Cap Camarat

This is just one of those fragrances you need to try because the notes just do not get there. I was describing it to a friend recently: "You know when the sun goes down while the air is hot, and as the light turns to amber everything slows down?" That is what this fragrance reminds me of. The florals, most notably ylang-ylang and a gorgeous jasmine are yellowy, thick and mature, set against a dusky and gloriously unsweetened vanilla. It feels like most of the vanillas I get my nose on these days are sweetly inseparable from tonka bean and ubiquitous benzoin, and there is no tonka and almost no benzoin in this. The vanilla is almost saline; a nod toward littoral waters of a beautiful coastal region. It reminds me of the vanilla note in Vanilla Caviar by BDK, but is much more pleasant and less jarring here. There is some musk, labdanum and sandalwood in the base but they are very much in the background, and the main vista to take in here is the yellow florals and sunset vanilla. The view is astonishingly beautiful. I imagine the headland snaking off across the horizon, characterised by the fingerlike edifice of the old lighthouse at its end, almost black against the sky. The tendrils of land become thicker as the lumps and bumps of small, scrubby hills grow in stature inland. In the far distance, the pink and lavender heavens mischievously hide the line where the sea and sky meet. The sun descended out of view half an hour ago but its tinges are still painting the blue with rosy pinks and pale oranges that seem to darken right as you look at them. The air is lazy and warm, alive with insects and carrying the salt of the marine layer and the low siren call of the flower bushes all around. It is also pregnant with the scent of the coastal pines and olive trees nearby adding a filmy aromatic texture that I can taste. I lick my lips remembering you. I can taste the salt on my lips and feel it - and the lingering kiss of the sun - stiffen my forehead as I make a careful, unhurried way down the hill toward the villa. A thicket of apple trees appears either side of the path and I furtively pocket one lying coquettishly in my path to eat later after dinner. There is a restaurant at the bottom of the hill that serves a local bouliabasse of some repute and I think I can already smell the toasted fresh bread and stringent garlic as it comes into view. Time for a glass of wine, I think. Three Word Summary: Slow Coastal Sunset Outfit Suggestion: Mizuno Wave Mujin trail sneakers, breathable shorts and polo shirt, Oakley Holbrook sunglasses. Layering Suggestion: Infiniment Coty Paris - Encore Une Fois Scent - 8/10 Drydown - 8/10 Sillage - 7/10 Bottle/packaging - 9/10 Performance - 8/10 40/50

TLDR- Amazing and complex warm weather scent for anyone. Summer in a bottle, made to shine with warmth. If you’ve been looking for a vanilla forward spring/summer fragrance that is interesting and almost coconutty but not like tanning lotion, try this. Longer version- This started as a like, but is now a love. When I first tried it I thought it was nice but so subtle I wasn’t sure it was worth the cost. I sprayed it the moment I got it, smelled the coconut and some fruit, and thought it was nice, but not amazing. Didn’t last long on my wrist. Then I tried it out before bed one night on my pulse points and it full-on bloomed overnight! It is gorgeous and complex. Almost a coconut-ish vanilla, and fruity without being very sweet. Sweet, but not quite gourmand, imho. Light floral Ylang Ylang and jasmine come out more after a few minutes. The spicy pepper almost gives the effect of an incense, and the base notes add to the complexity and lingering effect. There’s just a hint of smooth patchouli, but just enough to make it more interesting. (I generally don’t love patchouli, so that worried me, but nicely done and very slight here. A faint whisper.) The vanilla along with the light floral, amber, musk, and sandalwood linger on and dominate through the dry down, and I could still smell it on the sheets two days later. I tried it during the day when we had a few warm ones and it is glorious. Maybe it needs more warmth really activate, but it is addictive once it does. While it has coconut-like vanilla notes to me, it is not like sunscreen or suntan lotion, nor is it like some of the body sprays out there because of its complexity and longevity. I would not consider this a room-filler as far as projection, but it is noticeable to people within a few feet, and it lasts through the day on skin, overnight plus on fabric. I think it is office safe, when sprayed reasonably, because none of the notes dominate or could be considered offensive or overwhelming. As for age- I’m loving this in my 40’s, and I think this is great for any age. Not so sweet or young that a mature person can’t rock it, but I can see more youthful people enjoying it too. I think it is unisex in that when I as a female wear it I feel like it was made for me, but I could see any gender feeling the same way wearing this one. Memo is difficult to sample where I am located, so this had to be a blind buy. I initially purchased the small bottle just in case, but went back for the bigger one when I saw a sale, as this is going to be a warm weather staple for the foreseeable future. Again- I encourage trying it warm... that’s when it seems to really shine.

Love Cap Camarat! To me, it smells like an airy, buttery, par-baked cheesecake crust with an extra splash of vanilla. Sorry if you’re not a baker, but that warmth a crust has after a quick dip in a hot oven is brought to life through scent. I know other reviewers associate that feeling with sun-warmed skin or the beach, but for the first two hours my nose gets nothing but a decadent graham cracker crust, minus the cinnamon, layered with creamy vanilla. “But I thought this was supposed to be a summer gourmand.” Oh, it is, and that’s what makes it so impressive. While I’m over here talking about rich desserts, the fragrance never actually feels heavy. Everything exists within this remarkable airiness. I don’t get an aquatic scent at all. Instead, it reminds me of the dense, humid air brushing against you as you walk along the coastline on a breezy day, except that air somehow carries the aroma of warm vanilla cheesecake crust. Performance doesn’t blow me away, but it also doesn’t leave me with much to complain about. This never really falls into skin scent territory early on, but it’s not the kind of fragrance that fills a room either. Expect about an arm’s-length scent bubble for the first four to five hours before it settles closer to the skin, eventually fading after around seven to eight hours of wear. This does lean feminine, but I think that’s more because women have traditionally worn fragrances in this style, not because the scent itself inherently feels feminine. It lacks the bold cake, boozy vanilla, or floral sweetness that often pushes a fragrance firmly in that direction. You probably won’t run into many men wearing Cap Camarat, but I also don’t think anyone would find it out of place if you did. If you’re a guy who enjoys richer, more traditionally masculine vanilla fragrances for winter date nights but finds them too heavy once the weather warms up, Cap Camarat is absolutely worth considering as a playful date-night fragrance from mid-spring through early fall. The quality is exceptional. It’s beautifully blended, and the way it delivers this gourmand profile without ever becoming dense or suffocating in warm weather is genuinely impressive.

I love this soo much! I chose to grab the "Cap Camarat x Olimpia Zagnoli | Memo Paris" bottle because I loved the design, but this was an instant love and immediate for me. "Cap Camarat | Memo Paris" opens with the refreshing, sweet, fruity notes and it’s an eye rolling moment for me. Absolutely divine! As it dries down, the fruity notes remain but they mix with the rest of the scent. Cap Camarat is an escape to a beautiful, deserted, tropical island. You’ve emerged from the crystal blue sea, you’re wearing a high end sunscreen, your skin slightly salty from the ocean. The sun warms your skin, mixing the two scents together. Powdery white sand between your toes, you’re eating a refreshingly sweet mix of watery fruits out of a coconut shell. This is such a relaxing, addictive, comforting and uplifting scent that cocoons you in the most beautiful, blissful, carefree scent bubble. This is a “your summer skin but better” scent! also performs well, lasting around 6+ hours on me. I love this category of scents for summer, but this is my absolute favourite one. "Sunkissed Goddess | Kilian" was my favourite, and while I still really love it (more the opening, rather than the dry down) this has dropkicked that one off its top place! I love the entire process of this scent. It’s absolutely stunning! I could drown myself in it.

I disagree with some of the reviews that call this perfume creamy or gourmand. About me: I'm relatively new to niche perfumery but I've been wearing fragrances since my tennage years (25+ years ago!) I dislike currently fashionable gourmand scents and clean scents, and I found out that I have a problem with modern white musks, which turn sharp and synthetic to my nose after a couple of hours. With this one, it was love at first sniff. I have an old bottle of Sun by Jil Sander that I don't spray very often because while I enjoy the smell of it, my nose gets a bit tired with the sunscreen notes. I see a similarity between Sun and Cap Camarat, but Cap Camarat is much drier and, to me, more pleasant. There's a touch of sweetness thanks to the vanilla but it's never too sweet, sunscreeny or creamy. People have talked about sweet almonds or fruit notes: I don't really get these notes myself. Overly fruity perfumes usually make me feel a bit nauseous after a while -- I get none of that with Cap Camarat. I think the reason why most people call it a summer fragrance (although there seems to be some debate about that) is because it makes you feel like you're wearing a soft vanilla perfume on the seaside. There's that splash of salty water in there. Feels like sailing in the sun. I love it.