Rue Rance Eau de Noblesse

I recently discovered the perfume house Rancé. The opulent and timeless design of their bottles immediately caught my attention. What kept me captivated then were the delicate complexity of the scents. I decided there upon the first whiffs that I'd get myself more familiar with the perfume house beginning with the Rue Rancé collection, and my first choice was a bottle of Eau de Noblesse. The scent opens with soft citrusy notes for me which dry down to fresh flowers: on my skin the iris and the myrtle notes stay for the longest along with a faint hint of musk and rosewood. When I spray it on the top notes slightly remind me of Un Jardin Sur le Toit by Hermès which I used in my early twenties, but Eau de Noblesse feels much more tender and toned down compared to the vivid spiciness of Un Jardin.

Remember that scene from Snow White and the Huntsman, where the enchanted forest was discovered with fairies flying in abundance, magical animals wandering about and the majestic stag appeared; well, this is the perfect epitome of what this fragrance smells like. Splendid for daytime scent. I love it but not quite enough to make it my signature as I prefer notes with Oriental Woody.

In my opinion, this is the epitome of beauty. It is delicate and feminine and timeless. The notes are so perfectly juxtaposed that this perfume becomes a symphony of divinity. If your dollar-a-dozen celeb scents are likened to an offering by Bruno Mars or Kanye West, then this is Beethoven in his finest hour.

The more I wear this, the more I love it. First time I sprayed it I was horribly disappointed because all I got was coriander. But I'm learning that my nose just does that -- picks up on the one note I might not be as familiar with, or might be less keen on, and amplifies it during the first wearing or two. Now I mostly get that addictive tart-sweet-crispness of grapefruit and rhubarb most prominently, with a little twist of the coriander that really hooks me. The rose is there as a little shadow/depth for me. The overall sense is of juicy greenness, almost like just-picked celery (not the scent of celery, but the crunch and snap and colour). Words that come to mind for this fragrance: charming, quaint, fresh, domestic*. I've only just recently realised how comfortable this is to wear, how it doesn't feel like I need to be anyone else but who I am. It's as suitable for wearing with a floral apron in the kitchen, as it is for wearing with a floral frock on a summer evening out. Just so wonderfully easy and free and lovely. I think Rance is a hugely underrated fragrance line and I'd love to see Eau de Noblesse and the other lovelies get the recognition they deserve! * By domestic, I mean it's perfect for wearing in the garden, or while pottering around the house, or just as part of everyday life. :)

This one is really nice and almost skinclose. Very fresh and on my skin I get a great mix of Grape, Rhubarbs, rose and Musk. I will get a bottle of this one and it will be perfect for office. Denna är otroligt fin och ganska hudnära. Väldigt fräsch och på min hud känner jag en mix av Grapefrukt, Rabarber, Rose och Musk. Kommer att köpa en flaska och använda den på kontoret.