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Quelques Fleurs L'Original by Houbigant, 1912

Quelques Fleurs L'Original by Houbigant, 1912 + add a photo
15 reviews
100% Positive Reviews
Rated #594 in Fragrances
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Posted
By gmstrack
Quelques Fleurs l`Original by Houbigant is a gilded time machine. With a single spray, one is transported to a Victorian flower garden (or at least what I think is a Victorian flower garden). Here is my impression: flowers punch you in the face and then continue to do so for a few hours. The enormous bouquet is green with a soapy aspect; Im mostly picking up lily of the valley, rose, and lilac. The citrus adds a touch of bright fruit at first, but quickly gives way to expose a clean musk, and of course, flowers dominate throughout. Also, there is a touch of warm honey tying the whole thing together and every now and then a little civet surfaces to remind us that furry creatures live in the garden. Even though QFO can be a Victorian time machine, it has a timeless aspect that makes it a beautiful addition to any floral lovers perfume collection. Also, if you are interested in vintage fragrances, but cant stand aldehydes, QFO might be your cup of, um, fairies and elves. Rating: 5/5 timeless classic
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By buren
I found two excellent minis of Chantilly & Quelques Fleurs. The Chantilly mini was a far cry from the large bottles marketed these days..but that's another story. The Quelques Fleurs rang my chimes, particularly the slight zing of herbs & citrus in the top notes, the delicacy of the floral notes & absence of cloying sweetness in undertones. This was one that worked well with my own body chemistry..& applied discreetly, was a subtle whisper..This is very pleasant to experience in an old fashioned full range perfume.
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By nonnative
It was nice to hear the story of this masterpiece at the last edition of Exsence in Milan, March 2012. When I tried it on I immediately had the idea of wearing a piece of history. It is like wearing a vintage Gyvency evening dress (the kind of dress wore by Audry Hepburn in Sabrina). Very feminine and sofisticated
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By lauraschoice
As other reviews have noted, this is a rich, deep, slight spicy (in my opinion) floral that has an old-school, ladies-who-lunch vibe to it. It doesn't waver much from it's opening notes of florals, which are strong but not overly so, and has a sophistication that is appropriate for day or evening. It's womanly rather than girly, so you have to be a real grown-up to wear it well.
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By millascent
I agree with elfkincatcher- there is a perfume missing from this list- the just plain "Quelques Fleurs". It was made through the early 1970s as was pointed out and it is only found in vintage forms, but not too hard to find still, if you know where to look. Anyway, it is a beautiful scent, not green sharp but very balmy, polleny, exactly like a lush bouquet of assorted flowers, lilac, honeysuckle, narcissus, lily, rose, iris, turerose, carnation, violet and more, heavy at the point of still bursting fullness, and the base is sweet and precious with beeswax and softest resins. It is light enough to be worn anywhere, and if you recall the scent of Faberge Wheat Germ Oil and Honey Shampoo, you have an idea of the smell of this perfume.
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By elfkincatcher
Too often this is called simply 'QUELQUES FLEURS' and is retailed as such but it isn't! This perfume 'QUELQUES FLEURS L'ORIGINAL' bears little resemblence to Quelques Fleurs which was created a couple of years after L'Original. Both are by Houbigant but whilst L'original has been resurrected (reformulated?) and is available retail, Quelques Fleurs is only available in the 'vintage' market! L'original is quite a heady floral perfume but there is something not quite right about it - whether this is the reformulation I don't know as I have never smelled the REAL L'Original. It improves greatly after a few minutes so if testing it WAIT and don't rub it!!! BUT believe me it doesn't even come close to Quelques Fleurs! That is just scentsational! It is like falling asleep in a flower garden on a hot summers day - a died and gone to heaven fragrance - youthful but not young - it is a perfume that any woman can wear at any time of the day. L'Original just doesn't have the same qualities. They stopped making Quelques Fleurs back in the 70's I think - or at least they retailed it in UK only in Harrods in an attempt to raise its profile to where it originally was - I think they made it for the USA market for a little longer. My mother introduced me to it in the late 60's - it had been one of her favourites. I have both Quelques Fleurs and Quelques Fleurs L'Original - I have given it the thumbs up as L'Original is lovely ....BUT...........
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By tvlampboy
Dense describes it perfectly -- a dense multi-floral from another era altogether. Don't think for a moment, though, that "dense" here implies sodden or heavy. No, this is dense complexity -- the French perfumer's art at its best.

What starts out as tuberose overdose with lily and jasmine galore soon dries down into a green floral delight and then onward into a warm and inviting muskiness.

Very, VERY old school opulence -- not for the faint of heart, nor for the die-hard fan of Tommy Girl and other relentless, watery clone frags. Appropriate for any age if worn with confidence. A must-try for any frag aficionado, too.
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By purplebird7
Quelque Fleurs translates literally into "some flowers" but figuratively into "whatever flowers" with the implication that this is a casual assortment, not a formal arrangement. As the story goes, there are supposed to be 313 flowers in this fragrance. Indeed there are many; and this is a perfume for floral lovers. The ones that stand out most to me are lily, orange blossom, carnation, and tuberose, but none of them drown out the others. Each accepts its space graciously, and allows infringment by the others, resulting in a big but surprisingly light and elegant bouquet. I like this, but I don't love it, as I wear mostly woody scents. If you love multi-florals, though, this is a good one.
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By ubuandibeme
Wow, NEZ is right! This begins much like Chanel's Cristalle! Quelques Fleurs harbors the potentially cloying triple threat of rose-jasmine-tuberose, yet thankfully manages to keep that fragrant bouquet fresh and in tact. For me, the musk used here smells a bit "fleshy". For lilies I prefer the refined notes found in Lutens Un Lys, but considering the era of this creation and it's unwavering popularity I must give credit where it is due - thumbs up!
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Facts and Details

Quelques Fleurs L'Original by Houbigant, 1912
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Discontinued in the fifties, but relaunched in 1988.

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Launched Date1912
GenderWomen
AvailabilityIn Production
ByHoubigant
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Middle Notes
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