HS3

Orange Blossom scents are some of my favorites. I finally bit the bullet and ordered the wonderful Fleur d’Oranger 2007 by L’Artisan Parfumeur from their Exceptional Harvest series. The $295 pricetag is a bit offputting, but it really is one of the most incredible, full orange blossom scents, and I’m a sucker for limited edition, blah, blah. I asked my Barney’s SA (who is also the L’Artisan mgr) and the 2005 is nigh impossible to find, even from the source…. so 2007 it was.

It arrived and it’s gorgeous – even more so than what I’d experienced from the sample that I’d worn a couple times. It’s not just the orange blossom – it’s the whole experience. The leaves, the blossoms, the wood, and the roots. It’s made entirely of orange blossoms from Nabeul in Tunisia. It’s wonderfully unisex and it sticks around, I think, longer than most think it does (a bit of anosmia after a few hours seems to be common with this type of scent). Others notice just a few sprays on me many hours after applying. I’ve even gotten an “Mmmm, you smell like spring in Florida.” That works for me!

Here’s what you can expect if you snag a bottle. They made much more of this one (6000 bottles) than the two thousand something they did for the ‘05 version, no doubt because of its popularity. Mine is 499/6000, so unless they ship them out in a really odd order, there’s not an immediate chance of them selling out.

According to LuckyScent, the paper it’s wrapped in is a silk paper, but from what I can tell, it might as well just be (really nice, of course) tissue paper. It’s presented really well though – and the box is really gorgeous wood in person.

No question – best orange blossom I’ve tried. I think I might even be able to park my quest for orange blossom. On to the next scent!

I really love orange blossom scents. They really seem to agree with my skin and are perfect in summer heat. I wear it to the beach, to work, you name it. My two current favorites are Fleurs d’Oranger by Le Labo and Orange Blossom Cologne by Jo Malone. Naturally, I sought out more to add to the genre. I thought I’d explore the world of Neroli – the blossom of the bitter orange tree, a spicier, slightly less floral cousin to the sweet orange blossom so common here in Florida. I ordered samples of Diptyque L’eau de Neroli and Profumum Neroli from Luckyscent.

Diptyque L’eau de Neroli. It started perfectly – this was it… the bright, light sweet orange blossom scent that I love, with a touch of zing from bitter neroli and verbena. The verbena added something extra in the opening that was gorgeous. In about 10 minutes though, all that was gone. The scent got sweeter by the minute, and creamy (luckyscent says that’s the beeswax talking). It’s a nice scent, but I’m not after orange blossom with a creamy musk base. I want the crisp and tart, but light and floral take. Next.

Profumum Neroli. This started in a huge classic way – traditional EDC notes led by sharp citrus, and less about blossoms. It stays crisp and dry throughout, never veering the creamy sweet way the Diptyque did, but I’m looking for something a bit more about the blossom, and less about the sharpness classic citrus structure.

The search continues!