Hey Olfactoria’s Travelers,
Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse to chat about a fragrance house that I discovered properly on my trip to Europe. It is, in the fashion of the day, a resurrected house from history and we (Michael & I) were lucky enough to be invited to their 18 Rue Saint-Augustin, 75002 Paris, France headquarters and store for a visit.
The house was resurrected by two gentlemen whose love of fragrance and dedication to their ideal shines from them, and during our 2-3 hours in their company they took us through their whole range, showed us their fragrances, soaps and candles, laughed, instructed and generally entertained us.
Here are Hugo, myself and Franck
One of the things I liked most about Franck & Hugo was that they presented their re-issue of old world fragrances as being “as close as we could get with today’s perfumery while keeping it modern” which showed me that they are interested in the truth as well as good fragrance. As the house’s creation Horizon is currently up for an Olfaction Award I thought we’d look at another of their stand out fragrances, this one for an entirely different, softer style.
Oeillet Louis XV was created by Hugo Lambert for Oriza L. Legrand in 2012.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Pink Pepper, Mandarin
Heart: White Carnation, Carnation Absolute, White Orchid, Iris, Rose, Spicy Clove
Base: Rice Powder, White Musk, White Honey, Woody Notes
Pink pepper is so often done cheaply and nastily and I thought I didn’t like it. Well, here set in this surrounding of powder and sweet citrus, I am thinking it was the creators not the note I used to dislike. In Oeillet Louis XV it works as a shimmering patina over the very fluffy powder (I think when I say powdery I mean that the powders of my memory were scented with iris and citrus) that is as cozy and soft as the clouds painted in churches with cherubs.
The carnation is a soft and fluffy one too, for some reason I was expecting it to be sharper and greener, here we have a veil of luxurious carnation that wears surprisingly close to the skin. If your major carnation fragrance reference is Bellodgia by Caron then you are in for a much more intimate, wearable ride that plays quite primly. Conversely, if you don’t like carnation because of it’s BIGness in many fragrances here you will be pleasantly surprised.
Oeillet Louis XV is quiet enough to be a work/everyday scent but interesting and different enough that you will still be waving your perfumista freak flag.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
As we move further through the Oeillet Louis XV lifespan, the carnation becomes more pronouncedly clove-ish and the honey adds a murmur of sweet, clean, domesticated, animal. All the while there is a powdery feeling, a lovely, fresh, soft and elegant waft that is never intense or confronting but works as a glistening, a gild over your own smell.
Even deep into the heart of the fragrance I get wafts of something juicy, maybe the boys chose a zingy, fruity rose accord but it harks back nicely to the opening mandarin and creates a more circular sensation in the story. Iris doesn’t really play a starring role until well into the heart either, though it has been doing marvelous chorus work.
The woods are amorphous, a backing that never makes much noise for me and feel more like tobacco and I completely miss the orchid through the heart, but seriously it’s probably my skin and nose that often misses things until given a fragrance and the part separately to sniff the piece then the frag and work out connections.
Oeillet Louis XV frag life is average at under 6 hours and it wears pretty close to the skin, you will have a quiet sillage though and anyone lucky enough to come in close will be gifted a beautiful fragrant hug.
Photo Stolen Oriza L Legrand
Powdery and peppery, silky and spicy, Oeillet Louis XV soothes yet confuses with its paradoxes. Reminiscences of an ancient time, powder fades and gives way to spicy notes of clove. Oeillet Blanc is homage to the beloved French King Louis XV who saw Oriza’s birth and became its most illustrious customer.
– from the Oriza L Legrand site
Further reading: Ca Fleure Bon and Kafkaesque
Oriza L Legrand does sample sets of their line €9/ 7 x 2ml spray samples of their line
Oriza L Legrand has Oeillet Louis XV €120/100ml
First In Fragrance has the Oriza L Legrand line €120/100ml and €4/3ml samples
Hope you’re all well, it’s spring up there and this will be a perfect spring scent. Also, if you get to Paris you must visit the boys!
Portia xx
Olfactoria's Travels 
Portia, just when I think you can’t have packed anything else into your epic fragrance pilgrimage you come up with another great snippet.
I’m often put off by these kind of heritage brands but these guys sound very down-to-earth and I appreciate their approach.
Carnation is often done so badly in perfume but this soft powdery version sounds much better than most.
Hey there Tara,
It was an incredible trip, every day had new fragrant adventures and enterprises. Yes, the boys are down to earth, they found a wonderful story and are building quite a line from it.
You will probably get there beforehand but Jin and I have decided Europe again in early 2016. Would you please come hang with us in Paris? We can collect you on the way through.
Portia xx
Portia, I would seriously love that x
Hi Portia,
oh, I love the pictures and the pistachio coloured wall, you seem to have had a fabulous and entertaining time!
Last year I ordered the sample set and am still impressed about the generous price they offer for samples, how great!
To my nose the beginning of Louis smells a bit like soda pop, fizzy and sparkling and then the clove gains the upper hand complemented by musk and honey, very interesting and unusual but I can’t wave my perfumista freak flag (maybe a tiny humble hanky…).
Anka,
Yes the sample set is ridiculously good value. What was your favourite?
Excellent take on Oeillet Louis XV, it could absolutely be a powdery soda pop, like a PEZ. Do you remember them?
Portia xx
PEZ, yes, of course and they are still available here…
From the line I liked Foin Fraichement Coupé 1886, it really captures the smell of freshly mown and slightly wet grass. In contrast to Déjà le Printemps, which reminds me a little bit of lovely Lubin’s Figaro, FFC is cheerful whilst DlP to me has a melancholic touch.
My favorite probably is Horizon – and I don’t get Chypre Mousse at all (but am fascinated that it is so beloved and will keep on trying to understand its power of attraction).
You have sent me back to my sample set. I will wear the FFC tomorroew, and while I liked Chypre Mousse very much it was Jardins d’Armide that i bought.
Portia x
Hey Portia,
I had the good opportunity to visit these fine gentlemen of Oriza when I was in Paris in December! I had a great time there as well and left with a bottle of Chypre Mousse. I believe Oriza is a brand worth watching out for because of their creative and original offerings that straddle the middle-ground of ‘throwback to the past vintage’ and ‘modern chic’ perfectly. Now I’m off to wear my sample of Louis XV!
Aha! Chypre Mousse. I bet you smell killer in it. It seems to be the frag garnering the most love among the set and I can understand why, Michael loved it too.
It will be very interesting to see what they do next.
Portia xx