Bois Farine (2003)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

This has a nutty vibe which is pretty nice. A little incense is added with some light woods in the background. The projection and longevity isn't all that great but for this type of fragrance, I wouldn't want it to be too loud anyway. Perfect for a nice cool day. Cool, not cold. 7/10

I thought I had the measure of this the minute I put it on. Aha, I said to myself, ok, Bois Farine, I understand you completely. You are less a perfume than the collected smells of a health food store: crushed peanut shells, sawdust, wood shavings, bags of whole-wheat flour, quinoa, big jars of tahini, and chunks of halva lined up in the cooler section. Dust, oil, flour. It’s all there.An olfactory joke, sure, but a wry, knowing one.

Clever.

But wait. The journey isn’t over yet. We may have started in the health food store, but the scenery is whizzing past us now, to primary school and the delicious smells of the art supply closet. I can smell the cheap almond glue smell of heliotropin, and it reminds me both of salty playdough, warm vanilla, and the standard-issue, non-toxic glue they let kids use.

There is finally a dry, warm vanilla – dusty, like the smell of realms of paper in the closet. I smell the blue-white milk, tepid and fatty, already put out in cups lined up behind the teacher’s desk, ready for our snack time, collecting dust as the school room clock’s long hand inches inexorably slowly towards 11am and freedom.

I see now why so many people find this a comforting scent. It starts out as an olfactory joke and ends up as a f^&*%g time machine.

It’s like watching Cinema Paradiso and holding out until the last scene where they play all the cut reels and then ending up howling on the floor. Bois Farine, you are such an asshole.

Out of the gate, it’s a warm cedar interwoven with spices and a soft, nutty texture. But the pleasing welcome is really just there to introduce the two stars of the show: Iso E and heliotropin (an almond-smelling chemical). The resulting scent conjures the image of a plate of shortbread sitting next to a vase of flowers, but it’s all tad synthesized — in fact, it smells borderline severe to me. Ultimately, it sits somewhere between gourmand and floral that, despite being cozy at first, gets boring real fast. A relatively agreeable but uninspiring foody blend with L’Artisan’s signature piss-poor performance.

Lovely comfort scent. BF like somebody made a flour of woods, almonds.peanuts, and iris and produced this redolent powder turned into liquid. Delicious and pleasant to smell.

Delightful confectionery experience. Milky iris.

There is an Iranian sweet by the name of gaz, a white nougat with nuts and dusted with flour. Bois Farine is reminiscent of it, in many aspects: the milk, flour, iris, sweet notes. Not a grand symphony, but not the one-liner many reviews would lead you to expect.

Bright powdery opening, sweet woody-iris heart, clean drydown. Lasts 6-8 hours in moderate/cool weather. Has the iris caveat: smells like delicious make-up.

So far, the only perfume that has made me recline and laugh. Recommended!