Olivia Giacobetti, Will You Marry Me?

I don’t swing that way, but I would try for you or I’d find you gorgeous young men to keep you happy  if that’s your preference, I promise, especially if you would keep me in Eau Blanche de Iunx and then put it in my laundry detergent and shampoo, car freshener. My world in its entirety should smell like this, and then I promise I will be happy forever and never complain about bad drivers, crappy perfumes or the price of milk.

NO?

White linen, orris butter and teak wood are the notes listed on Denyse’s review from 2008.  This is one of the original line that has been re-introduced. I think they have six of the original scents back in production and intend to eventually have all ten (?) for sale.  They are still only available in Paris at Hotel Costes, I believe.

Blanche is everything great about linen – pressed linen with steam.  If you never thought you’d want to smell a “clean” scent or one that smells like laundry, try this one before you pitch them all over the perfume cliff.   If there is one exception to the whole clean perfume denouement (wishful thinking on my part, I know), this is the one I’d make. It’s sun, steam, linen. It lasts surprisingly long on me, not what I was expecting, thinking it would blow off pretty fast.

I like surprises in perfume, and they are few and far between at my advanced Perfumismic Age, so when one that fits into an area that I’m not crazy about and lasts longer in a really beautiful way than I expect, it’s love. I wish she’d decide to sell in one location in the U.S. or just one in Europe that would ship.

  • Teger says:

    Have y’all seen how big the bottles are?
    Check out this comparison – http://bit.ly/b3c5jO

  • Folks, you know she lives in New York now? Don’t know her romantic status but she’s at least on the same continent…

  • Shelley says:

    You know, I could be a Giacobetti-with-an-“a” fangirl. Hiris, En Passant, I ? Les Carottes…they’re all way high on the consistency chart when it comes to my hit parade. I admire Navegar, and am intrigued that Penhaglion’s Elixir is her work. There’s range for you.

    I may never know if the IUNX line would only further my estimation. I guess that’s the point of niche, eh? But they’ve niched me right on out of the experience. I’m feeling so downmarket, I feel like I need to shower again…

    …but maybe she’ll take me on as an occasional courtesan, and not a bride? Cross over to this side of the tracks for a day every now and then?

    BTW, I don’t begrudge her the IUNX line. Seems like if an artist is working in commerce, an exclusive is a worthy thing. But I’m a peon, and there are places I’m not likely to go, for a variety of factors. Access and cost being two significant ones, natch.

    • Shelley says:

      That would be “I LOVE Les Carottes.” Total fail on my heart icon…

      • gator grad says:

        I’m loving Les Carottes too.

        I’m not sure how she does it, but her frags seem different to me every time I wear them, and they metamorphose so much throughout the day. I thought that the Coco would be my favorite in that new trio, but the Carottes stole my heart (and my nose).

        Didn’t she also do a carrot for L’Artisan?

        • Shelley says:

          Yes, Fleur de Carotte…hey, guess what? It was a Paris exclusive! Hmmm… ;)

          She also did Dzing, which if I was really trying to hammer in the idea of range, I should have included.

  • Oh, and not to be a pedant or anything, but it’s Giacobetti, with an “a”…

  • gator grad says:

    No, Giocobetti. Marry me!!

    I love Eau Sento, so I really must try Blanche (and I love clean scents, too!). Denyse, have you tried spraying it on a scented handkerchief? Like you, I want to live in it (I want to breathe in an unending breath through my nose and just hold it there, in my nostrils, and enjoy it– sounds weird, right?).

    They have those fancy black plastic envelopes with the paper inside when you visit the store, and this is nearly the perfect way to experience it. I’ve been trying to re-create the effect to no avail, but the scented handkerchief is a lovely method, too…

    • Well, there’s the little detail of the cost… isn’t there? Shelling out 110 euros for a sniff every once in a while isn’t going to happen any time soon. Mind you, that’s the fate of most of the perfumes I wear on skin. I guess as long as *that’s* my problem I’m a happy woman.

    • Musette says:

      Another excellent way to experience is with a scented fan. I have my go-to fans for my go-to fragrances (one fan box will smell like Mitsouko long after I am dust) but I also stock up on inexpensive fans at my Chinese grocer when I’m in Chicago). I use those for fragrances I don’t necessarily want to wear all day.

      I think scented hankies are the most delightful thing to come upon in a handbag, don’t you? I came upon a forgotten one, liberally sprayed with Carnal Flower, at the bottom of a bag I’d put away….just delightful!

      xo >-)

      • gator grad says:

        Oh, I’ll have to try that. I hadn’t even thought about the oriental markets– it sounds like I could try a scented fan for cheap!

    • Patty says:

      I’ve been spraying my scarves with my favorite scents, so it’s always a surprise when I put one on and can bury my nose in it.

      • gator grad says:

        I was just thinking that I’d love to get into scarf collecting… but then, the nice ones are so much more than most FBs. But they sure are lovely!

  • Fiordiligi says:

    I haven’t tried any of the Iunx fragrances, I’m afraid. Must add to the list next time I am in Paris.

    Jillie, I use Ecover laundry liquid which smells lovely and is ecologically sound (I get it from Waitrose but probably all supermarkets sell it). The Daylesford Organic one is lovely too. I never use fabric softener as I understand it deposits gunk on your towels and they are fluffier without, but if you want to use one Ecover also do one, I think, which is bound to be lovely-smelling.

    • Jillie says:

      Thanks for your tips, Fiordiligi. I, too, understand it’s bad for your towels, but I use it for them once in a while just to restore the softness. Never use it for my bedlinen, ‘cos I don’t want slimey sheets. Just want our clothes to smell sweet when I wash them. I will try your suggestions.

    • Patty says:

      I’m not sure they’d be for you, just trying to think here, but I think you’d enjoy smelling them.

  • Jillie says:

    Thanks for this item – I would love to smell these. This leads me to ask if anyone knows of good laundry detergents and fabric conditioners for sale in the UK which won’t make me want to throw up??!! The scents the manufacturers are using now make my stomach turn, and the trend for marketing conditioners that have long-lasting “freshness” is just about sending me over the top. I want to soften my laundry, but I don’t want the horrid cheap perfume, and especially don’t want it now that it overwhelms me and lasts all day. Why are they doing it (sobbing quietly)? If I have to pay designer prices I will – but I don’t know where to look. Advice most welcome.

    • karin says:

      Jillie – Don’t know if you can get Tide in the UK, but I buy Tide Free which is fregrance-free! I can’t stand scented detergents either…

      • karin says:

        Oh, and I don’t use a liquid fabric softener, but add Bounce unscented sheets (called Bounce Free) to the dryer!

        • Jillie says:

          Karin – thanks. My machine’s instructions told me I mustn’t use sheets as they can block the vent, but I’ve been given the useful hint of fastening them to an item of laundry with a safety pin, so I will certainly give them a go.

    • Patty says:

      I don’t know if they sell it in the UK or if you want to pay the outrageoous amounts of money for it, but maybe you could mix it with some unscented detergent to prolong it – the Rose 31 from The Laundress is flat-out amazing. I’m not always sure I want to smell like that, but I pull out my next load of clothes that I wash with it and just sigh into it. I think i’m going to try the unscented mixing so i can use it more often than 1x a month!

      • Jillie says:

        Thanks Patty, I will check straight away to see if I can get my hands on this, sounds lovely!

        • Jillie says:

          Update: have found a UK stockist for The Laundress, although they don’t carry the full range and (sob) not Le Labo Rose. But have ordered the classic (at vast expense), and am looking forward to using it. Think I’ll just use it for my things, and not my husband’s business shirts. Thank you for helping me spend more money!

  • Adding: no intentions apparently of selling Iunx anywhere else in the world…

    I deeply regret not having stocked on absolutely everything Olivia made for Iunx when they had a huge, gorgeous shop: the body products were stellar too. And like you, those are scents I feel I could live in, not just wear. In fact, there are a few in the current line-up, especially Eau de Sento, that I don’t particularly feel like wearing: but I’d love to have a secret room to go to where I could just live in it for a few hours…

    • Patty says:

      She does serious comfort in her scents or sensory happiness. Maybe both. I need to stop spritzing my little thingie of Blanche long enough to try out Baptiste.

      Fixed the spelling. I knew I had it wrong, but went out to dinner and collapsed when I got back and didn’t’ fix it. thanks for the help, I do appreciate it! 🙂

  • Teger says:

    There are 6 are currently available: 02 L’Eau Sento, 06 L’Eau Frappée, 08 L’Eau Baptiste, 09 L’Eau Blanche, L’Ether de IUNX and Splash Forte.

    The other 6 that aren’t available: 00 L’Eau Juste, 01 L’Eau Argentine, 03 L’Eau Interdit, 04 L’Eau Azteque, 05 L’Eau Qui Pique, and 07 L’Eau Latine. I heard that Latine or Azteque would be next, but who knows!

    And there are a bunch of wonderful candles. They have MAJOR throw lit and unlit. Arbre a Pluie, Sugar Cane, Framoisi, Date, Frangipanier Blanc, Fusain, Gomme Arabique, Papyrus, Pin Parasol, Pulpe, Vapeur (white cotton) But they are around $70!

    On the packaging it says “This item can only be sold in the IUNX points of sales” Hopefully the last plural bit means there will be more IUNX points of sales.

    Phew, where is my check Giacobetti? :)

    • Patty says:

      I’m trying to remember why I didn’t pop in there last time I was in paris. I’d smelled them all, but didn’t know about the candles. Well, I won’t make that error again. Thanks!!!