Haute Provence 89

My favourite from the Discovery Kit so far, although they are all pretty amazing. Even if I am not a fan of a particular type of scent, I can still confidently say that it is a very good example of that type that I wouldn't mind smelling on someone else. If that makes sense.... :) So anyway, Haute Provence / 89... My childhood holidays were often spent in the Provence and my father loves the area so much that he bought an estate with an olive grove and some forest around it right on the border of the Haute Provence. Smelling this was like opening a memory box of early summer days sat eating fresh melons in the shade of fig trees out in the countryside, the wind wafting the scent of lavender from across the fields. There is also that particular scent of sun-warmed stone, earth and tree bark that is only noticeable if you know that it's there, like an earthy undertone. As the sun goes lower and the earth stops "radiating warmth" so much, the lavender becomes more noticeable, the wind is cooler and smells more aquatic. That is what this perfume smells like to me on my skin, like such a breezy Provence afternoon, with a similar development of the scent. First sweet and fresh, with a melon and fig leaf note over the lavender and as the day wore on, the lavender was more noticeable without ever having that "old lady perfume" vibe. As someone who finds a strong sillage rather vulgar, this scent is perfect; people remark upon it when they come close but those further away simply notice a pleasant addition to the room's atmosphere rather than identifying it as someone's perfume. I can't stop sniffing my wrist when I wear it and definitely plan to buy a full bottle ASAP.

I disagree with below - it’s a soft rockmelon scent with additional watermelon sweetness given texture with some dry lavender that’s not too in your face. Amazingly workable for men, somewhat gourmand, though as passing quick whiff you’d think it’s for women - when you let the smell linger a bit you realise it’s quite complicated. Fresh for summer, not a huge bubble but powers away in enclosed spaces or when someone is near or intimate. Vaguely reminds me of Sean John 3am which I quite like. Ironically 3am is probably stronger in impact but is brighter even though it’s an EDT - like juice in a cup where as this is more like the flesh sitting nearby. Well done - I get the back story - blind bottle purchase made my day as did the arrival of Heeley Zest de Gingembre...

Love at first sniff. Lavender is not usually my go to floral note. Fragrances with dominant lavender tend to smell very old school and heavy for me. Hence I never got why people recommend lavender aromatherapy for a better night sleep. But this is something else! The best lavender perfume for sure. Melon and watermelon gives the sweetness and lightness that lavender lacks and by that showcasing the best in lavender. Smells like spring/summer in a bottle. Sea breeze, melons and lavenderfields. Sadly it did not last on my skin for very long, on my clothes it did though. Tried it in winter, maybe it will perform better in summer with more humidity in the air.

If all bubbles had one smell, that smell would be Haute Provence. I led my friend on a tour of my fragrance collection. When we got to Haute Provence I described it as the smell of bubbles. His eyes lit up and he excitedly agreed. And so there you have it. Bubbles. Perfect for spring and summer mornings.

Very classy haute couture lavender for the European summer temperatures i.e. 30-35 degrees. I enjoyed this and it has effortless chic vibe. Well done.

This surprised me. I got a small decant of it and had very low expectations, since it has melon as a note. I don't like melon a lot, especially not as a note. But this kind of captured all of the good parts about melons and left out the things that I'm not fond of. Like if you only took the refreshing sweetness of a melon and put it into the perfume, and added a bit of the bitterness of the rind. But not any of the really "melony" funky notes. I don't know if that makes much sense.. I smell no calone. It smells very french and summery! In my mind it would suit someone who is a bit chic but still very relaxed and zen about life. Perhaps a provencal lady wearing a straw hat in her vegetable garden. She is working with her hands but is also liberated from all worldly worries for the moment.

Tracy @invisiblestories on TikTok listed a handful of lavender perfumes that she thought would appeal to those who aren't huge lavender fans. I was intrigued by her description of Haute Provence as "eating a jolly rancher while walking through lavender fields." She really hit the nail on the head. At first whiff, you get juicy cantaloupe that is tempered by grassy, dry lavender. It is such an unusual pairing, but very complimentary (I had my suspicions it would be a scrubber). The initial spritz unearthed some sort of hazy, childhood memory for me– either playing with scented gel pens or some kind of modeling clay. After a night's sleep, the dry down is a warm, comforting lavender...like a dryer sheet in the best way.

I'm a fan of ozonic, soapy, and laundry scents and this is a good one. Particularly the opening and the mid. Soft, airy with a crystalline feeling. The opening of this one smells exactly like the vintage Mr. Bubble, powdered bubble bath that they used to sell in a cardboard box in the 80's. It's also got a air dried laundry vibe adjacent to a lavender field and a clear stream of water. The fruity notes on cantaloupe and watermelon are pretty well done to boot. Overall it's not terribly interesting and the drydown smells a bit like deodorant, but it's nostalgic and relaxing. Loses some points for the deep drydown deodorant vibe, but otherwise solid. Scent 6.7/10 Performance 7/10

Without looking at the listed notes, I immediately guessed cantaloupe, and yes watermelon is obvious too. I’m also picking up a coconut note not listed. I’m getting decent performance—a few hours before it’s a skin scent. Haute Provence 89 is not beast mode fragrance, and I thank the perfumer for not doing so to this composition. Lavender is detectable on the dry down only. It’s very light, so if that’s a problem note for you have no fear. Haute Provence 89 is an interesting twist on the aquatic genre, and a stand out from the discovery set, but she runs a little too fruity sweet for my taste.

This opens with a very soapy quality that made me scrunch my nose. The smell of soap is too associated with the smell of mildew for me, so I was close to washing this off. I gave it a minute to dry down and it turned into quite a lovely melon-y scent. There's something else to it that I can't quite place, it's not lavender (I detect none of that at all) nor cucumbers like some others mention. I put a drop in my mask (a favorite way to sample a scent) and it really is lovely after the soap is gone. Unfortunately with the opening and the poor performance I won't be trying this one again

Lavender and watermelon—what’s not to like? It is a very easy-to-wear scent; light and casual. It has a wounderful fresh opening. Unfortunately, neither the melon nor the lavender notes are dominant or distinct in the dry down —I would have liked a clearer lavender note, or at least a distinct melon. The scent fades quickly; I would have preferred better projection. I really like Parle Moi de Parfum and own several of their fragrances (Gardens of India, Mile High, and Totally White); this one is subtle, but I was hoping for more.

What an interesting smell. Haute Provence introduces a twist to the aquatic freshie by emphasising calonic melons, adding more facets to the fruit accord. Aromatic herbs and flowers smooths the sweet fruits and provide some balance. A little too fruity sweet to be worn as a masculine water perfume, this scent is feminine to my nose. Haute Provence would make a fun summer scent for a younger lady. Fans of melons will want to sample this too.

Fresh watery cucumber melon water, exactly how I imagine a clear blue summer sky would smell if you could stick your nose up in it and inhale a bellyful. It works wonders as a sleep scent, a yoga class scent, a pick me up scent, a dinner with friends scent and a happy-hour scent. Its colours are shimmering purple and green. And yes, it’s fruity, but I wouldn’t say sweet.

I love this smell. The beginning is a bit off putting, opening has an earthy vetiver/lavender smell, but luckily it fades quickly. The dry down is ozonic-aquatic from the watermelon and sweet and fruity from the melon. Great scent leaning more feminine.

This is what every Victoria’s Secret perfume wants to be. But I don’t get anything aquatic nor any lavender from it. If I didn’t know there was melon in it I wouldn’t even know it was a fruit scent. It’s just bright and fresh.

This is a very pleasant Lavender fragrance. It certainly is well named and smells like a stroll in the wild in Provence. Unfortunately, that stroll is a very short one. This perfume has no performance at all.

50% Windex and 50% agua de melón from a local paleteria. Clean and acuátic with soft pastel fruit. Similar to California Dream By Louis Vuitton, but softer.

It's musky and sweet, but not stereotypically fruity. One of the few aquatic fragrances that actually smell good. still nfbw for me tho. -

To me this is a strange scent When I sprayed it on my clothes I got some kind of fruit particularly red apples I got nothing from the the notes pyramid here When I saw lavender between the notes it hit me it was a detergent kind of lavender not the organic note But the rest of the notes weren’t there After a while it started to remind me of a blue fragrance something close to YSL Y edp I think it’s easy to wear and accept nothing challenging about it To me it’s an experience but not one I would like to repeat so it’s a pass for me

I find the melon notes (which are pretty strong to me) too weird, artificial and unpleasant somehow. The combination with the rest is also a bit mismatched to my nose.