Copycat: Liquides Imaginaire Abyssis, Ile Poupre, and Blanche Bete

Every once in a while I do actually come up with something on my very own to write about. This isn’t one of those times.

Portia wrote about one of these a week or so ago and reading that review I needed to give it a try. Since I hate shipping just one thing when three will go for the same amount I went to Surrender To Chance for two more in the line, which for some reason I slept through.

Abyssis is a salty marine scent. Those can go several ways- they can be the delightful (and I believe discontinued) Miller Harris Fleurs de Sel where the salty marsh notes are brightened by rosemary and sage or they can go the direction of the infamous Secretions Magnifique, which I call “CSI: Coney Island” for reasons we won’t go into on a family blog. This one treads a middle ground, smelling like a freshly laundered cashmere sweater you threw over your shoulders for a walk along the beach. It isn’t quite as light as Les Nez’s L’Antimatiere (also, I believe discontinued) but I also found it less compelling. Since I have a bit of the Les Nez and a couple of hoarded bottles of Fleurs de Sel I will not be needing this one. $200 for 100ML

Ile Poupre is the best argument against marketing drivel I have come across in a long time. They blather on about a mysterious island somewhere and blah, blah, blah. Which does no favors to this delight of a scent. The opening is all sweet/tart with Shiso and ginger, becoming sweeter with fig and fenugreek before adding in cedar and finally musk. I am not sure how I would try to market it. I just want to smell it. $136 for 50ML, $200 for 100ML.

Blanche Bete says that it is taking you to a enchanted garden where and yet another mythical creature roams. Apparently the creature roamed too close to the kids breakfast table, knocked over little Beezie and Wendyo’s Froot Loops then slipped in the milk puddle. Poor thing got very upset and sweaty trying to upright itself (Beezie and Wendyo were no help at all, not even calling Nanny to assist.) Supposedly there’s Jasmine and Tuberose in there, but even that most indefatigable of white flowers are simply smushed by the musky vanilla fur of this beast. I hope at least the kids eventually got their breakfast. I will content myself with a long stay on Mystery Island. $190 for 50ML, 280 for 100ML.

Have you tried any of these? Want to? Lets discuss (or diss) in the comments.

These are available from the perfumers (difficult to navigate) website. My samples were from Surrender to Chance.

Photos from my iPhone, Pexels, and Wikimedia Commons