Reviews of Bois Farine (2003)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I actually really like it! I guess it has to do with childhood memories, Nutella, comfort food, baking etc. However, on the downside, I do not think is wearable, only, maybe, as Trebor wrote, in an intimate situation (although I would rather go for my Must de Cartier) - you cannot really show up at a party, or a job interview smelling like you have just cooked a batch of cookies - and the other thing - it does not last long - maybe is just me, however after 1 hour I could not smell anything anymore.

Jean Claude Ellena’s creation of Bois Farine for l’Artisan Parfumeur is said to be inspired by the flower of the “Flour Tree” that is genuine to the Réunion islands. The tree bears red flowers with a distinct floury, starchy aroma. The perfume almost lives up to this premise, commencing with an accord of fennel and white starchy wheat flour going up your nostrils and you knead that dough or visit the local miller to pick up freshly ground flour. It also has an aftertaste of crushed raw peanuts at first – oily and subtly earthy, barely detectable aroma. However, it quickly turns into an iris perfume, slightly floral and sweet with notes of cedar and musk and slightly vanillic underpinnings, not unlike Hiris, which reminded me of certain semolina patties, and not unlike Bvlgari au The Blanc with its underlining heliotrope and white musk sweetness (also by Jean Claude Ellena).

This perfume pretty much remained the same from application to the end. Dabbed on, it lasted 3-4 hours. The main notes I picked up were iris and cedar; in other words, the perfume smelled like lavender baby lotion and cedarwood. Not that I'm complaining--it's a lovely fragrance. I'll keep the sample (and maybe even order another when I'm done), but I probably wouldn't buy a whole bottle.

Peanutbutter? Nope, I didn't get that accord - thankfully! - but I did get sandalwood. In fact; that was it. Smelled like Caswell & Massey's Sandalwood. Nothing else. My sample came directly from the N.Y. L'Artisan boutique so I trust it. Nothing but sandalwood though.

Bois Farine is interesting, and although I like to smell it, I don't like to wear it. It's very, very, very sweet. I like the wheat note a lot because it smells so natural and fresh. The powdery sweetness, probably from the iris-cedar blend, becomes too much for me, though.