Lily of the Valley

Les Potions Fatales is a collection by Parfums Quartana under the umbrella of Joseph Quartana's SixScents in which poisonous flowers (and their histories) inspire fragrances, the collection consisting of nine perfumes at this time. I had the pleasure of smelling all nine during a presentation at Perfumology, and Lily of the Valley was one of the few I liked most from the start, both on paper and eventually on skin. Lily of the Valley involves its eponymous floral note, but as part of a lengthy blend of accords, which, for me, comes off priarily as a mix of lily of the valley, sandalwood, and leather, with an opening of bergamot and neroli and a base / dry down of vetiver, vanilla, and resins, with other florals like rose seemingly more a part of the blend throughout. I'd not read the full note list until now and my reaction is that it seems gargantuan, along the lines of a Roja Dove creation, so it's plausible that there's plenty more going on than what I'm detecting, but I do vaguely perceive the perfume's complexity and multifacetedness. It's not overtly floral-dominant, to put it bluntly. Yes, th lily is prominent among other notes but I'd taxonomize the perfume mainly as a floral/fresh/leather/woody blend that could even be described as a little sweet and spicy at times, as well. It feels difficult to classify, usually the mark of a sophisticated creation. As my own collection has grown, I look for more unique offerings like this (in fact, the whole Les Potions Fatales collection very much has this feel), even though I otherwise gravitate toward weighty gourmands and semi-traditional freshies. Performance is very good, I'd say, on par with the type of fragrance it is, above average projection and above average longevity. Like many EDP (or extrait) compositions, its longevity significant exceeds the time during which it projects a lot, but on my skin, in projects for several hours. It's priced at $165 for 50ml (the prices of bottles in the line range from $145 to $185 for 50ml) and is sold at Perfumology, among other similar retail boutiques like Twisted Lily and Fumerie in the US, and in a handful of other countries in Europe, Asia, Australia, and even the Maldives! In conclusion, LOTV makes for an unusual but excellent composition that feels diverse in and of itself, a departure from my norm, but nevertheless a blend of a lot of familiar elements that harmonize nicely and bring about a gender- and seasonally-versatile offering. 8 out of 10

This is an interesting one, because it doesn't really smell like lily of the valley. It doesn't really smell that much like a floral scent at all. It has a soft floral feeling that comes and goes, but this is mainly a balsamic, leathery, slightly sirupy and boozy woodland type of smell. I must admit that I don't really enjoy lily of the valley notes in perfumes, I find it too sharp and soapy a lot of times. So this more conceptual take on lily of the valley is so much more my cup of tea. I really like this scent. I associate this fragrance with the forest and its surroundings from the children's book "Ronia the Robber's Daughter" by the swedish author Astrid Lindgren (for those of you who have read the book or seen the movie or TV-series). This is the smell of an shadowy scandinavian forest inhabited by all sorts of woodland creatures, both animals and creatures from folklore (gnomes, dryads and other nature spirits, both benign and more mischievous). It has a combination of moist, green, forest floor type of scents and more dry, woody. softly smoky and also rock like smells. There is a gorgeous leather note in here, that reminds me of Ronias clothes and the fur and leather details in her home, the robber's castle. Combined with a semi soft sirupy and slightly boozy type of smell it creates the atmosphere of the main hall in the robber's castle, with the longtable, barrels of ale and mead and all the robbers singing and eating together. Hints of something floral and softly green comes and goes, as I have said, and gives the feeling of spring or early summer. It's like smelling Ronia roaming around the forest and performing her famous wild spring cry, out of pure happiness that winter is finally over. I think this might be my favourite from Parfums Quartana (of the ones I've tried so far). Longevity is great, I get around 8-9 hours out of this. Sillage is a solid medium.

I have received a sample of this perfume as a prize in an Instagram contest and I have to acknowledge its great quality. It is a very delicate and discreet perfume, fresh and that does not clash under any circumstances. I also see it very elegant. It is the typical fragrance that is present, that you smell and notice, but in a very light way, creating an aura that is appreciated at short distances and that is difficult to identify with a perfume put on purpose ... Is it a cream? The shower gel? The fabric softener you use? I don't know, but there is something about this person that attracts me ... That is the effect I feel with Lily of the valley. All this on a creamy base of leather and vetiver and accompanied by other flowers and some green notes. I would not dare to describe the perfume as very versatile, since perhaps for nights of debauchery and frenzy it is a bit insufficient but, even so, those who want to go unnoticed and do not like to attract attention can use it at any time since, as I said before, it is one of these perfumes that make you smell good although it seems that you are not wearing perfume. I would use it especially during the day, being able to serve perfectly as a good option for summer and spring. As for the aroma, it is a soft smell of white flowers, with the lily of the valley, soft and delicate, in the center. It reminds me of Confessions of a garden gnome, although more discreet and less powdery. Another perfume that comes to mind when smelling this is Coreterno's Punk motel. Fully unisex. Thanks to parfums quartana for allowing me to try some of their fantastic perfumes! Scent: 9.5 Longevity: 8.5 Sillage: 6 Versatility: 8.5 Originality: 9 Overall: 9.5

Lily of the Valley by Parfums Quartana is soapy, dew-kissed lily of the valley, a whisper light sweetness of roses, a woody vetiver, and soft supple leather. This scent is a total chameleon and is laced with hints of eroticism. To me this is the good-girl gone bad. This is a doll-faced young woman in white lingerie and thigh high leather boots. The contrast of the purity and innocence of the lilies with the crack of a leather whip. It smells amazing and the longevity is stunning. I catch sweet breezes of roses throughout the day, can smell the vetiver and leather when I bring it to my nose, and the lovely scent could of lilies stays around me all the time when I wear this. I absolutely love this!

It took a while for me to get to appreciate this. At first it feels like a floral cloud. After many wears, I've picked up on more than white florals. There's this sheer cucumber-green melon gossamer that emerges after an initial blast of orris that feels a bit make-up-y in a familiar department store way. Moss, green rose, clean lavender notes surface in the dry down. There are some faint fruity notes that elude description. Feels like a feminine vibe overall but walks the line of feeling like an expensive spa product. I've really grown to like this.