Yvette

To my nose, Michael Storer YVETTE is a fine sweet-floral perfume in the spirit of BVLGARI POUR FEMME. Upon application, I immediately detected a sweet floral facet (which seemed as though it might possibly be heliotrope) and oakmoss, but the rest of the composition was not independently discernible by me. I find this blend quite appealing, and I think that the tarragon adds an interesting touch. As the perfume (edp) dries down, it becomes sweeter, with the oakmoss less noticeable, but I would not have described this composition as gourmand, as it is characterized on the manufacturer's card, which lists these as the notes: Genet absolute Muguet Vanilla White chocolate Oakmoss Ambrette Tarragon Precious wood oils Whatever is in YVETTE, I must say that it smells perfumey and beautiful!

The immediate first impression is of a rich floral scent, but within a few seconds there appears a strong anise note along with something just a bit woody. I suppose the anise scent comes from the tarragon that’s listed in the notes. In any case, anise certainly dominates the opening and the first hour or two. I like anise, star anise, fennel, tarragon, and whatever else is in this family of scents, so find the honeyed anise fragrance pleasant. Eventually the tarragon recedes into the blend, merging with the flowers to create a candy-like scent that stays close to the skin. In the final drydown I detect a weaker version of the same base that is in Genvieve, a musky, warm, caramel-like scent. If you don’t like anise notes, be warned. If you do like them, Yvette is a must-try.

To my nose, Yvettee opens with a strong, dark, herbal/vanilla accord, supported by one of the creamiest dairy notes I've encountered in perfume. The combination of the heavy sweet vanilla, the woods, and the cream isn't floral to my nose. I'm not sure what's up with the notes above, but if you look at sherapop's review, her notes seem to me to be accurate. I'm just going by my nose, but I can make sense of what sherapop indicates. My flacon didn't come with a card :( I find Yvette quite gourmand. It smells just like the tea my mother used to make for me when I was a child, deep black tea, brewed strong to make it bitter, then sweetened with a healthy dollop of real bean vanilla ice cream. When I first sprayed Yvette, the sense memory was so strong that I literally froze, remembering the scent of the steam wafting up, as I cradled the hot mug in my hands. I only saw my mother on weekends, and this treat always represented the start of those too short two days for me. Warm, with a surprising depth, dark, a touch bitter, comforting, creamy, quite sweet, strong. Did I mention that it's strong? This phase lasts for me for a couple of hours, and then the dry down arrives. First I get something musky, which I don't much enjoy. This phase is short, thankfully. Maybe it's the ambrette? Then I get cedar, vanilla, and a sweet, but unidentifiable floral note, thin, not a lot of personality to it. Genet perhaps? it's not unpleasant, but on my skin the base also isn't special. I do treasure the first two hours, though. Aside from that mystery floral note, I don't get flowers from this at all. Nor is the dry down particularly sweet on my skin. I am grateful for the strength of the scent, as it allows me to apply sparingly, and then reapply a little more when the heart fades. For me, the memory triggered by the scent is what makes it so evocative. I'm not sure that others would respond to this as much as I do. I think I can confidently recommend this as an interesting and enjoyable scent for the first two hours. While the dry down has excellent longevity, I don't find it compelling. The base is just too bland. It is completely neutral, though, so it can be a base for another scent. I don't detect oakmoss or LoV at all.

I'm a bit surprised to read a description of Yvette as floral, since it strikes me as a fairly up-front dessert gourmand. The sweetness is tempered by what I guess are the tarragon / anise accents. Yvette is for me a spiced-up maraschino cherry, an odd and rather interesting construction. Overall I find it warm and comforting, evoking the retro voluptuousness of Julie London in strapless velvet, sipping a Brandy Alexander.