Blanche Immortelle
Atelier Cologne (2014)

Argh Argh Argh. Goes on a gorgeous lovely hay and dried grasses, just delightful, but the dry down is maple sugary burnt murk and I had to scrub it. I now understand what people say about hating immortelle: I’ve never objected to it before, but this dusty cloying burnt maple thing is horrible. It actually turned my stomach a bit, which is very unusual.

It opens with a lot of white flowers but does a complete U-turn and smells like citrus fruit and amber in l'eau des merveilles. Like a beachy sun-kissed skin. Very unisex, leaning towards the masculine side. Unique.

The beginning with its bergamot/orange core is complemented by a mimosa that is a bit weak, but just makes itself heard in the opening blast.

The immortelle indeed appears in the drydown, pleasant it is, but it is drowned out soon by an agreeable jasmine. A nigh-caramel-like sweetness develops that has characteristics of caramel at times, and is mixed with an undertone of a fairly standard rose impression.

The base adds a wood notes, with a hint of sandalwood present at times. This is a smooth and nigh creamy notes, which is underlined by a soft and slightly smoky patchouli towards the end that gives the final stage a slightly unusual slant.

I get moderate sillage, good projection and eight hours of longevity on my skin.

A pleasant spring composition for cooler spring days, this scent has some original touches, most noteworthy the incorporation of some floral notes that are not easy to use and hence rates found these days. On the other hand the components are a bit too generic at times. The good performance and the originality pushes it - just - caress the line into the positive territory. 3/5.

Interesting top notes. I don't recall this combo before. The citrus starts off bold, then the mimosa tames all that juiciness; adds some dry fluff.

The top notes drift off. Then you've got gentle, flowers. Well-blended. Little honey note underneath. The notes are crumbly sweet, like bits of baked goods. Nothing over-powering here. It borders on dainty. One of the flowers becomes a little stronger. Can't tell which it is but, it doesn't seem to be rose. And still, that honey accord remains...

Incense-y patchouli moves in. A solid vetiver and line of sandalwood follow. Slight sweetness prevails here. It is a kind of cooked caramel accord. Immortelle begins to shine more. Still, more of a mainstream fragrance for me; it is nice.

The name might be correctly chosen, as the perfumes highlighting the immmortelle are usually dark, sweet and syrupy. I can see the white in the composition, as it starts fresh, light, flowery. And the immmortelle that follows is like a soft caramel/burned sugar, slightly smoky, not the thick maple syrup usual aroma. It's at the border of being a gourmand; it has the immmortelle base, but it's not quite there yet as the citruses and the flowers are playing a fresh joyful role in the beginning and the sandalwood captures the end.

I'm a sucker for a good rose and I find it especially sexy on my wife. Without knowing what she was wearing or that it had rose, when she walked into the room with this one, I asked, "Oh, what is that?". It immediately had my attention as something sexy and inviting. Smells better on her and in passing than up close on a tester. It must have decent projection because I could smell it at a good distance from her and it seemed to last for a good amount of time too.