Poupée (2004)
by Rochas

Notes: orange blossom, pineapple, gardenia, green jasmine, hazelnut, tuberose, sandalwood, benzoin, amber, balms.

Just for the record, “poupée” translates as “doll,” and not the state of a soiled diaper. A different name for the English-speaking market might have been advisable. It’s been done for much less: French Lover/Bois d’Orage comes to mind. On the other hand, while the name may damn it to failure in the US market, it’s otherwise perfect. Poupée is pretty, but lifeless; an attempt at cute that arrives instead at trite.

The bottle says “Doll,” and the contents are pastel pink, so it should come as no surprise that Poupée is a lactonic/aldehydic fruity floral. After a plainly artificial opening of milky peach and bubblegum, Poupée lets go with a soapy, aldehyde-drenched muguet and hyacinth accord that’s simply too harsh and chemical to please my nose.

An admixture of tuberose strives to add some glamour, but only ends up smelling precious in this preadolescent context. The tuberose outlasts the sour hyacinth and lily-of-the-valley, and holds sway until Poupée enters its blandly sweet amber drydown. By the time I’ve worn Poupée for a few hours, it occurs to me that Rochas already has a tuberose and amber masterpiece in the much more refined and sophisticated Byzance. Hence, Poupée is not only disappointing, but superfluous.

19th September, 2011.

This is an anomaly in the Rochas line which is famous for "heavy, serious scents," no?

Poupee is a light, pure flowery scent. The orange blossom and jasmine are great, but the real kicker is the pineapple. I don't know of other scents with pineapple; it really works here. This fragrance makes me laugh!

I feel like wearing a dress with big polka dots, matching hat, and black patent mary-janes while wearing this. This is the belle of the ball's younger sister, who can hold her own and doesn't feel the need to wear the obligatory lampshade at 4 am to make the evening memorable. That would be crass. Definitely a fragrance for the young, but sophisticated. This is innocence with attittude.

One of the few flowery scents that does not turn on me (many do) or have that nasty baby powder dry-down. The other florals in my collection are: First, Nina Ricci, and Fidji. That's it for florals. I am not a big fan of this group, but I like Poupee a lot. Best for the summer, though.

Tigger, of Winnie the Pooh fame, said it best: "Bouncy, flouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun."

14th July, 2010.

This is the epitome of the summer floral of fragrance lovers' dreams. It's perfect. I don't know why I love PoupÈe, because it's everything I usually avoid in fragrance: it's a HEADY floral and the gardenia notes are pronounced. PoupÈe has rich, heavy orange blossom, smooth jasmine, and sweet gardenia notes. On my skin, I do not detect pineapple or hazelnut or anything other than strong, pure florals. There is no synthetic feel to this fragrance; it smells like perfectly fresh, huge flowers. If I sprayed this heavily it would knock me into unconsciousness, I fear, or, worse, give me a migraine...yet...this fragrance is fabulously uplifting and smells amazingly beautiful. This is a fragrance that would stop me in my tracks and search for the fresh blossoms that I'd assume were surrounding me, if I didn't know that heavenly aroma was coming from my own skin.

11th June, 2005.