I recently complained about fragrances like Dolce & Gabbana Rose The One that disappoint me when they rely so heavily on predictable gimmicks of celebrity, sex appeal, and the status of a designer label (often to the neglect of the perfume itself). Companies like Crazylibellule and the Poppies, on the other hand, delight me when they present their fragrances with some light-hearted and allusive story-telling, an interest in the connection between scent and memory, and the reminder that you can wear fragrance just to please yourself.
The Les Bâtons de Parfum collection from Crazylibelulle is positioned (and priced) as a higher-end range, and its three scents are thematically linked with three times of the day. The Bâtons are twice the size of Crazylibellule’s core collections, the Crazysticks (10 grams, rather than 5 grams), and they’re packaged in nicely weighted metal tubes that close with a satisfying clicking sound, like high-end lipsticks. Their perfume solids are very slightly pearlized, to leave the faintest trace of shimmer on the skin. The scents themselves are intended to be a little more luxurious — the olfactory versions of satin pajamas or cocktail dresses, rather than the more casual and whimsical “outfits” of the Crazysticks. Appropriately, they smell more like “classic” perfumes than most of the CrazySticks do.
De Bon Matin (“Early in the morning”) is a fruity-floral scent with a composition of black currant, apricot, mandarin, cyclamen, rose, jasmine, orange blossom, sandalwood, amber, cedar, musk, and vanilla. When I read that list, I expected (and feared) a knock-off of Dior J’Adore. Fortunately, De Bon Matin has a gentler, warmer feeling than J’Adore, which has always seemed somewhat strident to me. It’s like a wearable Bellini cocktail, with a few orange blossoms on the side and a base of sunny amber. It’s a cheerful scent, and it’s the most youthful of the Batons; I’d also predict it as the best-seller of the trio.
Après-Midi en Douce (“On a quiet afternoon”) is a delicate, sweet floral, and (naturally) it’s my favorite Bâton. Its notes of neroli, violet, leaves, freesia, hazelnut, heliotrope, and honey evoke not just any afternoon, but a spring afternoon. Après-Midi en Douce opens with an amazingly lifelike recreation of freesia that unfolds to reveal a soft blend of dewy orange blossom and heliotrope (without the almond-doughy aspect that heliotrope sometimes has). I’d recommend it to someone who already loves L’Artisan Parfumeur Drôle de Rose or Tokyo Milk Waltz, since it fits that unofficial category of innocent-feeling, honeyed florals.
Ensemble ce Soir (“Together tonight”) is designed as an elegant and sophisticated fragrance for evening wear, constructed around blackcurrant, apricot, ivy leaves, rose, jasmine, sandalwood, and musk. Once the berry-ish topnote quickly disperses, it’s an aldehydic floral with a powdery-musky jasmine heart, and it reminds me of some other fragrance, or a few fragrances — Caron Infini, maybe, or reformulated Coty L’Aimant. It’s the longest-wearing fragrance of the Bâtons, yet it’s somehow the least interesting one to me. I don’t dislike it, but it feels retro in a 1980s way, which doesn’t quite fit my personality these days.
Since they’re solid perfumes, the Bâtons are portable (and suitable for air travel!), and their alcohol-free fragrances wear close to the skin. The act of uncapping a Bâton, then stroking it onto your wrists and neck, does indeed feel indulgent and calming at the same time. This is a busy time of year, when most of us could probably use a reflective moment to ourselves; if one of the Bâtons suits your tastes, it would be a perfect holiday gift to yourself.
Crazylibellule and the Poppies Les Bâtons de Parfum are $49 each for a 10 gr solid. For buying information, see the listing for Crazylibellule and the Poppies under Perfume Houses.
Note: image of Morning Awakening by Eva Gonzalès (1876) via Wikipedia Commons.
29 Comments
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I have to say that Crazylibellule does really well with the fruity floral, from what I have experienced. l’Olfactive 129 is quite the fruit cocktail, but it is fun and lovely, with a really pleasing and non-chemical-stew drydown. It sounds like De Bon Matin is along those lines. These all sound pretty fun and sniff-worthy. My jury is still out on solids, but I do have their Blue Orchid one, and it wears well and smells really pretty.
Hi, Tama! Fruity florals can be boring or cheap-smelling, but Bon Matin is a nice one. I also love their 26 Juin (a limited edition, unfortunately), another happy fruity floral that stays pleasant on me (no rotten or chemical “aftertaste”!).
Oh, I want to try that one – maybe I should just go for it – it’s not that expensive.
Thank you Jessica, these all sound like beautiful fragrances. I have been wanting to try something from the other CATP line as well. I love the image at the top!
Thanks, Minnie! I thought the image went well with the “mood” of the scents… taking time out for yourself to relax and reflect.
Lovely review! My sensitive skin seems to really do best with solids so I own (almost) more solids than bottles! But first paragraph I do think you meant elusive not allusive.
Hi Kari, Thanks! But I did mean “allusive,” since the text sometimes alludes to particular locations, to heroines of the 1920s, to specific desserts, etc.
Thanks for the reviews, Jessica! I am quite a fan of this line and would love to try these. I am always so pleased with their packaging! Also, the solid perfumes don’t have a lot of sillage, so they’re good to wear when you want to keep your fragrance to yourself.
Is the sillage so minimal that other people won’t notice it at all? I don’t own any solid fragrances. I wear perfume for myself, but I also don’t mind getting compliments
Jill and Minnie, I’ve found solid perfumes really useful for work, for the summertime, etc. I think someone standing right next to me or hugging me would notice, but not from across the room! Also, I’ve done stealth re-applications on the bus or train without attracting any notice!
Yes, you couldn’t very will spray in such a location. In fact I usually avoid putting on spray purfume anywhere i’m not alone (the exception being at the mall when I sample things).
Minnie, I agree with Jessica about the sillage — I think someone would notice it if you’re very close to them or hugging, but they probably won’t notice it if you walk into the room.
Oh, I certainly wouldn’t want my fragrance to be noticed across the room because that is just too much!
I agree!
Thanks for the review, Jessica. They all look good and I can’t believe I still haven’t tried this line yet. The entire brand look so fun I’m not sure where to begin. Any suggestions if I were to pick up my first two or three? I love incense, fruit, and a well done floral or gourmand…
Hi AS! For incense, I’d suggest Encens Mystic; Robin likes this one very much, and she’s an incense expert. For fruit, I love 26 Juin; so cheerful! For florals, I like Blue Orchidee (bergamot-ylang-jasmine), Amoureuse (powdery pink-peppery rose), and Rose a Saigon (red fruits and rose) — it depends on your floral mood. Jeanne Voyage is a spicy floral-gourmand that reminds me of L de Lolita Lempicka. Pom d’Amour is a fun fruity gourmand. Oh, so many choices!
And I think Robin has reviewed a few from each line in the past, so that might be helpful too!
Try the Chere Louise for a really nice woody floral. It’s one of my favorites from this line.
That is a beauty! Very sophisticated. And how could anyone not love a fragrance named for Louise Brooks?
Right! Plus the packaging is just too cute.
Thank you for the review, Jessicia. They all sound lovely. Would also like to try some of the other CATP line. But unfortunately they don’t have the line here
Parfumliefhebber, Oh, that’s a shame. Where do you live?
As always too quick, I mean ofcourse “Jessica”.
I didn’t even notice! And in any case, we all make spelling/typing errors.
Thankyou Jessica this was interesting I would like to try these.I have never tried any of their fragrances but I heard good things about their solid perfumes.I will certainly order them next year when I travel.
I can’t agree more I am sick of money wasted on celebrity endorsements and all the hype and then the fragrance leaves alot to be desired.I would rather them not come out with all the flankers and just focus on making good quality fragrances.
I didn’t even notice!
Oops, meant to put that above, in reply to Parfumliefhebber’s spelling correctin! But yes, Lovetosmell, I wish the bigger companies would start to think that way, too! It’s really perplexing. Business is bad, but they continue to take the same flankers-and-celebs approach. I guess it’s a vicious cycle.
I love this blog because it always mentions fragrances I have never hear of – where do you guys find these scents??
http//www.thebecauseshow.com
Thanks, Jer! Where do we find out about these fragrances… well, Robin posts lots and lots of news about new fragrances right here on NST, so that’s where I learned about things before I started writing here. Personally, I’m blessed/cursed to be located in NYC, where there are so many places to browse niche fragrance lines (and spend too much money on them). Luckyscent.com, Beautyhabit.com, and Aedes.com are fun for online browsing, and the MakeupAlley.com fragrance board always has some interesting conversations going on.