Oriza L. Legrand Muguet Fleuri: Spring’s Fairy Forest

Source: Zedge.com

Source: Zedge.com

Spring has arrived, bringing with it Muguet Fleuri in an olfactory symbol of rebirth and freshness that seems like Nature at its best. Delicate lilies of the valley sway in the wind like floral bells, releasing crystal-clear chimes of floral sweetness. Its dewy liquidity parallels April showers that wash the dirt and grime away, leaving a clean, fresh greenness imbued with alpine white in the soft sunlight. Yet, the vista of green and white is also thoroughly infused with imperial purple, as wild violets dance the Rites of Spring alongside the muguet. It’s the enchanted fairy world of Muguet Fleuri, the latest fragrance from the ancient house of Oriza L. Legrand.

Oriza L. Legrand (hereinafter just “Oriza”) is a house for which I have enormous affection and admiration. You can read all about its ancient history (and see the adorable sweetness of the Paris boutique) in a post I did last year on the subject, but to summarize in a nutshell, Oriza goes back to 1720 and the time of Louis XV. It made perfumes for the Tsar of Russia, and numerous European royal families, as well as winning prestigious prizes in World Fairs of the late 1800s and early 1900s. The perfume house died in the 1930s, but it has been brought back to life by its current owners, Franck Belaiche and Hugo Lambert. I’ve met them both, and they are true gentlemen — in every sense of that word.

Photo: Roberto Greco  for Oriza L. Legrand.

Photo: Roberto Greco for Oriza L. Legrand.

For them, Oriza L. Legrand is a labour of love. They want to return the brand to its old glory, while staying true to its heritage and history by offering its original fragrances, only with lightly tweaks to appeal to modern tastes. They work extremely hard, running all aspects of the business almost like an artisanal venture, right down to bottling the perfumes themselves (just as Andy Tauer does for his house). Everything they have is thrown into Oriza, and dedicated to making the house a success in the modern era. As a side note, some sites have said that Elisabeth de Feydeau is the nose responsible for the new Oriza scents, but that is incorrect. Madame de Feydeau assisted in the initial research for the original, historical formulas, but  it is Hugo Lambert who has created the re-invented Oriza fragrances and he deserves the full credit.

Muguet Fleuri. Source: Oriza L. Legrand website.

Muguet Fleuri. Source: Oriza L. Legrand website.

Muguet Fleuri is their latest release, but I have the impression that the original Muguet Fleuri debuted in 1925. This is obviously a tweaked interpretation suited for modern times. Muguet Fleuri is an eau de parfum centered around lily of the valley which the French call “muguet.” (That is how I am used to calling it, too, so I shall stick with the French name.)

Muguet is a big deal in France in spring time. The first of May is called May Day (La Fête du MuguetLa Fête du Travail) or Labor Day, and is a public holiday to celebrate workers’ rights. But it is also the day on which people give bunches of muguet to their loved ones. When I was growing up in France, especially on the occasions when I lived in Paris, every street corner had a little stand selling bunches of the flowers, often run by a little, wizened, old lady who had come from the country. It is a rite of Spring, and Oriza has marked that with an olfactory version that concentrates the feeling of muguet in a very classical fragrance.

Source: Oriza L. Legrand.

Source: Oriza L. Legrand.

Oriza describes Muguet Fleuri and its notes as follows:

1925
Top Notes: Green Leaves, Wild Grass, Wild Muguet.
Heart Notes: Galbanum, Angelica, Violet Leaves & Muguet des Bois.
Base Notes: Lily of the Valley Bell Fresh, Oakmoss & Lys des Prés … Comme Il Faut.

In applying Muguet Fleuri, I was struck first by impressions and sensations, rather than actual notes. It was a powerful cloud that was peppery, very spicy, fresh, dewy, lightly grassy, a touch herbal, and infinitely green. At a lower dosage, Muguet Fleuri was lightly soapy and clean as well, but the overwhelming impression is of spicy greenness. Dewy flowers and green leaves, concentrated in the epitome of Spring. Water lies everywhere, but it is as much a floral nectar as it is April showers.

Photo: encreviolette.unblog.fr

Photo: encreviolette.unblog.fr

For all that muguet is associated in my mind with Paris, Muguet Fleuri takes me back to England. It is like the smell of a spring morning in the British countryside after the spring rains have wiped everything clean. The wetness is fresh, sweetened, and incredibly crisp, but it’s also not as dainty as it sounds. The peppered spiciness is really remarkable, thanks to the violet leaves that feel positively crunchy and stiff, and they transform the delicate, fragile, little white bells into something with a solid backbone.

Wild wood violets. Photo: visoflora.com

Wild wood violets. Photo: visoflora.com

The violet flowers themselves arrive shortly thereafter, and they’re beautiful. This is a violet note unlike anything that I’ve encountered in  other scents. The degree of cool, radiant clarity is remarkable, and the incredibly concentrated nature of the purple flowers makes them stand head and shoulders above the faded, limp, flaccid violet in Serge Lutens‘ (reformulated) Bois de Violette, Tom Ford‘s Black Violet, and his Violet Blonde. It reminds me of the bunches of pansies (a close relation to violets) that my mother used to buy when we lived in London — only shot up with steroids. On my skin, Muguet Fleuri’s opening phase is almost as much about the violets — in both flower and crunchy leaf form — as it is about the lily of the valley, sometimes more so at the beginning.

Photo: my own.

Photo: my own.

As the minutes pass, Muguet Fleuri loses some of its peppered intensity and turns more floral. The muguet grows sweeter, and the violet’s floralacy becomes stronger than the crunchy, slightly prickly aroma of its leaves. There is a sense of greenness all around, but the momentary burst of grassiness in Muguet Fleuri’s debut has faded away. The visuals are all alpine white with imperial purple in a sea of green, and, yet, what it translates to emotionally for me is sunlight. Clear, bright sunlight.

Source: abstract.desktopnexus.com

Source: abstract.desktopnexus.com

Sometimes, it feels soft; often, it radiates a crystal-sharp whiteness, but primarily it feels comforting and like rebirth. Washing away the grime of Winter, darkness, reality, heartbreak, stress, or mundane trivialities in a flood of cool wetness that is somehow as soothing as being immersed in a liquid cocoon. I can talk to you about the notes, but, for me, Muguet Fleuri’s gorgeous opening bouquet is much more about a feeling, a mood, and symbolism.

Source: it.forwallpaper.com

Source: it.forwallpaper.com

And part of that symbolism is about the passage of Time and Nature away from the autumnal forest so well represented by Oriza‘s Chypre Mousse. For me, Muguet Fleuri is Chypre Mousse’s olfactory counterpart, and they have a lot in common. They are both extremely evocative fragrances that take you to the heart of an enchanted forest, and create the sense of being in Nature after the rains, surrounded by an ethereal greenness. In Chypre Mousse, it was autumnal with darkened mosses, wet leaves, humus, mushrooms, and a rivulet of leathery resins.

With Muguet Fleuri, Oriza takes you to that same forest in Spring. The liquid sweetness of May’s white muguet bells banishes away the remnants of Fall. Instead of dead leaves rendered dark, they are green, bright, and crunchy. Instead of mushrooms growing out of the wet earth or on fallen tree limbs, there are violets peeping out from under the youthful, bright foliage. The bridge between the two seasons and the two fragrances is that same plush, vibrant oakmoss, but, here, it’s significantly more subdued, fresh, and almost sweetened.

Source:  raymichemin.canalblog.com

Source: raymichemin.canalblog.com

The more specific differences between the two scents grow stronger as time passes. 10 minutes in, Muguet Fleuri loses even more of its pepper and spice, and takes on the faintest undertone of something clean instead. At a higher dosage, it’s not really soapy, per se, though it does feel quite fresh. Rather, it’s more like a green sharpness. Galbanum stirs at the edges, though it’s thankfully not the so-green-it’s-black galbanum that is such a part of Robert Piguet‘s Bandit.

Source: Colourbox.com

Source: Colourbox.com

Still, there is a definite sharpness to Muguet Fleuri that Chypre Mousse lacked on my skin. In some ways, it almost feels textural: the coolness borders on iciness at times, like a metallic blade, as if the dewy liquidity has been turned to steel through one of the notes. There is an edge to Muguet Fleuri at a higher dosage, but it was much less apparent when I applied less of the perfume. At the lower dosage, there is still a lot of liquidness to Muguet Fleuri’s opening, but it is joined by freshness that has a soapy cleanness, as if a really expensive French or Victorian floral soap were dancing about the edges.

Source: abstract.desktopnexus.com

Source: abstract.desktopnexus.com

In both cases, regardless of quantity, Muguet Fleuri’s greenness feels extremely crisp. The perfume may be a more purely and predominantly floral counterpart to Chypre Mousse, but it shares its predecessor’s tendency towards a certain mintiness. Yet, on my skin, Muguet Fleuri never feels herbal in the way that Chypre Mousse sometimes may. There is merely a sense of rain-drenched Nature, rather than a walk through a herb garden dominated by mint and its relatives.

Another similarity between the two fragrances is their forcefulness, at least initially in the case of Muguet Fleuri. Chypre Mousse is the strongest and most powerful fragrance in the Oriza line, by a landslide, in terms of its massive sillage and its longevity. Muguet Fleuri really surprised me by having initially excellent sillage as well, though it later became softer. The perfume also shares Chypre Mousse’s excellent longevity. Three small sprays of Muguet Fleuri from my atomizer gave me an opening cloud of about 5 inches, though it dropped down to 4 after 30 minutes, then to 3 after another hour had passed. It is an extremely airy bouquet, but Muguet Fleuri is incredibly potent, especially up close. I suspect that the fragrance is like the rest of the Oriza eau de parfums in having 18% concentration. Muguet Fleuri only became a skin scent on me 5.25 hours into its development, but it lasted over 13.75 hours. I was quite taken aback, since floral soliflores rarely have a chance on my skin, particularly if they’re fresh and green in nature.

Muguet with wild violets. Photo: Brigitte Quelin. Source: periblog.fr

Muguet with wild violets. Photo: Brigitte Quelin. Source: periblog.fr

As a soliflore, the core essence of Muguet Fleuri never dramatically shifts, morphs, and twists. It is always some sort of blend of lily of the valley, trailed by violets and multi-faceted greenness, with sharpness, and fluctuating levels of both cool, dewy liquidity and floral powder. That core essence remains largely unchanged for hours.

All that happens is that different elements wax and wane in terms of their prominence. The initial spiciness fades away, but the crunchy, very peppery violet leaves do a sort of ghostly dance, retreating, seemingly almost vanishing, before suddenly reappearing again in the background. The galbanum departs after 30 minutes, and the initial flicker of soapiness solidifies into something much more prominent at the 40-minute mark. Around the same time, the first vestige of floral power arrives, though it feels more like a sort of sandiness than actual powder. It grows stronger over time, as does the expensive lily of the valley soapiness.

At  the end of the third hour, Muguet Fleuri hovers half an inch above the skin in a potent blend of slightly sharp, lightly powdered muguet with only lingering traces of dewy, nectared sweetness. The crunchy, peppered leaves occasionally pop up in the distance, but the violet flower itself has largely faded away. The light veil of floral powder adds an old-fashioned touch, but it’s not powerful enough to turn Muguet Fleuri into something hardcore vintage and dated in feel. Rather, on my skin, it’s initially just a suggestion of something retro amidst the floral greenness.

Muguet Fleuri continues to soften with the passing hours. It lies right on the skin about 4.25 hours into its development, and turns into a skin scent an hour later. It also feels drier and more powdered, as the beautiful wave of floral liquidity recedes to the sidelines. By the start of the 6th hour, little droplets of dewiness lurk just behind the top notes, but they are increasingly tiny dots. Muguet Fleuri feels less green, though an occasional, subtle, minty freshness still pops up once in a while.

Source: underthemagnifier.wordpress.com

Source: underthemagnifier.wordpress.com

What surprised me was the subtle, abstract woodiness that appears around this time. The muguet feels flecked with a woody undertone that almost verges on cedar. Something about the overall scent reminds me of something Serge Lutens would do in one of his floral-woody combinations, only without the sweet syrupness that marked Bois de Violette, and with a more old-fashioned, clean, powdered touch. Muguet Fleuri’s drydown on my skin really feels like a bouquet of lily of the valley, cedar, violet leaves, and violets, even though the latter is now a mere impression more than a distinctive, powerful, individual note. The whole thing is dusted with floral powder that feels sandier than ever, and a light touch of very expensive floral soap.

Lily of the Valley, or Muguet.

Lily of the Valley, or Muguet.

Muguet Fleuri remains that way largely until its very end. In its final moments, it is a mere blur of something vaguely lily-of-the-valley-ish. As noted earlier, it lasted over 13.75 hours on my perfume consuming skin, closer to 14 actually, with 3 atomizer sprays amounting to 2 tiny sprays from an actual bottle. My skin usually has trouble holding onto floral soliflores, especially if they’re very green or white, so those numbers should tell you something. (One Serge Lutens floral, A La Nuit, lasted less than an hour on me!) I suspect Muguet Fleuri would last even longer on a person with normal skin.

For all that I love the most intense, dark, masculine, heavy orientals, I also love the polar extreme with very pure, crystal-clear, dewy florals. Serge LutensDe Profundis is one example, but so is Oriza’s ethereal Chypre Mousse. It’s not actually a floral, but it has the same spirit and atmospherics as De Profundis: Nature reduced to its purest essence. Muguet Fleuri, too, conveys that mood feel for much of its opening hours. The difference is that Muguet Fleuri is the embodiment of Spring and rebirth — a sunlit, dewy greenness to counter De Profundis’ purple twilight, or Chypre Mousse’s autumnal forest. This time around, Oriza’s enchanted landscape isn’t littered with mushrooms, the focus is not on the damp floor with its dead leaves, and the feeling isn’t of greenness flecked by darkness.

Art by Rachel Anderson. Source: zdjecia.nurka.pl

Art by Rachel Anderson. Source: zdjecia.nurka.pl

Now, instead, the sun has come out, and the fairies have woken up from their winter’s sleep. The crisp, icy air is now softened by a Spring glow; new, bright green shoots are pushing out of the wet earth; white muguet is everywhere, its little bells shaking off the morning dew; and violets nestle at the base of a large cedar tree, its purple delicacy nestled in a sea of fuzzy, peppered, spicy greenness. But, honestly, the absolute best part is that crystal-clear, liquid sweetness of the opening hours, that essence of lily of the valley concentrated down to a thick nectar. It’s truly beautiful. I felt invigorated, fresh, and a little bit free of heavy weight, as if I’d emerged purified from water.

The subsequent middle and final stages are very pretty, but they didn’t move me quite so lyrically and powerfully as Muguet Fleuri’s opening hours. The main reason why is that I’m not particularly enthused by soapy cleanness of any kind — even if it is as subtle as it is here — nor by floral powder. But I’m very finicky about those things — much more than others. Still, I would absolutely wear Muguet Fleuri. In a heartbeat, in fact. I would wear it for the places it transports me to in the first few hours, and for the soothing, almost Zen-like serenity it gave me at one point. I think it would be a lovely fragrance to wear in the summer heat, but I would wear it for the enchanted forest, first and foremost.

Source: pixgood.com

Source: pixgood.com

Muguet Fleuri is too new for any online reviews, so I’m afraid you’re stuck with my impressions for now. All I can tell you is that, to me, it is the Spring-time sister to Chypre Mousse. The latter is very much a “love it/hate it” scent, so I hope that reference can guide you. As to Muguet Fleuri’s gender appeal, I think it skews feminine in nature. I say that primarily because I don’t know any men who wear lily of the valley soliflores, and I don’t know if the peppered, crunchy violet leaves will provide enough of a counterpart to Muguet Fleuri’s main note or to its soapy/powder undertones. On the other hand, I’ve read of some men who buy Guerlain’s annual Muguet scent, so who knows. Speaking of the latter, I haven’t tried any of their lily-of-the-valley soliflores, but I can’t imagine that Guerlain would ever put out something so potent, intense, and different as a Chypre Mousse-like fragrance. I simply can’t imagine it. Moreover, Oriza L. Legrand’s fragrances have a definite signature — and it’s nothing like a Guerlain.

Muguet Fleuri is now available on Oriza’s website, and costs €90 for a 100 ml bottle, which is less than the €120 for most of its other siblings. The fragrance is too new to be carried by other Oriza retailers, like First in Fragrance, at this point, but I’m sure that will change soon. As a side note, the Oriza line is now sold in New York at a boutique called Juju Amuse (see the details section below), but their e-shop only carries clothing, not fragrances. However, Luckyscent in LA will start carrying the Oriza L. Legrand line starting next week, including the lovely soaps. In the meantime, if you want to test Muguet Fleuri, Oriza’s original and very affordable 6-fragrance Sampler Set has now been expanded to 7, to include the new Muguet Fleuri.

All in all, Muguet Fleuri feels like Spring’s floral symphony in a fairy forest, and I highly encourage anyone who loves both lilies of the valley and violets to give it a try.

Disclosure: Sample courtesy of Oriza L. Legrand. That did not influence this review, I do not do paid reviews, and my opinions are my own.

DETAILS:
Cost & Availability: Muguet Fleuri is an eau de parfum that comes in a 100 ml or 3.4 oz bottle, and costs €90. Muguet Fleuri is available directly from Oriza’s e-store. A great sample set is also available from the e-Store (scroll down midway to the page and it’s on the right.) The set includes 7 fragrances in the range, except for Foin Fraîchement Coupé, with each scent coming in 2 ml spray vials. The whole thing costs a low €9. Separate shipping is listed as €9, but a friend said he was charged only €7. Oriza ships globally, as I’ve had readers order the sample set from all over. In the U.S.: Luckyscent should get the Oriza L. Legrand line next week. Right now, it is carried at New York’s JuJu s’amuse. It has two locations, and I’ve provided the number for one, in case you want to check whether they do phone orders: 100 Thompson Street New York, NY 10012, with Ph: (212) 226.1201; but, also, 1220 Lexington Avenue (at 82nd Street), New York, NY 10018. Other vendors in Europe: Oriza’s perfumes are also sold at Paris’ Marie-Antoinette (which was my favorite perfume shop in Paris), as well as one store in Sweden. In the Netherlands, the Oriza line is carried at ParfuMaria. Germany’s First in Fragrance also carries the Oriza Legrand line, but Muguet Fleuri is not shown on their website at this time. Oriza L. Legrand is also sold at a few places in Japan. For details on those retailers and the Swedish store, you can check Oriza Points of Sale page.

55 thoughts on “Oriza L. Legrand Muguet Fleuri: Spring’s Fairy Forest

  1. You write such tantalizing posts that everything you really like (and even some of the things you don’t), I want to try! 🙂 This sounds fascinating, and I say that as someone who doesn’t think of myself as huge into florals. Bravo on yet another excellent review.

    • Thank you, my dear. I’ve very touched, and I really appreciate your kind words.

  2. Oh, you’ve don’t it again, Kafka! What an exquisite review, and you have just created my first lemming in quite some time. As soon I get done swooning, I must get a sample (at least) of this….

    • Well, you know I was thinking of you when writing this, didn’t you? Between the Chypre Mousse and the forest/fairy feel, it really is quite you!

      The only thing that concerns me with regard to you, though, is the fact that Lily of the Valley can go quite soapy on some skin. It was a little soapy on me here as well — more so later on than at the beginning, and definitely more so at a lower quantity than when I applied a lot. That part, and the powderiness that eventually arrives…. I don’t know how you’d feel about that.

      But the opening is magical! Especially if you apply a lot to get that full liquid sensation!

      • As soon as I saw the title of the post and the pictures you chose I was so very excited. I wondered if you thought it might suit me!

        I’m okay with a little powder, I do worry a bit about the soap, but so far it seems as if if it doesn’t deter you, I’m usually okay with it as well. I also mind that very high quality french soap smell much less than the more common cheap soap that can happen in some perfumes.

        I will, however, be sure to spray on plenty the first time so as to get the full effect! It sounds like something that would be worth wearing on my hair or clothes even if it didn’t work on my skin. After all, fragrances like these are just so rare, and will probably become even rarer with increasing regulations.

        But, I have my fingers crossed that it will work on my skin for sure! Thank you again for such a gorgeous review!

  3. The Spring time sister to Chypre Mousse? A mention of DeProfundis??

    Say no more, Muguet Fleuri just shot to the top of my Buy List!!

    Great timing too, as the Muguet is just pushing its spiral shoots up through the leaves of my woodland garden.

    • I was just writing to someone else something that I think applies to you, too, James. Namely, I’m not sure how you may feel about the soapiness that is more visible if you apply a small(er) quantity, and the floral powderiness that subsequently arrives. Those are two things NOT evident in either Chypre Mousse or De Profundis. They weren’t my favorite part of Muguet Fleuri, either. It’s the opening that is definitely the spectacular part, imo, especially if you apply a lot so that one gets the full liquid, wet, iciness of the scent.

      That said, I definitely think Muguet Fleuri has the same overall atmospherics and vibe as Chypre Mousse and De Profundis, even if the actual notes are different. It has the greenness and the “Essence of Nature” feel of Chypre Mousse, but it also definitely has the icy, cool florals of De Profundis.

  4. Chypre mousse! i know its supposed to be an autumnal walk in the forest, but i think of it as a spring walk too !!
    my close second is Fleur d’Oranger 21, evanescent ornage blossom the way it smells in a garden at night, from , le labo…unfortunately the old Vent Vert is no longer available…but it was magnificent!

    • I had no idea that you’d tried Chypre Mousse, let alone that you loved it. How wonderful! That’s made me smile to no end, Ahmad! Seriously.

      However, I suspect from your comment that you meant to leave this in the Giveaway thread (I know, it became confusing), so I’ve put you down on the Giveaway list at #65!

  5. Lover of deep rich spice-orientals that I am, I do love a lily-of-the-valley break here and there. This sounds delicious. One of the very few things that I regret about living in central New Mexico is that I seldom smell a really fresh green scent in nature. But that’s okay, since I can import them.

    • I’m like you, with tastes that are on the polar opposite ends of the spectrum. I know that you disliked the mushroom aspect of Chypre Mousse, so I think this one would overcome that problem and, hopefully, work much better as a fresh, green scent.

      • I never get over being amazed at your memory! Yes, couldn’t deal with Chypre-Mousse, but I can hardly believe that you recall my chance remark made months ago. I will hope to try this one soon. Be well, my dear.

  6. Droooool. Green, foresty violets are narcotic to me as it is, and with muguet? Oooh, I need to try this. The End <3

  7. Dearest Kafka, you’ve piqued my interest in trying this despite my hate-hate relationship with LOTV. I love Chypre Mousse and a favorable comparison to it makes this a must try. I will try my luck on the giveaway!

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  9. I’m beyond excited that you got to review this!! I can’t wait to smell this. I LOVE Chypre Mousse, so I’m fairly certain I’ll be loving Muguet Fleuri as well. I’ve been in agreement so far with the Oriza scents you’ve tried.

  10. Alpine white and imperial purple in a sea of green? This sounds divine my dearest. I am not a hot weather kind of person but spring, as well as fall, are just the perfect inbetweeness for me. I do need, more than I am willing to admit, something to wash away all darkness (the same darkness I love, of course but alas! it has been too much, particularly these past months). Although green scents are not usually my cup of tea, you make Muguet Fleuri sound delightful. It may do well to my mind to actually have some crisp sharpness. The most intriguing part of your description for me are the violet aspects (both in flower and leaves form). I love violets for sentimental reasons and I just adore their humbleness. My grandfather’s house used to have many lilies of the valley in his front yard and I have the vivid memory of my dad removing some little white bells and pouring them on my head so the scent of lilies of the valley is a very beautiful and emotional memory scent for me, linked to almost pre-linguistic impressions. I am surprised you liked this so much, actually, and it is a pleasant surprise since I know, as you well state, you love dark masculine heavy orientals and so do I. I must smell this, you teaser!

    • Enter the giveaway! I put you down on the list anyway at #66, since I wasn’t sure if you meant to actually leave this comment in the next thread for the actual Giveaway.

      As for Muguet Fleuri, it’s actually not such an anomaly that I’d love it. Chypre Mousse was one of my biggest discoveries last year and one of my favorites, as is Serge Lutens’ De Profundis. For all that I love really dark, heavy, masculine scents, I’m a sucker for a certain type of delicate floral. (I *love* the opening of Puredistance’s Opardu! Made me head spin off its axis with all its lovely lilacs. Alas, the beautiful part barely lasted on me.)

      Your story about your grandfather’s house and father is simply beautiful, sweetie. I mean, really. So touching, and so tender. I could feel the emotional all the way through the aether and the screen. Thank you for honouring me by sharing something so deeply personal and meaningful.

      • Awwwwww, thank you my darling for adding me to the giveaway. I was planning on entering today but last night I wanted to read your review, first, and answer to that since your review, well you know, they inspire me.

  11. This sounds delightful – I would love to try it. I have 2 favorite muguet perfumes – Diorissimo and Muguet de Bois. Wonderfully evocative review and very generous giveaway.

      • The Id shows up on my end as SallyM, sweetie. But you haven’t left your comment in the Giveaway thread. You may want to do that. Just so I can keep my overall numbers straight. 🙂

    • I know you meant to put this in the Giveaway thread, and that the side-by-side posts on the subject became confusing, so I’ve got you on my Giveaway Entry list at #67. Good luck.

  12. You have done it again, Kafka! I imagine the masses just swooning over this fairyland creation of cool fresh spring in a bottle. There are very few perfumes I have tried that are as powerful or evocative as Chypre Mousse. To think that there is a sister to that is very exciting! I really do get the feeling from your words of coolness and clean sunwashed little forest flowers. I look forward to trying this Oriza someday. I am so glad you reviewed this, we need a harbinger of Spring!

  13. I really love the way you illustrate the world of Muguet Fleuri… It’s just so beautiful and makes me feel like I’m actually there! This definitely is going to be on my must try list. 🙂

  14. I was just about to order Chypre Mousse as I am totally craving a forest-walk scent for spring but you have convinced me that this is the one for now. And a wonderful opportunity to try one’s luck at the giveaway… Oh heaven: MF for spring – CM for autumn. Lovely work, Kafka – Bravo again – as always!

    • I think they’re different enough that BOTH are warranted, but let’s just start with Muguet Fleuri for now, eh? lol 😉 😉 Fingers crossed you have luck with the giveaway, but, if you don’t win, the sample set is a great way to try them both while you make up your mind.

  15. *#&%) !!!!!! Curses.

    I have had such poor luck with the Oriza line that I am hesitant to order a sample of this, but a foresty/violety lily of the valley scent with violet leaf sounds so up my alley that I’m tempted. No mushrooms or earthy stuff? That was what made Chypre Mousse just unwearable for me.

    I am wondering (will probably search, just to check) whether you tried and get on with Tauer Carillon pour un Ange. That one is my idea of a foresty muguet, and even though I don’t actually own a bottle, making do with samples, I do love it.

    • No, I haven’t gotten around to Carillion Pour Un Ange yet, though I’ve had a sample for a while. I’ve meant to get to it on a number of occasions, but something always seems to come up. The fact that Tauer uses a lot of ISO E Super in a good number of his fragrances (and told me that directly) is one reason for the hesitancy. But I’ll get to Carillon one day. 🙂

      • I don’t think I’m terribly bothered by ISO E Super, but I will say that the drydown of CpuA does not, to my nose, strongly resemble many of the other Tauers in the base. It’s much less fuzzy.

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  17. Oh, DAMN, I completely missed out on the Muguet Fleuri giveaway!!!! But, even though I missed out, your lovely review alone would tempt me… And then you have to go and say that it’s Chypre Mousse’s springtime sister??!! No way I could ignore THAT!!! I have been living in an Alahine and Chypre Mousse haze lately, wondering what in the world I would try now that spring has FINALLY decided to make an appearance here in New England. For the moment, anyway! 🙂
    So, although I don’t like soapiness, and can’t abide powdery notes in a fragrance, I’m placing an order for a sample in order to experience all of the glorious other notes you so beautifully described!
    My 87 year old mother wore Coty’s Muguet du Bois during the summer for years, so I look forward to re-visiting those days as a familiar scent triggers girlhood memories…

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  19. I wanted to let you know that I recieved this in the mail today. It is such a soft scent, very romantic. The green and muguet scents are what I noticed at first and are the notes that linger the longest. I do smell the woodsey scent which gives it a slightly deepr feel. This may sound silly but the first though it brought up for me was Holly Hobby, which on reflection for me is an impression of femininity and innocence. The labeling, I am in marketing after all, reflects this sensability to me as well. Thank you again for yosting the give away!

    • I’m glad it arrived safely. Thank you for letting me know. I don’t know what “Holly Hobby” references, but I do understand what you mean about femininity and innocence. 🙂 I’m glad you’re finding it enjoyable and romantic.

  20. Got my sample today! Unfortunately, my sense of smell seems to be negatively affected by my (not so) recent dental debacle. I know I’m not smelling subtleties. Anyhoo, I get a beautiful lily of the valley for 45 minutes that is an absolutely perfect match for my childhood memories of both the real flower and what I believe my mother’s Coty Muguet de Bois smelled like (as if!) 🙂 45 minutes is fleeting, but tis a lovely 45 minutes!

    • Oh dear, 45 minutes??! Really terrible. I’m a little surprised because I would consider Muguet Fleuri to be one of the powerful scents in the line. Not Chypre Mousse, but very far from something like Relique d’Amour. Stronger possibly than Jardins d’Armide, too. I’m so disappointed to hear that it dies so quickly on your skin. What a shame. 🙁

  21. Hi Kafka, welcome back.
    Just hopped in to say I finally got my hands on some Muguet Fleuri, and I love it! Your review of this one was right on the money! Belated thanks for a great review.

    • Thank you, James, for the welcome back. 🙂 As for Muguet Fleuri, how wonderful that it worked so well on your skin. I’m so very glad. And thank you for letting me know that your experience was similar to mine.

      • Late to the party too as I just got a decant in a swap but oh this is incredible, and brings back memories of Coty Muguet de Bois which was one of my first fragrance loves. The violets do give it backbone; it’s pretty and fresh and suits my grown up self the way MDB suited my tween self. I expect to wind up with a FB eventually.

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  24. What a great review! I had the pleasure of trying Muguet Fleuri at The Scent Bar in L.A. and it was truly wonderful. It’s on my wish list! I have found a lily of the valley scent that I think would work well for men: Decou-vert, by Laboratorio Olfattivo. I wrote a short review of that on Fragrantica if you’re curious.

    • I will look it up, Old Herbaceous, because I’ve liked a few other things from the brand so thank you for the tip. As for Muguet Fleuri, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! 😀

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