Reviews of Safran Troublant (2002)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I was scared off of anything called "gourmand" by A*Men. The cloying sweetness put me off. Safran Troublant makes me realize that this was a mistake. The opening is what I call "hot" and delicious, an Indian lunch buffet, saffron, rose water, and a blend of the spices from the many dishes. The hottness fades, and vanilla appears, as if all the vindaloo has been taken, and what remains of the buffet is but the pudding. Not a lot of projection, not long lasting, which is a shame as it is gorgeous. I find it very masculine, while I would love to meet the exotic beauty that comes to mind when I imagine a woman wearing it. This is the finest saffron scent I have experienced to date.....

The opening is of lovely rose and saffron. Absolutely wonderful. As it dries down, vanilla comes into the picture. It is a creamy, slightly spicy vanilla. Not the sickly sweet vanilla found in so many vanilla fragrances. I'd be tempted to buy a bottle if it didn't disappear so quickly on my skin.

Lovely, sweet-spicy accord with a hot-cold combination that smells like cinnamon and cardamom plus vanilla and saffron. The listed notes are merely rose, saffron, and vanilla, but I'm registering the rose as Saigon cinnamon. Very heady, with the intense jammy spiciness of chutney sauce--plus a large dollop of cream. Especially recommended to those who like Chinatown, but this one is spicier and less foody to me, minus the nutty notes of the Bond fragrance. Quite yummy.

Begins with a lovely accord of powdery rose and saffron. The dry-down, however, is disapoining, a typical vanilla-pudding gourmand. Nothing offensive, but nothing exciting either.

This is a delightful little fragrance by Olivia Giacobetti. If you can imagine what saffron, rose, and vanilla blended in perfect harmony smells like, you can imagine the impression given by Safran Troublant. I ALMOST want to say I smell cinnamon as well... just the littlest tiniest hint which gives this a little tiny prickle in the nose, especially when I breathe warm air on it. The only problem I have with it is that I have to work very hard to smell it, even when I smell it up close. As the fragrance develops and as the star ingredients meld together, the floral nature subsides quite a bit and it becomes an extremely soft, gently spicy gourmand.

This fragrance starts out with a big red rose note, which is soon joined by spicy-sweet saffron. The two aromas mix beautifully, and stay close enough to the skin not to invoke a headache. Over several hours, a smooth vanilla creeps into the mix, while the rose and then the saffron fade away.

A lighter, sweeter cousin of Le Labo's Rose 31, I like this scent because it says "feminine" and "exotic" without shouting either.

Spicy/peppery vanilla with a touch of rose. Fantastic. Smells like a Christmas store. (I wouldn't wear it, though.)

I first smelled this on a tester strip and thought it smells terrific but overall just too "foodie" to wear. I had a very strong desire to try cooking with the sampler as it smelled so completely delicious, but reckoned that maybe this is not such a good sign for something meant to be worn as a perfume: After all, who wants to walk around smelling like a rice pudding? However, I'm glad I persevered and spent a couple of days wearing "Safran Troublant" as the effects on my skin are less far less food-like. In my mind, it still has all the elements of a divine rice pudding: cream, rice, sugar, saffron, vanilla, cloves, cardamom, rose water, maybe a touch of additional spices (ginger, cinnamon, mace). The fabulous creamy, sweet (but not cloying) accord of the opening soon settles down into a lovely warm vanilla/sandalwood base, saved from being too flat by the brightness of the floral rose. I was really surprised at how pleasant this perfume is to wear and definitely will be adding it to my collection. It is a completely comforting scent from every angle. However, as mentioned in several of the other reviews, the longevity is not quite as good as other frags in the L'Artisan line.

not a all-day, everyday, casual scent.
but really sensual - not another simple flower thing.
a bit sweet, spicy, somewhat heavy.
To wear it - like 'An edible woman' of Margaret Atwood - would give a clear signal 'eat me' - and this can have many meanings...

Saffron and rose. Very well done, but to my nose it's too foody and a little bit hollow. If you want to smell like rice pilaf, you'll love it. Me? I can't say I'd want to wear it.

I think this scent is FABULOUS! However ~ I don't want to wear it! My enjoyment of Safran Troublant will be limited to a mere sampling. Previous reviewers FOETIDUS, TOVAH, & ROBYOGI have described this scent perfectly.

L'Artisan really nailed saffron with this. It's creamy rather than spicy, which I think is an improvement. While I like the scent, I don't think it's something I could really wear. It's too distinctive and I would get sick of smelling saffron all day.

This is just WONDERFUL. Enough saffron, sugar, vanilla and milk to satisfy any gourmand's sweet tooth, but nicely blended with sufficient rose and woodsy elements to balance its foodiness. Spicy, exotic and creamy all at once. I've finally gotten my hands on a full bottle, and already I'm feeling anxious about running out. I do wish that L'Artisan would make an EDP version!

in brentwood there is an 'upscale' Indian restaurant that has saffron infused rice pudding and robyogi is onto something, the flavor is completely congruent to wearing safran troublant.

is this parfum too delicous to wear? I wonder about that in a way, but still am definitely into wearing safran troublant even if I wonder if I should be!!

Surprisingly sweet, although not quite as sweet as Laura Tonatto's Safram. It doesn't smell like saffron in cooking or baking, the spice scent I love so much. Instead it has the sweet, warm, powdery, perhaps a little amber-like scent of other saffron fragrances. Cosy, but not very edgy or interesting.

Beautiful aromas—the rose and the saffron blossom out cleanly and brightly. The opening is a wonderful accord with the depth and fullness of the rose and the surprise of the saffron. Such a smooth feeling to it—like silk. I am usually a little iffy about saffron in a fragrance, but Safran Troublant does a beautiful job with this touchy spice—the silky, creamy texture of the accord is luscious. A subtle sandalwood / vanilla dry down completes the progression of the scent. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last on my skin—only manages about an hour. Excellent, unique scent, terrible longevity.

I love to smell Safran Troublant but I don't think I'd wear it often enough to warrant a purchase. It's a rich, romantic, gourmand fragrance that makes me crave eating Paella and drinking Rioja on a patio overlooking the sea. It's similar to Keiko Mecheri Gourmandises, but it's centered much more on saffron than rose. The dry vanilla and sandalwood add an utterly gorgeous dimension to this sensual fragrance.

While I am impressed with how much like saffron L'Artisan has managed to make this smell, I am also a little repulsed by the smell of it. There's something about saffron that just does not work as a fragrance for me. This one smells like a sweetened rendition of paella, or maybe saffron flan - something I might like to eat, but not wear. On the plus side, it does seem to last longer than most L'Artisans I have tried.

Hooray. Hooray I say because i can smell something like a mixture of baklawa and tea, but not so foody that i want to eat myself or feel like wretching...and the rose! it's so SOFT! it actually smells like ROSE and not like pot pourri. And even better...they have it in full size bottles now on Lucky Scent. Oh JOY.

Wow, that's a wonderful saffron fragrance! A very sophisticated, elegant fragrance suitable for any occasion and season. Slightly sweet but not at all cloying. Stays very close to your skin and I wish they would make an EdP version... like many L'Artisan scents, staying power could be a bit stronger. But nevertheless, it's a real must-have.

Oh how I wish I could get my hands on an actual bottle of this! The only saffron scent (I think because it is tempered by vanilla) that I can enjoy wearing. Beautiful and with decent longevity. Sugar snap cookies tinged with a chocolate-like velevty saffron.

OH, Hello! I'm very impressed with this scent! Very pungent with saffron and vanilla, this makes it truly a gourmand blessing! Boldest of the Epices de la Passion trio, this made me glad I purchased the coffret. They decided to sell the other two as single standing scents (so far), but it was a terrible mistake to add this as part of the L'Artisan full-bottle selections. L'Artisan truly evokes "right brained" sensations that really should be reckoned with. It creates an excitement and a gladness that I've actually tried L'Artisan to "educate" me in olfactory expression and appreciation.