Jour de Fete

I received a sample of this from someone who absolutely adores it, and I can see why. I would have thought something entitled "birthday" would be sticky and saccharine; dripping with icing and sprinkles and over the top fruit flavored confections...Jour de Fete is none of these things, thankfully! Instead this perfume is done in typical L'Artisan style, tasteful and tasty! The vanilla is apparent from the beginning, as if the softest vanilla icing sugar glaze was drizzled over toasted almonds. The wheat note here is so very real, almost like you can smell sheaves of dried wheat standing in the sun, and as it develops the smell of the toasted whole grains themselves. Warm and wholesome, like some fresh baked "goody" your grandmother just took out of the oven and you cannot wait to devour it. As this continues, a very subtle orris/iris note grounds this; adding a floral and earthy very comfortable air. This is not the cold green of the roots, but the feeling of fresh-cut flowers given with love and adoration. I have no idea why this is labelled as an "oriental spicy" perfume. Unless the vanilla is "oriental" and the tang of the almondine treats is considered "spicy". To me it is more of a subtle gourmand, with light sheer floral accents. Whatever you call it and however you look at it; Jour de Fete is worthy of celebration, and is quite beautiful. Despite the sweetness and predominately feminine notes in this scent, a man could pull this off and still smell sexy. I am still utterly impressed at how L'Artisan Parfumeur did this and though I may not rush out and buy a full bottle (anytime soon); I would consider purchasing at least a 10 ml decant from one of those websites who do so... Sillage: close and subtle Longevity: above average Overall: 3.75/5 A fitting scent for celebrating one's own birthday or just for days when you want something delicious on your skin. As I said above this is NOT your typical heavy gourmand, but it is satisfying. I can say, however; that smelling this on someone else, I might have to fight the overwhelming desire to lick the skin where they had applied it. It really IS truly that scrumptous! *licks lips*

This is very special. I've tried and owned many almond fragrances at one time or another. Nothing smells like Jour de Fete~nothing. It's one of the only fragrances that I have a back up bottle of. I agree that the wheat note takes this in a very unique and quite brilliant direction! Unlike some of the other wonderful reviewers here I don't get the warmth or vanille frosting on my skin. I get a fantastically dry almond tree. The lack of sweetness makes this completely wearable from spring through fall w/out ever being too much.For me the vanille softens the very realistic and air biting sharpness of the almond. The wheat note for me really adds to the feel of walking through an almond grove.I don't get the greenness of the leaves but I do get the smell of the bark which just hits this out of the park for me. I LOVE it! I also get a bit of powder which always improves almost anything for my sniffer! It adds just a light touch of comfort to the whole thing. I do agree w/the longevity being unfortunate. However w/a fragrance this exceptional it is my pleasure to keep a bit in my purse at all times to freshen up when I feel the need. I must say~to my nose~this is an extraordinary piece of extremely wearable almond art. As of today it's also getting very very hard to find as it's been newly discontinued. Sniff while you can folks!

I used to hope that it was another overhyped perfume that was popular because it was discontinued; it's not. It's the best almond I've ever smelt; it's delicate, not sugary, and well-balanced. It has everything the almond/pistachio/hazelnut/nuts perfumes today are not with their greasy, sugary notes. The last Guerlain that was trying to emulate dragée (sugar-coated almond) should have been something like that. I love that it's not some photorealistic reproduction of a dragée. Dragées do not smell of iris, but it merges so well wth the almond and give that perfume a lot of depth. The wheat also gives a gritty texture, really subtle but nice. And the name "Jour de fête", is pretty evocative, I guess, that's why I'm partial on my dragée interpretation. It's really nostalgic, it reminds me of the weddings used to go to when I was a child, where I would feast on those sugar-coated almond. The projection is intimate, but the performance is good for such a light fragrance. I would love to find a full size as there is nothing similar on the market, sadly.

I've considered this to be my signature for years even though I almost never let myself wear my remaining stash these days. When I noticed my last bottle getting low I tucked it away and started the process of breaking up with my beloved Jour de Fete. I knew it wouldn't be easy...I had nothing similar to replace it with. Every other fragrance was just too loud and screeching by comparison to Jour de Fete's powdery vanilla-kissed almond whisper. People complain about the longevity and projection being non-existent in this (and I hear that's what accounted for it's discontinuation), but dammit I would gladly pay $150 for this lightly scented magic any day, and I think L'Artisan should bring it back! I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. ALSO...if anyone would like to sell their used bottle, please PM me with your asking price. (My Fragrantica wardrobe isn't entirely up to date but of course I would also be willing to set up a swap, perhaps even multiple bottles in exchange.)

Jour de Fete is one delicate gem, a watery almond and vanilla with a slight gourmand texture given by the wheat note (what a brilliant idea to add it to the composition!). It's a bit powdery and nutty and although it's soft and light and a definite skin scent, it has lasting power to be proud of for an EDT. This perfume makes me smile and takes me back to my childhood, to someplace that feels comfortable and old and tender. And as I smell it I do remember the exact place this is. When I was around 6 or 7, I had this lovely neighbor, a very sweet old lady that used to pinch my cheek and invite me to her place to taste some of her delicious cookies. And her house smelled like Jour de Fete as she was baking the dessert. It's a lovely, precious memory. Jour de Fete is a gorgeous perfume, what a pity and a shame that they discontinued such a beauty.

It's just too hard to tell with this fragrance. Usually, I spritz it on and immediately smell nothing. It vanishes with only a pitiful little whisper. Then, on certain magical days, not only does it sing on my skin, but it hovers gently in the air around me for hours, bidding me calm and joy and clarity. When it works, I love it. When it doesn't, I'd do just as well spritzing water on my body. Heck, I may even do better since water isn't nearly as costly. But in terms of what it is that keeps drawing me back. . . It's that delicate and beautiful fresh almond under a sheer veil of vanilla scented flour. Hardly sweet, nothing harsh, everything ethereal. Always only lovely. The teasing game this fragrance plays only make me want it more. It's so elusive that I find myself checking the bottle every morning to see if today will be a "Jour De Fete."

Jour de Fête - I think of happy, warm days, some under the autumn sun, some in the green of spring. Glimpses of joy from moments past and also soon to come, summoned by this beautiful vanilla-marzipan-wheat blend. I had dreamt of this scent for many years before it could finally be mine. Was it simply the beauty of the name or the bottle, or was I fated to fall in love with it? There are moments when one's life feels special, detached from reality, as if you've briefly found yourself in a movie. This is how Jour de Fête makes me feel, so I keep it for special occasions. I wore it most recently to a concert and my friend said it reminded her of Tikvenik, which is a pumpkin phyllo dough pie. Funny enough, as I was scrolling through the comments, someone else made the exact same comparison.

Finally after years of keeping tiny little sample of 10ml now I have full size bottle. Completly new with the box and I'm so happy that I have it in my collection since there is nothing similar to Jour De Fete. Forget about all those voted here as similar because it's not. Yes I tried them all. I emailed L'Artisan about how great this perfume is and how people miss their once a year re-release of old perfumes so if you guys email them too maybe we can get back this beauty once again in stock. I also wrote them an idea to make this perfume in EXTREME version because as you all know every perfume company is releasing their extract and extreme versions now so it would be a dream to have Jour De Fete in extreme version. My review of this perfume is somewhere down here

Love the review of naomin, its truly one of the prettiest fragrance of L'Artisan, delicate, tender, natural, shy, innocent, spring-like. No harsh tonalities, nothing screams, but all comes to life and whispers. To me the opening smells like tiny leaves when they are just coming out of buds, sticky and tenderly-green, like vegetable butterflies from their pupa. They really smell like young almonds, iris is so fresh and wheat is calming. Its not a fragrance, its an aromatheraphy for me, I will definitely back up this one, as it makes me feel loved, I always feel its presence on my shoulders and hair even though noone can say whether its a fragrance or its my own scent.

Imagine a paper wrap where vanilla cookies were but you eat them all and now what you are left of is this paper wrap that still have that amazing scent of those crispy vanilla cookies. Cookies were delicious but not overly sweet and they were hard and very dry ones. This is how this perfume smells to me. Mild sweet, very dusty, dry, cozy and "lazy". Really interesting take on almond note for sure. EDIT: Also the smell of this perfume reminds me of pumpkin pie but not american one but pumpkin pie made of filo/phyllo dough. You have freshly grated pumpkin, vanilla infused sugar, little bit of cinnamon and crispy baked filo dough. 🎃

I love this! It smells like sweet grass (hierochloe odorata). I'm native American, and this one took me back a little to my childhood and teenage years when I was more involved in the culture. This one is gently sweet, delicate smelling. If I try I can smell the iris and wheat, the vanilla gives it the shy sweetness. Almond...somewhere in this I get the "gist" of almond, but nothing I would point my finger at. I maybe catch a faint Play-doh vibe, but that just adds to the curiosity. I'm not sure how long this is gonna last on my scent-eater skin. I received a sample of this in a swap, but I would totally buy a fb.

I'm in heaven. I so understand why my almond/helio/vanilla friends on here call this the "the great white whale" of fragrances. I can't believe I haven't jumped on this before. I bought a huge decant, and I see another one in my future. I'm just glad this discontinued beauty can still be obtained in any way. It is powdery, almondy, vanilla with a slight grain? wheat? scent. If baby powder smelled like this IRL, I'd be dousing myself and anyone within a 5 foot radius. I have no idea if it's a safe blind buy or not, but I don't want anyone to buy anymore decants bc I'm going hunting for them all!

This is a scent that I’ve tried so hard to not get attached to because it’s pretty impossible to find. But every time I allow myself to wear a drop or two, I fall in love again. It is easily in my top five of beloved perfumes. It’s sweet candied almond with the unique addition of wheat that gives it a little something special that makes it stand out from other almond scents. If this were rereleased as a limited edition, overpriced bottle, I’d be the first in line to buy it. PLEASE bring this back!!

This scent is lovely; after the sharp beginning, it's a soft, gentle, nutty, creamy almond and wheat,sweet but not sickly. This is a firm favourite which I wear often, it just suits me, and cheers me, every time I wear it. Update: much stronger in summer. The nut, wood, wheat and milky notes are very prominent, but the scent is dryer. It's comforting and cosy. I smell it at intervals for hours, so while it is close to the skin, it lasts all day. Very pleasant, one of my favourites from L'Artisan x

I Like! Since opening turns soft and comfortable .. after about 10 minutes I can feel the vanilla that comes into contact with almonds and wheat ... The only thing that is not good is the sillage unfortunately (remains very close to the skin) ... but maybe it's a good thing, in my opinion it was not enormous was fine! But the longevity is poor (about 4 hours on me) This parfum is good . :) Sillage: 5/10 Longevity: 6/10 Scent: 7.5/10 Overall: 8/10.

This is freaking incredible!! I have a tiny sample and it's absolutely gorgeous!! If fairy dust had a scent it would smell like Jour de Fête! Olivia Giacobetti is a QUEEN and this perfume is so beautiful I could cry. I NEED A FULL BOTTLE more than oxygen!! Please send a DM if you have one!! Oh beautiful unicorn I pray one day you will be mine... ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ EDIT: A Xerjoff will never smell like this.

Sweet almond, cosmetic powder. Sexy baby powder. Simple and easy to wear. Almost a touch of nag champa in the dry down.

Guusje sent me a test vial of this one and for me it is sheer heaven!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one! Amazing!

FYI - this is NOT the original Jour de Fete, not even close, it is a completely different fragrance.

Selling a 100 ml bottle of Jour de Fete. Lightly used. Can ship within EU.

Also anyone who is willing to sell a bottle please contact me in DM

The almond in Jour de Fête is a quite peculiar interpretation. Not the sugary fluffy type like Dior Hypnotic Poison or Réminiscence Dragée, nor the slightly bitter cyanide type like Réminiscence Héliotrope or Do Ré, it's raw, almost green especially in the opening. Soon the wheat adds a dusty texture and the iris has a somewhat leathery feel, combined with vanilla, it's somehow reminiscent of the late drydown of Vanille Absolument above a gentle whipped cream base, before eventually settling down into a gently musky vanilla. With such a lighthearted name and its inspiration of dragée, one can easily expect a sugary feast. However, while the redolence of wheat and almond are discernable, Jour de Fête doesn't feel edible. While it emits a cozy aura, it does not take the route of childhood and confectiony, but in a grown-up way, evoking vanillic skin. This is a day of celebration in serenity. The sillage is soft and the longevity is around 6 hours. I think Jour de Fête is an interesting interpretation of almond. I'd recommend it to those who are interested in a fragrance with gourmand elements and who like their fragrances sheer and airy. However, although it's ethereal and hardly offensive, it still has a sort of quirky nature like in some L'Artisan Parfumeur offerings. Thus I'd strongly suggest sampling first.

I had a sample of Jour de Fête, and stupidly allowed it to evaporate almost entirely before finally getting to it, and so I've only been able to wear it for one full day. And since it seems to have been discontinued, there's a good chance that that's all I'll ever get - too bad, since it's hardly enough to get to know it properly. But I do like it, it's a nicely restrained kind of gourmand, or borderline gourmand. It begins with a blast of bitter and not entirely pleasant almonds, quickly followed by a much better phase of non-edible powderiness reminiscent of a softer version of Poudre de Riz or Teint de Neige. Then after an hour or so the wheat and almond become a little sweeter and a bit more gourmand with the vanilla also coming in, and so the bakery aspect comes into focus. But all very soft! This phase is very nice as well, and it lasts for hours, close to the skin at least. Another reviewer uses the words "polite" and "feminine" to describe Jour de Fête, and they're not wrong, but it's not boring, just thoroughly pleasant and unobtrustive. All in all this is a solid like for me: I'm glad I got to test it, and would have liked to get to know it better, but I'm not heartbroken at the thought that I probably won't.

I got a mini through swap. From the condition of the bottle I'm guessing this is the old formulation. Jour de Fete opens with lots of freshness like just-mowed lawn, with a hint of sweetness from almond. Another way to put it is a purified hay note, without the earthiness or fermented smell. There's definitely iris. It creates a very sheer powdery feeling that's vegetal and airy, unlike violet powderiness that is typically more dense and floral. As the scent develops the almond and vanilla become more prominent and Jour de Fete now leans over to the gourmand territory, yet the wheat note lingers to keep the scent interesting. The overall impression is soft, feminine and delicate. Projection is very soft (skin scent). I find this a more acceptable sweet fluffy scent than Shalimar Initial, with all the sharp citrus notes taken out. Personally I'd prefer a little bit less vanilla simply because the almond and wheat combo is gorgeous, and deserves more attention :) I really like it especially for the nice wheat note, but I don't think I can pull it off wearing such a soft and sweet scent. Too bad for me, but I'll keep sniffing this beauty ;) !

Jour de Fete has that special vibe every perfume made by Olivia Giacobetti has - I could guess the nose behind this one the moment I tried it. It also has no longevity and is quite a skin scent - again, a Giacobetti hallmark. What I got out of this one were crushed, minced, ground almonds with a touch of vanilla. Something like a cloud of almond powder. Some iris in the background, dusty and powdery as well. Maybe something else, but I failed to spot any other possible note. The aroma is not really multifaceted, but surely is pleasant and unique - there are lots of almond based fragrances, but not a single one in my knowing resembles Jour de Fete. Also, you won't smell like a dessert wearing this one - it's more powdery than sweet and/or foody. If you can put longevity and projection issues aside - or if you get better results than my 3-hour longevity with little to no aura - this is certainly a perfume worth trying. A lovely scent for both genders and for all occasions which will never, ever, offend anybody, with a lot of unique aspects, even if rather simple. 8,25/10

I blindly grabbed a 100 ml bottle at TK maxx, but then, at home I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to buy such a huge bottle of unknown fragrance. While searching about this perfume I came across an online shop selling decants so I ordered a few. I took my sample on my holiday and after first few applications I was left dissapointed with the sillage. There was a lovely marzipan (I love marzipan!) note but it was gone very quickly. I used my 2 ml sample and decided to sell the full size bottle on ebay. After my return home I picked my cardigan which was away with me and was worn only once and I detected some lovely notes of almond, marzipan, amaretto - all these notes I have been looking for. This one is really lovely and comforting. It brings good memories of Christmas, Christmas markets, Gluhwein and happy times. Will use my hude bottle with pleasure. Shame the staying power is so poor (but maybe that's why it is sold in 100 ml bottle).

A generous Frangrantican sent me a surprise sample! Another reviewer said they smell wheat and dry almond powder conjuring a picture of a cloud of flour and almond powder. That is exactly what I smelled and pictured upon spraying it! It reminds me very much of Dragées (Jordan Almonds), Christmas in Europe, mulled wine and all things winter since I smell like I've been baking. Sillage is soft and staying power is amazing on me. It is one dimensional and quite powdery but will layer beautifully with a sweeter, fresher scent. This is the third L'Artisan I've had the privilege of testing and thus look forward to trying more.

This EdT starts out sweet, almondy, musky, and a little green. Actually, by the time it dries down for a half hour it’s more of a sweet white musk than anything else. Other reviewers say the base is vanilla, but to me it’s sugary musk. The whole composition feels very low-key and low-concentration. There’s not much sillage, and even up close it’s pretty much a one-note fragrance. It’s not bad for what it is, but I’d at least like it to last a while, more than 2 hours. In any case, it seems to be discontinued, so I’m not going to go searching for a full bottle.

I mean, it smells like dry, powdered almonds and wheat flour with just a tad of vanilla. It is certainly not sweet, it's like the cake ingredients still haven't been mixed together and made into an actual cake, they're still sitting in bowls on the counter. The iris here makes me think of L'Instant Magic by Guerlain, it is probably a consequence of the almond-iris combo. Certainly better than Lann-Ael by Lostmarch, a wheaty scent I found repulsive, but this one is "just" a like.

Okay, I can tell I don't adore L'Artisan scents: there is a little strange "thing" in all of them and most of the time I don't feel comfortable these scents and I Can't wear them. I'd wait long-long time to try Jour de Fete and thanx TK Maxx, that you sold me a huge 100 ml flacon for ł20 and finally I can wear it. Very soft, very light scent with a strange accord...I like it but not my fave. Sometimes I will wear it...sometimes.

I don't know...? perhaps there's something wrong with me? I love sweet scents, adore almonds, anything gourmand really and enjoy the idea of wheaty, milky notes. So why on earth are so many of these creations just insipidly unbearable to me... especially on my skin? I have a real problem with some almond fragrances they are just plain harsh and weird, not the lovely creamy almond of something like AdP Mandorlo di sicilia. Jour de Fete isn't one of those deep heavy affairs it's just plain unsettling. The top notes to me are iris and in this instance come over as ghostly and aloof. They float above the milky, wheaty creamy notes of almond and vanilla giving a cuddling effect which just doesn't work for me. It's a bizarre fragrance this one. The more I smell it the more I feel I'm desperately rooting with my snout like a pig searching for truffles, occasionally stumbling upon something remotely pleasing. On the whole though it's bitter to me and gets slightly worse even as it settles down but luckily for me the longevity poor. It didn't stop me buying it for my girlfriend for Christmas though I just couldn't deny £20 for 100ml of L'AP...I hope she likes it and it smells better on her.

I'm not a fan of almond but I tried this one anyway. On my wrist, I've got strong almond that softened at the end, staying nonetheless at the forefront. At the beginning, I thought there was also a sort of greeny pistachio ... but I think it was the iris+wheat notes giving me that idea. Later on the iris stood out a little more and the pistachio feeling was pretty much gone. Longevity is about 6-7 hours on me, soft sillage. All in all I'm not a fan ( though I appreciate that it's not too sweet and that it's not linear like other perfumes by l'Artisan can be ) but I can see why some people would love it !

Olivia Giacobetti has a way of challenging the wearer without threatening. Jour de Fete makes you question your senses. It presents you with notions of softness, quiet and comfort at the same time that it makes you consider legibility and dynamics. It poses questions. What is the difference between quiet and soft in a perfume? Is low sillage a weakness or an advantage? Giacobetti's gift is to make perfumes that carry ideas, but not at the expense of pleasure and emotion. The name itself captures the conundrum. Jour de Fete. It sounds like a party in a bottle, but if you come to it expecting music, cheering and applause, you'll be either surprised or disappointed. It's less a party and more like a discussion with a fascinating stranger. It has a black-box quality that I love in Giacobetti's other work. I've read others call Jour de Fete overpowering, undetectable, sweet, bitter, long-lasting and instantly disappearing. Everybody sees something different in the box. Is there an opposite of a vanishing act? On applying Jour de Fete, I could just barely smell a hint of marzipan and play-do. It suggests scent as well as substances with particular textures. I had to strain to detect it. Within 15 to 20 minutes, I could smell it a bit more strongly. But what I smelled was more of a quality than a scent, per se. For lack of a better word, it smelled blunt. It's as though I was at the outer edge of something that actually absorbed sent. Now, eight hours later, I can't stop pulling my arm to my nose. It's remarkably composed. Simple, but suggestive. I have the same experience with Dzing! (another Giacobetti perfume for l'Artisan Parfumeurs) at its drydown. While the two smell nothing alike, at this stage, they both are evocative without suggesting or referring to anything in particular. They don't smell like anything else I can point to, but they make my mind race. Giacobetti’s work is fascinating. I’d give anything to have the chance to sit quietly in the corner and observe her at work for a week. from scenthurdle.com

In my opinion, almost all almond inspired fragrances smell lovely, however I find myself appreciating the soft, natural ones the most. L'Artisan's Jour de Fete is a quality almond fragrance. Very mild and not too sugary sweet. Jour de Fete has many fascinating qualities. It is both creamy and dusty. Yes, I describe it as dusty, even though some may consider it powdery. After application, it is quick to settle into a smooth blend of almond, iris and wheat, with just the tiniest hint of vanilla. If you want an almond gourmand, I would look elsewhere. Jour de Fete will not satisfy your sugar cravings. Fragrances such as, Dior's Hypnotic Poison, Lolita Lempicka's Fleur Defendue, Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum and Nina Ricci's Amour d'Amandier are all examples of almond scents with a sugary-gourmand touch. Jour de Fete is vastly different in that it smells like almond blossoms and earthy iris. In a way this is a no-nonsense fragrance, very grown-up and womanly. Seeing that the projection is fairly light, Jour de Fete could pass for a skin-scent. Roughly translated, Jour de Fete means feast day. I prefer to say it in French, it sounds more elegant that way. Long before I realised I had a thing for almond scents, I used a shampoo containing almond extract that projected a clean, pleasant scent. My boyfriend was so enamoured with my freshly washed hair that I endeavoured to find a perfume that smelt similar. Jour de Fete isn't quite it, but in my search I have fallen in love with many almondy fragrances. I believe it may have been discontinued, but I will try my darnedest to find a bottle. Love this stuff!

Got my hands on a precious 1ml decant of this and I'm so intrigued. I wish I could smell more of it, big liberal sprays, to get to know it better. On first sniff, it instantly took me back to childhood, it just smells like running through a field, but it's not a grass smell. I'm wondering if it's those little red clover flowers. But whatever plant smell it is, the first image is immediately running through a field in childhood. It is very, very soft, so I can understand people's complaints that it barely projects. It's pretty much instantly a skin scent. I bought this out of extreme curiosity because I recently fell madly in love with Chemin d'Amande, which is supposed to be somewhat of a dupe or at least similar, but this smells absolutely nothing even remotely like it. Like 0 resemblance. I would call Chemin a gently sweet, warm, slightly spicy gourmand, and this is like a fresh floral/vegetal smell. I can't fathom how these two would smell similar to anyone. The lady I got this from said her bottle is from 2004, so maybe one of the other formulations is more similar to Chemin, or maybe this one has macerated for so long? Well I will keep my fingers crossed that one fine day L'Artisan will bring this back again as one of their limited editions. Would love to get to know it better. Edit: on second testing, I can smell more vanilla and maybe a gentle (not bitter) almond, but still in no way smells to me like Chemin d'Amande.

I have such an appreciation for Olivia Giacobetti's approach to perfume, and Jour de Fete surely has that signature gentle beauty, but perhaps it is just a bit too gentle. A lightweight sugared almond accord opens Jour de Fete, so gossamer and blurry. When sprayed on paper, after the opening alcohol dissipates, it almost feels like I am smelling the scent of the blotter: "where is this?" This is just paper, sweetly scented paper. It's quite unnerving, and I feel unable to examine it on the strip. That's how gentle this is. Moving to the skin, it evokes the candy shell of Jordan almonds, diffusing a few millimeters from the skin, feeling like the most intimate fragrance that could possibly be created. There's also the impression of a warm, sweet, powdery flour, but it is so subdued, so faint, it leaves me wanting so much more than it gives. It's torture. This could be magnificent, but it's so feeble that it hurts. It just wouldn't justify spending good, hard earned cash to have a whole bottle of "yearning for something more." To douse oneself wouldn't be cost-effective either. I am, however, glad to have made the acquaintance of the tenderest and shiest of fragrances.

Perfumer Olivia Giacobetti is known for her evocative and ethereal fragrances, and Jour de Fete may just be the epitome of her atmospheric signature style. Jour de Fete is a subdued gourmand fragrance inspired by la dragée, the sugar-coated almond, with a subtle, nuanced quality that avoids overt sweetness. Jour de Fete’s opening delivers a distinct natural raw almond note, with an almost medicinal property that adds an edge to your initial sniff. This almond note remains present throughout the wear, but softens soon after application, and is complemented by a delicate, dry powder note, reminiscent of a high-end beauty powder rather than baby powder. In the dry down, the powder note evolves with the warmth of your skin, transforming into a light dusting of nutty wheat with a touch of vanilla. This comforting and intimate fragrance thrives in autumn's transitional weather, when the seasons' boundaries blur and you feel the need to cozy up in preparation for winter. To truly appreciate this scent, Jour de Fete must be experienced on the skin, as perfume blotter paper fails to capture its subtleties.

I just tidied up my perfumes & sprayed this one heavily, so I thought I'd review it. It was a TKMaxx bargain blind buy. JdF is a linear. unsweetened almond/vanilla powder, with a dash of what smells to me like brown corrugated cardboard - I can now see from the notes that this must be the wheat note & then.... well that's it really - The End !! I can't detect the iris.I do like the wheaty/cardboard note, but I'm not fond of the almond/vanilla accord in this one. This is a cool "pale" perfume & it feels rather "sparse" & soulless to me, as though there is something missing. I like many linear uncomplicated scents, but this one I just find a little bit bare & austere. It's very fleeting on my skin, I honestly can barely smell anything at all after about 45 minutes, so (even at the price I paid), I think it's not worth the money. I'd be really cheesed off if I paid full price for this. I don't know which version I've got, but my bottle doesn't have the octagonal cap. Disappointed, I rarely use it, & when I do I wonder why I bothered. Lovely bottle though..

I wanted to like this scent and I was hoping that it would smell a bit like candied roasted almonds- yum. But, like most of L'Artisan's fragrances, Jour de Fete did not deliver on my skin. When I first sprayed it on all I smelled was an alcoholish "nothing" scent. Confused, I kept smelling and then a dry wheat sheaf note appeared. It is soft, but becomes dominant. It smells to me like a bag of barley that you would feed your animals, like the feed room in our barn when I was a child, slightly dusty, dry barley in burlap bags. After about 30 minutes a vanilla note enters, and finally a slight hint of sugared almond enters the equation, but it is so faint you practically have to inhale part of your skin to smell anything. The wheat smell continues to dominate too much for me to like this fragrance. Also, the scent began to make me feel a bit nauseous after a couple of hours since I have a severe wheat and gluten intolerance. This is a scrubber for me. Definitely not worth $100 for a bottle of something you can hardly smell at all.

I nursed a tiny 2ml sample for 2 years before I was able to find a vintage full bottle of this perfection. Once, again, Giacobetti creates such artistry that I am also afraid to use mine for fear of it being gone someday! {always looking for a backup bottle if anyone is letting one go} This is a soft, green almond perfume with a subtle bready quality. It is raw almonds, and the iris here is the arial parts and a touch of the stem lending a fresh green and floral quality like no other. Chemin d’Amande couldn’t dream to be similar. Shunkoin feels like vanilla, almond extract and powder that is nice and soft, maybe the closest you can get to JdF, but still not it. There is nothing gourmand about JdF for me, the subtlety is rare in a sea of almond perfumes that scream almond extract, marzipan and loud cherry almond. I wear it mostly at bedtime and I overspray- this is an ethereal potion that is for me, and me only. It’s mine, my own, it’s my precioussssss.

To me this is pure sugared almond! Proper sugared almond too, nothing to detract from it like random floral notes or other ideas. It reminds me of an Greek wedding I attended in Kefalonia where it was tradition to throw sugared almonds at the bride and groom! Personally as a little kid I loved this idea and was happy flinging missiles! I tend to buy a lot of stuff that smells of almond/marizpan/heliotrope/cyanide smell as my mom adores almond everything and I feel like I've inherited this obsession to a degree, this I find the most different and easiest to wear. This has the most amazing quiet wheat note which blends into the feeling of sugared almond but on it's on if you sniff hard it does have that cardboard scent which I adore. Despite the completely terrible sillage and longevity for this one I love it and will never get rid of my bottle! I would love to see an extreme version though, something that actually projects!

The alcohol at the opening of this perfume reminds me of almond extract, which is appropriate, considering where the fragrance is going. In short: almond vanilla cookie batter. As it dries down it smells very slightly of green and powder, but not enough to compete with the sweet almond. It is very pretty and very delicate and very very short-lived, the idea of a perfume more than a viable scent. Buy a tester; a whole bottle might be frustrating. NOTE: Now it is April 2015, and I must revise my opinion somewhat, because I acquired a bottle (at half price) and I wear Jour de Fete frequently. It's a lovely everyday perfume, soft but with surprising sillage and longevity, and gorgeous when layered with a light musk, such as Kiehl's original or Musc Ravageur.

A gorgeous powdery confection! I'm not a huge fan of vanilla, but this one pulls it off for me. It's angora soft and pleasantly warm. I don't get much iris from this, but I'm sure that's what gives it its powderiness. L'artisan perfumes usually don't last long on me, but the vanilla in this might just increase its staying power. I'm not sure I would describe it as 'sugar almond' as suggested on the box, because it's not sweet (a good thing for me, I don't like overly sweet perfume). I just looked at the database and this is classed as a unisex perfume - no, I don't agree, it's too feminine. It's a nice little modern perfume that any girl could wear and I'm pleased that I have a nice big bottle from TK Maxx at a great price!

This smells like the oleander blossoms that grow in my garden which smell akin to vanilla cupcake batter and heliotropin. My favourite part of the fragrance is definitely the start but the whole journey is pretty delicious. You get a green almond facet that faintly echoes of fresh cherries melting into creamy cake batter, sweetness and all sorts of yummy and finally a feathery bed of baby powder and vanilla. I don't even know how to fully describe it, it's soft, sweet, gentle and ethereal, the very essence of innocence and at the same time it's so edible, conjuring up tiny cupcakes sifted with a snowfall of icing sugar, topped with fresh vanilla cream and almond slivers plus some small pale pink flowers. And a first kiss.

I feel I can't add much after missk's lovely review. I bought a bottle of the special re-issue (great idea btw L'Artisan, I wish more perfume companies were willing to re-issue discontinued gems for fans like us). It is exactly as missk describes, although I never had a sample of the original. There is no cyanide or bitter sweet marzipan here, so for me Jour de Fete is nothing like Etro Heliotrope. Just smooth ethereal almond, dusty icing sugar, dried wheat ears and a dash of vanilla. Charming understated and elegant.

This was a blind buy for me as I love almond and vanilla fragrances. But Jour de Fete is unique. When I tried it for the first time I was surprised and unsure. My initial thought was sweet vanilla pipe tobacco? That was then - now I wear it most days and the more I wear it the more I like it. It can even smell slightly different day to day. I only occasionally get the wheat in the beginning but I really love the gorgeous almond all the way through and the sugary finish. Dry and subtle. A grower. Definitely unisex.

It is a lovely, super comfortable, powdery scent. Not sweet and very discreet gourmand. Still gurmand for me because I feel almond and something very familiar from childhood, can not name it but it is something from my kindergarten cuisine :). No obvious iris, no obvious vanilla. I have spent winter with it and I would definitely repeat it.

Wow, it's really sweet and soft. Nothing spicy, just milky and almondy. Felt like wearing almond breeze. It's really subtle so it doesn't scream for attention. I was surprised that it smells like Kiehl's Amino Acid shampoo, which I'm using it for many years. Glad it fits well with my shampoo :) Hope it lingers more on my skin though.

This is literally the most amazing perfume. It’s my new fave for sure. The perfect almond / powdery soft scent. Not synthetic, not sweet; just perfect and so addictive. I had a small decant of it and I’m so excited as I was able to find a full bottle and should have it next week! Powdery scents are my fave but this one is next level!

On my skin Jour du Fete opens with notes of Amaretto liqueur, brown and bitter. It is sharp and dry and almost repulsive. This stage lasts about 5 minutes and after that it evolves to almondy, wheaty cantuccini cookies sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. It is soft and light and close to skin, but still lasts impressively long.