Fleur de Figuier

I've been reveling in sweet scents lately. Smokey vanilla, salt caramel and cherry cola fragrances, all sweet enough to make your teeth ache...couldn't get enough of them. And it's not that I've suddenly gone off them or anything like that, but I woke up today in the mood for something different. Maybe it was TOTM hormones that decided to play havoc with my sensibilities; maybe it was the muggy closeness of thick summer humidity that demanded something that could cut through the fetid fug that had settled everywhere. Or perhaps it was the scent left behind after a brief yet powerful summer downpour, that inspired me to opt for a fresh, fruitish, green fragrance upon waking. Whatever the reason, the minute I wandered into the living room this morning, I just knew that a sweet/sugary scent wasn't going to cut it today. It's weird: I own 100-150 fragrances of all stripes; perfumes of varying prestige, popularity and price points, stored in every room in my home. My lists on here are by no means complete and if you asked me to tell you every scent I own, I couldn't do it without searching every room first. Heck, I hadn't even listed Fleur de Figuier at all on here until half an hour ago, yet I've owned it for nearly 18 months now. And yet without having to think about it, I knew immediately upon waking that today called for the crisp, clean uniqueness of this classic R&G creation. I also knew instinctively where the bottle was and was immediately able to locate it without thinking. I guess we all have our strengths and areas of specific interest, where we can find it surprisingly easy to accrue more knowledge than we expect, or even understand. It amuses me that my brain is so addled it often forgets my own house number, age or phone number, yet it's subconsciously aware of not only the location of every fragrance in my home, but also the subsequent characteristics, style and suitability of every scent, with regards to any particular time/place/mood. But to cut a long story short, it turned out to be the most perfect choice I could have made. Lush, almost aquatic accords, nestled behind notes of varying fruits and foliage, with the unmistakable hint of figs, this is a gorgeously refreshing fragrance that doesn't smell like every other fruit fragrance, every other greenish accord or your run-of-the-mill summer splash. It's something you might not want to wear everyday, but it's a perfume I think you should definitely have squirreled away for those days when nothing else will do. When you want to wear a fragrance that doesn't wear you, but you don't want to waste your time & money on a smell so nondescript, it gets mistaken for laundry detergent. I'm not an expert or connoisseur of fig fragrances, so I cannot comment as to whether or not this Roger & Gallet EDT is better or remotely comparable to any other similar offering. I can however notice the very distinctive fig notes and I love how different and unique this perfume is to others in my vast collection. It's mouthwateringly tart and juicy without veering off into the typical citrus type of scent one might expect from a concoction with notes of grapefruit and orange present. The cumin top-note blends beautifully with the aromatic combination of fig and musk notes, giving just the merest suggestion of exotic far-away holiday destinations. This is not a hugely expensive perfume. I think it retails for around £25 for 50ml EDT, but Roger & Gallet seem to release their fragrances in varying strengths/concentrations, all categorised using terms I don't pretend to comprehend (I'm guessing it's a French thing I'm nowhere near cultured enough to understand, lol!) so don't go quoting me or anything. It comes in the standard R&G bottle/packaging which isn't the most fancy, but I like its easily identifiable branding and understated design. Mine actually came in a gift set with matching body lotion/shower gel (both of which are completely used up) which I received as a Christmas present. The accompanying body lotion makes a great hand cream and is also a good way to see whether or not you'll like a particular R&G fragrance. It's cheaper to try out a body lotion and the fragrance is exactly the same, across the range of products unless otherwise stated.* *NB: As stated in another review on here, the R&G Fleur de Figuier Eau De PARFUM (in a darker purple/gold packaging, that retails for around £42 for 50ml EDP) is NOT the same fragrance as the Fleur de Figuier EDT/Eau fraiche/accompanying coffret products. I have no idea why, but whilst the EDP is nice, there was quite a furor among fans who thought R&G just got it wrong by leaving out the essential notes and added unnecessary new ones. Do not confuse the two scents! Overall, I just find this to be a beautiful, delicious fragrance that sits waiting patiently to be brought out whenever the time is right. Sometimes I get hints of lychee or pear; other times echoes of crisp green Granny Smith apples. Neither are listed as actual notes, but this verdant, luscious perfume will reveal its hidden complexity on different days and at different times of the year. It's a special little number, bursting with freshness and ought to have a place in everyone's perfume collection, regardless of age. Love it!

The fragrance of Fleur de Figuier was launched in 2013 and exudes tradition and excellence on all sides, as it joins more than a century of experience of a traditional house in the history of perfumery with the unquestionable talent of Francis Kurkdjian. The perfumer created this fragrance on a trip to Esterel, when he visited a Mediterranean garden. To this end, he combined notes of fig's pulp, caraway and fresh grapefruits, on the top of a juicy and luminous composition, which features a body of mandarin flower along with green and crunchy fig leaves, over a base of fig wood and musk. Fleur de Figuier carries an absurdly natural content, to the point of being addictive. It is that type of fragrance that aims the female audience and also touches the male, without much effort, especially, for those who do not usually have much problem with genre in the perfumery. It has the best of the fig, without using that drier nuance that is very common in masculine scents. It is, undoubtedly, a creation made for lovers of fragrances with fig, exploring a completely different side of the fruit and its leaves. And here (worth the record), the compliment goes to the mandarine note, which is vibrant and energetic. Fleur de Figuier walks to a sweet side, but the citric content maintains a constant balance. From the wood of the fig tree we feel a moist side, full of that sap that we commonly call milk. And the result is explosive and refreshing, perfect for those spring and/or summer days when we need something invigorating waking our senses. And I go further: it is so well built that it could come disguised in a niche bottle, with the name of Figue et Mandarine, and no one would dare to doubt. Only one detail is missing: it is an Eau Fraîche Parfumée (fresh fragrant water), but behaves like a good Eau de Toilette, projecting well and lasting in a medium way. Regarding the bottles, it seems to me that the smaller (30ml) do not bring the same decoration on the glass.

A really sweet and juicy fig, short-lived but oh-so-pretty when first sprayed. It smells like a cross between the flesh of a real fig and a jolly rancher, but is just the teensiest bit tart such that it's refreshing, like a gulp of sweet and cold lemonade on a hot day. Utterly splendid, and I don't mind that it doesn't last too long because the price is excellent as well. I find that it smells high quality and youthful (not juvenile, but also not that I really care about that stuff to begin with). This scent matches a warm spring day or even in the oppressive heat of the summer when you want a pick-me-up, but personally I love it indoors in the winter as well, as it makes me feel happy and helps me fight the urge to do things that would shorten my lifespan (lol). Of all the fig scents I've tested/owned, this is certainly my favourite one, though I love another scent called Eros Fig by Libertine (now Paraphrase) but the price is not the best on that one for the lasting power. Anyway, there is not even a hint of greenness to my nose in Fleur de Figuier, none of that milky-sappy-leafy thing that many fig lovers are familiar with. This is a positive to me! It is also much less citrusy than Fico di Amalfi, which is a scratchy citrus bomb on my skin. It is most similar to Dioriviera, another Francis Kurkdjian creation. Absolutely lovely, I will definitely spring for a backup bottle once the time comes.

Fleur de Figuier must have been my most worn perfume for the summer of 2014. I fell in love with it instantly when I first tried it in a shop, bought it on the spot (it's so cheap, too, only 16 euros for the 30 ml bottle, so it really wasn't a hard decision), and have gone back to it again and again through summer. So it is very addictive; especially, I suspect, for fig lovers like myself. I have tried and loved many fig scents over the last couple of months, and this one stands out because it's so straightforward. This is a very sweet fig, I don't get any citrus or cedar and definitely not any cumin. It's all figs, bright and sweet but not very realistic. It's more like the sugared version of figs, or fig candy: there's none of that green milkiness that you get when sniffing actual fig leafs, and none of the slightly earthy smell of actual figs. But that's not a problem, because this fig candy is very, very nice in its own right. So I love this very much, but its straightforwardness might also be its biggest weakness: it doesn't change much throughout a wearing, and although that's not a bad thing because who would want such a lovely smell to change, it does make it easier to get tired of. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm beginning to be less delighted by it than I was at first. So I think I'll put this away for the colder seasons soon, so that I can fall back in love with it next spring...

Opens with a bright blast of yummy juicy fig and orange. The grapefruit and caraway is a little too sharp for my nose’s liking, but only for a few minutes or so. As it starts to settle into the heart, the fresh fig and green fig leafs are bright and vibrant and the caraway adds a lovely aromatic, very slightly soapy, hint to the accord. There’s still hints of orange, but some peach and nectarine there too amongst the fresh figs notes but the lovely green fig leaves stop it becoming too sweet. This is a gorgeous fruity freshie! In the dry down, there are lovely hints of woody, earthy, slightly honey fig pulp and musky fruitiness in the base. Delicious! There’s creaminess too... No.. not creamy... it’s milky! Not warm ambery cream, it’s green and fresh white milky sap from the fig tree. Beautiful! I luuurrrrvve Fleur De Figuier 💗💗 there is something very familiar in the scent that I haven’t yet placed my nose on. A wonderful fig tree scent. It has the fleshy fruit, complimented with sweet citrus, the musky fig pulp with a hit of honey, the earthy green leaves and the milky fig sap. A perfect Eau Fraîche, blended wonderfully to create a deliciously light and joyful scent that makes me want to dine alfresco on fresh Greek salads, soaking up the sun while sipping on a good Pino Grigio.