Darling Olfactoria’s Travelers,
Portia from Australian Perfume Junkies and Perfume Posse and today I’m trying a new-to-me house for you all. Not so long ago Karen Gilbert was in Australia and she left me three samples of the Papillon range, I really loved the Tobacco Rose one while she was in town but I didn’t get to spend much time with Angélique, yet it haunted me a bit, I was wondering if it was as good as I remembered or if I was just having such a good time that the world smelled gorgeous.
Angélique was created by Liz Moores for Papillon Artisan Perfumes in 2014.
Photo Stolen Fragrantica
Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Mimosa petals, orris, champaca, osmanthus, cedar, olibanum
From the Papillon site:
Osmanthus. White Champac. Orris. Mimosa. Frankincense. Cedarwood.
“Inspiration for my perfumes comes to me in many ways, but none more so than from the nature in my own garden. Angélique began as an olfactory portrait of the Iris Pallida; days spent breathing in the delicate scent of the flowers and the honeyed aroma of pollen emerged as nature’s own sketch of what Angélique would become.
Angélique became a perfume based on my personal impression of the beautiful Iris Pallida, a flower that is as captivating and angelic as nature herself.”
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
The dry green rasp of torn new branches and leaves, rooty and crisp fresh pulled carrots and the pretty, green, furry flutter of mimosa open Angélique. We are talking a seriously beautiful fragrance that is spring, dewy mornings, it’s the cool sunrise, it’s new growth, fresh cut flowers and water.
The heart of Angélique is warmer, woodsier, rustic life as a woodcutter or a woodcutters home, the logpile and the beeswax and resins used to keep the wood lovely and moisturised. It is the balmy goodness that wins out in the end, a soft salve for cracked hands and heels that smells of the spring from whence it came, even in the deads of high winter and summer.
Photo Stolen WikiMedia
I only got two wears out of my small vial that I spritzed. It was worth it to be submerged in this beauty. Simple, wearable and still interesting. I would recommend Angélique to anyone who is bored with the current crop of fragrance and mass-tige: this is different and good.
Further reading: Nick Gilbert and Olfactoria’s Travels
LuckyScent has $160/50ml
Papillon has £94/50ml and samples
Have you got your sniff on this set yet? Angélique, Anubis and Tobacco Rose are their names and Tara has reviewed them here. Tobacco Rose is getting the most blog loving and I really adore it too, there may be another Papillon post coming very soon.
Portia xx
Olfactoria's Travels 
I’m a big fan of Papillon, and love Angelique – which is not my usual type of scent (usually sporting heavy orientals…). Angelique is such a lyric scent, full of soul and beauty – somehow heartbreaking
Yes Lady Jane Grey,
I totally get that you could find heartbreak in Angelique. What an excellent way to put it. A seed of melancholy.
Which is your fave of the trio?
Portia xx
Anubis is a masterpiece, but Angelique totally got me…
Loved getting your take on Angelique, Portia and I hope to read more of your thoughts on the line. Tobacco Rose is my favourite because some days I just want – and need – to drown in ruby red rose petals. I’d love to smell Anubis on a guy.
Can’t wait for Liz’s new White Moth to come out this spring.
Tara, I could completely imagine you drowning in ruby rose petals in some enormous Pre-Raphaelite painting. What an image and so perfect for you.
OOOOOH! A new one. Have you had a sniff yet?
Portia xx
I have been lucky enough to sniff one of the later mods and am extremely eager to try the finished perfume. Like V, I suspect it will be my favourite so far.
Hi Portia. These sound very nice. I hope to try them one day. xo
I’ll bring you samples when I come over Sandra.
Nice one Tara. There you go Sandra, your wish delivered.
Portia xx
Well, Sandra got a sniff from my sample yesterday already – so now she’s really looking forward 😀
Portia, nice review. I bought a sample set of the three Papillon perfumes from Indigo and now have FBs of Anubis and Angelique. The only reason I don’t have a FB of Tobacco Rose is because I am afraid to properly try it for fear of falling for it, too 😉
Different and good indeed!
Hey there Hajusuuri,
WOW!! I could imagine Angelique becoming a Go-To fragrance, easy wear but still interesting and beautiful.
Yes, the Papillon line all feels luxuriously crafted to me.
Portia xx
Angelique was my favourite of the line. Enjoyed the review and love your woodcutter analogy – I am trained in using an electric log splitting machine and in precision stacking of a wood store, wood you believe? 😉 Angelique is a playful will-o-the-wisp of a scent, but I think I am going to fall even harder for White Moth when it comes out. Even the name is just so perfect.
WOW! Vanessa you a constant source of surprise abilities. You are a bit like Mary Poppins rummaging around in her bag looking for things, except you pull out new abilities. Ah May Zing.
Yes, White Moth does sound very interesting.
Portia xx