Ruban d'Orange (2006)
by L'Occitane

So I happenned to be by a L'Occitane store and asked the SA about any orange/orange blossom edt's

She mentioned that 'the good one' (?) had been discontinued, but that they now carry this one instead.

It has an annoyingly irritating top note, but after a while it settles into something synthetic and mediocre.

What's going on in Provence these days?

I wonder what 'the good one' was?

5 to 1 it was L'Oranger Neroli

*sigh*

Just tried this at the store (there is also a limited edition intense version).

Unfortunately the lovely blood orange top is somewhat fleeting, leading to a fairly standard vetiver base - which is nice, don't get me wrong, but not very citrusy.

This is not half as good as the beautiful 'Feu D'Orange Intense' from the same company, but doesn't seem to be listed with Basenotes. FDO has Sicilian Blood Oranges underpinned by vetiver and lasts for ever. I can't find L'Oranger Neroli anymore either.

Kaern

Not as feminine and orangey as I expected, the vetiver keeps the orange aspect from becoming overly sweet. A very respectable fragrance, and, although I wouldn't buy it for myself, I can highly recommend your sampling it because I think many would enjoy wearing it. I venture to say it would make a good gift for any man of Basenotes persuasion or the general populous.

Exceptional. I tried this scent because I wanted a sensual, natural, sophisticated orange-based fragrance. It starts out as very fresh orange (but not overly sweet) with a hint of wood, rendering it effervescent and rich at the same time. Over time (the scent holds up on me for 9 plus hours through it's incarnations) it shows a few different faces, belying it's name. At one point the scent becomes slightly floral, yet with an undercurrent of the original orange/wood notes that keep it in line. There's also a restained and elegent lemon note humming in the drydown, and it finishes with a delicate, intangible, natural presence that I can only describe as sensual and real. Just what I was looking for.