that I get over 6 hours, although it does become a skin scent before that. This is a light fragrance for summer though, so I really don’t want to go about my day suffocating rooms full of people when I’m wearing it anyway. It’s intimate and delicate, and that’s what it’s supposed to be. There’s something to be said for having people get close to you before they can smell you.. Even though it’s not mentioned in the notes, I sometimes get a very faint kind of chlorine note, that I absolutely dig. It makes it all the more summery and happy. It’s very subtle, more like an aspect of a different note and even though it reminds me of chlorine it doesn’t smell synthetic at all.. if that Makes sense.. I think it’s probably the fig leaf.. All in all this is an amazing, safe blind buy, for an insanely low price, that I don’t think can possibly be offensive to anyone. You have to apply quite library and reapply at least once during the day, but then again you get a 100ml bottle for under €20 and a gorgeous scent, so who cares? NB: Please don’t downvote reviews unless they’re offensive. At least 30% of my reviews get deleted because someone downvotes it before there are any upvotes. It gets reviews deleted completely. This is the third time I’m reviewing this and the other two have been deleted. My previous two were written better, but I’m tired of trying to memorise every review I write to be able to rewrite it later. If you disagree with some detail, just write your own review instead of getting someone else’s deleted.

This is completely unisex. Such an amazing fresh and uplifting bergamont and fig opening. The middle and basenotes of tobacco, cinnamon, myrh, vanilla, and cedar are found on many of my most favorite fragrances. Those other ones that I have featuring such notes are typically very different than this, being heavier and sweeter winter scents. Here these note remain far far in the background and Extrême Pureté stays fresh also during drydown. On my skin I can't even detect tobacco, maybe because I associate tobacco with heavier and more masculine scents. Some woodiness and vanilla is detectable in the background. But for me this does not come through as a sweet scent that you can sometimes expect with those notes. Here these middle and basenotes serve a supporting purpose, helping to keep this from going too citric and green. As pretty much everyone says: the scent is amazing for the price but it does not last long. Longevity as a skin scent is okay though. I get a couple hours. I use Extrême Pureté as an after shower scent or to refresh briefly on a hot day. This would work wonderfully on breakfast by the pool at a nice hotel somewhere on the coast of the Mediterranean, wearing some light and elegant linen outfit with no intentions to do anything but to relax on a day like that. Very classy, elegant, inoffensive and just excellent. This is for someone who does not need to be announced as people will notice him/her anyway. The only complaint is the cap: it feels cheap and does not work very well. Happens to me all the time that when I put it back I accidentally push the atomizer and spray inside the cap. Lalique White has a similar clean elegant vibe as this from my collection. Although that one is more peppery and spicy and and lacks the fig note. That fig really adds some laid back summer day elegance to Extrême Pureté, while White is more energetic and it is also an excellent clean cheapie. White would be something to go play tennis or to hit the gym after breakfast, with Extrême Pureté you just relax and enjoy the day.

I agree with Greenhouse that this is citrus for the citrus agnostic. I’ve been venturing into scents with citrus that don’t just open, but support and develop in different stages. I love a big bergamot blast in the beginning, but that was all I wanted of it. Now I’m learning how much citrus can contribute beyond that. Gres perfumes take a little time for me to get to know, to their credit, and my enjoyment. I like how quiet and present they are. Some of them are major departures for me from what I usually prefer, so I have to set expectations aside and realize what is there. I am working my way through this line, having begun with Cabotine. Cabotine, Madame Gres, and Lumiere Rose are loves for me; Cabochard seriously grieves me because I absolutely love it, but it doesn’t stay more than an hour. Lumiere Noir is my other disappointment. Nothing Noir or special about it on me. Extreme Purete falls somewhere between for me, closer to a strong like. I enjoy it - I perceive a lot of tobacco, but it’s fresh, not dried. It smells like really fresh pipe tobacco, and with the citrus it’s kind of leathery to me. I really love that. I get no cinnamon or anything spicy. Nada. But the fig is beautiful and also fresh. I’m impressed by the structure and agree with LZed about the transparent layers. To this point, Kenzo Flower is the only other perfume I have described as transparent. Five hours into EP today, I still perceive citrus’ role. Like others from this house, it doesn’t seem to project much, but waits to be noticed on me. The restraint is definitely part of its charm and is perhaps the biggest departure for me from my usual choices. The longevity is 6-8 hours, but I suspect as I know it better, I will realize it’s lasting longer than that. For me this is a successful blind buy, and one I recommend - it’s different in a very good way, easy to live with, and refined. I’m glad I have it.

This is an excellent and very affordable piece of instant wellbeing and one that I'll recommend for everyone, because it's so well done. It starts off fresh and very green with a blast of bergamot. Much to my liking, the fig is noticeable too. Heart is sweeter with a very smooth tobacco note and a good pinch of cinnamon, but with the freshness from the bergamot still lingering. Thus it feels mellow and cosy, almost tea-ish, yet surprisingly crispy. Dry down is warmer with the myrrh doing its magic. However, the bergamot is still there and it makes the scent almost transparent, even when the darker notes are introduced. It's like the scent is renewing itself at every stage, while still keeping some of the initial freshness and you smell all the individual notes clearly, though in unison. Extrême Purité is a very wearable scent that comes off as surprisingly green, yet perfectly spiced. It isn't the most complex of perfumes, but Karine Dubreil-Sereni has done something remarkable keeping the entire composition fairly light all the way through. It is unisex, can be worn in all seasons and is probably one of the best bargain buys around.

Love at first sniff! I blind-bought this, based simply on the name Gres. I had a bad experience with Madame Gres, and I own Cabochard, a strong scent with presence, though I still handle it cautiously. However, this bottle was listed for cheap in a FB fragrance group and I decided to see what else they offer as a fragrance. I am so happy I did! It opens fresh, and a bit spicy, it's invigorating and quietly optimistic. Then it deepens and warms but somehow remains light and airy. I have never had a perfume that is warm AND airy. It is truly an astonishing aroma. There is a touch of sweetness, the vanilla in the base notes, but it is never too much. It's the second day now, and applied it on both wrists and keep catching wonderful whiffs of aromatic happiness radiating as I type. Best blind purchase.