Passion Boisée
by Frapin

Coming out of the sample vial is a warm anonymous citrus accord. It is somehow grounded by some spice (nutmeg, they say), making it darker, in shades of orange-brown, rather than being a bright luminous citrus. After that opening, I get some woods and just a touch of leather, on a quiet chypre accord. Up close, I detect some subtle notes of smoke that I like a lot.
There is a velvety feeling coming out of the warmth of the wood and citrus, and the fragrance’s aura is very intimate, not being loud or disturbing. It’s a very comfortable fragrance that I love, even though it’s nothing very original. It evokes the scent of crushed dried leaves in the fall, when the sun warms the earth.

7th August, 2011.

Boozie, woody, spicy, leathery. A very refined scent from Frapin. Quite sweet in the opening, but dries down to a more spicy boozy fragrance. Perfect for autumn and winter. Very "cozy" and warm. This is my second favourite from Frapin. My no.1 is still Caravelle Epicee. This could be yours! Unisex, leaning to the masculine side of the scale.

1st February, 2011.

The bright opening tangerine note in the opening accord is affected by the nutmeg somewhat more than by the oakmoss, and also features a slight, but identifiable clove note… the result is a larger than life, unique, slightly tense, slightly syrupy tangerine accord. I like it a lot… it provides an elegant, dramatic, but surprisingly comfortable citrus accord: It’s beautifully balanced. It’s intriguing. And a taste of the opening tangerine accord stays on in some way thru to the end of the fragrance. By the time the heart level is reached, the Passion Boisée accord has added, here and there, a booziness, a soft element of leather, and a casual liaison with a cedarwood note. By the first half hour, Passion Boisée has lost most of its sillage and continues as a skin scent that lasts for quite a long time. The fragrance is well-made: balanced and nicely refined. It’s interesting but I find that it doesn’t hold my interest for as long as it should. I have to vote a neutral on it.

8th December, 2010.

Opens with a strong, hot, boozy wood accord in the vein of CdG Hinoki or Sequioa, the kind that makes me envision warm red syrup, a mental image of liquefied wood. Then it mellows and sweetens, turns softly (very softly!) spicy and fruity and floral although no floral notes are listed, into a sort of Christmas-gourmandy blend on a woody base. Although by no means annoyingly, synthetically sweet or anything of the kind, I'm afraid it comes off a little sickly-sweet in a flat/dense/muddy/musty sort of way. I'm all for woody scents but this one is hardly the most exciting in the genre.

16th December, 2009.

This was love at first smell. There is a noticable burst of fresh citrus backed with spices and patchouli that when combined take on a tobacco-ish flavor. The citrus slowly fades out and allows a boozy note to come through. Even though there is a booziness to this it remains fresh smelling. Leather then makes an appearance, not a harsh leather but a very refined soft leather. This scent is pure class. It has decent longevity and has a noticable sillage that whispers rather than shouts.

11th May, 2009.