Hi hi Posse! Cuir Pleine Fleur or Full Grain Leather is one of Heeley’s earlier works and doesn’t get much love on the blogs anymore, in fact Heeley is rarely mentioned anymore. Whenever I mention on the FaceBook pages that I’ve worn Cuir Pleine Fleur or any Heeley though they gets a very warm response. Loads of people whose noses I admire think it’s marvelous and I agree, totally gorgeous. Funny that Patty had the brand new Heeley: Eau Sucree up yesterday with a giveaway. Great minds Patty!
Cuir Pleine Fleur by James Healey 2006
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Italian bergamot, Violet leaf, Cinnamon
Heart: Mimosa, Hawthorn, Suede, Rose, Honey
Base: Vetiver, Castoreum, Birch, Atlas cedar
The opening is like walking through the garden in drizzling rain. The smells of wet earth, crushed greenery underfoot and the energising coolness of all that wet air. It doesn’t take long to become more broken twig & branch and then unexpectedly a super sweet homered mimosa swirls in and Cuir Pleine Fleur is changed utterly. A pissy-sweetness flows in, thick as treacle and all the fresh loveliness is swept away. I love this part of the ride because it comes so unexpectedly every time and because it’s so animalic. I think Gaia at the Non Blonde puts it best when she says “Dirty hay smells sweet and steamy on a hot summer day, and that’s what I’m getting here.” It is the lovely raw stank of urine, poop, hay, heat and humanity. The even better thing is Cuir Pleine Fleur only seems to smell like that up really close, when my arm is by my side with fragrance on hand the whole fragrance smells like a sweet floral leather.
That’s basically what ends up happening with Cuir Pleine Fleur, it does end up a sweet floral leather with only the sheerest undercurrent of the creature, like it’s been tamed and caged. A lovely soft leather handbag that has been well loved with some cosmetics and frag samples rolling around in the bottom. Beautiful.
Totally wearable by both sexes, longevity is very good and after the first hour projection moderate.
Further reading: Non Blonde and Memory of Scent
LuckyScent has $180/100ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $5.40/ml
Did you ever try a Heeley Perfume?
Portia xxx
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Sel Marin was one of my early perfume loves, so Heeley has a strong place in my heart. I had literally just ordered a decant of Cuir Pleine Fleur when I read this post, and so was delighted to know that you like it Portia! I am wearing it now with great pleasure.
I adore Cuir Pleine Fleur and Iris de Nuit and have full bottles and backups of both. I don’t find CPF barnyardy, though occasionally the honey comes in a bit stronger. But nothing like Une Fleur de Cassie, which I couldn’t wear and sold on.
Hi Ingeborg. You might consider checking out rose perfume oils. If you google it, you will find a lot of places that sell oils. The combination of incense and rose might be really good.
That seems lik a good idea, it may turn out cheaper than buying a FB of some perfume or other.
I got Heeley Le Cardinal as a present for my birthday. I really like the bottle design and the box, but I cannot come to terms with the scent, even if I feel it is well made. I am not a big fan of incense to start with and this one seems a bit cold and turns a little bit soapy on my skin.
So, I wonder if anyone can suggest good layering options? I am wondering about combining Le Cardinal with a simple rose perfume, but rose is not a main note in most of my perfumes. Indeed I have few floral perfumes at all, my collection is heavy on green notes and citrus. Obviously I will also decant some of the juice to swap with friends, 100 ml is just too much for me alone.
Howdy, Portia! Once again, I’m tardy to the party — but better late than never, right? And you are so cool with your post coming right after Patty’s: great minds do think alike, and now Heeley is back on everyone’s radar. I’m not big on anything with barnyard leanings, so think I’ll pass on this one, but I do love several other Heeley scents, and now am looking forward to trying more. Thanks!
I almost never add a comment– but Portia, I always enjoy reading your posts!
Thanks Pam, You’ve made my day.
Portia xx
Hi Portia, I love Cuir Pleine Fleur and I don’t get the dirty part at all. To me it’s just a lovely flowery leather. I have tried some of Heeley’s perfumes and I like them generally but I have the same problem with buying a full bottle like Tara C – the longevity is poor on my skin, even with the more concentrated ones in the black bottles. My favourite is L’amandiere where I get some freshly cut grass and powdery flowers. Sel Marin and Hippie Rose are beautiful too.
Hi Neva,
Yes, Sel Marin is very nice but I love The Different Company Sel de Vetiver over it for the longevity issue and I think it’s a better fragrance on me, more light & shade. Have you tried it?
Portia xx
No, not yet. It goes now straight to my sampling list!
I love me some cuir! The description you give reminds me a bit of FM’s Un Fleur de Cassie, which is floral with an indolic barnyard undercurrent. I’ve only tried Heeley’s Chypre, which I thought was more interesting than good — I described it yesterday as a chypre with the structure flipped — heavy on the green notes (vetiver and patchouli) and light on the woodsy base (oakmoss, etc.).
Hey HeidiC,
I have tried Un Fleur de Cassie but my memory is of something high pitched and sweet. Do I need to revisit it?
You make his Chypre sound fabulous.
Portia xx
Heeley is one of those brands I’ve heard mixed reviews of and never bothered to try for myself. I love wet hay/barnyard/earthy notes so may actually have to add this to my next sample binge.
Hi there MikasMinion ,
Sometimes I breathe a sigh of relief when I read really bad or polarised reviews. I figure it’s all too hard and move onto something else, my wallet is happier too.
Cuir Pleine Fleur is very nice though, so nice that I bought a FB.
Portia xx
Oh this sounds lovely. I’m loving on my Cuir de Lancôme and Dzing! with the cold occasionally rainy weather that has rolled in (after being in the mid 80s last week). Might as well order a sample and keep this leather trend going.
Hey Christine,
We got cool today too. Drizzling and breezy, lovely weather for cuddly comfort scents.
Good luck with your sampling.
Portia xx
I love Cardinal but most of this line doesn’t last long enough on me to be FBW. If it lasted longer I would buy Hippie Rose and Iris de Nuit as well.
What a shame they disappear on you TaraC,
BUMMER!
Portia xx
I have only tried Ophelia from this line and was unimpressed with it. I only had a dabber and it was early in my perfume career when I was ordering more than was healthy from Luckyscent. Maybe I should take another look.
Hey Eldarwen22,
I also was only mildly impressed with Heeley early on in its beginnings. I think they are an acquired taste for perfumistas but an easy love for Non-perfumistas. They smell good, so N-Ps buy them, but it’s when you really smell them closely that you notice how beautifully crafted they feel for us frag nerds.
Portia xx