French Kiss

Lovely little perfume smells exactly like my grandma's shabby chic bathroom I remember so fondly as a child. A bathroom in an apartment that had not been renovated likely since it was built (probably around the 50's) with a door separating the shower and toilet from the long vanity countertop with a shelf above it that had cut crystal plastic sliding doors that I would always get stuck. She had a leopard print rug lining the floor and the occasional art piece of sultry women's legs emerging from luxurious bubble baths and the "I Love Lucy" Vitameatavegamin framed still. She had decades old French soaps atop her vanity given to her by her ex-husband which she refused to use other than to display. I believe tuberose, mandarin, and gardenia were some of the scents she had. Smelling this in the little antique French-inspired perfumery in my town, my sole reason for being there being to try to recreate the ambience of her bathroom, I immediately made the association. I got home and sprayed it on my sheer lace shower curtain and I am a child, sitting atop her bathroom counter and smelling her little pink French soaps again. That's my grandma!

From the opening this smells like French orange candies, luxury French soap and the refined smell of upmarket department stores. It has a sherbet like citrus and crisp white florals that feels both cool and tart. I don’t understand what other people smell from the negative comments below. It’s very pretty and floral - and the name suits it beautifully. It’s original, interesting and just what I like as a floral fragrance enthusiast. ❤️

Ok the review by EnglishCountry really make me smile. I totally get the taste of bile analogy and I have to agree. But I like French Kiss nonetheless because its got a uniqueness and a boldness that is very French. On me the vetiver is strong and the orange (moldy or not!) is very well blended with the floral. I am not always in the mood for it but when I am, nothing else will do.

I was put off by it at first, but it's grown on me and 20 minutes later I'm compulsively sniffing my wrist. The smell is getting stronger the longer I wear it and the more it warms up, and I'm enjoying it. It reminds me of a high end gardenia and orange soap. The sort of smell you get in a gift set from someone who is trying to impress you but doesn't know you very well. I don't usually like soapy but I'm a huge fan of gardenia and orange, so this is really working for me. Not as overwhelming as I'd expect from a scent with white floral first in the accords and tuberose first in the notes, but it is a stronger scent. I wouldn't call it an OL scent myself, but if Betty White hugged me and smelled like this I wouldn't be surprised. Citrus, floral, and soap without being a clean or freshie scent.

I think there's something wrong with me because this smells like viks vaporub right out of the bottle. It dose eventually mellow out into a really nice woody floral scent, to me it smells like wooden beads soaked in floral essential oils. It's very warm on the nose and I found it relaxing. I don't tend to like floral scents, but I like this one as it's nostalgic for me, and I like that it's a masculine scent with a feminine edge. The strong viks smell at the front does make this a bit difficult to wear, I could feel a menthol chill running into my nostrils for at least 30 minutes after applying. But at least my sinuses where cleared out so I could appreciate the dry down later.