La Joupe by Essentially Me

Im afraid that under the new UK austerity policy this fragrance will soon be outlawed, as it is simply too buxom and voluptuous a floriental to be tolerated. The neroli-tuberose-jasmine-ylang axis is incredibly sexy, warm and opulent, but the naturals play out their strength here, in that the composition never descends into gaudiness. Its Liz Taylor before the Seventies. Its also just the right scent to seduce men, politicians included, so maybe we could reconsider that austerity bit, eh, darlings David & Nick?

The last time a whiff of fragrance sent me reeling in amazement was Carnal Flower. What I smelled in the first minute of LA JOUPE gave me a deja vu - the white floral bouquet is indeed heady but not cumbersome, with just a touch of 'green' tuberose. But don't let the flowerbomb of an opening puts you off; this is a wearable oriental which on the skin developed into a lovely blend of soft white florals, tonka and musk. I gotta admit it's not quite in the same class as Carnal Flower but then again, few are.

La Joupes opening is somewhat scary: Big florals with a big, big, big musk threatening in the background. Oriental in genre, but not excessively sweet, it presents a smoky, guiac background that makes La Joupe both classy and sexy. The florals, which explode in the opening, do not seem to last as a dominant part of the fragrance the musk (reinforced by a smoky patchouli) gains and holds supremacy to the end of the fragrance but I dont find that the musk throws very much sillage: Its strong when sniffed close to the skin, but not in the sillage. La Joupe provides a lovely white floral accord with a guaiac-labdanum background which I catch in the form of light whiffs off the skin: I love its soft woody-resinous-aromatic aura.

The vetiver overwhelmed me and I'm not a vetiver lover. I think others who enjoy Coco by Channel will savor this one since it's so similar. I'm putting a thumbs up for the rich type of fragrance this is, but my own personal preference isn't a thumbs up, because this type of fragrance depresses me; maybe it's the vetiver and woods combined together. The whole bunch of notes come on strong go away suddenly in a 2 hours time instead of lingering .

Alec Lawless describes La Joupe as mysterious and oriental, but it strikes me quite differently. Initially, La Joupe makes me think of a carefree young woman wearing a white blouse and a simple, flowy skirt reading in the park on a warm afternoon. Her hair is in soft ringlets that keep blowing across her face with the breeze, but she doesnt seem to mind. The well-blended florals of La Joupe are feminine and beautiful, and the politely musky base is simultaneously grown-up and a touch innocent. As the fragrance develops, hints of spice and incense come through, shifting La Joupe in an oriental direction. Even after this transformation, however, it is as if the young woman has changed clothes for a night on the town but has left her hair in the soft, breezy ringlets. Although she is dressed for an evening out, there is something about her that seems slightly girlish, rather than sultry and sophisticated.

Rich and captivating green scent with lots of flowers to play with; it starts with some very oriental notes of orange followed by some heart notes of jasmine with oak moss which last for ages. The dry down provides musk and woods; to my nose the dry down turns into a never ending saffron note which also lingers forever...

A very well done scent with many beautiful moments to enjoy from beginning to end.

Big thumbs up...!!!

La Joupe is a HUGE floral, with jasmine, orange flower, ylang ylang, musk, woods, vetiver, vanilla, tonka, oakmoss - you honestly couldn't fit anymore into this mix! I like the classic perfumery feel of this rich blend. In this case though I feel like less would mean more...and taking a few of the components out of the mix might lend to a more distinct personality. I'm going neutral on La Joupe, but with a slight leaning to the positive.