A Selection from L'Artisan

Established in 1976, L'Artisan Parfumeur was inspired by the French artisan perfumers of an earlier era who would custom blend scents for the well-to-do. Their fragrances are inspired by nature and often evoke scent memories from our past - freshly mown grass, pipe tobacco, ripe blackberries.

This niche perfumer has developed a cult following of scent lovers worldwide, including me. L'Artisan's scents run the gamut from floral to fruity to woodsy and most are suitable for both men AND women. How many companies make truly unisex scents?

Ananas Fizz
Notes: pineapple, citrus essence (lemon rind, bitter orange, bergamot and pink grapefruit), pure rum, cedar, precious woods, cocoa milk, lychee sap, vanilla

This opens with a lemony scent, somewhat Pledge-like, but not unpleasant, and quickly turns to a deeper citrus smell, with a touch of bitter grapefruit and some rind. The drydown is ever-so-slightly woody, with a hint of rum, and a softness that is the milk and vanilla. But nowhere in this fragrance do I smell pineapple. Funny, since "ananas" is the French word for pineapple....

Bois Farine
Notes: white cedar, gaiacwood, sandalwood, white iris, farine flower, fennel seed

Whereas the notes would make Bois Farine seem like a woody fragrance, I get barely any woodsiness at all. Rather, it a rich and soft amber or vanilla-like fragrance, faintly powdery with iris, and a slight nuttiness of fennel seed. The drydown stays much the same as the opening whiff, perhaps a tad more honeyed. Still no wood, although if I close one eye and stand on one foot, I can almost imagine sandalwood. Almost.

Bois Farine reminds me a bit of my favorite (and now discontinued) Bath and Body Works scent, Rice Flower and Shea. If you like that, you may well like this perfume.

L'Eau de L'Artisan
Notes: mint, basil, lemon, fresh-cut grass and a touch of seaweed

The line's signature scent, this is a very pleasant scent probably more suitable for men than women. The opening notes are citrus, with a hint of herbaceousness and a dash of the sea. The drydown has a more intense herbal aroma, reminiscent of anisette liquor, and a wee bit of that syrup of ipecac smell that Ralph Lauren Polo has...but just a bit. Not enough to be obnoxious. That eventually morphs into the smell of freshly cut grass and finally something a bit like the sea.

A fresh scent, perfect for summertime wear.

Poivre Piquant
Notes: white pepper, licorice, milk and honey

A soft fragrance with the surprising zing of white pepper with subtle licorice in the opening notes that quickly settles down to a creamy milkiness. Almost like a cup of herbal tea that has a generous dose of milk added to it (not that one would do that to herbal tea, but I'm just trying to get the fragrance across). Very slightly sweet, but not too much. I'm contemplating buying a bottle of this one.

Dzing!
Notes: tonka beans, balsam, saffron and ginger

Dzing! is well, unusual. The scent starts with smoky woods and undertones of burning rubber or plastic, a sweet antiseptic sort of smell, like that of Band-Aids. This is probably the combination of saffron and ginger. It dries down to a slightly musky, woodsy aroma. Although my description may sound weird, it's not a bad scent, by any means, and one that seems to be a bit more masculine than some others in the L'Artisan line.