Rappelle-Toi

I blind bought this and it is in the old glass octagon shape glass bottle. This is an extremely interesting take on gardenia and I don't have anything like it in my collection. This begins very spicy, with Szechuan pepper and a very dry gin note. That can be a bit strange for some peoples expectations because it is very strong. It could make this gardenia unisex. As it goes a long it becomes a very indolic gardenia with very sweet honeycomb mingling with the spices and gin. Then as the fragrance travels along a very lotion like coconut aspect comes in. This perfume is like a combination of creamy sweet floral with crisp, dry and spicy aspects. I would enjoy this on a man as well because of the spice and gin. Very strong and long lasting. I would go easy with this one. It has a real niche quality to it. Different but still wearable. The name goes with the concept of the perfume Remember and don't forget. I don't think this is a forgettable fragrance. It will take a daring personality to pull it off. It certainly isn't run of the mill. A gardenia garden with spices and a few gin martinis. Fresh spicy and slightly green, touches of tropical fruits, honeycomb, cardamom and of course gardenias. Much more beautiful on skin. The gardenia ,honeycomb sandalwood cardamom and very musky base really comes out on skin. Update to a strange new love. Not a safe bet for most. There is a riskiness to this perfume. There is a sensual aspect to it. My husband likes this one and he usually hates white florals. Very honey dominant so if you dislike honey I would steer clear. Edit if you like EA Red Door this perfume is quite inspired by Red Door IMO. They aren't the same of course but I sense an inspiration. Presentation is gorgeous. Why buy new perfumes when one can get real beauties like this on the Internet for peanuts?!

I've blind bought it, can't actually remember why. It took me some time to write a review about it, because it is so strange. It is complex and unique, for sure. Not for everyone, for sure. I've noticed that this is one of the perfumes that change with my hormones the most. Sometimes, I can't stand it and sometimes is just what I need to make me feel better. Definitely works differently in different weather as well. Very sensitive perfume. The start could be cloying, I have similar relationship with gin as I have with this perfume: sometimes i take one sip and want to puke, on the other occasion, I can drink it all night and love it. Then it develops, each time differently. I can agree with a lot of reviewers, I can sense floral notes, gardenia and also tuberose, something spicy, bitter and sweet notes at the same time, but it works naturally with my skin. There is definitely an association with being drunk, or maybe on some drugs, something that shocks you at first, but melts you down at the end. It has some sci fi element, like you are hallucinating, but from your heart. For some people, I believe it seems a bit artificial, but personally, I have a feeling that it bolds my skin scent and I find it sexy. I love the drydown honey note the most. It is sooo nice and special. The most funny fact is, that every time someone smells it from the bottle, they react very negatively and repulsive, they won't even try it on. But I get lots of compliments when I wear it (sometimes from that same people!). You have to dare and give it a chance. I already own Rappelle Toi, Amour Nocturne and Deliria from Explosions d'Emotions line and I am in love with all of them. Like they were made for me, they are special, a bit strange and very intense. Plus, I love the bottles and whole packaging!

I bought this last weekend at Barneys. My favorite fragrance is POAL, but I wanted something new for the holidays that would be sexy and feminine and but not cloying or overly girly. I spent a good deal of time working with the fragrance associates to sort through my options. (A huge thanks BTW to the boys at the Chicago Barneys for being so helpful and taking so much time with me). In the end Rappelle-Toi was exactly what I was looking for. This fragrance is mature and confident in its femininity and I feel very beautiful when I wear it. I like the bright gin opening, but then... I'm a martini-up sort of gal. This note passes quickly and moves to my favorite part, the combination of pepper, gardenia and incense with just a touch of creamy honey underneath. These notes are balanced beautifully and create a warm and feminine mystique. I would say that the sillage and longevity are moderate but then, I am used to POAL. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Edited to add... I've been wearing this now for a month and I'm obsessed with it. I wish I had a better understanding of perfumes so that I could correctly describe the interplay of the various notes. The longevity is definitely better than I first thought. While it isn't POAL, it does project a moderate sillage for a good 6 hours. If I spray it on before bed, I can still smell it on my skin the next morning.

This opens with a blast of sichuan peppercorn, gardenias, and tiny bit of gin. (I'm half asian and very used to the herbal almost soapy pepper smell that sichuan peppercorns impart, but never knew that they blend so gorgeously with gardenias! They're a match made in heaven) Seconds later it transforms and a layer of beautiful real honey and what I associate as coconut cream drenches the the peppered gardenias. It's so creamy, intoxicating, and deliciously gourmand. I am falling in love with this beautifully blended scent that combines sultry and innocent. This stuff is pretty powerful in the beginning, but it subdues into floral musk skin scent. This embodies the scent of christmas with the asian side of my family in California. The food cooked with coconut milk and lots of pepper, the flowers, some drinking, and creamy lighty sweet desserts. I love it. I run cold so I will probably wear this during the summer too since it has an asian/tropical/pacific island feel, but it's a rich and slightly warm scent that may be too warm for some during the summer heat (depending on where you live and your body chemistry)

I wanted to try this one because of the sichuan pepper which I’m so fond of. But I wasn’t expecting ANYTHING like this: another incredible complex and fascinating scent from that has become one of my favorite house. The opening is really peppery, at least to me. The gin is there, and it’s fresh, spicy and only slightly boozy and herbal. It’s just the initial spray thought because soon the whole composition evolves into pure honeyed gardenia. The gin somehow faintly remains to tone down the overall sweetness, but still.... there’s so much honey! At the end of the day this scent is basically a lovely honeyed gardenia with a more original fresh opening note. It’s a very nice scent indeed, but it’s quite a pity that the interesting initial notes do not stay longer and stronger. They are there none the less and add to the gardenia an interesting side: more watery, more spicy and more intricate. This is a template L’Artisan scent: classy, beautiful, elegantly balanced, constantly evolving and always with an interesting twist. Well done, as always.

Yesterday I was wearing Rappelle-Toi while waking through the huge, Victorian green house in Kew gardens, England. What a treat! The tropical plants and trees are obviously thriving in there, taking over the whole building it seems. What surprised me was that Rappelle-Toi was the perfect companion in this English Jungle, able to cut through the dense green-house air with eleganse. Everytime the heat and humidity felt too intense (I had to spend some extra time in there due to work) I stuck my nose to my arm and got this refreshing, peppery, tea and mango like scent with the most beautiful, white flower nestling in between. So comforting and refreshing at the same time. So, although the scent opens very sweet and on the heavy side even, it morphs into this creation of great contrasts. Dark/ light, sweet/ zingy, peppery/ soft. I have no idea how Bertrand Duchaufour achieved this, but when visiting a real jungle some time (always been a dream of mine) I`ll make sure to have a bottle of Rappelle-Toi in the backpack.

This is one of those frags my nose had to learn. I have a decant of it that I put into my rotation so I'd wear it every few weeks. It was 'nice' but it wasn't until about the fourth wearing that I 'got' it and it is the most gorgeous gardenia I've yet to find. Gardenia is my elusive grail so imagine my joy when I applied Rappell-Toi once again but this time about 15 minutes into it I was absorbed in reading something when I thought, 'what is this, where is the bright fresh true gardenia that is surrounding me?'. I couldn't believe it, but that elusive grail had been in my cabinet all this time just waiting to surprise me. Needless to say I hied over to ebay and found a new tester of it at a third of retail price sold through fragrance.net and hit the buy button!

It smells like the skin of ripe mangoes. Not the juicy, dripping flesh but just a whiff of the skin...hinting at the sweetness inside. Very odd since it's not at all what's listed in the notes. I double and triple checked the sample. Definitely Rappelle-Toi. Smooth opening that's a bit strange but moreish. I want to keep smelling it. The dry down is less intense but more of the same hint of fruit. I'm delighted since I've been on the lookout for a mango fragrance, but haven't had any luck. It's an unexpected hit with me! EDIT: My SO just smelled it. His verdict: Powdered old lady. Another whiff and I do get sandalwood in the dry down, a bit of fleshy white petals, and a bubble gummy feel that reminds me of Fracas. Not so much mango anymore.

The opening is so difficult. Too buttery. Rancid wax. And also, the sweetness of decomposing skin. It makes me gag. The dry down is tolerable but it’s also doesn’t have much presence. It’s like gently spiced coconut milk. Not bad, but hard to find on my skin. This was a disappointing blind buy. I don’t give up easily. I have worn this four consecutive days, and I’lll give it a least another four. EDIT— I think you have to live with this scent a while to appreciate it. Or perhaps I’ve become anosmic to the troubling elements. Perhaps it helps that I’ve been wearing other gardenia scents lately (Annick Goutal Un Matin d’Orage). Now I get the milky spiced gardenia with a hint of incense. It’s calm and truly comforting.

Very heady fragrance that is very unisex. I adore this. At first it’s a punch in the face floral but soon quiets to a nice green floral, a bit spicy. It soon dries down nicely to a very spicy green floral, almost masculine floral. Gin, where are you? Don’t get this note at all. What I do get is the honey and incense/ smokiness, this comes out in the drydown and mixes quite well with the floral. This is a very unisex scent, I love it. I got this for a song and a prayer, love when that happens. Longevity very good Sillage also very good.

A sweet and floral scent with a veil of mystery. Feel as if i had entered an ancient monastery, i perceive a sense of peace and serenity in this perfume... its development is interesting! perfectly unisex. Good! Sillage: 7./10 Longevity: 7./10 Scent: 8./10 Overall: 8./10

This is thick and chewy. Love it. Initially I get the sweet, syrupy scent of ultra ripe apricots/peaches which is probably the combination of gardenia and honey. Luscious blind buy.

If this perfume can be compared with a human person.. I would compare it with a hysterical drag-queen with a tiny sensitive heart.

A dreamy, creamy gardenia that emerges from behind some unique top notes. I feel relaxed, warm and happy when I'm wearing this.

This is gorgeous. Creamy, fluffy, dreamy and romantic. Love it.

The opening is an explosion of gin and gardenia, and a few minutes in, this lovely concuction begins to develop some heat in the form of honey. This fragrance carries with it a certain elegance without having many ingredients. It is light, sweet, and sexy. It's a contemporary sweet scent with quite the french estheatic, so be prepaired for a little funk (that's the sexy part) mixed within all the beauty. I think it's best worn during spring / fall, and I imagine it would be beautiful to wear on a rainy day. Longevity: 4 - 6 hours, Projection: Low to Moderate. Now to what Rappelle Toi means to me: That gin and gardenia explosion is very reminicent of the caustic milk that exudes from the stem of a freshly cut mango. As this fragrance heats up, and the honey tones arise, I am immediately transported to my childhood: On the weekends, we would go to our country home, and on Satudays we often went to the town square. I remember sitting at the plaza, biting into a freshly cut sweet mango purchased at the street market, the juice dripping down my hand... There's a civet undertone, which is reminiscent of salty bodies in the heat of this green little tropical paradise. -Surely B. Duchaufour, was not thinking of a 4 to 9 year old girl's memory when he added this note; - But this is my experience, I am recounting here, So... It's hot, I'm sitting at the plaza, eating a juicy mango, and then... I hear the church bells toll, it's the end of mass, and as the church doors open, incence fills the air... Rappelle Toi is my childhood in a bottle: Sticky, green and lush, perpetual bathing suits from Friday through Sunday. The only time I wore clothes was to go to town: some short shorts and a t-shirt on top of a damp bathingsuit and mangoes all year round. I tried to recreate the experience, in the tropical garden of my Miami home. -Pictured on my avatar.- BTW, I moved into that place, because the lush garden reminded me of that country home... And well, all I can say is: Word of adivise: Do not try this fragrance in the summer. The civet takes over after approx. 2 hours of wear, and it smells as though a very cute furry animal had peed on me. So this fragrance, in my view, is best worn as a melancholic rememberance of summer, during milder weather. It always brings a smile to my face :) Rappelle-Toi: What a fitting name! I recommend you buy it, and create some memories of your own... hopefully far sexier than mine... and involving a fresh juiciy mango and a couple of gin cocktails

It’s not exactly what I expected but it is wonderful. Opening is straight up gin and tonic to me with juniper, lime, and a hint of bitterness (like quinine) and an effervescent quality that takes it straight to the head. A gin and tonic that you are drinking in a summer flower garden, In the heart I think I was expecting a more gardenia prominent scent and the gardenia is there but, for me, the whole thing is so well blended that, a short time into the development, the gardenia, honey, pepper, and incense all merge into a beautiful sweet/spicy/floral accord that is hard to deconstruct into distinct notes. There is also a lurking, background indolic or animalistic note through the heart part of this perfume.Sometimes this comes across to me as an indolic gardenia and at other times like that animalistic note you find in some honeys. There is definite sweetness here but it has a bit of a sharp edge that keeps it from going too sweet. I tried it first, inside in a highly air conditioned house and, as it dried down, the sandalwood came forward and the whole thing slid slowly into a smooth, soft, warm, slightly waxy, skin scent. Later I reapplied and this time went out in the 30degree C temps to do messages. In the heat, the dry down was different and developed a sort of tartness to it ( I don’t know why but something about the dry down of this in the heat reminded me of the dry down of my old Must de Cartier.) I think that this may be what some reviewers are referring to as a sour note but, on me, I find it to be a pleasant tartness that freshens the scent up in the heat. All in all, a complex and wonderful scent . I should add that this was the version in the old clear bottle that comes in the velvet box not the one in the new packaging. Not sure if that makes a difference to the formulation or not.

This was not quite what I hoped it would be. I was so looking forward to the incense which never showed up on me. The gardenia went very jasmine indolic on me. I love gardenias and jasmine in nature but am not keen on either in scents, especially jasmine. This was not a creamy sweet gardenia, but a heavy in the heat of summer indolic animalic jasmine. My favorite part of the evolution was really the top and very fleeting note. The first five minutes are glorious gin, and it’s the real deal. It is a fresh, limey herbal juniper berry gin with a whiff of pepper and it may not sound appealing but it is. Of course, I do like gin especially gin and tonic. After that the perfume settled into the aforementioned notes. The very last few hours, as a skin note, it became sweeter, more wood, so the sandalwood hit at the very end. Overall, a nice scent, not love, but okay. I can see someone else loving it, but not me. The longevity is pretty good, but the silage is low. It stays in a bubble around the body, but does not leave a trail.

This scent is gorgeous. To me, it smells like an unripened peach still on the tree. In this scent you get the fruit, and tree and leaves, and a sprinkling of the flowers that didn't bear fruit. I think the blend of gin, gardenia, and honey is one of the best combinations I have smelled in a perfume. It is a little green, slightly sweet and a little fruity. I was always a fan of honey in perfumes (here it is definitely not overpowering like in some) and I thought the gin would be boozier that it is - very fresh and light. This is definitely a light spring to summer scent as I feel the cold weather will just completely choke it into nothingness. Should have bought a bigger bottle, but I will for sure purchase a backup and a backup of a backup. :)

Batucada was beyond my pay grade but I think I can take a crack at this. It’s much more than any white floral I’ve tried to date. A mediocre white floral can be flat and wispy, bad ones are armpit rank or headache shrill. This isn’t any of that. It smells thick, three-dimensional, and edible, like I’m the bee, I’ve body slammed a gardenia that’s been baking in the sun and gotten pollen all over my body. The smoke and Sichuan pepper seem to make the flower into something more than what I can normally perceive, like the way bees see their targets in delirious ultraviolet. Maybe to them a gardenia smells like this. All that said i think it’s too much for me now but I’ll remember it for later. Also, I can’t pick up the gin, but I’m fine with that.