One of my favorite fragrances of 2009 was Yann Vasnier’s first collaboration with DelRae Roth for her perfume line Parfums DelRae, Mythique. M. Vasnier was able to create an iris which simultaneously embodied the colder and warmer aspects that can be found in iris fragrances. The key was the use of a costly Orris butter which seemed to impart this unusual duality.
For their second collaboration Mme. Roth and M. Vasnier choose another well-known floral as their central accord and, as in Mythique, find a unique source to build their new fragrance Coup de Foudre around. The flower at the center of Coup de Foudre is rose and M. Vasnier goes right to the heart of French perfumery in Grasse and uses one of the two remaining fields of Rose de Mai (Rosa Centifolia) as the source. Through a new extraction process gave the Rose de Mai a "feel of sniffing a live rose on the vine they wanted to add a new vibrancy to a rose fragrance".
Coup de Foudre is a French double meaning; literally it means lightning bolt, colloquially it means “love at first sight”. In many ways M. Vasnier’s composition encompasses both of those meanings and as the rose at the heart of Coup de Foudre develops there is a moment where the lightning and the love converge somewhere in the heart of this.
Coup de Foudre opens with a restrained citrus grouping of pink grapefruit, lemon, and bergamot. The top notes here last for a fleeting moment as if you were running by a citrus grove on your way to the rose garden. Once you make your metaphorical journey to that rose garden the central Rose de Mai accord appears. This is the smell of a rose garden just after the sun has evaporated the dew and the bouquet is at its headiest. This is where the lightning in Coup de Foudre strikes. The heart note of Rose de Mai has a living depth to it that is remarkable. M. Vasnier allows it to stand on its own like a crown jewel for a moment before adding in some other floral accords to allow this rose jewel to show off some of its other characteristics. Those notes are a non-indolic jasmine, a fresh peony, and a slightly green and woody magnolia. These notes accentuate, respectively, the lushness, the slight sweetness , and the green in the Rose de Mai. This floral core of Coup de Foudre is like a new lover; you are reluctant to let it go, as the base of oakmoss and sheer musk with a soupcon of tonka leaves Coup de Foudre as lightly as the citrus topnotes began it.
Coup de Foudre has excellent longevity and excellent sillage.
As they did in Mythique, Mme. DelRae and M.Vasnier take a high quality natural source of a floral note and by surrounding it with well-chosen ingredients have created a lightning bolt that lovers rose fragrances will adore as they hum "La Vie en Rose".
Disclosure: This review was based on preview samples provided by Luckyscent.
http://www.luckyscent.com/shop/section/1/item/37908/brand/Parfums_DelRae/Coup_de_Foudre.html
-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor
Editor's Note: Congratulations to Yann, who is the nez for Marc Jacobs Lola which won a 2010 FIFI award for Fragrance of the Year Women's Luxe