Nice, France Perfume Series: Part One
Ile d'Amour Fragonard eau de toilette
This is the first out of three perfumes in my Nice, France series! I wanted to curate a small group of perfumes that I have bought, brought, and MADE in Nice, France! To kick off this series I will start with the perfume that I bought: The Ile d’Amour eau de toilette perfume by Fragonard. This is perfume is one of my early 2023 purchases. I went on a 24-hour field trip to Nice, France, and our first stop before getting to Nice was the Fragonard Perfumery in Eze. My mission was to find a lighter, rich, springtime version of ‘Baccarat Rouge 540’. And this perfume is the closest that I found at this perfumery! If you ever venture to the outskirts of Nice, I highly recommend giving this perfumery a visit. On a side note, while my beginner Italian language classmates and I got to the perfume factory, there just so happened to be a car show in the parking lot! It was a beautiful spot to do so since it overlooked the cliffs of Monaco. My dad would’ve been so ecstatic to see that! From there we toured the perfumery and saw the equipment that Fragonard uses to make their perfumes. They were not actively making perfume at this time, but it was neat to see where it all took place (it was a much smaller space than I anticipated!). Fragonard is the only perfumery that I have seen do this, but they pick a flower to feature in a perfume for each year, and for the year 2023 it is Narcissus (this flower species includes the daffodil). I am not too familiar with this flower’s scent, but after a little bit of research, some describe this flower as ‘musky’, ‘spicy’, and ‘vanillic’ in addition to resembling the scent from dark green foliage. This flower is highlighted in their perfume “Narcisse” that was launched at the beginning of 2023. According to Fragonard.com the Narcisse perfume could be described as, “A fragrance as light as air, full of idyllic beauty and extremely romantic. Narcisse (Narcissus) is fresh eau de toilette with a top note of mandarin and Italian bergamot, a sensual floral heart of narcissus and Egyptian jasmine, resting on a warm base of honey and wood”. Although I did not purchase this perfume, I enjoyed listening to how intricate this perfume is, and I sampled it as well.
As I said in the beginning, I was already determined to find a certain scent to take home with me. After many samples, I finally found the “Ile d’Amour” fragrance, and my goodness it smells so delightful! I grew up loving anything that smelt like “sea breeze” and trying to be a surfer girl became my personality in elementary school. I was the tom boy girl whose favorite color was lime green and wore puka shells while playing dragons during recess. So, while other girls were sporting the “Sweet Pea” fragrance mist by Bath & Body Works, I was wearing whichever beach breezy body mist that I could find and ask my mom to buy me at Walmart. I grew up in Arizona, so being fanatical about the water was my ‘Little Mermaid’ moment, but with the narrative flipped. When I smelt this perfume, it was almost nostalgic! The blend of what I believe to be a sea water scent and different floral notes had given this perfume an aromatic and sweet smell that undeniably stood out to me. Unfortunately, when I visited the perfumery’s website to get precise notes of the eau de toilette, it was no longer displaying that version. The top note (the initial smell of the fragrance) of the Ile d’Amour is the osmanthus flower and this was my first time smelling a perfume with this flower in it. I was curious about other perfumes that have osmanthus and the store I mentioned in my last post, L’Erbolario, has a stand-alone perfume called “Osmanthus”. I will have to go down the street and sample it! The top note of the “Ile d’Amour” is floral yet warm and buttery. Very different from other perfumes that I own!
The “Ile d’Amour” has the base notes of amber and musk in which I contribute to the perfume’s transformation into a richer scent than when it was initially sprayed. I wanted to find a perfume with multiple layers of cleanliness, a floral note or two, and a strong amber base that had a similar effect as the accords in the “Baccarat Rouge 540 Maison Francis Kurkdjian Eau de parfum”. This perfume resonates with me as an elevated “sea breeze” perfume for women, and I loved wearing it throughout the spring and summer days. As autumn nears, I look forward to wearing this again next year! Stay tuned for part two of a perfume that I brought to Nice, France! Thank you for reading and have a fabulous day!