This is the time of year I get anxious for spring, especially when we have such beautiful weather. I know it's a cruel trick, the spring equivalent of an Indian summer, lulling us all into complacency with slight warmth, bright blue skies, buds on trees. I find it impossible to wear anything too heavy on days like these. Instead I want to use perfume like a spell to call forth more fine weather. Lalique Le Parfum serves nicely for this, the way it seems to mimic spring deepening into summer.
The notes in Le Parfum are:
Top: bergamot, bay leaves, red pepper
Heart: jasmine, heliotrope, almond
Base: patchouli, vanilla
The opening is pale green and tender, and before I saw the notes I thought for sure I detected lily of the valley. After the first few minutes, though, the juiciness of the bergamot peeks through, and the bay leaves keep the young spring feeling alive underneath. I must admit, my nose detects very little of the pepper. As it moves through the heart, the scent sweetens with the jasmine and heliotrope, but the green remains and this is less powdery than you might expect, what with heliotrope and almond. The base is deep and lovely, sweetening further but remaining fresh. Le Parfum starts off as the palest blush of pink and moves into a deep fuschia. It's quietly elegant, and if you stood near someone wearing it, you might be tempted to believe someone had left the window open to let the spring breeze blow through.
*image from aedes.com
