Arôme 3 (1943)
by D'Orsay

I think this scent is all about sharpness masquerading as "freshness". It opens with a rather harsh spice note, maybe the clove, and soapy/powdery aldehydes adding to the harshness - I get lots of aldehydes although they aren't listed - on a nondescript, stale base. I can't really make out any other notes and the whole concoction seems very fleeting, unless I quickly grow anosmic to it, which to be honest is a relief. I love lots of old perfumes but this one, to me, feels "dated" in the wrong way.

This is an old-school fougere. Lavender and light moss combine in a classy way. I really appreciate the lavender, which is dry and aromatic. The scent is not heavy in any way; in fact it is restrained and measured. It conveys a crisp and elegant aura, it is a white-shirt sort of fragrance. The drydown is a very light mossy spice.
Hey... everybody so far loves this! That is a rarity.

This is so not a cool aquatic. It's got a sharp Vitalis-like opening, much like Etiquette Bleue (also by D'Orsay). Unlike Etiquette Bleue, it has a fruity kind of heart. Like Etiquette Bleue (and Penhaligon's English Fern, for comparison), it has a soapy, lavender drydown. It's easy to smell the lavender, even to my simpleton nose. It would smell nice on a guy, but it smells even nicer on me! English Fern has larger sillage, though. And as for longevity, after 12 hours it was pretty much gone without a trace.

Beautiful citrus and aromatic notes with a classical dry lavender sitting on a floral heart and an oustanding sweet base of amber and musk, this is a wonderful composition of careful accords.

For me, it is near to perfection. It sits quietly in the centre, musky but not brash, controlled but not compromised, civilised but with sexuality. To be such a masterful all-rounder is quite a risky endeavour, it would be easy to succeed at nothing . Arome 3 pulls it off.

A word more about the base - this musk is not a common synthetic which I recognise, it is of higher quality than that. It is blended with the fine amber to form something greater than the sum of the parts - recognisable notes in a transcendent accord.

A classy alternative for a fresh, clean spicy scent. Not as abrasive as many other, just nice. SImple, clean and smells a lot like castile soap which isn't a bad thing.

Arome 3 is a fantastic fragrance. It is a rich, wild amalgamation of lavender, sage, jasmin and something that smelled (to me) like licorice or anise. I was ecstatic about it and my sales guru-pal at Bergdorf's thinks I am his secret weapon in the sales wars this Christmas season. I am trying to sell the stuff to others! I love D'Orsay, and this is a new one on me, but I was totally wowed and must have it. Where Villoresi Wild Lavender is dry, rich and straight-forward, this is is a mixed warm/cool fragrance with greater complexity and a touch or romance. I can see how it would work for woman, and I often dislike unisex fragrances, but this is IMHO a predominantly masculine fragrance that is too great to pass up. The Count has done it again!

Joe

PS Now can someone tell me what "Pastoral" is in the elements mix?