Totally White 126

As Totally White 126 lands on my skin, I immediately imagine how delicious a lilac-flavored vodka would be, perhaps blended with some St. Germain. A minute or so in, I am reminded of the more indolic, heady aroma of white lilacs as they bloom in profusion, among scores of other cultivars, at Arnold Arboretum in Boston. Then there is a wisteria accord that moves into the foreground to join the white lilacs. Wisteria is one of my favorite flowers and I've dreamed about growing them on my own grounds one day. Their smell is ethereal, reminiscent of jasmine, honeysuckle and concord grape, with mildly spicy clove undertones. Eventually here, the lilac and wisteria converge in a manner that elicits the firing of neurons in my brain that send the message: "I know this, I've smelled this before, and I love it." That sensation, that 'frisson,' is what captures me with this fragrance. I also get the sensation of mock orange here, Philadelphus coronarius, in fine-milled soap form, and adjacent lily of the valley. The imagery I have is that of misty May mornings; wearing one's crisp and starched Sunday best; cottontails, red squirrels and chipmunks; marveling at the ephemera of spring. One thing I will say is that it saddens me that some immediately reach for functional fragrances in their brain when smelling even what is to me the most true-to-life spring florals: comparing them to baby wipes, Febreze, and the like. Scent associations are quite personal, and I wouldn't berate someone for "not smelling something correctly," as there is no truth in "correctly smelling" something. However, I do often wonder if our sense of wonder and imagination that suspends us in youth is often sapped away as time calcifies mindsets. Maybe I should feel fortunate that I can derive the joy that I do in these perfumes, unlearning biases as best as I can and leaning into the fantasies and myths of life. Anyhow, Totally White 126 may very well be a delight for those who open themselves up to its concept.

Surprisingly, when I tested this frag on a paper strip in the boutique, I smelled ... nothing at all ! This never happened before, so intreaging. Sprayed on my skin, it revealed itself very nicely as a dry scent of lily (not of the valley) very similar to Cartier's Baiser Vole EdP. This intreaged me even more, as lily does not figure in this frag's composition. So I had no choice but to buy a flacon to get this straight. At home, I made an arm to arm confrontation between Totally White and Baiser Vole (which translates into stolen kiss) : During the opening, the Cartier frag is rounder and somewhat a bit sweeter, while "Totally White" is dry and actually quite discrete, though absolutely elegant and pure. But this doesn't last, as after a few min Wisteria kicks in, and Totally White takes the lead. The scent is powerfull and cleanly white floral, which makes it unisex, indeed. Both frags remain very close and similar, as the green notes of Baiser Vole slowly vanish. Drydown is very slow and longevity of Totally White easily exceeds 8h whereas the Cartier frag is gone after 6h. All in all, though these 2 frags are very similar but their composition is quite different, Totally White has a better intensity, elegance, and longevity, making it sort of a stolen french kiss : -) ... and a higher price tag. So I'd say its up to your purse if you like the pure dry white floral scent excluding jasmine & aldehydes.

I love this! This is fresh....this is elegant.....this is addictive. This fragrance makes me feel calm and ready for anything. It reminds me of En Passant with a lilac hint in the beginning, but later it reminds me more of Inflorescence- it takes on an almost lemony quality (probably the Hawthorne). It envelopes me like a cloud of scrumptiousness! I just want to smell myself all day long. This is signature worthy and even wedding appropriate. Just lovely without being sweet. This is more fresh and smooth and the aldehydes provide a slight classic quality while still being modern. I almost passed on this the first time and thought this was too melancholy for me......but then I realized that, what the heck....I WANT melancholy, and feeling and beauty! The second try had me at LOVE. I layered this with Jo Malone Wood Sage and Sea Salt....and let me tell you......a nice heavenly change with you want a clean, spirited wood. This is such a versatile fragrance all by itself however. More elegant and feminine on its own.

Oh this is SO pretty!! Lilac and wisteria are both scents close to my heart - as I had a wisteria vine in my yard, and lilac is the smell of my old home of Portland in spring - so anytime I discover a perfume with lilac at the forefront I'm super keen to try it. I'd long wanted to check out the Parle Moi de Parfum line, especially after watching an enthusiastic endorsement from Persolaise, and as luck would have it, there is a shop that stocks them where I live. Totally White won me over immediately - it was so fresh and clean smelling, and very lilac prominent - exactly what I needed in the midst of this long, dreary winter. It's rare I actually purchase a perfume on the spot after an initial test, but in this case I did, and I don't regret it! My partner already complimented (a rarity!) and it lasts longer than I'd anticipated. It's not strong, but noticeable, absolutely perfect as an everyday comfort scent. I can't wait to wear this in the spring! Beautiful work from Michel Almairec!!

Such a beautiful clean lily of the valley kind of a scent. Very light, fresh, clean, a bit crisp. I usually don’t like wisteria in fragrances because it can induce headache in me. But here it is very pleasant, I think the name suits this fragrance so well. It does smell like clean white feminine t-shirt with a little white lace detailing. I do really enjoy it. I think is a mature scent, the lily of the valley fragrances always makes me think of my mom and mom in law, since they absolutely love lily if the valley. Also it has nothing to do with En Passant, at least to my nose, May be May be a little at the begging of the spray of the en passant but en passant dries to wheat, dry grassy dry down which I didn’t like at all. This one just stays pretty clean floral. Totally white is closer to inflorescence which I have and love. Inflorescence is more youthful and modern take on lily of the valley scent.