How To Say Bicycle In French

Returning to the house of Imaginary Authors always comes with a different kind of expectation, as the story behind each fragrance is just as important as the scent itself. These are not simply compositions built around notes, but narratives brought to life through scent, and How to Say Bicycle in French leans fully into that identity. The story paints a picture of an American couple starting over in rural France, trading familiarity for something slower, greener, and more grounded, where small moments like shared meals, evening bike rides, and quiet village life take on deeper meaning. On paper, the blend of thyme, basil, lavender, and gentiana reflects that setting, reading like something herbal, slightly bitter, and atmospheric, capturing the feeling of open countryside, fresh air, and lived-in simplicity rather than polished perfection. It sets the stage for something more experiential than expressive, less about projection and more about immersion. Let’s see how this story translates from page to skin and how this pastoral scene unfolds once it comes to life. Opening: The opening is herbal, aromatic, and spicy. The primary notes I get are thyme, gentiana, lavender, and basil, with the thyme and gentiana leading. The thyme comes through immediately with a sharp, herbal intensity, carrying a defined spiciness that gives the opening a crisp, slightly biting edge. The gentiana sits alongside it with a green, slightly bitter profile, softened by a faint floral undertone that adds nuance without taking away from its distinctive character. The lavender follows with a clean, aromatic presence, bringing that familiar, slightly powdery, barbershop-like quality that adds structure and a touch of classic masculinity to the composition. The basil rounds things out with a fresh, leafy greenness, introducing a subtle sweetness that helps balance the sharper and more bitter elements. There is also a noticeable citrusy brightness running through the opening, particularly reminiscent of lemon, which lifts the entire composition and adds a sense of clarity. This likely comes from the natural lemony facets of thyme and basil interacting with one another, though it could also be supported by an unlisted citrus element. The result is a vibrant, clean, and herbaceous opening with a sharp, green character softened by aromatic freshness and a subtle citrus-like lift. Dry Down: The dry down is herbal, clean, and aromatic. The primary notes I get are thyme, clary sage, lavender, and gentiana, with the thyme and clary sage leading. The thyme remains a central presence, carrying over that same sharp, herbal character from the opening, still slightly spicy and green. The clary sage, however, steps forward and becomes a defining element, introducing a musky, aromatic quality that leans distinctly clean and soapy, reminiscent of an expensive bar soap with a smooth, refined finish. The lavender continues to support with its familiar aromatic profile, adding a soft, powdery, barbershop-like masculinity that reinforces the clean direction of the composition. Lastly, the gentiana moves further into the background, still contributing a subtle green bitterness but no longer driving the scent. The result is a dry down that shifts away from the sharper, more textured opening into something smoother and more uniform, centered around clean, soapy herbs and classic aromatics. Performance: Projection opens surprisingly strong within the first hour, easily capable of filling a small room and making a clear initial impression. Sillage follows with a bright yet substantial scent trail that carries the herbal and aromatic character well through the air. After about three to four hours, projection settles to around three to four feet, and the scent trail softens in tandem, though it remains noticeable and well-defined. As the fragrance moves into the later stages around the eight to nine hour mark, projection pulls in to within arm’s length, and the scent trail becomes faint. Around this point, it transitions into a skin scent, maintaining a soft, clean presence up close. Overall, this delivers solid performance, especially for a fragrance built around fresh, herbal, and aromatic notes. When to Wear: How To Say Bicycle In French fits naturally into the spring and summer months, where its green, herbal freshness feels aligned with warmer weather. It leans toward daytime wear, working best in environments where something clean and easygoing feels appropriate. It adapts well to casual settings, whether that is being out and about or simply enjoying a relaxed day, and it can also carry into more structured situations like the office, where its clean, soapy character comes across as polished and approachable. It even has enough composure to work in more formal settings, though in a quieter, understated way. Where it feels less suited is in special occasions, as it lacks the depth and presence typically associated with those moments and instead leans into a more everyday, functional kind of freshness. Blind Buy: I would not consider How To Say Bicycle In French a safe blind buy, primarily because of how central the herbal, aromatic, and soapy qualities are to the entire experience. There is very little deviation from that core profile, which means your enjoyment will depend heavily on how much you appreciate that style. For some, it may come across as refreshing and refined, while for others it could feel too sharp, too clean, or even a bit one-dimensional. That said, if you already enjoy fresh, aromatic fragrances, or the idea of smelling like you just showered with a luxury bar soap sounds appealing, this is absolutely worth exploring. Sampling is still the safest route to see how it aligns with your personal taste. Final Verdict: How To Say Bicycle In French is one of those fragrances that did not fully click with me at first, but gradually grew on me as it developed on skin. The opening presents a sharp, green, and slightly bitter herbal profile that feels unique, and as it transitions, the composition settles into a clean, soapy, aromatic dry down that feels refreshing and comforting, almost like stepping out of a high-end spa. It manages to carve out a distinct identity, which is something Imaginary Authors consistently does well, separating it from the more conventional fresh fragrances in my collection. The performance also holds up nicely for this style, adding to its overall appeal. While it may not be the most universally appealing scent, it is one that rewards time and attention, and for that reason, I can see myself adding it to my growing collection of Imaginary Authors fragrances. Scent: 9/10 Longevity: 7/10 Sillage: 7/10 Versatility: Average Compliment Factor: Average Gender: Masculine Value: Fair

Sampling the latest release from Imaginary Authors, How to Say Bicycle in French, a vibrant, fresh mix of primarily savory elements, including basil, rosemary, thyme, clary sage, lavender, and gentian oil, the last of which I needed to look up as I’m unfamiliar with it. It’s pretty remarkable that this assortment of most food-connoted ingredients comes together in a harmonious ensemble. It opens frankly almost a bit spicy and sharp, albeit fresh, green, and vegetal, but calms down a bit as it dries down. Overall, though, it remains a bit provocative throughout its lifespan, despite becoming a little more pleasantly subdued over time. It’s a very effective intersection of concepts and would ordinarily not be something I’d expect to enjoy so much based on the note listing but it feels so carefully considered and well executed. As with the rest of the line, it’s EDP concentration and priced at $115 for 50ml (with a travel size available at $46 for 14ml), sold via both the house website and an assortment of US boutiques like Perfumology. The pricing for the line remains extremely reasonable, with only one jump in pricing in the past decade, pretty remarkable in recent years. Performance-wise, it’s not among the house’s more robust performers, but its quality is still palpably great and I think I might find the opening a bit overwhelming if it were significantly stronger, anyway. A real innovative creation and yet again something quite new for the catalogue. Bravo to Josh Meyer once again! 8 out of 10

This is indeed a different take on a Provence-inspired cologne, emphasizing aromatic, slightly (pleasantly) bitter, slightly dusty characteristics over straightforwardly floral ones. I find that the lavender is a relatively quiet background note here for the basil--prominent up-front--and the sage, which becomes more obviously integrated into the blend as it wears. This is a hot, slightly dusty summer afternoon two-thirds of the way through a long bike ride through the countryside, when you're a bit tired in a good way and taking a break to just sit in the shade and take it all in for a moment. I love that it's neither overtly floral, nor sweet, nor soapy--this is what I *want* an Aperol spritz to taste like. (If you like the sweetness of how an Aperol spritz *actually* tastes, this may be a bit dry for you.) Caveat: excepting the regrettably fleeting Saint Julep, I find the performance on Imaginary Authors fragrances consistently very good to excellent. Bicyclette is significantly less long-lived than most--not at all surprising for this style of fragrance, and its performance is probably a bit better than my other herbal colognes, but it doesn't give the all-day wear that most IA releases do.

An enjoyably pretty scent, but not "pretty-pretty." This memorably evokes the countryside in Provence, but it's much less sweet than that might lead you to expect. The major floral scents here are gentian and lavender, which produce a soft underlying scent but one that's refreshingly mellowed and even a little dark; otherwise it's heavy on aromatic herbs: thyme, basil, and rosemary. Its scent has been compared--accurately--to a well-milled French soap, but that's actually a lovely scent and one that typically does not last as long as this fragrance does. I would recommend trying this out before you buy it, since it's not as sweet nor as cute as the name and the bottle label might otherwise suggest. But I really enjoyed this and might buy a full bottle. The only downside is the opening to this is a bit synthetic (always a problem with fragrances from this house); but the drydown is lovely.

I’m devastated by some of the unflattering reviews here. I changed this from a like to a love and a likely purchase to add to my 300 perfumes. So, does it remind you of Johnson and Johnsons baby shampoo? Yes. Does it smell like household cleaner - a little. But there is much more to it... ignore the noses with limited experience... It has a sweet and yet bitter opening that is aldehyde like being the Gentiana and some crushed green. After a short while a slighlty soapy sweeteness appears, reminiscent of sweet yellow pollen nose to skin. A crushed green herb sweet in nature wraps over it - strangely muting any lavender. Theres almost a floral centre I swear. After 50 minutes theres a fresh airy slight camphorous edge as well. I can indeed imagine this as per the advert... a couple cycling through fields in France. Performance is better than most IA.

Interesting... it smells like light delicate florally sweet cologne.... In reality all the notes are there, it’s not lavender centric but a light rosemary centric scent. Reviews mislead its definitely has the note listed but nose to skin and you have to pull the notes apart. Close to skin it reminds me of a fizzy light almost flat lemonade with a smidge of rosemary stalk... Nice, some will love its niche appeal but it’s a bit steep for its offer... edit: so it’s a few hours in and it’s playing along at a linear level. Funnily enough it made me get out Aqua Sextius and it’s almost a slightly weaker less oily less sweet version. I’m impressed now.

So herbal and CLEAN. I'm loving the basil and sage notes. I thought it would smell too kitchen-y, like cooking, but instead it's fresh like an herb garden. The Mrs. Meyers comments aren't wrong but if you like Mrs. Meyers it's extremely pleasant lol, and more complex. Got this as a sample with my purchase and I might have to get a small bottle. It's not a scent profile I would normally go for, but I can't stop sniffing at it on my wrists so it would be nice to have some around for every now and then.

As many commentators have noted, this perfume has something of lavender shampoo or soap about it. Nevertheless, this is one of the coolest herbal blends of this type that I have come across. In addition to lavender, I definitely smell rosemary and thyme. It brings to mind the image of a person who has just taken a shower with good soap and is pottering about in their little garden near their house in the south of France. Full of aromatic herbs and flowers. Very light, fresh and positive one, 9/10

I tried this on both a tester and on my skin. Of all 8 scents I chose for my Imaginary Authors discovery set - this one is my favorite. It's like fresh laundry air dried on a line running through an herb garden. Soapy, clean, and green. I'm fairly certain I'll purchase this one at some point soon. I will say, it doesn't last as long as I would like it to on my skin or project very far. But it does seem to last longer on clothes. And I think it's projection might lend itself well to daily use.

Very minimalistic. Very green. Mix of rosemary, thyme, basil — fresh, herbal, almost kitchen-garden clean. The floral gentiana touch feels unusual (never heard of it lol), which gives it that slightly bitter, airy lift. It’s simple, but not boring. As someone noted below - it reminds of a very French soap, yet there’s something bohemian about it. Effortless. Intellectual. Slightly artistic. Fresh, spicy, aromatic, green.

Spraying this when you're just out of the shower after a long hot day is the most comforting summer feeling. It feels fresh and clean but soft in such a natural way, like a breeze coming off of an herb garden. It feels like a linen shirt and a crisp glass of white wine when you've spent the day in the sun and now your skin is freshly clean from some local lavender soap. This is how I always want summer to feel.

this perfume is honestly equal parts hilarious and charming. it literally smells like your run of the mill Man body wash with some floral notes, but not floral in the delicate rose kind of way, more like a literal wet garden. then it relaxes into a low-key, almost "smoky" floral scent which reminds me of a less intense version of dechets by treading water. don't know how much i'll be wearing it, but i love it.

You just took a shower with a Pre de Provence lavender soap. Then you make some pasta with basil and thyme. Very invigorating clean vibrant fresh garden. Hint of sweetness to it. Very easy to wear and is unisex. A bit synthetic but nothing bad. Lovely stuff. 8.8/10

This smells like a bar of natural lavender soap with little pieces of herbs all throughout it. It’s so refreshing and clean. It makes me feel like I just took the most luxurious and calming shower of my life in a 5 star hotel. 9/10

A charming fragrance that is easy to wear, especially in summer and early fall. If you’ve been to Provence during that time of year you know exactly what it’s about. Only complaint is the longevity, which on my skin is about 4h.

Smells very clean, natural, soapy reminds me of like getting a bar of herbal soap a friend made from scratch, simple but pleasant I get about 4-6 hours with it I wouldn’t mind having a travel spray at least

fuck i love this. the lysol note people are picking up smells like champagne to me, or a mimosa. the basil is prominent but blends so well with the lavender and herby notes

Sharp Linen smell more than soapy imo also Rosemary heavy over lavender Still, smells like soap and after shower air

I usually write a long review with details....i got three words. I LOVE this

This one actually surprised me a little. The opening hits with a bright, sharp lavender, clean, almost brisk, and very noticeable right away. After about 15 to 20 minutes it softens beautifully. The edges mellow, and it becomes soapy and even a little bit creamy, which I’m usually not a fan of, but here it feels completely natural, like something a real, high-quality soap would smell like rather than something artificial or forced. It almost feels like it is begging to be a soap, yet I’m glad it is a fragrance, because the scent lasts longer that way. As it develops, the herbal notes come forward more clearly. I notice sweet basil, a hint of oregano (even though it’s not listed), and a touch of clary sage. I expected it to be more earthy, but it isn’t. Instead, it is subtle and clean but bright at the same time. Now I must say, if you are a fan of lavender, whether it be lavender soap, lavender essential oils, or anything lavender-forward, this is absolutely a must-try. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be “pleasant.” A clean, unisex lavender fragrance that feels uplifting, sits close to the skin, and is quite easy to wear. While anyone can wear whatever they want whenever they want, this one feels especially suited to daytime, fresh and bright with the sun shining through the windows, kind of feeling. While this may not be the type of scent profile I usually gravitate towards, it’s undeniably well made and just smells great.