Some Impressions of Le Jardin Retrouve Scents

Le Jardin Retrouve was kind enough to offer its scents for us to review. Here are my notes on the first three I tried.

Honestly? If you had to force me to choose between the sandalwood and the vervain, I'd melt down. The rose is lovely, but the other two are more startlingly original while being amazingly comforting as well. The sandalwood is evocative of the Sicties without being hippie fragrance; the vervain is simply outstanding.

Rose Trocadero: watch how much is applied; it's a very strong rose. Two full sprays on paper were enough to fill a good-sized area with its amazing scent. Spritz carefully; it has incredible sillage before drydown. It's lush rose though, clearly real and surprisingly rose absolute rather than rose otto, so the percentage level of perfume oils is clearly outstanding for EdP. As drydown continues, its black currant scent develops more fully, and finally, when it's become a skin scent, the musk reveals itself in all its glory. On me, it took about half an hour to calm (the first person I asked to check still thought it too strong); after 90 minutes, two other scent testers approved of the scent level, though what still came across as pure rose was a bit intense for them. Black currant bud began developing about two hours in. Decent musky, sensual skin scent, redolent of black currant and musk lasted about two hours longer, so overall effects were nearly 7 hours.

Sandalwood Sacre starts with a burst of sandalwood, reminiscent of 1960s sandalwood incense and sandalwood oil, immediately tempered with patchouli and oakmoss. It's a bit funky at first drydown as the musk develops, a bit soapy, and then where is that orange coming from? It's not so much a scent as a place, and a protective one at that. If you're out for an evening, it can be mysterious, but if you're home alone, it's amazingly comforting, either a warm bath or a cozy bed with a cat curled up with you. It's a bit feline, like Siamese cats guarding temples. Beautiful but guarded, wary but inviting. It has the feel of an Arab or Indian attar-based oriental fragrance but without the heaviness. It's wonderfully light and not oil-overpowering, as if the scent were on the breeze rather than on you. Moderate longevity, but worth every moment.

Vervaine d'Ete opens with a burst of herbal and citron glory as well as the vervain. It's a true chypre with traditional herbal and citrus cologne elements. It's completely unisex, a riot of cool notes that are simultaneously relaxing and invigorating, as if one were coming out of a good nap with fresh energy. If you like light chypre, things don't come much better. Moderate sillage, no leather notes; it's not Bandit or Azuree. It's friendly and approachable rather than startling to people not used to chypre accords. On me, the citrus dominates, but not offensively so; the vervain isn't completely overcome by the kolnischwasser effects of lemon and basil. My elderly father finds it "a good everyday perfume for going shopping and going around," not just a special occasion scent, so it's perfect for a work choice as well.

For information and generous samples, visit lejardinretrouve.com. The prices are lower than many equivalent scents because of the maison's internet-only sales at this time. However, their shipping from France is delightfully rapid, and everything from samples to full kits are beautifully packaged.