Joséphine
by Rancé 1795

There are two entries for Josephine by Rance, in the Basenotes directory. I'm guessing one is for the original Josephine that was made for Napoleon's lover. Heavens if anyone is still alive to review the original fragrance! My review is for the latest one that was put out 200 years later.

It's a floral perfume, with a nice sandalwood base. My intitial impression on first spray is that it's fruity, though. Not sure why. But maybe it's the violet leaf, which similar to Penhaligon's Violetta, reminds me of Thompson green seedless grapes. That is short-lived though. It does settle down into a kind of floral scent, and I guess that's the rose that I am smelling there. It does have a note that I don't care for, and it's probably the hyacinth. Hyacinth and ylang smell really oily and heavy to me, and I tend to avoid scents with those notes.

After about an hour or so, the base really does come out -- a sandalwood and maybe amber? Maybe a touch of vanilla?

Sillage is so-so. It's not like Angel, that's for sure. Longevity is good. It's been over 12 hours since I spritzed (one spritz, even) and I still smell the sandalwood base and some amber-like smell.

2nd February, 2011.

Bonaparte’s first empress was a renowned lover of roses, and her collection at Malmaison was of historical significance in the field of horticulture. Little wonder that her namesake fragrance from Rancé is to all intents and purposes a rose soliflore, gussied up with a dab of green jasmine and a generous dose of aldehydes.

The world doesn’t exactly cry out in need of another rose soliflore, so any niche entry needs to offer either extraordinary quality or an original take on the flower (or ideally, both,) if it’s to have any point. Joséphine does neither. Its straightforward rose is hobbled by a harsh, chemical property that leaves it smelling more like hand soap – or even air freshener – than a fine perfume. If you’re in the market for a realistic rose soliflore, go try Sa Majesté la Rose. If you want a more elaborate rose-based composition, Knowing, Paestum Rose, Lyric Woman, Une Rose Chyprée, Lady Vengeance, Une Rose, and the bargain-priced Cabaret will all do you much better than Joséphine.

31st January, 2011.

Rance 1795 continues its nod to history with this lovely scent. Josephine is a green / fruity-floral that opens with a powdery iris, a firm may rose, and a streak of green galbanum / violet leaf. The accord is quite delicate with the may rose and violet leaf taking prominence and the fruit being represented by a soft and underplayed white peach note – delicacy in its purest form. The heart of the fragrance is a charming, old-fashioned jasmine, ylang, and hyacinth… certainly not loud… it’s a demure bouquet presentation. The discreetness is continued in the base with a classic sandalwood, white musk, and vanilla. Everything is in its proper place in this fragrance – it is well balanced and nicely structured.

I guess “charm,” “femininity,” and “delicacy” would be the bywords for Josephine. I don’t know if it is actually a representation of an original fragrance worn by Josephine, but its delicately fresh florals with their powdery, soapy feel surely fit the image. For a soft, lower sillage fragrance it has very good longevity.

29th January, 2011.

lady-like and polite.

7th February, 2010. (Last Edited: 26th January, 2011.)