Jaïpur (1994)
by Boucheron

I am always fascinated by the range of responses elicited by the perfumes of the house of Boucheron, and JAIPUR is no exception to the rule. To my nose, this perfume opens with lots of sweet red roses, not unlike Annick Goutal QUEL AMOUR! As it develops, however, JAIPUR follows a very different trajectory from that fruity-floral composition.

Eventually, JAIPUR becomes a smooth, only slightly sweet, light oriental on my skin. To my nose, the famous fruit tart which so many find here is more like a buttery (benzoin) pie crust upon which a few finely ground baking spices have been sprinkled. By the drydown, the discernible rose note has completely disappeared, but it is never really replaced. The clearing out of the roses allows the buttery, lightly spiced pie crust to emerge, but the elusive fruits remain hidden from me.

I was surprised, actually, to learn that this perfume was the work of Sophia Grojsman, because it is quite a bit more subtle than most of her unmistakeable, iconic, tatoo-like creations, and nothing like any of the fruity perfumes from her oeuvre with which I am familiar. I would never, ever have thought to compare JAIPUR to TRESOR, for example.

JAIPUR refuses to unveil its hidden depths before me, so I'm left, in the end, with a polite, light oriental much closer to a skin scent than the sort of bold, declarative perfume which I have come to associate with its creator.

14th September, 2011.

I have read that the notes are plum, apricot, peach, violet, rose, acacia, heliotrope, peony, iris, musk, amber, sandalwood. This smells very like Tresor, another one of my favorites by Sophia Grojsman. Lovely.

19th June, 2011.

I like Jaipur. It's a lovely apricot and plum tart that won't go to my hips!

27th May, 2011.

Most perfumes start off juicy and end dry. Having heard about Jaipur's famous apricot-and-plum theme, I expected a healthy serving of succulent fruit accords right up front. Instead, the first stage was one of dried rose petals and acacia wood, arid and hazy. (Quick cut to Liz Lemon at a fancy dinner: " Is this potpourri or chips? Because I’m going to try and eat it."

After about ten minutes, the pie was finally out of the oven-- a buttery, high-calorie confection containing all the delicious fruit and syrup I'd been promised. I should have known. It would be an odd sort of banquet that served the sweet before the savory. And as with any dessert, it should be savored in small amounts-- too much of this good thing can prove overpowering.

30th January, 2010.

After a lush peachy opening, JAIPUR descends into a rather nondescript, imminently forgettable floral bouquet. While its feminity is without question, it will be lightyears before it gets anywhere near the class of its younger sibling, Jaïpur Homme. Tenacity however is top notch.

22nd October, 2009.

Lighter than Boucheron, fresh and cosy. Love it!

12nd September, 2008.