Hey Hey Perfume Posse! Atelier Cologne largely passed me by. I fell madly in love with Trefle Pur, Rose Anonym and Tobacco Nuit. Also I have and wear a 10ml rollerball of Mistral Patchouli. Yet still I don’t feel that the houses concept and execution is really “me”. No reason, just that funny feeling you get sometimes. Which is weird because when I try them they all feel very comfortable to wear, smell good and last better than cologne should. Anyway, I’m currently burning my way through a decant of Bois Blonds, one of the original releases from Atelier.
Bois Blonds by Jérome Epinette for Atelier Cologne 2010
Parfumo gives these featured accords:
Top: Tunisian neroli, Calabrian bergamot, Paraguayan petigrain
Heart: Morrocan orange blossom, Chinese pink pepper, African frankincense
Base: Blond woods, Musk, Haitian vetiver
Pepper and citrus, a zingy, spicy, refreshing citrus in the best tradition of cologne. The pettigrain bringing a greenness that segues beautifully into the clean and polite orange blossom. Simple, smells good, effective perfumery here. Nothing incredibly ground breaking but blended smoothly and seamlessly, wearable by the masses and perfumistas who need something good but not weird or outrageous.
PDI
The woods come through and are tinged very lightly by incense and a dry grassy vetiver, it does lift the next 3 or 4 hours just out of the humdrum of white musk and woodsiness. Fluffiness to end as it fades to nothing. Very nice. A safe, engaging scent that works.
You know when you take non-perfumistas out shopping because they know you love fragrance? They don’t really want something crazy or boundary pushing. What they want is reassurance that their taste isn’t shit. This is exactly what I would go for. It is workplace inoffensive, has a real scent progression, comes in a 30ml, 100ml and 200ml, wearable summer or winter and is available readily.
Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Scent for Thought
LuckyScent has $85/30ml
Surrender To Chance has samples from $3/ml
Have you spent any time with the Atelier Cologne range, Bois Blonds?
Portia xx
Portia also writes for Australian Perfume Junkies.
Mugler Cologne is one of my long-time desert island faves for its neroli/petitgrain/lime rush, smelled through a fog of shower steam, and its easy wearability in even the hottest, most fragrance-unfriendly weather. If/when Mugler decides to discontinue it or sell it only in France or somesuch – which, with my luck, they will do within the year – I have Atelier Bois Blonds earmarked as a substitute. It hits a similar mark for me, although it’s a little less interesting compared to Mugler’s neon synthetic green-ness. You’re right, though – nothing groundbreaking here, just rock-solid perfumery, and a sheer delight to smell. Bois Blonds smells of springtime optimism and summer sunshine, and is a particular delight not only in the warmer months, but during the winter doldrums when a blast of neroli and citrus is just what you need to perk up.
Hey Darryl,
You write beautifully and with passion. Do you blog?
Portia x
The discovery sample set from Atelier Colognes is one of the most fun sniffs out there. I like so many of them, especially Trefle Pur, Oolang Infini, Vanille Insensee, and also Bois Blonds.
The last bottle of Bois Blonds I sampled had a whiff of herb-y dill in the drydown that an older bottle did not. I wonder if there is something in the current iteration of vetiver bases that can smell that way at times.
These are easy to love scents, but do try before buying. 🙂
Ah, I think I need to grab the sample set then Tiffanie,
Yes definitely try EVERYTHING before buying.
Portia xx
I have one of the atelier travel sets. The only one I have worn with any regularity is orange Sanguine, but I enjoyed most of the others and eventually I will use them up… they aren’t in my swap pile (unlike some other sample/discovery sets I have purchased!).
HA! Like so many of us MmkinPA,
Only a few are worth keeping, the rest get passed along.
Portia xx
I always confuse it with PG’s Bois Blond 😀
I have tried many of the Atelier Colognes but never bought a bottle so far, only the travel sizes: Sud Magnolia, Jasmin Angelique and Orange Sanguine. But most of all I like Rendez-Vous and Sous le toit de Paris which both have a better lasting power.
Seems I got the spelling wrong, without confusing it with the PG perfume ?.
I don’t speak French and find it so funny that almost all perfumes have French names. It’s a challenge writing the names down, let alone pronouncing them correctly, LOL.
Aren’t their Travel Sizes 30ml Neva? That counts as a Full Bottle to me.
Portia x
No, they have 7,5 ml sizes but you must buy three of them. That’s a good deal.
I have tried most of the original scents from Atelier. I’m on my second 30 ml bottle of Orange Sanguine. I also had a travel spray of Sud Magnilia and own 30 ml of Sous le Toit. Their scents suit me very well and I like the bottles and their postcards.
For woody scents I usually prefer something warmer and spicier, so Bois Blond is not really something I need, but it is nice and wearable.
Aha! Glad to read you’re a fan Ingeborg.
Yeah, I can easily imagine Bois Blond too safe and bland for a perfumista.
Portia xx
“You know when you take non-perfumistas out shopping because they know you love fragrance? They don’t really want something crazy or boundary pushing. What they want is reassurance that their taste isn’t shit. “
thanks for the early morning laugh, P! I am always mystified by this (and omg is it true, or what?). Perfume, like wine, beer, men, chocolate, is a subjective taste – but the number of times I’ve been challenged (in that half-defiant, half-terrified way people have) by non-perfumistas as to their choices. My sister wore Juicy Couture – and it smelled GLORIOUS on her – yet she was always a bit defensive about it, saying ‘well, it’s not like those complicated perfumes YOU wear’ (cheerfully forgetting that 90% of the time I’m in Chanel No5) LOL!
xoxoxo
YAY Musette!
Striking a chord with people is REAL communication. Glad to give you a laugh and a thought.
Have a wonderful New Year and all of 2018 my friend.
Portia xx
Another vote for Orange Sanguine. Their soaps are nice too.
Oh AnnieA,
Now I want to try their soaps! SHIT! Just when I thought I owned ALL THE SOAPS!
Portia xx
I have tried most of the original scents from this house and didn’t find one that clicked with me. If I had to pick one out of that original discovery set though, I would pick Bois Blonds. I like the note of pepper in scents. I had pretty much given up on this house, and then I tried Cafe Tuberosa, and fell in love with it. So now I can finally say they have at least one fragrance out of their lineup that I truly adore.
Hey Kandice,
WOW! Isn’t it funny how sometimes we click and others not.
Cafe Tuberose is YUM!
Portia xx
I have tried all of the following. I own and love Jasmin Angelique and Oud Saphir but this house lasts all of a breath on my skin. That’s a dislike at this price point.
Jasmin Angelique
Oud Saphir
Rose Anonyme
Pomelo Paradis
Vetiver Fatale
Vanille Insensee
Orange Sanguine
Cedre Atlas
Cedrat Envirant
Sud Magnolia
Mandarin Glaciale
Cepes Tuberose
Parfum de Maroc
Tango
Silver Iris
Even Rose Anonym goes in record time Gina? WOW! That lasts on me overnight. I liked Oud Saphir too.
Portia xx
PS: You’ve mixed some Aftelier Perfumes in there too.
Have not tried the Blond Bois. My favorite Atelier is the Orange Sanguine. Juicy orange mixed with spices! If I could detect more of the tuberose in Cafe Tuberosa, that would’ve been a winner too and I just ordered a sample of the Mistral Patchouli so we’ll see how that one works out!
Hi JenniferS,
That’s so interesting. I get coffee for about 30 seconds and then ALL white flowers from Cafe Tuberose. Admittedly both wearings have been while doing stuff so I will give it some real attention next time.
Portia xx