En Plein Air

US customs gave me a lot of grief over this perfume, so I was very anxious for it to arrive. I gave it some time to sit on my skin and clothes in different environments over the last few days before I formed a coherent opinion. This is a really pretty scent. The first spray wasn’t much to write home about, and I was worried I had invested in something I wasn’t going to love, but it warmed quickly to my skin. The first 20 minutes is straight bergamot and grapefruit. It doesn’t have a bold presence the way Les Cahiers Secrets does, which opens with cumin and lilies. En Plein Air starts with a faint and almost bitter citrus zest before eventually warming into rainy, soft white florals and a lone musk base. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t as sharp or acidic as others had suggested. I don’t get the idea that the citrus is culinary. This isn’t a juicy perfume, and I found the middle notes complement the initial bitterness by mellowing it out with something comforting and familiar. My skin likes this fragrance. I showered immediately after the test spray and the heat amplified a natural and grassy skin-warmth, which I found subtly erotic. It lasts, too—my shirt collar lingered faintly with bergamot even after coming home from an eight-hour office workday. Where Les Cahiers Secrets is overtly flirtatious, En Plein Air feels like a warm, breezy picnic rolling in the park with someone you’re madly in love with: sun-dappled grass, short linen sundresses, bare limbs slick inside all the hollows and dells where the skin meets.

I am emotionally addicted to this. It is sensuous, in a way that is both mysterious and pure. It’s like a recurring memory that is hazy in the details but vivid in colors of feeling, a searing of energy. In these memories, I am sixteen, too shy to speak to my crush. The intensity of my infatuation must ooze out of me, an aura of unspoken longing. The citrus notes, clinging to my skin...I have just peeled a perfect grapefruit, the oils from the rind a fragrant reminder of the bursting pink flesh. The flowers and musk take it deeper, adding a warmth to the scent that is alive, inviting you closer...I am 20, and I am running in the summer rain with the man I am with. Back at his place, we are insatiable. We tear the clothes off of each other, our damp bodies humming our desire, our need; we are a tangle of musky, sweaty skin and the sweet heat of his breath all over me, and we devour each other completely through. The rain notes, watery and mineral and atmospheric, whisper a spiritual air. I am 39, I am married now and my husband is looking at me as I step out of the shower. And still, after these long years, we are drawn to each other. He has known me in a way I never imagined possible. Known me inside and out, through the many lifetimes that are the passing years. We give ourselves to each other, again, and again, and again. He gave me this perfect perfume and I have worn it every day since. It is innocence. Carnality. En Plein Air is longing and it is bliss. It is perfect.

A tall, cool glass of water. My favourite of the Jouissance of trinity. Bitter bergamot and grapefruit peel twine with a white floral petrichor into a perfectly unisex pick-me-up. Its opening is akin to Outremer's Bergamote, but takes that linear citrus to the next level. My favourite part is its woody-musk drydown, which feels – hear me out – like nuzzling into a brand-new Abercrombie and Fitch jumper. The confluence of the femme petals and masc musk is ~ chef’s kiss ~. Longevity and sillage are mild at around 3 hours on my skin, but more durable in fabric. I packed the sampler for a roadtrip through the South Island of New Zealand and it was the perfect scent to re-civilize with after tramping through the drizzly wilds. Mental Snapshot: A fantasy romance downpour. Mr. Darcy, emerging from a lake. Wet linen, fresh grass, a bouquet of wildflowers clutched in a fist. Bookmark. Rewind. Spritz again. tl;dr: how I wish I smelled after pining in the rain 🌧️ 🆒

Gorgeous. My favourite of the three currently offered by this house. Sweet/sharp/green/fresh it is lovely puts me in mind of a green chypre. It sits close to the skin and is extremely pretty, easy to wear. The opening burst of citrus is really lovely, not too overpowering but ever present when the fragrances moved to the middle and bottom notes. The floral notes are clean and bright and the musk is sexy and intimate, with a little woody echo like pencil shavings. It’s full bottle worthy for sure, if you like Untitled, Sur du Nil, chanel 19 edt, and Modern Muse you’ll like this. This is good for office/daywear.

Yes, En Plein Air is juicy, zesty, and bright—almost a bit assertive, but, my goodness.. The dry down on my skin is dewy and innocently provocative. It’s reminiscent of the feeling when you have a crush & there’s that wild tension but both parties haven’t built up the courage to speak, and perhaps never will. The tension is good enough. I want to reserve this perfume for bed time with my lover so this scent is imprinted in his memory while we sleep. I wish this was available in a larger offering.