Reviews of Fou d'Absinthe (2006)
by L'Artisan Parfumeur

L'Artisan Fou d'Absinthe

Notes: absinthe, star anise, dry pine, cistus, angelica flower, blackcurrant buds, clove, ginger, nutmeg, patchouli, pepper, pine needles, fir balsam (from luckyscent.com)

When I first apply Fou d'Absinthe, I smell mint, menthol, spices such as clove, rosemary, artemisia, pine and aromatic woods. The opening is very compelling--refreshing and bracing, although the herbs are heavily aromatic and a bit gruff. The overall impression is a mixture of conifer forest green and a mediterranean herb garden. The edginess of the conifer and herbal notes ease as the fragrance develops, and this allows the absinthe note to come out more--the fragrance becomes less "prickly" and more soft, with billowy wormwood wafts sharpened slightly with some anise to enhance the licorice-like effect. Eventually, Fd'A starts to smell a bit like traditional barbershop fragrance and more as I would expect from a fougere. Mixed spices start to take over the greenery--ginger, pepper, nutmeg, and a touch of clove. In the late middle development, Fd'A becomes more woody, along the lines of aromatic conifers such as spruce or pine, mixed with needles and cones from the respective trees. The artemisia stays constant throughout, and compliments the conifer notes very well. The aromatic woods extend to the drydown which is mostly a slightly sweet musk base. The drydown is not terribly impressive nor particularly unique. The best parts of Fou d'Absinthe are in the top and mid development, but there is nothing about the drydown that is offputting. It simply becomes a bit boring at the end, although I find it to be a rather solid fragrance composition overall.

L'Artisan Fou D'Absinthe

Absinthe made its re-entry into popular culture via Baz Luhrman's "green fairy" swigging heroines and heroes in his 2001 movie "Moulin Rouge". Absinthe or more correctly the wormwood used to make absinthe seemed to re-enter the perfume world not too long afterward. In 2006 Olivia Gicobetti created Fou D'Absinthe and has, for me, done the best job of capturing the essence of absinthe as a scent to date. One of the notes listed for Fou D'Absinthe is frozen alcohol and the top of this scent gives off that icy feel of something that is vaporous as well and with the wormwood in place right from the beginning this evokes a frozen alcoholic drink. It is unique and marvelous. The heart is full of a peppery kick reminiscent of the burn in your throat as the absinthe slides down your esophagus. The pepper is the most prominent of the spices but there is also a nice slug of clove there as well. Finally the shot of absinthe has settled in your stomach and you get that warm feeling all over. In the base a mix of pine and patchouli play with the wormwood to add some warmth to the end of this one. The use of wormwood and the pine make for an astringency to go along with the warmth that the patchouli brings to the base of this. Fou D'Absinthe is a scent which evokes one of Satine's lines from "Moulin Rouge" as she asks one of her compatriots about a man and wonders whether to attract him she should be "bright and bubbly" or a "smoldering temptress". Mme. Giacobetti has created in Fou D'Absinthe a scent that starts off bright and bubbly only to finish as a smoldering temptress.

The absinthe faded to pine tree as soon as it dried down...never smelled absinthe before but I'm sure it contains no pine? Because if it does who on earth would drink it? If you like pine then this is for you. If you want to smell like more, look elsewhere. I think I need to explore more versions of absinthe to get a better idea of how it would be. Also it stays very close to the skin, very little projection. So if you want anyone at all to smell you then look elsewhere. I'm giving it a neutral because I expected more, more of everything really. Lasting power, strength, booziness, and certainly less pine. The whole thing confuses me. I really wanted to love this, but I can't. But it is unusual so I won't give it a negative based on the creativity that L'Artisan is so good at.

I have only drunk Absinthe once in my life. It was this modern sort of wimpy stuff that has no special hallucinogenic effects. It has that herb only for the sake of the name, and it really wasn’t an actual reason why I (so people told me afterwards) acted like a fool when I was drunk; drinking water from the cat’s plate; making funny noises, crawling on the floor, eaten some stuff that I really should not suppose to and so on.
Nah….That’s quite usual for me to act this way (like a complete idiot) no matter what I was drinking. Fortunately that happens more and more rarely these days, and only when I drink way too much booze. Way too much.


Anyway, Fou d`Absinthe doesn’t drive me mad by any means. It isn’t that bad but it simply lacks of that something….It lacks of that wow-factor, although I wouldn’t call this particularly a boring scent.

FdA is a very, VERY resinous scent. Its very warm, almost burningly hot and slightly smoky especially in the beginning. Funny thing is that, although absinthe is listed as a top notes to me it is very much engaged for the base and the dry down. It really comes more and more notable by the time.
From the spice rack nothing stands out specifically; those spices just create a warm and, well, spicy edge to it.
Unlike some other reviewers I don’t get anise or liquorice in this scent especially and I don’t think this is a pine fragrance nearly as much as Polo, for instance.

This is a green herbal fragrance with lots of hot resins and balsams, saps, and assorted warm spices.
Very natural, forest-like fragrance with in addition of the lack of “that something”, lacks of the longevity that would be completely satisfying.

Spice, anise, pine, pine, pine, and an unusual, libidinous b.o. twinge. This is particularly weird because the pineyness makes it seem like a winter/holidaytime scent, yet there's elements of soapiness that make it seem appropriate for summer, and there's (as mentioned) a boozy, libidinous, body odor aroma to it that is evocative of outdoor romping. It's unexpected and rather unusual. It's not bad and is something worthy of purchasing a whole bottle.

Very nice fragrance, really BUT...
Eau de Parfum?
That's a joke.
Very bad lasting power on my skin.
Over applied, it makes me sick.
Won't buy it again, like the other Artisan I've tried.

Reminds me of Autumn and is quite powerful on me. Very masculine in my opinion with it's boozy absinthe opening moving into a still rather drunken pine forest. Something happened to the sprayer halfway through though and it started coming out like a jet of liquid -- doh! Rich and good -- why has the price been upped by L'Artisan with this fragrance though?

The second I smelled it at the store, I know I'd never smelled anything like it and bought a bottle immediately.

I love the candy-sweet but alcoholic initial smell, but then, on me, from a few minutes after application and lasting about an hour, it has a rather distinct smell of stale sweat and B.O. But it fades, leaving a third, lasting scent.

Yes, that sounds disgusting, but I like to think of this in the same vein as fine wines - some of the finest wines in Bordeaux have distinct flavors and smells of hay and dung, while some of Italy's finest smell like rotting cheese. But the "funk" is all part of the intricacies of the flavor and scent experience, and, for connoisseurs, it's impressive and rare.

That being said, this isn't an everyday scent for me, because of the "funk." But it's still a favorite.

Nice harmonious herbal, although the anise and other sweet spices make it feel a bit feminine to me. Moderate lasting.
I don't think this is a landmark scent, but I admit I would want to know more about the man who wears this.

Pine only shows up for about the first 45 minutes. After that, you've got artemisia and a bit of nutmeg. A very nice composition.

Vibert nailed it. It starts off with strong anise and blackcurrant notes. I hate anise...well, licorice candy anyway, but I like this. Its not harsh, but smooth. It then starts to turn green and piney. Mcjra describes it well in just one word......CHRISTMAS. Its Christmas in a bottle.

From the vial I got a slightly fruity fizzy lemonade scent, but on the skin its true colors shone as a boring wormwood. Well made and good but it's very weak and didn't last long on my skin.

This is a warm fragrance, very masculine ("boozy") and green. In my opinion a beautiful take on wormwood, somewhat "piney" along the lines of Blenheim Bouquet albeit with some degree of complexity. It is easy to dismiss this as just another pine fragrance, although if one is curious and patient enough, the nuances in the dry down is downright complex and beautiful....and highly addictive. This would be perfect for one who smokes as it does complement the smell of tobacco. An excellent winter or cold weather scent, use sparingly as it is quite potent (this is edp strength). I believe this to be one of the few in the L'Artisan line to have a truly masculine scent. Sublime.

PINE!!! That's the predominant note I can make out. There is a flash of it's name sake at the beginning but it disappears quickly (thank goodness, who wants to smell like a hallucinegenic liqour?). FdA is a very versatile fragrance. It doesn't really call attention to itself though. I wear it because it reminds me of christmas trees.

Sharp. Chaotically peaceful. Similar to 'Let me Play the Lion' but greener and with a blackcurrant dropped in, which spoils it for me.

I don't understand the attraction to this fragrance at all. It starts off with a kind of hospital ward discinfectant smell to it mixed with the swill tray from a beer pump and then thankfully dies to a close to the skin spicy woodiness. I have to say you have to go through a lot of smelling unpleasant to get to the dry down, which is at best pleasant and at worst frankly rather average.

Thumbs down from me.

Anyone expecting the strong dose of artemisia (wormwood) found in Yatagan from this “absinthe” fragrance will be sorely disappointed. (Or relieved, depending upon taste.) Fou d’Absinthe goes on with a green herbal and sweet anise/licorice accord, backed by black currant and just a hint of bitter, astringent artemisia. As the scent develops, the anise remains prominent while the green notes and the artemisia blend with nutmeg, patchouli, and soft woods to form a bittersweet foundation.

The drydown is very smooth and leisurely, going down its own path with the artemisia and anise slowly fading into a mellow base of woods and nutmeg. This is an oddly warm and comfortable ending for a scent whose name invokes madness and an unhealthy, yet addictive beverage. Unexpected, versatile, and extremely pleasant.

First review here...

I received this as a sample, and I have really grown to love wearing this.
All marketing aside, just focusing on the scent: on me, copious amounts of nutmeg issue forth immediately, joined with warm spicy ginger and some cool fir way in the background. This nutmeg/ginger combo is very strong (even a little penetrating) and reminds me instantly of eggnog!
Then after about five minutes other notes emerge that seem to bring the fragrance into balance: patchouli of a kind that seems very green and bright, black pepper, and an exquisitly pure and rich balsam pine. I very much agree with odysseusm about this pine note, for me it is the real heart of the fragrance. Luckily on me it lasts quite a long time, seems like upwards of eight hours. I actually think the pine works extremely well with and is fixed by the patchouli, particularly because the latter is of such a high, bright, and cool quality that it doesn't sink the accord down into deeper, dirtier, more serious places.

Vibert nailed the drydown when he wrote it was leisurely and comfortable. With notes like artemesia, pine, and black pepper, one could assume this to be extremely aggressive and volatile. I find it instead very peaceful, cool, introspective, and calming. Perhaps this is due to the fact that to me all the notes smell completely natural.

Wearing this is actually a nice break from the more elaborately composed fragrances like Heritage (which I wear often and love). The quality of the overall fragrance combined with the conservative nature of the accord (very barbershop IMO as well) suggests a certain level of formality, yet it remains relaxed and natural, allowing me to dress this up or down as the situation requires.

This is a must have for me!

After a quick and pungent drink of absinthe, I went into the woods for a shave.

The smell of my shaving cream lingered for a while.

Other than that, not much happened.

I'm kind of still trying to decide what I think and like about FdA, but what I can say is that the liquer like note dominates on my skin. I don't get much pine at all (wish I did). I will say it does last long but doesn't project much. Pretty close to the skin here. I guess the best thing I can say about it is that the missus loves it. As of 3 full wearings now I could take it or leave it.

Complex and splendid -- easily one of L'Artisan's finest creations. Along with Yatagan and Polo, Fou d'Absinthe is one of the very best pine fragrances available.

I dare not use very much, though, as it's quite strong (and a touch expensive). Well worth every penny, granted, but still too expensive to run through as I do my Yatagan.

Interesting drydown on this one -- very much so. From the sharp and warm coniferous notes into a coy and very interesting set of licorice-y notes (must be the absinthe) mingled with ginger. Lovely.

Quite simply, a paradoxical triumph - Fou d'Absinthe is gentle yet provocative, pure yet complex... Out of the entire L'Artisan collection, this was the one I HAD to have. It has everything going for it - impressive longevity for such a delicate fragrance, and incredible versatility for wear. One of the most inviting fragrances I currently own.

The scent is very nice - very distinctive and sophisticated and generally pleasant. I usually don't like herbals scents, but this one is done right, with the right amount of warmth to balance things out. Unfortunately, it doesn't last at all on me, which is really unusual for an L'Artisan product. It's undetectable in about 30 minutes.

I had high hopes on this one. But this one had some strange development on my skin. I am not sure if this one suits me. I think the alcohol top note took over some how. It didnt really impress me that much. But I am not sure if that has to do with my skinchemistry or something else. I have to get back on this one. For now I give it a neutral.
benb

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant! And rather different from what I expected! I was expecting a somewhat boozy firecracker of a fragrance. Instead, in Fou d’Absinthe I found a warm, utterly attractive scent that combines woods and herbs in a way that I’ve never seen before. The opening has two parts: the first is aromatic and herbaceous, the second is aromatic with cedar and resin. The absinthe (wormwood) and angelica have stated their case, and done so in a unique and striking manner. Then, a spicy-cool middle appears, as promised. There is a hint of licorice (anise) but it is very minor and adds just a note of interest. Then... magnificent pine and balsam appear... dry, authentic, deep, compelling, and WARM! Many pine scents have a ‘chilly’ aspect, but not this one. This is one of the best pine notes I’ve experienced, and I’ve tried Knize and Blenheim Bouquet. The dry-down is very attractive, and generates quiet heat. This is a complex, sophisticated scent. It is dry and classy enough for day wear, but sensual and intriguing enough for the evening. L’Artisan Parfumer has a magic touch with woods (see also Méchant Loup).

Anisia Bella Aqua Allegoria by Guerlain is IMO the female counterpart to Fou d' Absinthe. I am very fond of anise notes found in many fragrances today, and this L'Artisan creation is no exception. It is positively masculine, clean, fresh, and interesting. Sure wish it lasted longer though.

During a recent visit to Paris I stumbled upon the L'Artisan Parfumeur store at Musee Louvre. I tried this fragance, and was instantly smitten by it. I agree with many reviewers that classify it as "the most masculine L'Artisan scent". The spice (apparently based on the legendary "absinthe" or wormwood plant with alleged alucinogenic properties that caused people to see "la fee verte" during those Toulouse Lautrec can-can fin-de-secle days in Paris) is enrobed in liquorice and anise, wood notes, and even some citric afternotes (which are quite rare). It has a good fixer and lasts all day. A wonderful find, very much a smoothly intoxicating night/wintery fragance, it screams to be worm at night.

Notes:

Top: absinthe, angelica, blackcurrant
Middle: anise, pepper, clove, nutmeg, and ginger, patchouli
Base: pine, cistus, fir balsam.

Let me start off by saying that I wasnt expecting much from this fragrance. Hence, I was somewhat surprised to find Fou D'Absinthe (FDA) to be a well composed and wearable juice with decent longevity.

The fragrance is apparently constructed around the note of absinthe, an alcoholic herbal ingredient used in liquor. FDA certainly opens with a boozy alcoholy blast - this quickly recedes to make way for a sweet and herbal accord. The blackcurrants make their presence known at this point - theres that certain fruitiness abound. Thankfully, before the blackcurrant fruitiness has a chance to relegate this concoction to the generic "Kool Aid" category, the spices in the middle notes rescue it and usher it to the pine needle and fir balsam base. I would have liked the spices to stay around longer. The drydown is a sweet slightly boozy accord, which is pleasant enough. Being an EDP, FdA lasts longer than your average L'Artisan - ok, not THAT much longer, but you will be able to squeeze out 5 hours from one application. It doesnt project much, and stays close to skin.

FdA has a smorgasboard of interesting ingredients, but there seems to be something "Absinthe" (absent) from its overall construction. The boozy "absinthe" note doesnt last long enough, and the spicy middle notes make too brief an appearance. Ultimately, it settles quickly to a herbal-sweet accord which may not be to everyones liking. I would have liked something more in the drydown to spice it up...like a few spice notes. I dont think I will wear it often, but it is one of the more wearable and satisfying offerings from the house that Laporte found.

I respect this fragrance. (Uh-oh, that's not an intro that's going anywhere good; like the line, "We have to talk...")

I pronounce this odor ancient, European, and male. However, being a modern American female with an aversion to anise and spices, I'll seek my pleasures elsewhere. For adventurous the man with a hankering for the off-beat, there should be a surplus Fd'A available for you.

This is a good scent. ItÕs fresh, clean and woodsy. But itÕs also a more refined and nuanced version of a 1950Õs after-shave. I smell anise and pine needles, and a short time later I smell only balsam. And not very long at all after that, I can smell very little at all. I find the best thing about Fou d'Absinth is its advertising copy. ItÕs a pleasant scent, but itÕs trivial. It reminds me a great deal of a more refined Mennen.

I agree with the rest of the reviewers: The absinthe in this fragrance isn’t the absinthe ‘whose very name brings a shiver.’ Actually I find it charming and addictive. But I don’t really mind the name because I could easily go crazy over this scent. To me Fou d’Absinthe is what niche is all about. It has some really special things going on in it: that dry, bitter-but-tangy-sweet-currents opening, those sweetly sharp Chinese spices, the smooth creamy liqueur accord, the patchouli for intensity, and the fir base to augment the aromatic impact of the herbs. And finally, it has its own story—the double meaning, ‘Crazy for Absinthe.’ These form one of the most intriguing scents I’ve encountered in a long time. I’m not exactly sure what ‘frosted spirit’ means, and I don’t seem to get as much ‘sweet’ out of the notes as the other reviewers. I don’t get a shaving vibe from any of the accords. I can smell the balsam fir note clearly, but to my nose it nearer to being recessive than to dominant. To me this is a wonderfully tangy dry herbal / spicy fragrance with a compelling sort-of-absinthe note which is more intriguing than exotic. It is beautifully balanced and structured and it certainly is masculine. I really love this fragrance. I’m not, at this point, sure of its longevity—it seems to fade rather quickly.

I agree with Joel Cairo - it's not exactly what I was expecting. As a matter of fact, it's kind of a puzzle. I like it, but found it to be almost a comfort fragrance. So what's the problem? It just didn't match up with its description:
"Remember the time of Toulouse Lautrec, the time of the Moulin Rouge... it was the time of Absinthe. A drink so potent it can no longer be served but can still weave its spell. L'Artisan Parfumeur has brought the smell of this intoxicating cocktail back to life. The top notes are composed of absinthe, a green, slightly bitter note. A hot-cold feeling is created by spices highlighted with star anise. The warm base notes are composed of dry pine needles and the woody scent of cistus."
But... for the reality: It's easy to wear, warm, slightly spicy, and the absinthe gives a light herbal note instead of a bitter quality. I was thinking it was going to be more galbanumic and anisic instead. It has a shaving cream quality which I like, as I always liked the smell of a man with shaving cream still lingering on his skin. That is one quality which makes it a comfort fragrance for me, but the pillowy, sweet, spicy warmth is what really does it. The piney note picks up where the absinthe leaves off, and to about the same degree. So while I think it's scrumptious, I think the personae is wrong - it's not a celebration of the legendary qualities of absinthe, but a tamed green fairy, made to do service to a more predictable, and easy-going elixir. And she doesn't seem to mind, as absinthe comes across very traditionally herbal and companionable here. There is nothing wrong with this take on the plant - what they need to do is change the rhetoric about it representing the legendary drink.
Thumbs up on the fragrance. Thumbs down on the marketing.

Fou d'Absinthe is definitely the most masculine L'Artisan scent I have tried! There's nothing feminine about it. The scent it reminds me most of is Caron's legendary Yatagan but Fd'A pales in comparison.

The name is all wrong, I don't smell _any_ absinthe or aniseed in Fd'A, only pine, some liquorice, somewhat "muddy" wood notes and some more pine. What's worse is that all that pineniness has none of the characteristic sharp greenness but it rather stale. A disappointment.

Heavily louched and with a generous cube of sugar on the straining spoon, L’Artisan’s rendering of this legendary elixir is a much more approachable concoction than its spirituous namesake. Absinth’s infamous bitter anise bite has been considerably tempered in Fou d’Absinthe, yielding a result which I find to be somewhat sweet, as green fragrances go. At the top there is a very brief boozey note, but one which reminds me more of rich eggnog than the brittle smack of Absinth. It has a pronounced herbal body throughout which, in keeping with the house’s reputation, smells unimpeachably natural. There are traces of spices which I found vaguely Egoistisch. FdA’s much advertised hot/cold sensation, presumably a kind of homage to the burn of a good stiff swig, recalls rather the cold/hot feeling of rinsing off shaving foam and splashing on aftershave. I find something strongly reminiscent of shaving in it (there’s a certain kinship with YSL’s Rive Gauche here). That’s actually the dominant scent-image I get from this particular L’Artisan, making FdA the most masculine but also most conventional fragrance I know of from this house. Rather than seeming illicit or hallucinogenic, FdA’s cocktail of cool herbs and warm spice struck me as rather well-behaved and gentlemanly. Quite “sober” in fact. It’s closer to the image of the prodigious, aspirational petit-bourgeois Jules Cheret than to the indulgent fallen-aristocrat/gonzo bohemian persona of Toulouse-Lautrec (If it’s the seedy decadence of Moulin Rouge you’re after, see rather L’Artisan’s Dzing!).

To be sure, FdA is an excellent fragrance - with the best projection I have found among L’Artisans- and were it released by any other house, I’d call it an unqualified triumph. It certainly is intoxicating – devastatingly handsome, remarkably refined and positively humming with quality- but just not in the way I was expecting. Given L’Artisan’s unique reputation for mind-bendingly evocative scents that play not just upon the nose but also the imagination and memory, I was hoping their interpretation of the Green Fairy would have been just a bit more psychoactive. “Crazy for Absinthe” is a bit too respectable; I wanted more visuals.

I requested and received a sample from L'Artisan...Smells wonderful in the vial. Smells great on me for the first 30 minutes...Then it turns into a mixture of pine trees...and a He-Man Mossman action figure(if anyone remembers what those smelled like). Not exactly bad, but the smell of a christmas tree would be better in the winter, and I don't really think it is something i want to smell like anyway. It's probably my skin, it can do weird things to fragrances(like making Fahrenheit smell like cotton candy). Out of the bottle it is easily one of my favorites, I was willing to throw down the money for it, certainly glad i didn't blind buy. TRY it before you spending the 125.00. they want for a bottle. I would have given it a thumbs down if it didn't smell so great when not on (my) skin.