Heliotrope

by coincidence, this smells like reb'l fleur for the first few minutes. i was worried. it's got that spiciness and earthiness, but the drydown........ i think i may need to repurchase reb'l fleur if it transforms anything like this. this perfume smells so freakin good. it is definitely earthy, spicy yet fluffy, carrot cake, frosting, whipped cream, vanilla. i wore this before bed and took some sleeping pills and woke up to smell my wrist and then went back to sleep. it's a really yummy fragrance. 'heliotrope' has a spiciness that is absent in dragee and guimauve. all 3 fragrances are unique and they all smell very comforting and almost gourmand. you won't be disappointed. i would say however that 'guimauve' is the least blind buy safe (due to the mint note and it is the most powdery in my opinion, something that might put people off. i describe it as a marshmallow-dusted dollhouse). i find 'heliotrope' to be the sweetest (albeit being smothered with spices that give it the carrot cake scent), then dragee (light and airy), then guimauve (mint note throws off the sweetness and then there's a note that creates a dustiness). it's supposed to be the opposite, with guimauve being literally a 'guimauve' (marshmallow) fragrance, dragee being candy-coated almonds, and heliotrope as like the floral perfume? i find heliotrope to be a carrot cupcake with pink frosting, with an outer layer that's like princess cake as someone already mentioned. add extra marzipan, add herbs and spices but only a tad. it's a little medicinal, especially in the opening but in a spicy way, not in a synthetic way so it's not overpowering. it smells absolutely lovely. wear it out to feel warm and fuzzy, wear it to sleep to feel soothed. i am in awe of this reminiscence line. if you like sweet gourmand fragrances with a bit of zest, try heliotrope. 🍰🥕🧁 update: had to compare the 3 once more. i think as far as sweetness goes, they have different qualities that sort of throw off how sweet the perfumes could be. in a particular way that makes them more unique and quite honestly, wearable without getting too sickeningly sugary. i love this reminiscence collection. the packaging is perfect, it really makes you feel like you're at a chic hotel in palm springs. 🌴💗

I really like this! This is a figgy marzipan to begin. One of those pretty marzipan fruits you get at Christmas. It's a bit green. You most definitely get the fresh fig in the opening, and it's almondy, powdery sweet, but fresh green furry milky almonds, not dry ones. As it dries, it gets more powdery and sweeter. There's a more sweet spicy cake vanilla and there's some really nice light cedar underneath it all. I can hate cedar, but here it is gentle and just makes the whole thing less cloyingly sweet. The powder here is a creamy smooth sandalwood feeling powder. I would not have pinned the powder on heliotrope, but then there are other notes with overlapping profiles here, something almondy, vanilla and slightly liquorice or cherry like might get lost. I do get cherry almond vanilla at points so perhaps that is the heliotrope on top of everything else here. Overall it's got a cake like vanilla sweet spice to it. Then it dries down more and the patchouli appears, it smells a little like fabric plasters, it is still sweet and powdery cake spiced vanilla though. Later still, it smells like play doh. Spraying this on my wrist, i.e. somewhere cooler than my chest, slows this progression down, but this is my least favourite part. It's a shame it doesn't stay like the mid for longer. I blind bought this and I was scared by the very mixed reviews. I don't have anything like this really. This is a beautiful powdery sweet marzipan fragrance for the first hour or so that isn't throat-scratchingly strong like hypnotic poison, it's more gentle. The bottle says it all really, green, girly, sweet, vintage powdery and pretty, but again only for the first 1 -2 hours. I wish it stayed like the opening and mid. This would be too much in summer but right now around Easter, this just fits perfectly. You smell edible wearing this. It makes me think of Alice in Wonderland.

Marzipan, pistachio ice cream, booze-drenched vanilla, patchouli. Dense, delicious, different, and maybe a little difficult for those expecting a fluffy, candy-like gourmand. Initially, the green and almost fresh opening threw me off. Luckilyn the patchouli that follows closely is seamlessly integrated, lacking the nauseating camphor notes that spoil many perfumes for me. The sweetness is soft, creamy, boozy, and well-balanced, so it never becomes too much. Heliotrope and almonds, the main characters of this composition, are often associated with a "Play-Doh smell" - an unfortunate description for something so exquisite. Fellow marzipan-aficionados understand. The calm, balmy dry-down reminds me of melted tonka ice cream and a high calorie vanilla dessert; some even smelled on coconut me, but I get none of that. Héliotrope has a powerful sillage and great performance, especially during the first hours upon application. Be careful, overspraying could offend others. It's definitely best suited for adults over 25, and becomes most harmonious on women aged 30 and onwards. Young girls will be crushed under its weight and density. I can imagine wearing this with 70 years of age and beyond; but don't be fooled, there's nothing old-fashioned about this gem. To sum it up: Reminiscence Héliotrope is a heavy, dense, and sophisticated gourmand creation tailored for marzipan-loving adults (not teens!) with an unusual scent profile and wonderful performance. It may not suit everyone and could require some time to be appreciated fully. I'm onto my 2nd bottle.

EDIT2: I stand by that this is definitely a winter perfume - do NOT use this in the summer, as it smells absolutely disgusting and very cloying in warm weather, even in very small amounts. EDIT: tried this now, in cold, snowy weather, and it's definitely a winter perfume! It actually smells pretty much like white chocolate on me! :D FIRST REVIEW: Very, very vanilla. When you think about it, you also notice the almond and heliotrope. At the initial spray there is also a coconut note, but that goes away and turns into the almond note, but them it reappears later on - it is DEFINITELY coconutty, for those who dislike that. I wonder if it just varies with concentration. Powdery, sweet, gourmand for sure. More complex than many other pure vanilla scents, but it's still mainly just good vanilla with a coconutty undertone. Not sure why it's called "Heliotrope", as that is pretty far in the background. Not sure why the bottle is green either - there's nothing green about this. If relating perfumes to colors, Guimauve is green, and this one is pink, or rather: pastel yellow. This can also be layered with other perfumes. I absolutely love it sprayed right over Guimauve - they blend together absolutely seamlessly. Guimauve is a pillow, powdery green perfume, and it calms down the sweetness of Heliotrope a little bit. I also like Heliotrope with Babycat from YSL. By itself Babycat is a plasticky vanilla with zero sweetness, so this just makes it sweet.

I've just received it yesterday and am currently testing it out. I must say, I really do love this perfume 😍 and I didn't know that 😅 I'm a heliotrope type of lady lol. I can smell the heliotrope and the sweetness of the vanilla, almonds, green notes, and bit of patchouli. Now I recall smelling heliotrope a few months ago in a greenhouse when I went to look for a few plants for my front yard of my home. It smell kind of like vanilla with a splash of almonds coated with hardshell candy coating. I was intrigued by its aroma but thought about the bumble bees might get attracted to it. Anyways, I barely smell the fig note in this fragrance......... but it is stated here that it is in there. If I can match and astrology sign to this fragrance, it would be a docile"Taurus" who is in the meadow looking majestic, peaceful and strong. Now the fragrance lasts at least 6 hours and it has moderate projection and it turns into a skin scent. Now the season, I can see spring and summer months along with it being a signature scent. Okay now i can tell you which fragrance I love in this line and I love "Heliotrope" the BEST, than it's "Dragée" and next Guimauve. They all smell wonderful, but heliotrope is something I'm very fond of.

Wow. This completely surprised me on how it smells at first. This is a first impressions, well second impressions**... this comes off as a powdery, creamy almond perfume with patchouli as the base. But the patchouli isn't heavy here, as I've come to expect from that note. This is a lighter fragrance without being TOO airy. I was afraid this would be too light, like a body spray and it has a little more than that. Although I notice it settling into more of a skin scent rather quickly. It is still present though. And I imagine people being able to smell it on me, without being overpowered. What an interesting fragrance. I need more time with it. I was between getting this one, the white or the pink bottle. Decided on this as I love creamy almond fragrances! I have to say - this isn't what I expected at all. But I am growing to enjoy it for what it is. I love a beast-mode fragrance, but can appreciate some that are not... I just hope this projects enough ti keep me interested. Will come back & update.

I blind bought it based on the notes and the fact that it was sold at a very convenient price on Notino. I should start though by saying that I do love Reminiscence perfumes, not all but most of them and this has been such a lovely surprise. As soon as I spritzed it I said "oh yes!" I so much smell the green notes in this, so much so that they turn this gourmand perfume into a very sophisticated nectar. Fresh green notes with a slight hint of figness just to make it ever so slightly sweet, but I would not call this one a sweet perfume. And then here it comes her majesty patchouli, come one, this is Reminiscence and the patchouli note is very distinctive and so pleasing to me. And the nice almond note of course will then keep you company for the rest of the day. What a lovely and original surprise! so glad I got it, much different from everything else I own (and it's quite a lot).

Changed my vote from a "maybe I like this? I think..." - to 2 months later - "this tonka bean note in this is addictive and wow what am I wearing again!?" This smells pretty unique. Tonka and almonds are main players, but the other top & mid notes give it a unique twist that I did not expect at first. In fact, this is probably the 5th or 6th time that I'm wear testing this perfume and I finally "got" it. Something clicked and now it's a love. It may be from my newfound obsession over tonka bean notes (thanks to BDK Velvet Tonka)... but now I need to try the others in this collection too - this is my first*. Not a safe blind buy, but try wearing it a handful of times before really judging it. I almost decluttered immediately because it wasn't what I expected and I had never smelled anything quite like it. And now that is the reason I adore it.

You love almond notes and that vintage vibe the heliotrope gives you. Look no further, this is and smells perfect, from the powdery floral notes to some tonka bean combined with the almonds. The bottle is really classy, the scent is really gourmand ( gourmet would be the better term since we talk about the finesse of the food/fragrance rather than quantity). What smells does it include: some make-up perfume notes ( those vintage heliotrope powders) and some almond drages notes- that don't overtake everything nor they smell synthetic ( even though they are). If you want an easygoing L'Heure Bleue or Nicolai- Kiss Me Intense/ Sacrebleu Intense, you could try this.

At first, I thought this one was just onedimensional - like someone before me said - but then I got to know it. Before, I thought it must be layered with something. I still do that, sometimes, but now I have discovered that it is so lovely on its own, too! If you love heliotrope, or almond, or soft powder, this is absolutely gorgeous. For the days when you don't want to be a drama queen. Or if you want to mellow down a stronger fragrance. One favourite combination for me: this one together with Guerlain L'Initial... dreamy. Very good value for the money. I will definitely buy again!!

Beautiful - not overly sweet and the addition of heliotrope made me swoon just a little - and it hangs around all the way through to drydown - bliss. Almonds, tonka, vanilla - such a wonderful group of notes and there is enough woody and earthy notes here to keep this grounded and grown up. It's a love from me. This projects surprisingly well and hangs on long enough to make it worth the price. It's a happy scent, cosy and will be coming to bed with me quite often. I haven't had a bottle from this brand that I didn't like. There are still a few more to try....which one next?

Heliotrope is just beautiful. Ranked, it will be Heliotrope, Dragee and then Guimauve out of the Les Notes Gourmandes line by Reminiscence. Vanilla and almond are the most dominant notes in this perfume, it's almost like a slice of cake with lots of whipped cream filling in it. It also has a green figgy minty note, but this does not overpower its overall delicateness, just adds to its uniqueness. After a few hours in its dry down, it sort of reminds me of Mon Guerlain. Good performance and certainly signature scent worthy.

Absolutely adore this perfume! I can’t really smell it on myself, but always receive some compliments. Working at school-someone entered the class and commented “something smell yummy here”, child approached me and said I smell like cookie and even my colleagues while being outside, standing few meters away from me, commented I smell like coconut... no almonds! Haha! Loving it in every season 🩷 I also have Dragee, similar vibe, but don’t project as well and don’t have this prominent marzipan note which I adore!

First, when I tried this, I found it a little one-dimensional, too sweet and even a little bit boring, yet likeable, like scented bodymilk. But then something happened after few or more sprays: now I get what I wanted to get, almond, even amaretto, vanilla and marzipan. It's suitable for every season (maybe it's too much when it's hot during summer time). Not juvenile, it's thick and it's not typical and generic fruity-floral gourmand. And it's long lasting with decent sillage.

This is powdery very well-blended gourmand: marzipan, figgy almond with tonka vanilla softly picks through. It is very pleasant, refreshing sent (would not go as far as to say it is “green”, but most definitely refreshing). Lovely scent in lovely bottle. I like it enough to keep on my perfume shelf, but not enough to remember to use it often. From this collection Dragee is my favorite, Guimauve takes second place, and Heliotrope is honorable mention. :)

I would say that this is what I wanted Kayali Yum Pistachio Gelato 33 to be. It smells very similar, but is stronger and longer lasting.Yum just disapears on me. I would have to spray Yum every other hour to feel it. But I get wifts of this one every time I move. I had a sample of Heliotrope and ordered it the moment I could. Love. Sweet, nutty, wonderful. Not flowery, which is good, cause I am not into florals. Or they are not into me :D

Coconutty heliotrope. Agree with 9154mf, it's very gourmand! Sweet and delicious but not cloying. Good sillage. It’s strange how there’s no actual coconut note in it according to Fragrantica. I guess a combination of notes (perhaps the fig and vanilla) give it a coconut accord, similar to how the strawberry + almond in Hanae Mori creates a vanilla-like impression. Reminded me of L.T. Piver Heliotrope Blanc, with added coconut.

I think I have finally found my perfect heliotrope perfume. Each spring I buy heliotrope plants to enjoy the scent. This is a perfect copy of nature, almond is soft here, not too sharp not too metalic, covered with vanilla/tonka and mixed with milky notes with just a bit of greenness coming from the fig.... Just like the real thing. Love it!

Oh man! It is definitely a play-doh overdose, but in a very nice way. In the past I had a very similar fragrance - Jacomo Art 2. Those who familiar with it and liked it - can safely go for this Heliotrope. It is 3D almond and tonka, very intense, powdery and arty. It is not tamed whispering fluffy fragrance, but a beast, be aware!

An extremely pretty Amaretto perfume. Starts off with almonds and some sharp greenness, and settles into the prettiest almond liquor one could ask for. It's a shy yet playful scent that linger sweetly on the skin for hours. I love it although I feel it's aimed for younger women (I'm 40 y/o).

I sprayed my shoulders with it the other day & got whiffs of creamy almond scent all day! Sensual & a fun one to have in your collection for summer. Blind buy safe. I actually enjoy the faint 'Playdoh' accord. Unripe creamy almond with vanilla + green notes (the fig leaf) + playdoh.

Playdough, marzipan, and almond cake. But in the nicest possible way! The fig comes through later for me, once the playdough note dies down. Then it's an almond cake and fig blend that I really enjoy. Sadly short longevity on me - around 3-4h, but projects an arm's length.

Rhaine's loss was my gain, I find it very much Heliotrope, sweet but not too sweet, deep, soft & beautiful.Luckily the Fig & Vanilla come through in the dry down for me,the notes I was seduced by on the pyramid.It doesn't last too long, but is worth the re-spraying.

If you love almond perfumes, you will love Heliotrope. It's a fresh, green almond...powdery and not cloying. I do NOT detect ANY pickles whatsoever. Heliotrope is a pleasant, fresh, happy fragrance that brings Spring to mind; innocence and beauty.

Love at first sniff for me. Performance is moderate....but better than their Dragree for sure. Almondy-powdery...yet...earthy-ish too. Not reaaly "green" or "figgy"...IMO. This just smells fan-tas-tic !! No real complaints here...lol. Big love.

Rich sweet powdery heliotrope. Ver gourmand just lovely. I get hints of coconut and the softest sandalwood. Very nicely done, but similar to other heliotrope scents as well. However this may be one of my faves.

Almond mmmm, love the smell! Too bad it's so light. I wish there was a Parfum like this that was 10 times heavier so I could smell myself all day and the people around me could also smell this delicious scent

This is a wonderful perfume for creamy almond lovers. This has a thick and heavy almond that is super floral and addictive. Quite perfect for autumn 🍂

i looooveee this fragrance. it opens very almondy but the longer you wear it it starts to smell like an old lady almost but like a sexy old lady

I really love this and it has moderate to good performance on my skin. I am really glad I got it

Страхотно добре балансиран. Чудесен ванилов аромат ❤️ Влюбих се от първото помирисване ❤️

All three Les Notes Gourmandes are wonderfully warm, sweet and cozy. All are more or less almond based but they are still uniquely different. I started with Heliotrope, then added Dragee and soon realized that I had to complete the trio with Guimauve, although the minty note in Guimauve made me hesitate for a while. So here is a short comparison of the Notes Gourmandes: Heliotrope - has the strongest almond base with the intensity of bitter almond and vanilla extract used for baking or in marzipan. The green color of the bottle perfectly references swedish princess cake. Heliotrope really is like princess cake in a bottle but with a fresher, greener twist. The fig and the green notes are subtle and very well-blended but take this Note Gourmande out of the warm, sweet, cozy kitchen and into the fresh green smell of a winter garden on a cool autumn/winter day. Definitely a cold weather scent for me. Dragee - probably my favorite, although the least gourmand of the three. Here almonds are replaced by almond blossoms, combined with orange blossoms, petigrain and cardamon for a slightly spicy, citrussy freshness. There is a vanilla base that gives it that gourmand quality, but it is the 'spicy florals' that set Dragee apart from the other two in the series. Dragee is the lightest, subtlest and least 'offensive' of the Notes Gourmandes and is a scent that works all year round. Guimauve - fluffy, sugary, pink vanilla marshmallow, but not the cheap supermarked type. More the exclusive ones you buy in tiny, expensive bags in an artisan shop in Provence where the lovely scent of lavender, rosemary and other herbs in the store infused into the little guimauves (marshmallows). It is a very girly/feminine fragrance but in a grown-up, sophisticated way - if that makes sense. It is just a lovely lovely take on the sugary gourmand scent that hugs you with its warm cozy sweetness but keeps it interesting with the herbs, petigrain and pepper in the background. I was worried about the mint being too dominant (not a favorite of mine), but it very quickly blends nicely into the background and does not bother me at all. I'm not getting an awful lot of almond, by the way, and don't understand why 'marshmallow' is not among the notes of the fragrance pyramid, like it was for Mi Fa in Reminiscence's original Notes Gourmandes series, that Guimauve is heavily based on. All three are very interesting, very well-blended gourmands, each one with its own herbal, spicy, fruity, citrussy twist that takes it from pure gourmand to another level ("french niche gourmand"). Sillage is moderate on all of them. When it comes to longevity, Guimauve and Dragee last a good 5 hours on me, while Heliotrope lasts all day. I really love them all and find it difficult to rank them. If you can't decide which to buy and have the resources to get all of them, go for it.

Well, I love the concept: marrying fluffy, ethereal heliotrope to earthy, rich patchouli. But while I like Reminiscence Heliotrope, I don't love it. It's a pleasant smell, for sure, but ultimately smells too much like Play-Do to me in the top notes (sometimes heliotrope and almond smell like that) to be ethereal, and then, too much simply like the beautiful Reminiscence Patchouli, with its rich, chocolatey note, in the drydown, all the heliotrope having disappeared. This interesting marriage just doesn't quite work, to my nose. I wish the heliotrope & patchouli had more to do with each other, rather than simply coexisting for a time. I'd love to find a heliotrope that is grounded by something heavier like patchouli, or something else, but this doesn't do it, for me, and I'm not sure what would. Until I find that interesting wide-spectrum combination of opposites, I'll wear L.T. Piver's beautiful heliotrope for my pure, fluffy heliotrope perfume, and the original Reminiscences Patchouli for my earthy, chocolate patch. I'm very curious if other Reminiscence patchouli combinations work out better because that patchouli note is just so dominant that you need something that maintains its presence throughout. Interesting experiment but the search continues... :)

I actually really like all three of these fragrances (Guimauve, Heliotrope and Dragee). This is the one I was the least interested in, (green bottle, called Heliotrope), and it's turning out to be a good one! The way others below are describing it makes it seem like it smells vastly different on each individual. On me, this is a semi-sweet, powdery, mazipan PATCHOULI. The patchouli is the strongest note on me, with the almondy/marzipan coming in second. It's not overly sweet, either, it's just a little bit sweet. I used to love patchouli but have sworn it off due to all the Angel fruitcholi spawn which aren't good for me. But this type of earthy semi-sweet patchouli with almonds is really nice. I'm totally enjoying wearing this. Imagine L'Artisan Bois Farine with significant patchouli. That will give you an idea. With extensive spraying (I mean, lots of sprays, about 8-10) I get moderate longevity and very low sillage. I need to try it on fabric to see if I can get better longevity and sillage. PS: there is no fig in this for me at all. I mean, zero fig. Nor is it green.

This is an almond -heliotrope- tonka dominant gourmand for a romantic lady that doesn't like loud fragrances. It is a soft mellow scent, a marzipan light cloud. Heliotrope is dominant over almond and is not for everyone, it can be potentially headache inducer for the wearer, therefore is not a safe blind buy, but it can be a good office scent (1-2 sprays), because the sillage is intimate. I cannot detect the fig note. I really like the line and the packaging that is lovely to expose. This one is my least preferred of the three (first Guimave and then Dragee). There is something that doesn't appeal to me completely, maybe the heliotrope note is too invasive. Refined light marzipan gourmand. 2.5/5

this one was a blind buy on discount, i’ve seen a few reminiscence fragrances and i especially wanted to try this line since they are so pretty to display! on first spray it’s a very green scent, it reminds me a lot of coconut, which is by far my least favourite scent, however it does dry down into a subtle mix of garden scents. i cant pinpoint an exact note that i can smell once it dries down, but i’d describe it as a “clean” scent! it’s very refreshing and light, although not to my personal taste i’ll definitely be keeping it on display ♡ the sillage is ok - and the fragrance lasts for a couple of hours before needing to be re-sprayed!

I don't get heliotrope with this one. Straight up it's a slightly medicinal almond (brown skins on white nut) with notes of dried-out hardback library book. As it dries down the library book note fades and a mild sweetness overtakes the medicinal quality, so you are left with almond skins and nuts with a slightly sweet tinge....just a tiny tinge. I don't dislike Reminiscence Heliotrope, but it's very much NOT what I thought this scent would be. I'm no gourmand lover, but this really does need sweetening up. I may layer it with an actual heliotrope scent and see what happens.

I understand why this is always sold out when I am hunting for it. Heliotrope is the IT GIRL of budget vanilla scents. It smells far more quality than other vanillas in its price class, and even in higher price classes. It has a lovely marzipan note that reminds me of amaretto. I pick up on something orris-y and powdery. The use of patchouli and woods helps it not be too overly sweet. Reminiscence has been a real pleasant surprise, I cannot wait to get a full size of this, and to try more from this brand.

This is the second bottle from this house and their Les Notes Gourmandes that I have, this is a very powdery almond scent, not baby powder but almond powder. sillage is close to the skin and I would say this is not your beast mode fragrance. Longevity on me is good about 6 to 8 hours. This is not a evening fragrance mainly a daytime spring summer scent. It is very pleasant clean and can be worn by all ages. Perfect to wear after shower and a lunch with friends. I would recommend for spring and summer.

This is a fragrance where it is actually kinda hard to pinpoint certain notes. It’s green, nutty, musky and sweet. It can be too much if you spray more than 4 times. This is a really nice fragrance for colder weather, I see it being way to heavy for the warm weather. Ive actually gotten told I smelled like a powdery marshmallow, then by someone else, a musky flower. I can see where some get playdoh, the dry down can smell a bit like playdoh that’s been sitting out.

The heliotrope and the almonds are the stars here which are lovely. It's very powdery which I love. But I think it reminds me a lot of dragee which is another perfume from reminiscences les notes gourmandes line. They're quite similar. Heliotrope to me is linear, the other notes doesn't develop much to my nose. Although in the dry down I do get the musky vanilla though. Overall it's a cozy scent perfect for snuggly days.

This one smells like a powder almond and tonka scent. Almost baby-powder like. Very sweet on my skin. I'm not picking up on many other notes other than these. If you like almond or tonka as a main note, than this one is an inexpensive one to try out and as of now, FragranceX sells samples, which is where I got mine.

i knew i would love this! creamy almonds, vanilla, heliotrope and tonka. it's so cozy for the winter which is when i am testing. i get a hint of woods as well. it's play doh and also gourmand (in the best way!) and therefore it's making me hungry ;)

Ok so hear me out: I feel this is a floral version on Hypnotic Poison (not in the sense that it's a copy/dupe). Less sickly sweet, more floral and powdery. I enjoy this a lot, although Dragee from the same line is better.

This is like a powdery, almond, sponge cake. A pretty linear fragrance, but the longevity and sillage are pretty good. I associate this as being a Spring fragrance, maybe because of the bottle colour!

Opening is amazing. But it quickly descents into transparent pleasant odour. I am dissapointed by its longevity.. Musky and common. Nothing gourmand about it

Sweet almond cake served with dried figs and a thick sugary coconut note reminding me of Shunkoin. It’s slightly powdery, like dry marzipan.

Since I blind-bought this, when I first opened the bottle I was appalled. Not only was this Heliotrope chemical and SUPER intense, but also uriney. And not just that: it reminded me of a freshly cleaned pissoir after the first use. Sorry to get so graphic, but it is my what it is. But wait for the turn! Since I didn’t want to have this on my skin, I let somebody else try it and alas - that same uriney smell. Disappointed, I sprayed some on it on a piece of cotton: yes, „Heliotrope“ was still super intense and chemical, but the urine note was gone. As the time went by, it became better and better, slowly turning in the heaviest, most sugary candied almond I had ever smelled. Ok, now I was hooked. Time to get brave. I applied a copious amount of this weird little fragrance on my arm and was surprised: not as chemical as on the other person’s skin, no urine whatsoever, but a very full, heavy, somewhat nostalgic marzipan scent that stayed like this for hours and reminded me strongly of Lush’s “Snowcake” fragrance - just a little bit on steroids. After three to four hours, that moist almond note dissipated and gradually turned into a dry, powdery smell that reminded me of vanilla sugar which I liked. Around six hours after application, the fragrance was barely detectable on my skin. Reminiscence’s “Heliotrope” is quite a journey! I will surely use it up, am very interested to try the two other fellows of this series, but will not rebuy this one. If your skin is right for it, what you get is a more sophisticated version of a cute day-to-day gourmand. Heavy, sugary, nostalgic, intense and all-around very nice. But if your skin is not right for it, this fragrance goes VERY much into the wrong direction, which is why I would strongly recommend to test this on your skin before buying. Reminiscence’s “Heliotrope” does not feel super young, but like targeting people in their mid-to late 20s. I don’t feel this can be worn easily by the traditional man, but very well suits everybody else. Just don’t wear it in an office setting! As to whether or not I can recommend this fragrance, I’m leaning no. If you are looking for a heliotrope fragrance, there are plenty of more beautiful, more sophisticated ones out there, both leaning gourmand not. I’m thinking of Oriza’s “Héliotrope”, Maison Lancôme’s “Iris Dragees” (although I’m not sure about the amount of heliotrope in there, but it gives off similar vibes), Guerlain’s “L’Heure Bleue”. If you want marzipan, there is a segment out there for that as well. However, this is not a hard no. If, after what you’ve read, you feel adventurous and want to go for Reminiscence’s rendition of an almond gourmand - why not. It’s not terribly expensive and IF it works on your skin, this one will likely not leave you disappointed. TD;DR: Depending on skin, heavy, moist marzipan or urine.

You have to be obsessed with almond and fig to love this. I have a love-hate thing with fig so this is a little bit of a challenge for me. The almond in this is quite domineering and I really tried to enjoy it as I'm on an almond kick right now, but it was bordering on suffocating me for the first hours even with ONE spray. The patchouli kind of gave me an 'old musty room' vibe to me at first or an 'old lady smell', the kind of bodily smell that some old people have (It has a scientific basis; it's a thing, also I don't mean it as an insult, just objectively trying to describe the scent as accurately as possible to my nose). But it isn't prominent in this perfume at all, it only is apparent when you bring your nose to your arm. Again it might just be skin chemistry. But there is patchouli in this. The drydown of this just smelled like sweet almonds which I enjoyed, but it wasn't worth the headache I got with the coconut-y fig and the (to me personally)weird patchouli. Do not blind buy even if you are an almond lover, you have to like fig as well. I don't hate this one, as I'd like to think the sillage is probably pleasant, but not for me.

At first spray I really didn't like this one because of the patchouli and the green fig. That's a personal thing, fig can be tricksy and I just don't like patchouli if I can single it out as a note.... it's obvious in this perfume. The dry down is where it shines though (imho!). That's when it starts to morph into a Heliotrope Blanc!. Powdery heliotrope and almond is what sticks around, with the less gourmand notes dissipating. I can see the Hypnotic Poison comparisons too, but less medicinal.... less root beer here, and not syrupy at all! I don't know yet if the dry down is worth the first 10 minutes (for me personally), but I think this might be the best of the Les Notes Gourmandes.