for $14.95
0.27 oz subscription
0.27 oz a la carte
Scentbird, Inc., New York, NY 10001
Romance de Provence description
Catharine Malandrino describes Romance de Provence as an “intimate floral bouquet to discover the timeless allure of Provence.” And while that is true, it’s probably a safe bet that there’s a ton of delicious apple pie being made there as well.
Because this fragrance begins with a drool-worthy opening combination of pear, apple blossom and black currant that smells exactly like warm, fresh, sugar-glazed and slightly singed apple pie. In other words, a scent that smells like the best kind of pie there is.
The black currant note is the most distracting– the remaining citrus notes take away its licorice-like feel and replace it with a burnt-crust scent that is completely bent on eroding any self-control you need to refuse delicious, home-made desserts.
The heart subtly offers hints of violets, jasmine, rose and green tea, which slowly replace the sugary sweetness in the opening. But the florals are still rich and compelling – the green tea and violet notes are gorgeous together. The herbal astringency of the green tea note pairs especially well with the black currant’s oven-singed facets.
Romance de Provence is also a very coy perfume in its heart, because those lovely florals are the only respite you get from the most distractingly delicious gourmand notes a perfume can offer. When the soft, plush violet and jasmine petals close, your nose discovers wave after wave of amber, vanilla, tonka and a lightly-spiced patchouli.
The dry down of Romance de Provence is unapologetically sensual and sweet. After the polite tea break in the middle phase, these dessert notes come out in full force to send your senses reeling. The amber and vanilla were just sleight-of-hand for what comes next – an absolutely mouth-watering caramel accord.
This is where Romance de Provence devastates you – even the most hardcore gourmand lover will no choice but to bliss out over the smooth, silky, warm caramel flowing out of this perfume’s base.
And that’s how Romance de Provence decides to end – leaving you suspended under a caramel waterfall forever, as the most delicious, fresh from the oven apple pie floats by on a bed of jasmine and roses.
Of course, no one will believe that this ever happened. But you know better, and soon, so will they.
