La Haie Fleurie

I'm not sure why this fragrance is getting such a bad rep, but I do tend to favour bittersweet fragrances. I adore this fragrance and use it often in the summer. The fragrance, as the title (this entry is missing the latter part of the full name, which is La Haie Fleurie de Hameau) indicates, is a rustic floral that's supposed to remind you of a hedge in a small hamlet. The jasmine, which often has a slight tang of acrid bitterness, is cancelled out by the honeysuckle and the orange blossom. The vanilla is barely there, but I do smell a whiff of oakmoss beneath it all. This is probably not a fragrance designed for people who regularly require deodorant. It is light, airy, and redolent of the French countryside with warm breeze. I always imagine a young woman in white, flowing cotton or linen dress with this fragrance, walking barefoot amidst the grass. Imagine Marie Antoinette during her "cottage days" at Petit Trianon, and you'll get the image. The pronunciation, for anyone interested, is "la e". It is not hay, and this fragrance does not have the particular smell of livestock, so rest assured. It DOES smell of the sun - if you've ever left out a blanket in the sun, you know the smell - which adds to the countryside image.

This EdT starts out smelling like a light, clean orange blossom, which is then joined by jasmine to produce a well-behaved, subtle white flower scent with just the slightest touch of vanilla. It stays that same way for a few hours until it disappears. This is a gentle, bland floral scent that is about as un-memorable as they come. It’s not bad, but it’s not so good that I would deliberately seek it out. Sillage is low to moderate and longevity is only a couple of hours without having to stick my nose right on my wrist to get the last remnants of jasmine.

A marriage of honeysuckle, freesia and jasmine in a bright floral accord. Heady, intoxicating, a scant soapy, but lovely.

Does anyone know where I can find this? I've looked everywhere, and can't even get a decant! EDIT: I found a decant of this. I was completely expecting to love it - I love L'Artisan, Jean-Claude Ellena, and the notes in it sounded wonderful. I sprayed it on, and for about 5 seconds I DID love it. Then it turned to something that smelled exactly like licorice cough drops, and stayed that way for what seemed like a very long time. Obviously not for me! I have to say this is the only L'Artisan fragrance I dislike. I own fb's of L'Ete en Douce, Les Chasses aux Papillions and L'Eau de L'Artisan and love all of them. I have a sample of Fleur de Liane and intend to get a fb of that too.

This perfume creeps me out. Makes me think of funerals. I wore it on Day of the Dead for a festival and it made sense then. Don't get me wrong, it's really well made scent, but I have smelled better jasmines that don't come with the musty still life and lace aesthetic.