Bois Blonds (2010)
by Atelier Cologne

A very peppery opening. That is the first thing that leaps out at me. After that, yes, an unmistakable and very strong neroli note. The citrus is nothing extraordinary. The dry down is very musky, perhaps overly so, to my taste.

I can't tell if I like this scent. I should mention I am wearing it right now, have reapplied it recently and still don't get anything great out of it. I don't hate it, but it doesn't conjure any particularly vivid or moving imagery. I can't think of any specific occasion I would ever say this fragrance is perfect for, or any one type of person whose personality this would suit.

Strong projection, at least on my skin. Very good longevity.

6/10

14th January, 2012. (Last Edited: 22nd January, 2012.)

I purchased a decant of this from The Perfumed Court and loved it so much I purchased a full bottle. Within a week, I found myself asking again and again why I'd bothered.

Bois Blonds opens with a rather soft orange flower (bergamot?) scent that is pleasant enough, but a little powdery and quite muted. There are undercurrents of a soft, but not soapy, sandalwood. Sillage is nonexistent, and the scent wears very close to the skin. Within two hours, the scent is gone.

Recently, I found my decant in the office and decided to give it a whirl before a meeting. I put one spray on my wrists and touched it to my neck, and I was in love all over again.

From the decant, I get a very noticeable neroli right away, and it's heavenly - fresh and strong. The pink pepper blends perfectly with the neroli to give me what I interpret as a really spring-like spicy green take on neroli. I can imagine a grove of bitter orange trees in the first flush of spring growth, and it's really pleasant.

This lasts about an hour or so, then dries down to muted woods with hints of vetiver.

28th October, 2011. (Last Edited: 29th October, 2011.)

Another micro-variation on the original Eau De Cologne formula. It opens with the classic neroli/citruses/orange flowers accord to turn to a clean musky drydown slightly enriched by a subtle incense note a some vetiver. Smells pretty netural and nice but not particularly interesting nor original.

2nd October, 2011.

This one opens up with a rich neroli note at it's most citrus aspect accompanied by orange blossom, where at the end of this fragrance, we have a decrease in the citrus notes giving room for a herbal tone with the appearance of vetiver. Nothing special on this one, guys.

18th September, 2011.

Very nce citrus + vetyver. I like it.

12nd August, 2011. (Last Edited: 7th September, 2011.)

Easily once of the best citrus fragrances I've ever come across.. in terms of smell and quality. Firstly.. there's so much perfume oil in these fragrances that whenever it's on my skin my skin sticks to anything it touches. Very potent, and in the form of citrus! Wow, I never thought I would find a citrus fragrance that could last so long and be as strong in the 8th hour as it is in the first.

The smell itself in Bois Blonds, is nothing extraordinary, but the quality is beyond extraordinary. I cannot stress how high quality these fragrances are. Do not let the word "cologne" in the titles mislead you, they simply do this for marketing. This is at least EDP strength, maybe even more. 20% fragrance oils is what this one is advertised as, but a few within the company have told me, the fragrance concentration is 30%.

Anyways, onto the smell. The opening, I get a burst of neroli, lemon grass, and the orange flower. The lemon grass note is very similar to vetiver but more lemony. As it dries a little, the pink pepper really comes out and shines, and a very good take on pink pepper. Eventually the pepper dies down and makes its way to the back, and the citrus comes back to the front. The base notes incorporate the vetiver and a little musk. The vetiver is nice, the same type of vetiver in Encre Noire or Sycomore, minus the smokiness, rather the same flavor, with that oily lemon thing going on; very bright citrusy vetiver. The musk and woods are there, but subdued. The woods really don't kick in until way later, when the vetiver becomes less vibrant, and more earthy. I don't really know what 'blond woods' are, but the woodsy notes that I do get from this, blend perfectly with the citrus, they never overpower the citrus or the vetiver. But, they're never really here to stay, they come and go.

Again, longevity is great, and what really pleases me is the projection. Constantly from beginning to end, it projects. It's also very aromatic and leaves a fantastic sillage trail. I think the reason I get the projection all the way to the 8+ hour mark is because of the vetiver base, and this being a high grade of vetiver. Vetiver itself is one of the most aromatic fragrant ingredients. I have gotten 16+ hours total longevity though, with great projection for 8 hours.

If anyone is looking for a high quality, long lasting citrus, look not further. I am often quite opposed to spending money on the niche fragrances, but I think this one is worth every cent. Approved!

8th January, 2011. (Last Edited: 12nd January, 2011.)