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French Artisanal Perfumers


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As you can see from my profile, I am a perfume lover or to be exact, a 'Perfumista'.

 

I was wondering if any members on here have a favourite 'artisanal' perfumer that they often visit. In other words, a small perfumery in some quiet backwater that produces the most exquisite fragrances.

 

I would love to read about them.

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Not a favourite small perfumer, however, my wife has a favourite fragrance, casmir by chophard. Which I have trouble finding her.

Usually purchase a bottle at Sephora in Paris whilst on business. Which reminds me......... Why is it so hard to find?

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There is a wonderful company called L'Orientaliste, who are based in Morocco (ok not France but francofone) but I think make their perfumes in Grasse from Moroccan ingredients gathered in the Atlas mountains. If you are ever in Marrakech they are at 15 rue de la Liberte. I don't know if you can visit their parfumerie in Grasse, or if you can buy their stuff in France.

Their jasmin oil is to die for, and their packaging in gorgeous, glass flacons with Moroccan metal filigree and so forth. Nearest I have been able to find on the net is their Jasmin eau de parfum from www.myvanitycase.com

Email of L'Orientaliste if you want to find out more is:

[email protected]
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Apero, I think that for some reason, Chopard isn't very well known. They certainly don't advertise to the extent that some of the bigger houses advertise.

I don't know where you are based, but this company in the UK has it in stock. I hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting the link.

 

http://www.escentual.co.uk/cgi-bin/Escentual.storefront/en/Product/10000255?1042

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Katie, I suppose the word perfumista basically means a perfume expert but I am far from being an expert. I suppose you could say that I am a perfume critic and review various perfumes and also help people on the site where I moderate, which is listed on my profile.

 

Perfumes these days are put into different classes. There are the mainstream fragrance houses where the majority of the scents are wholly synthetic based and can be bought anywhere from big department stores and discount shops. Next comes the 'Niche' houses like Serge Lutens, Victoire Gobin-Daude, Le Prince Jardinier etc. They use higher concentrations of better quality ingredients. These are only available at select shop locations throughout the world, places like Les Senteurs in London, Harrods, Fortnums, Liberty and Narvey Nicks. Artisanal perfumers are usually a 'one man band' operating from a small shop tucked away in the countryside somewhere. They might distill some of their own oils for use in the perfumes that they make by hand from start to finish. It's these type that I am interested in.

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Usually Katie, the artisanal perfumers don't charge the excessive amounts that the big houses charge. They are artists of scent and do the creating through their love of the art, not to get massively rich from selling their scents.

 

I once discovered a tiny profumeria tucked away in a back street in Venice and the prices were unbelievably cheap, so I suppose the same will apply to the ones in France.

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Usually, they come in fairly plain bottles with a simply designed label.

I know that there are many people who collect pristine bottles of perfume and never open them. To me this is a waste of perfume. Perfume was created to be worn and enjoyed. Having said that, I have a beautiful flacon of vintage Shalimar parfum that I haven't opened. Yes, I often wear perfumes that are marketed towards women as well.

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Yes I know what you are saying, like keeping wine I cannot understand that either. 

So you are a man?  You say you wear perfume marketed towards women 'as well'.  Do they sell male perfume as opposed to aftershave?  I hate the smell of aftershave it is really offputting.  A bit like cigars.

 I think I would like my bloke to smell like a posy of violets I would sniff him all day.

This gets more interesting by the minute.

Please tell be about the male perfume.

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Male perfume is now usually available in edt concentration. Years ago you could only get stuff like aftershave...Hai Karate and Old Spice....just typing those names made my fingers ache...LOL. A few companies like Guerlain and Caron have actually brought out 'parfum' strength fragrances for men. Some companies like the ones I mentioned earlier like Serge Lutens create scents that are not 'gender specific', in other words anybody can wear them. The way I look at it is, if a perfume is nice and you want to wear it, go ahead.

 

As for your comment about a violet scent for men. There are 2 which stand out as being fabulous scents. In London on Jermyn Street and Curzon Street, they also have a website, is a gentleman's barbers called Geo F Trumper and they make the most amazing violet cologne for men called Ajaccio Violets made from violets from Corsica. Another violet based men't scent is one called Grey Flannel made by Geoffrey Beene which can usually be found on the internet for a reasonable price.

 

Here is Trumpers website. scroll near to the bottom and you will see the Ajaccio Violets.

http://www.trumpers.com/shop_detail.cfm?family=Colognes%20%26%20Aftershaves

 

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My husband always wears "Extract of West Indian Limes" from Geo Trumper's.  I've been buying it from there for years.  I used to work around the corner but now I am in France I get it sent to me by mail order.  They were very helpful last Christmas when one package must have got lost in the post and they sent another by express delivery at no extra charge and just asked me to return the first one if it ever turned up (which it did, and I did).   Apparently Prince Charles buys stuff from there too.  What I like is that you can buy the aftershave/eau de cologne/eaue de toilette, whatever you want to call it, in a really posh glass bottle but then you can buy future bottles in a plain plastic one to keep the costs down.

I love anything limey and my friend bought me a nice eau de toilette from Cuiza, I think that's in Pyranées Orientales.  It was called something simple like "huile de citron vert" but it was so lovely an fresh just for every day use - I'd love to know where I could get some more.  I did drop a heavy hint for my birthday but I got Madhur Jaffrey's Encyclopaedia of Currey - excellent present, but not quite as pleasant smelling behind the ears[;-)]

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Another Trumpers fan!

I think that citrus scents work much better in hotter climates. I agree that the scent would smell better dabbed behind your ears and possibly behind your knees to create a wonderful sillage in your wake. Books just don't have the same effect...LOL, although a perfumer called Chris Brosius has created a scent called 'In the Library' which smells like library books.

One scent that I would suggest you try if you like citrus based scents is Eau d'Hadrien made by the late Annick Goutal. It should be fairly easy to find if you live in France. It really is a beautiful fragrance.

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Barry thank you for the link, it will come in very handy. My wife has been wearing casmir for years now and has become her signature perfume, you always know when she is in a room. I will point out your forum to her, though my wallet may take a big hit if I do.

Regards

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Apero...you are most welcome. iI your wife does join, lock up your credit card, that's what we always tell new members. I post on there under the name of Prince Barry. The 'prince' bit is a long story so I won't bore anybody with it, I didn't choose it, the other members did.
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[quote user="Barry"]

 Having said that, I have a beautiful flacon of vintage Shalimar parfum that I haven't opened. Yes, I often wear perfumes that are marketed towards women as well.

[/quote]

Oohh my favourite, Shalimar. I am just about out and beginning to have a problem finding the perfume. A few places have told my husband it is no longer made but don't believe it, will have to search when I return to the UK.

Would also be interested in the small perfumers they do sound wonderful but unfortunately my guess would be not too many around in the Dordogne [Www].  If anyone knows something different, please let me know. [:)]

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Shalimar is still made in the parfum version. Guerlain just wouldn't dare discontinue it. Recently, Guerlain were going to reformulate their Mitsouko but they got bombarbed with emails from perfume lovers and decided against the idea.

You should be able to get Shalimar parfum at any major department store that has a Guerlain concession, failing that, you could always use it as an excuse  to go to Paris and viisit the flagship store on the Champs Elysee.

It would be great to find out about any small perfumers.

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