It has been snowing since late last night, and we now have several inches of accumulation. It is that time of year when it seems like winter is taking just a bit too long in departing, and I am ready for a little denial; hence, today’s subject: Folavril by Annick Goutal. It was her first fragrance release (launched in 1981), and the name, April Fool, is the perfect way to announce the coming of spring. I’m just doing it a little bit early. The notes include mango, jasmine, boronia flower and tomato leaf.
Annick Goutal’s Folavril opens on a burst of sweet mango and what smells to me rather like apricot or peach jam. It would probably smell like yet another insipid fruity floral (although if I remember correctly, it is classified as an aldehydic floral) were it not for the tomato leaves, which undercut the sweetness with their bitter, peppery-spicy green edge. The combination smells playful, in keeping with the name, and it has a nice bite to it — Folavril perfectly manages to evoke the warmth of the tropics without calling to mind suntan oil or a frozen cocktail….
