Cologne Blanche (2004)
by Christian Dior

I love how the review below by thecheekyscamp mentions that Cologne Blanche brings to mind dandies and ruffles. I'll go one step further and say that if Bret from Flight of the Conchords had to wear a fragrance along with his ruffled dandy outfit in the "Sugarlumps" music clip from season 2, this would be it. Not to mention this smells like "sugarlumps" of almonds, balanced out by herbal and piney rosemary, neroli, talcum powder and a hint of vanilla.

Although Cologne Blanche isn't a breath-taker, it's the fragrance I wear when I don't feel like wearing any fragrance. It's uber smooth, low key and comforting, all the while still smelling modern and sexy without feeling old, stuffy or powdery in a classical sense. I also can't help agreeing with thecheekyscamp that CB also reminds me of my childhood - it's enjoyably reminiscent of being 5 years old again, coming fresh out of the bath. CB really is the anti-thesis to Eau Noire: while Eau Noire is dark, woody and brooding, CB is light, fresh and innocent.

As for sillage, CB doesn't project very far or loudly, but longevity is very good, lasting on clothes until the next day. Exactly what I like from a "cologne" (as opposed to an EdT or EdP).

Just another fragrant masterpiece by Francis Kurkdjian.

9.25/10

Christian Dior Cologne Blanche

I have really enjoyed the first two scents of the trio commissioned by Dior Homme creative director Hedi Slimane in 2004. The other two Annick Menardo's Bois D'Argent and Francis Kurkdjian's Eau Noire were both wonderful and I was curious to see if Cologne Blanche would continue the winning streak. Cologne Blanche was created by M. Kurkdjian, as well, but this is entireley different in style than Eau Noire. Where Eau Noire plumbed the depth of immortelle befitting a scent called "black water". Cologne Blanche works the other side and is very much the yin to Eau Noire's yang. Cologne Blanche plays with the lighter accords and feels like a summer breeze coming through sheer curtains into a room with a rotating fan in the ceiling. It starts with a refreshing citrus pairing of bergamot and orange to give depth to the bergamot. The heart is an herbal breath of freshness blown in through a sprig of rosemary but also made spicy with a hint of pepper. The base is one of the more subtly sweet uses of vanilla I've worn to date. This vanilla sneaks in to the room on tip toe and never overwhelms but slowly and serenely announces its presence and over a long period and eventually becomes the dominant accord. There is a moment of divine balance between the herbal green of the heart and the sweet of the vanilla that is Cologne Blanche at its best. Cologne Blanche is a close wearing scent that has a good deal of longevity and I find it to be a great warm weather scent because it comes off fresh on me without resorting to the ususal notes and accords that make up that genre of cologne. Cologne Blanche makes it a perfect three-for-three for the Dior Homme trio on my scent scorecard.

I'm going to blame my body chemistry off the bat, because no one else is complaining of a souring of the powdery vanilla base this one has. The favourable notes in the base are obscured by something difficult to describe, but whatever it is calls to mind the bar my parents owned in my formative years. Mild vinegar? I'll give this a neutral grade because while I wouldn't wear it again, I don't find it objectionable.

Boring, slightly feminine, powdery and with disappointing longevity.

[Original submission date: 29 December 2007]

Very powdery, clean, and classic without being too common. Definitely, Dior. I love it!

Cologne Blanche is an immensely delicious frag. The orange blossom is fleeting which is no bad thing as it is a trifle sharp to my nose and not what this stuff is all about. At it's heart it smells like almonds coated in sugar and powder. The Rosemary stops things becoming too cloying or sweet and there is next to no alcohol smell. CB stays very close to the skin, this is not a fragrance to wow people with as they probably won't know you're wearing fragrance at all (or assume you are addicted to talcum powder) It is much more intimate. It puts me in mind of 2 things, firstly I envisage an Elizabethan dandy, complete with ruffs and lace handkerchief. Secondly it reminds me of being 8 years old, wrinkly from the bath and covered head to toe in talcum powder. Somewhere between these two things is heaven.