As a finale to the fig-fest of the last couple of days, here are some brief impressions of other fig perfumes I’ve tried. A few of these I like very much, but none come close to the perfection of Diptyque’s Philosykos (the subject of yesterday’s rave).
Body Time Green Fig Oil: VERY green, and VERY figgy. Almost too much of a good thing for me, but it is a great layering scent. Very reasonably priced.
Carthusia Io Capri: A fig & tea scent, but the fig is very subdued, and it is very soapy on the dry down. Not my favorite.
Creation Mathias L’Eau de Figue: A very rich, lush, green fig. Gets very sweet and fruity as it dries down. Well done but too sweet for me.
Des Filles à la Vanille Rivière de Janvier: Fig with rose and vanilla. Dry down is more rose and vanilla than fig, and I didn’t find it very long lasting.
Fresh Fig Apricot: This has lots of apricot, more than I could take. If you really like apricot, it is probably worth a try. It reminded me of fruit roll ups.
Hermès Un Jardin en Méditerranée: Citrusy fig with a heavy cedar undertone, created by Jean Claude Ellena. One of my favorites.
L’Artisan Premier Figuier Extrême: Soft fig on a sandalwood base with light florals. Very nicely done. The regular version, Premier Figuier, is drier, greener, and without floral notes. Like Philosykos, it was created by Olivia Giacobetti — I am not sure if she is responsible for the Extreme version as well.
Napa Valley Fragrances Cielo: A sweet honeyed floral with subdued fig and green notes.
Parfums di Nicolai Fig Tea: One of my summer-time favorites, but don’t bother if you’re looking for lots of fig. This is more of a light, fruity, slightly herbal tea scent, with a lovely osmanthus note and just a bit of fig.
Slatkin Black Fig & Absinthe: The top notes are a dead ringer for Good N Plenty candy, but as it dries down it does get figgier. An interesting fragrance, but it has quite a bit of patchouli in the base notes, so it is no surprise that I didn’t love it.
Know any others? Please tell!
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ooo…nice list!
Des Filles was already on my list to sample, but Creation Mathias sounds wonderful! I briefly sampled the Hermes at a Neiman's counter, but I think I need to revisit.
So, along with the L'artisan PF Extreme, I think sampling these will keep me busy for awhile
Thanks for the list!
The PDN Fig Tea sounds fantastic! I will have to put this on my wishlist.
This post is wonderful. It would be fun to do this with other notes like Rose or Incense.
Not to sound like a broken record…but I love this blog!
The Creation Mathias is hard to find. Takashimaya in NYC has the line, and you can get a sample from lusciouscargo.com.
Glad you liked the list!
Thank you so much A! I really like PdN Fig Tea, but was initially very disappointed because I was looking for fig. I think it should have a different name.
Rose & Incense are great ideas. Also considering an “Ormonde Jayne” week
thanks for the info
I was planning a Luscious Cargo order soon, so now I have an extra sample to ask for!
You are not a broken record, but I totally agree…this is a great blog!!!
Bendel Wild Fig and Yosh The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things share a big ripe sweet fig thing. Although the Yosh is mainly a woody scent after it's all over. Their common fig note is so sweet and tropical-coconutty-lush that it hits me like tuberose.
Thanks! I have not tried the Yosh…too expensive for me, and I have to admit I didn't love the other 2 YOSH scents I tried. But I completely forgot about the Bendels line, have smelled the candle but not the fragrance. Will have to try it.
Love the blog.
One fig scent to try is Delrae's Bois de Paradis. Lovely rich fig with wood in the drydown.
I need to revisit Bois de Paradis. I gave it a quick try on a test strip but then fell for Amoureuse and didn't ever put the BdP on skin. Thanks for the rec!
Yippeee! One more fig fragrance to add to my “To Sample” list!! Thanks!
Hi I am new to this page. I would like to know if there are any perfumes with a similar smell as YOSH the Heart is Deceitful. After plunking down $50 buck for the small bottle(small emphesized) I found that I loved, loved!!! the fragrance but after using a few times found to my horror that I started getting a rash. I have used hundreds of perfumes with never any reaction. I must now find a close subsitute. I took some Artisan Fig extreme and added a few drops of the YOSH and it smells nice but I would still like to find a stand alone replacment Any suggestions Thanks so much
I am sorry but I don't have any suggestions — I've never even smelled the YOSH. But, would suggest that you stop using it entirely…it is not a good idea to use even a few drops if you've developed an allergy to one of the ingredients.
I wonder if anyone can help me here…I really love Un Jardin En Mediterranee by Hermes but i always thought i'd work even better as my home fragance, any tips?
Thank you!
I know that it's marketed as women's perfume, but I wear it all the time. It does not seem to layer with anything that I have. It smells natural, not synthetic, probably the reason why i can't layer it with anything except a fresh grass perfume oil.
Natural, but it's substantivity surpasses everything else that I own.
Goes from very limey. Imagine the scent of lime in the bottom a gin and tonic. After half an hour it fades to an almost aspen bark(fig is present throughout, but is most dominant at this time). It then goes back to lime, but kaffir. It stays there for some time and eventually turns to a cedar. The end leaves it at a very soft note that I can't quite put my finger on.
I bought this on impulse. I bought the big bottle, because that's all that they had. I told the sales lady that I'd take a chance. It's half gone, and I haven't regretted it at all.
yes, actually he first time i smell it i thought it'd go l on a man just as well!
Good choice and enjoy!
In the past year, I have found myself drawn to certain fragrances for unclear reasons. Its only been recently that i realized the common thread- FIG!!! In addition to the ones mentioned, I like pacifica “mediterranean fig.” And, although I dont usually like bath and bodyworks stuff i love their brown sugar and fig scent.
I like the Pacifica too — I reviewed it separately (don't think it was even on the market when this article was written).
I realise this is an old contribution but I came across it browsing and would like to name two men's fragrances:
1. Ferragamo pour Homme
is a very nice fig leaf, vetiver & woods combination. It's quite comforting while having enough edge to differ from the crowd. it's warm and somehow autumnal, quite masculine and sexy I'd say, but would be interesting to know if women like to wear it. I've worn it for years. It was Ferragamo's first fragrance (they should have left it at that). I think it was one of the first mainstream scents to use fig before it became a trend.
2. Marc Jacobs for Men
is even better. A slightly gourmand, transparent, “watery”, powdery (how paradoxical), fig-centred skin scent. it reminds me a bit of the juice of a melon, one of the green ones. Just absolutely gorgeous like a beautiful landscape photograph. although I don't plan to get it. One of those I love smelling on others or on paper but don't want to wear.
I've reviewed the MJ — didn't work for me at all — but never smelled the Ferragamo, and will look for it, thanks!
Hey, have anyone ever smelled Blu Mediterraneo Fico di Amalfi by Acqua di Parma?
Is it nice?is it too masculine?
Many,many thanks!
There's a review here:
http://www.nstperfume.com/blog/_archives/2006/2/9/1752507.html
I just wanted to suggest Fico di Amalfi as a new found love for fig scents, it is lovely but the lasting is pretty poor. Not masculine, at least less masculine then Le jardins imho. You can layer Fico di Amalfi with some orange stuff. I really adore it!
However that happened, I fell now for fig scents, and I have Fico di Amalfi, Un Jardin en Méditerranée, and lemming Premier Figuier. Philosykos was too much fig, I must give it a try once again.
But: Fig tea from PDN ist one of the worst things I had on my skin, it was the first time that I caught myself exclaiming “it smells like cat pee”, a term I learned in some perfume blog.
And I was not the only one, my friend who brought the sample said the same.
What a shame, I love it!
I recently received a sample order from L’Artisan with the Figuier Extreme included. I wanted to order the original Premier Figuier also – but they didn’t have a sample available. Well, this is my first experience with a fig scent, so I can’t compare it to any of the others you have written about, but I will be ordering a bottle of this. I absolutely love it. I spent the day sniffing myself and reapplying it with abandon. This will be one of my warm weather staples. {So far, I have also sampled Vanillia [yum] and Dzing! [weirdly awesome].} I also received and look forward to trying Timbuktu, L’eau de Artisan and La Chasse aux Papillons [recommended by the person who helped me when I told her I don't wear enough florals, wanted one for Summer and a floral I like is EL Tuberose Gardenia]. I really want to try The pour un Ete, but they were out of samples.
You should be able to get samples of the others from Aedes, Beautyhabit, Luckyscent…do try The Pour Un Ete, it’s wonderful!
Roger that – will do!
I ordered samples from Aedes, and they sent me Carthusia Io Capri, I guess because they know that I am such a good girl.
I like it. I think maybe it would be better on a man. Maybe I’ll make my hypothetical boyfriend wear it.
Maybe I’ll order another sample when it runs out.
LOL at “I’ll make my hypothetical boyfriend wear it”
I bought Un Jardin en Méditerranée a few weeks ago.It smells really nice on me. I can smell the Mediterranean. One of Hermes’s top fragrances. I love their whole Un Jardin collection.
I don’t love Mousson, but the other 2 are great, and hope they’ll do more!
I just tried Un Jardin en Méditerranée also. Massive citrus.
It’s so nice!
A good fig frangrance:
Wild Fig and Cassis by Jo Malone
Thanks!
Just bought my first bottle of Hermès Un Jardin en Méditerranée! Better late than never eh…
The cedar really is quite strong, don’t think I can be too liberal with this.
It is very cedar-heavy.