Poivre Piquant

The thick of the unforgiving foliage threatens to drown out everything you've worked toward - the sun scorches this land in its fiery, peppered licks. Swimming in your own sweat, your eyes burn as you struggle to find your way through this lush wasteland. You climb and crawl and fall, time and again, hoping that what you seek is more than pure fantasy....your life lingers on this truth. Your body starts to collapse as each step becomes more difficult than the last...the world grows darker with each passing moment...you fall with a dense thud. An immeasurable amount of time passes...night and day lose meaning as you cling to life. From the depths, it calls to you - a sharp floral note rekindles your neural spark. You gasp for air as if awoken from the grave - you scramble toward this familiar yet alien scent...roses, iris, freesia, acidic greenery - it guides you toward your destination. Each step brings you closer - it appears before you in a flash. She sits, resting against a tree - she holds her side as a thick honey-like substance slowly trickles out. Startled, she locks eyes with you but relaxes as if seeing an old friend. Amazed, you examine her - you see what looks like fountains of flowers flowing beneath her transparent skin, the honey is her life essence. She offers her hand to you - you hesitate for a moment before touching it, softly. In a instant, you are filled with the warmth of a hundred suns - you see everything the universe holds, the dark and the light and everything between. Everything gains perspective and your life makes sense in the endless chaos of living -- you cannot thank her enough for these revelations. When you open your eyes, all that's left of her is a radiating gem resting in your palm. You shed a tear as you hold the warm gem tight - you will do her kindness justice...for all. Day 88 - Preservation Listening to: Muse - Madness Notes: I am somewhere between love/like with this fragrance - I'll keep it at love simply because it is a truly revitalizing experience despite some accords not hitting the right notes for me. To open, this scent that is a fiery white pepper and cool licorice - slightly woody, slightly salty. Shortly after, the fume picks up a sharp floral note (it reminds me of the fumes I've tested with freesia in them) with accents of a cosmetic powder accord (rose and iris) and some crisp greenery. The freesia floral accord is accented beautifully by a touch of honey and a soft wood note that slowly fades into a rich white musk...and that's how the journey ends! This fume is classy and beautiful and I firmly believe it belongs on a woman's skin (even though I enjoy it as well...)! It took me several wears and the entire day to figure out what this smelled like....Chanel Exclusifs Beige! I think this one is more interesting though...

It's so interesting reading reviews which sometimes reflect opposite opinions, tastes, sentiments compared to yours! I believe that many times the success or less of a fragrance is due to geography, longitude, latitude, weather and so on, rather than 'culture'. Not to say that our own chemistry can be influenced also by the air we breath, the food we eat and so on and consequently also fragrances can react - even more - very differently.... but here we are: Poivre Piquant today is the perfect frag for me! I find it very different when I wear it in winter (probably it's not a real winter frag) I agree the name could be misleading but look at the majority of the names used in perfumery - honestly - and say how many fragrances carry a proper name, which reflect the juice really?!? For instance if I call a frag 'poivre piquant' I should present it in a solid (powdery) form rather than a liquid one, shouldn't I?! Any way not many fragrances remind me P.P. and I personally think that its persistence is also great: I sprayed it this morning towards 9 o'clock a.m. and I'm not going to repeat it (now it's 17,41 p.m.) Not a great sillage, in the classical sense as it's stays close to you - but not too much - as normally only frags with a high percentage of natural elements do. As very often can happen with 'particular' or niche frags, it can be used sometimes but not every day. This is just what I've personally discovered, while using my Poivre Piquant and I'd like to share - all this - useful or not. ; ) p.s. ....and I've always said that I cannot even stand licorice smell!!!

I can't speak for anyone else, but there's plenty of black pepper here for me. For the first 15-20 minutes, I am vividly reminded of "Cracked Wheat and Pepper" crackers. As the perfume mellows out on the skin, the pepper calms down enough for me to not only tolerate it but enjoy it immensely. I can't stand the smell of black pepper on other people, it's a real turn-off. Everyone knows that dairy makes the heat of spice less painful on the tongue, which is why Indian food is always accompanied by raita or lassi or whatever. It seems this concept works with scent too. Poivre Piquant becomes a creamy, mellow, black pepper fragrance, which makes it easier on my nose and hopefully the noses of others around me. I love the authentic chai at my favorite Indian restaurant. They use more black peppercorns than others. I can really taste the peppercorns after they have simmered in the milk. Poivre Piquant reminds me of that flavor. It's by far the best pepper perfume I have ever had the pleasure of wearing.

Artisan nailed it, again. This perfume is one of my favourite in their range, it's so unusual and comforting. It's not really a perfume as such, I see it more as an olfactory painting. A lot of people mention the work 'spicy' when talking about it. 'Piquant' in French means not as much spicy as prickly or original. The top note in Poivre Piquant is without doubt pepper, vibrating on the skin and in my nose. It is probably one of the most real rendition of freshly milled pepper I have met in perfumery. Pepper sprinkled all over equally freshly baked bread. As it develops, you get more sweetness coming from the honey and milk, and then a touch of liquorice kicks in. The image for me is the cosy, wooden kitchen, and a rustic breakfast made up of bread, butter, honey, and the pepper sprinkled on top. It is not really a very foody or gourmand scent despite all the ingredients, and it is so addictive! It has quite a good staying power too, on me is lasts a few hours and projects well.

This is one of the most amazing perfume ever! When I say "amazing" here, I dont mean it's the kind of smell that makes you "Wow!", but this one is the kind that makes you " Hmm.. eh? Oh, my. I can't stop sniffing it on my hand!" There's something calm but something drifting behind. The pepper note here doesn't smell like the ordinary pepper-featured perfumes. For me, it's not spicy at all. But you can still sense it, in a very moderate, smooth and balanced way. I think it's because there's milk and honey that calm the pepper note down but not making it disappear. Also, there's some soft sweetness. Like, you put a candy in your mouth and it melted slowly. Eventually the candy has totally gone but you can still 'taste' the sweetness left behind, it doesn't taste as strong as the candy so you could have a good imagination in it. Light but not floating, soft but stable.

Today I reunited with this guy and boy oh boy am I falling in love all over again. I met Poivre Piquant a little over two years ago when I was first dipping my toes into niche perfumery and I had no idea of how I'd struggle to find him later on. This guy is spicy to you in the opening like he means it, packed with white pepper and woody notes. However, he is also calm, sweet, soft, round, and velvety like sugared milk later on (and that's how the others know him to be). If the saying 'softie in the streets, daddy in the sheets' went with a particular scent, this would be it. As I mentioned in my last review, the longevity is not great however, if there ever is a fragrance I'd close my eyes for its lasting power, it would be this one.

Straight away - spicy honey, then woodiness and only in last stage milky-creamy pepper - thats how Poivre Piquant opens and develops on my skin. I personally wouldn't call this fragrance sweet-peppery one, as that type to me is Azzaro Visit, but I would call it woody-honeyed-licorice one,- sugar with honey and licorice mix is able to digest about a kilogramm of black pepper, so you will not sneeze from this frag for sure, but its a very relaxing, easy to wear one, not a schizophrenic type of smell. Love from me. Yet I would prefer more staying power.

Any fragrance composition that Bertrand Duchaufour turns his hand to is sure to have a touch of magic to it! He is THE MASTER when it comes to niche perfumery in my book!! While the top pepper note dominates there is a pleasant harmony to be found here with each note balancing the other perfectly. If Marilyn Monroe was a fragrance this is what she would smell like... sweet, gentle, dreamy, ever so pretty, full of allure and dressed from head to toe in white!

Peppery milkiness, smooth and like a creamy, velvety punch on a chin...it is deeply embedded in your hippocampus and it teases your amygdala with a distant memory of an emotion ... one of a kind and yet it smells like you know it so well ... and yet it's unique ... and you don't know and can not even remember where or when you may have come across it before Smells just like Heaven to me +++++ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Maybe Poivre Piquant is not great smell , is not rich, but I very like it. When I want to smell natural, however, a bit spicy, I wear Poivre Puiquant. I like somewhat sharp, pepper smell of skin people, as my natural skin smell tender, I change it, scenting this pepper in parfum - simply and sophisticated ( pepper, milk, honey ) . Really Poivre Piquant is adorable and long lasting.

Think of this beauty as pink light in a bottle. It's luminous, aerial, a feather would be heavier. It is very discrete and very classy, speaks volumes about flawless taste. You will not be wearing a cloud of perfume, but the confidence such quality gives is really priceless. Cashmere wearers would understand this :)

Starts with freshly crushed black pepper with a touch of sweetness. Gradually, becomes smoother, silkier and milkier. Fresh and soft at the same time. It also has a bit anise/minty type of note, that may put someone off, but I like this combo. Follow me on IG: scent.guide

I would describe this fragrance as sexy and spicy as pepper. If you do smell carefully, yo can definitely smell the pepper note. Nice interesting fragrance. Different from the other mens fragrances out there withouth being off putting.

I would wear this on warm autumn days. The scent is some creamy goodness. Sadly it doesn't last much. But, Oh, if there is a fragrance I'd close my eyes for its longevity, it would be this one. It is honestly heavenly.

This one is an amazing fragrance, smells like a sweet, spicy sandalwood, smooth, gentle, sweet but not overpowering, creamy, really nice underrated high quality pleasant fragrance, thumbs up for me

Sheer veil of milk and black pepper -- smoky, earthy, creamy, smoldering. It's definitely got that licorice/fennel note but in a very smooth and herbal way. My new signature scent, incredible.

its brilliant! i really like it. maybe because it reminds me of only by givenchy, the scent i used to wear years ago..very pleasant and fresh perfume

I like this one and in time I could learn to love it. Starts simple with piquant black pepper, gains a bitter liquorice vibe, ends with a flowery sweetness that evokes sugared almonds. Sounds simple: pepper, liquorice, sugared almonds but the result is satisfying and a pleasure to wear. Minimal sillage means this will not impose on others thus could be ideal for work, travel, theatres, restaurants, religious settings - anywhere you need to be yourself, quietly assertive, without grabbing the limelight. Note of caution: I have described a simple, innocent fragrance and so it would be for many people. I think this might be ideal for a wedding (sugared almonds says virginal and bridal to me). But, on the other hand, I think this fragrance could be a surprise on the right person. On a woman able to bring out the pepper and liquorice, the sour-bitter notes, and so belie the sugariness, I think this fragrance might say mystique, be exotic and erotic. There's something about it that, for me at least, evokes Anna Karenina as played by Greta Garbo. Indeed any woman played by Greta Garbo. Or maybe just Greta Garbo as played by Greta Garbo. She famously 'vants to be alone' but that just makes us vant to be alone with her. I don't know whether there would be any actual sex involved but there would be some sort of transport out of mundane life into something so much richer, so much more exciting. On a man able to play up to the sugary almond, I think this fragrance could convey self-confidence, sexual complexity, playfulness, raunchiness. It reminds me of the scene from Mad Men where Roger Sterling sings 'Zou Bissou Bissou' (mimicking Don Draper's sexy young wife). Only a certain sort of man could make that funny and Sterling manages. He also makes it vaguely tragic and lets us see behind his clown's mask. He also makes his little song and dance erotic - tragic, comic, sexy how's that for complex. I can imagine him wearing this fragrance when he is doing that little dance. 'Piquant'? Absolutely! So, a fragrance that can be played straight or given a clever twist. Played straight, I like it and would wear it to work. Played with a twist, I would love it and would be looking for an assignation outside of work... Ahem.

(Thanks to @yohji for decant!) I'd never got around to trying Poivre Piquant as I just thought 'Hm, a peppery perfume, can't be all that exciting', then when I read notes I imagined it might smell like creating a roux sauce with lots of ground black pepper. The reality took me quite by surprise, it opens on a glowing peppery warmth, not harsh, but almost like an aura emanating from someone's warm skin, slightly fizzy in effect. After half an hour or so it becomes creamier, smoother, like honeyed cream with cracked black pepper way in the background. It's very well blended, nothing leaps out except this sense of warm, subtly peppery/woody creaminess, slightly sweet.It's at its loveliest at this stage, which lasts for a couple of hours. As others have noted though it does fade slightly, but it's still there, probably not so noticable to your own nose, but still a lovely sillage, as you move around it's still detectable. (I gave quite a generous spray though, knowing that most L'Artisans can be quite low key) At its most creamy it's almost like a floriental, the honey/milk does feel like a creamy white floral in effect, yet more savoury, the liquorice is detectable to me more in dry down, lending (as the name suggests) piquancy. The fact it reminds me of a floriental might make it lean more towards feminine to those wishing for a more unisex or masculine scent. One the other hand, if you wanted a stronger, sweeter honeyed, peppery floral oriental effect, for evening, say, you'd maybe like Tom Ford's Shanghai Lily or similar, but if you need something subtler, or for daytime, Poivre Piquant is tuly lovely I think. It's slightly dry because of wood/pepper, but warm, smooth and creamy too. It feels refined. Sillage quite strong for two to three hours, then lighter. Longevity about 5 hours plus. I couldn't choose a season for this, it could work year round

Reading Phantosmia Bella's review of Le Feu d'Issey, which compared Le Feu to Poivre Piquant, made me irresistibly curious. Le Feu is one of my all time most beloved perfumes, so if there's a fragrance out there that smells like it, I want to know about it. And interestingly, PP does remind me of Le Feu. Poivre Piquant's opening note also smells like alcohol, but in a caustic way, rather than a boozy way. After that I get milk and pepper and honey that are very reminiscent of Le Feu, and very nice and cozy and sensual in their own right. My problem with Poivre Piquant, and this could easily be just a quirk of my own chemistry, since I seem to burn through all but the heartiest of perfumes awfully quickly, is that it has no staying power. I even made sure to get some PP on my clothes in the hopes of giving it a longer life, but it didn't help. I wish you luck, and a more docile chemistry than mine, because Poivre Piquant is lovely, and if you long for Le Feu you might feel a little better about the world for wearing it.