NEW FRAGRANCE REVIEW: L’Artisan Parfumeur Seville a l’Aube – The Spanish Dawn Brings a Bounty of Blossoms + Time & Place Draw

The newest perfume from L’Artisan Parfumeur, Seville a l’Aube, was created by master perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour based on the description of a particularly sensual night spent in Seville by blogger and author Denyse Beaulieu. Her book, The Perfume Lover, includes a recounting of the creation of the perfume, but since I haven’t gotten my hands on a copy of the book, I will be reviewing the perfume for its own sake and on its own merits.

I will be the first to admit I am an orange blossom zealot – actually that whole family of orange blossom, neroli, petitgrain, and bergamot appeals to me, and I am ever on the lookout for a new orange blossom-centric fragrance.  I had high hopes for Seville a l’Aube when the first news of it came down the wire, with its notes of orange flowers, beeswax and incense.

Seville a l’Aube is heavy on the petitgrain, a member of the citrus aroma family, created from the twigs of the bitter orange tree. The perfume opens green and a bit sharp, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. As I sat here and did a little work, I started getting delicious wafts of the blossom at the heart, accompanied by a sweet honey note. The whole fragrance is coming to life.

I decided to go whole hog and give the perfume the décolleté test with a full multi-spritz wearing. This only happens when a fragrance passes the wrist test and I want to immerse myself. I am glad I did. The petitgrain is less bitter and more green now that I have allowed the perfume to be distributed more widely on my skin. There is something about this perfume that is making me feel languid and loose-limbed, and wanting to be vaguely reclined on soft cushions reading a romance novel. Since I don’t read much by way of romance novels, that’s quite a trick.

As I go about my business, puffs of sweet orange blossom honey reach my nose now and again. Those who may be intrigued by the idea of adding incense to orange blossom may not be satisfied, because it is subtle, and the base notes add grounding to the more ethereal heart without damaging it.  There is a twinge of floral lavender that wanders in and out, but it is not harsh or sneezy like some lavenders can be, and I enjoy having it there. After doing some weeding and household chores, I am getting fantastic aromas from my décolleté. The heat of exertion brought the best out in the fragrance, and if I decide to buy it, it will be sprayed on my steamier spots instead of my wrists. Longevity is quite good, and although the far drydown is slightly flat and nondescript, the blossomy part lasted a nice amount of time.

Is this finally my Holy Grail of orange blossoms? Can I stop looking? Alas, no. The search continues. Am I going to want to have a bottle for my O.B. collection? All signs point to “yes”. 

Notes per Denyse Beaulieu: petitgrain, petitgrain citronnier, orange blossom absolute, beeswax absolute, incense resinoid, Luisieri lavender absolute and Siam benzoin resinoid.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Seville a l’Aube will be available starting in early September at MiN NY and other retailers. My sample was graciously provided by MiN NY.

Thanks to L'Artisan Parfumeur we have a 15mL press sample of Seville a l'Aube to giveaway. To be eligible leave a comment on what one note you associate with a special place or time in your life. We will draw one winner on July 19, 2012 via random.org.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

–Tama Blough, Senior Editor

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83 comments

  • Linnea Wiedeman says:

    Jasmine is the biggest note for me. It reminds me of when i was 4 and lived with my grandma, playing in her back yard.

  • Farawayspices says:

    Yellow rose notes bring me back to the time of being a little girl, smelling the plump, curling blossoms in our backyard.

  • shannon says:

    Hawthorne reminds me a three lovely trees I had to walk under to get to work from the parking lot at my old hospital. Sounds odd, but those Hawthorne trees were so cheerful and for a short time in the spring, the blossoms scented the air with such an airy, sanguine scent.

  • RVB says:

    The saffron in an Indian blend called Muhamaria reminds me of an exciting winter a few years ago.Thanks for the draw!

  • Devon H says:

    I can’t smell an oakmoss heavy chypre without thinking of my grandfather. He’s almost 90, and is still wearing his old Royal Copenhagen, which doesn’t smell great on everyone, but the oakmoss in the drydown really comes out on him. It’s rich and intoxicating. It was one of my first “mmm men can smell good” scent memories as a child. I remember him in his more active days, when I was a child, wearing his Stetson hat, bolo tie, and big wafts of Royal Copenhagen as he would play with me and my younger brother. 🙂

  • Christy C says:

    The scent of beeswax brings me back to making intricate Ukranian easter eggs with my sisters and father, a special project we would do together every year.

  • Claudia says:

    Roses bring back a huge memory for me, spending time in my grandmothers garden when she was clipping her Roses, the amazing smell of all the different Roses was beautiful.

  • sunnlitt says:

    Fig. It takes me back to my grandparents’ yard and the huge fig tree that grew way back by the garage. Best climbing tree ever!
    Thanks for the wonderful drawing.

  • cheesegan says:

    The of scent of orange reminds me of the mock orange bush that grew at my grandparents farm and the scent of bees wax recalls the time I was a bee keeper apprentice-nothing smells better than the scent of a live hive, it is absolutely intoxicating.

  • Olga says:

    The most special note that I associate with the most special time in my life is green apple! I was in love with my then-not-husband and (as you may know) falling in love is a physical thing. It is accompanied by a hormonal attack which makes you into a heart-skipping insomniac. It affects your sense of smell, too. I could not eat during that time because the smell of food was way too much. A green apple shampoo I was using on my hair was the only fragrance I needed. Biochemistry of love…

    I would love to experience a fragrance that is to express the wonderful chemistry of love on a balmy night in Seville!

  • Brooke says:

    What a lovely review. I am on pins and needles waiting for this to arrive in my local Barney’s.
    I always associate hay with my childhood. My sister had horses and one of my chores was to help feed the animals. I absolutely love the scent and don’t smell it often since I am an urbanite with barely enough space for a lapdog.
    Thank you for the draw.

  • Len says:

    The scent of snow.. I know snow probably doesn’t have a smell but as a kid I remember holding a handful of snow to my nose and thinking it smelled like an angel would

  • Alica says:

    I will never forget the cypress tree orchard in Corsica, since then I have been looking for true cypress scent. Similar to lavender flowers crushed in my fingers, that scent is a heaven and I cannot find the same perfume. Thanks for the drawing opportunity!

  • Carlos J Powell says:

    Great review Tama. I too, am an OB lover. This may sound strange, but orange is a strong scent memory. The owner of the 2 family home I grew up in, used to burn orange peels on her stove, and we would smell it throughout the whole house.

  • Haunani says:

    Orange blossom and petitgrain with lavender and incense sounds like heaven! An association of mine: Plumeria (frangipani) always reminds me of arriving home to the Honolulu airport on summer breaks from college. Families and friends would greet arrivals at the gate with homemade leis. Oh, the aromas!

  • Lisa R says:

    Honeysuckle! I had a HUGE bush of them outside my window growing up… and used to sneak out with my older sister to trample through the creek area in the back of our house. Honeysuckle reminds me of that, as well as those nights when I was grounded from said mischief and sitting in the window sill smelling them and listening to the night.

  • eric m says:

    The smell of fresh tobacco leaves…it never fails to remind me of the afternoons spent in my granfathers study reading and snooping around with the odor of tobacco leaves ,emanating from his pipe smoking box, swirling around me..
    Thank you for this draw

  • Ines says:

    I associate the smell of labdanum and herbs with the early summer heat of the place where I vacation. The most wonderfully fragrant air one could imagine…

  • Adrienne says:

    I remember gardenia from visiting with a friend in Florida. She had it in her garden. Sadly, she passed away (cancer), but the good memories linger when I catch a whiff go gardenia.

  • Lethe says:

    It’s amber for me, reminds me of a very exciting time in my life some time ago, and the way the house used to smell then. Makes me so nostalgic, though.

  • yash says:

    most definitely the smell of fresh dewy frangipanis…peachy, floral,luscious blooms reminding me of mornings in Mauritis Island where I grew up..
    Thank you for the draw.

  • Irina says:

    tobacco always reminds me of my early childhood and my father’s hugs
    thanks for the draw

  • JAntoinette says:

    Boxwood will forever remind me of lazy summer days at my grandparents’ house when I was a kid; any time I smell that scent I am transported!

  • Nita says:

    The sweet smell of honeysuckle reminds me of Summers in Virginia when we were children, running and playing outside all day long into the evening.
    Thank you for this draw!

  • Ccc says:

    Aldehydes and Feb in NY. Icy cold, crisp and a clean blue sky.

    Thank you for the draw.

  • Nina Z says:

    The smell of acacia reminds me of my childhood. We had a huge acacia tree on the hill above our house, and I used to sit alone when I was young day dreaming and writing bad poetry. Later I had my first kiss with the beautiful boy who became my first lover under that same tree. The Frederic Malle perfume captures that scent perfectly.

  • AubreyZ says:

    I am dying (dying!) to try this! I just received the book last weekend, though things have been too hectic to crack it open. I’m hoping to find some peaceful time with the book and perfume before the baby comes.

    Night blooming jasmine will always remind me of peacefulness. I hardly ever smell it except for the cool mornings, before dawn, when I would go for jogs before work a few years back. Those jogs were some of the most peaceful times in my life, and the smell of the jasmine felt like a little secret, sacred present from the universe.

  • kathleen says:

    Nice review, now I want this.

    I don’t know what the one note is, but it’s in Bois des Iles 🙂

  • ringthing says:

    Galbaunum brings back memories of family picnics in the 70s with the scents of my mother & favorite aunt (Aliage & Azuree) and my own Chanel 19.

  • Mals86 says:

    No need to enter me in the draw, Tama – I still have some of my sample… and am not really an OB ho anyway. (Tubey ho checkin’ in.)

    I really like that sharpish green opening; seems like I only really like orange blossom when it’s got that leafy green, slightly bitter thing keeping it out of soapy territory. I did find the incense and cold-stone notes dampening my enjoyment of the orange blossom after awhile, but then that portion is very Duchaufour, and I’m not a huge fan.

    It’s a fascinating scent, though.

  • Sujaan says:

    L’Artisan does it again! So excited to try this.
    My favorite notes from my childhood are from my grandparents house in California. They had blood orange trees, tangellos, kumquats, and kiwis! I thought all this was so exotic as a child. My mouth still waters when I think of that time. We put fresh yogurt and raw honey on the fruit. It was amazing!

  • Cynthia says:

    I love OB so I can’t wait to get my hands on a sample of this. When I get a whiff of wisteria it takes me straight back to summer’s when I was quite young, and my secret spot beneath the boughs of a dwarf wisteria bush.

  • Sherobin says:

    Beautiful review! Awaiting this scent with great anticipation; orange blossom is my greatest perfume weakness, but orange blossom with honey and beeswax…oh my…

    One of my most favorite scent memories is connected with honey and beeswax. My dad used to raise bees when I was little, and when he would open the hive to harvest the honey, he would bring out a couple of largish chunks of honeycomb and put one in my hands, one in my sister’s. There is nothing like eating sunwarmed honey fresh out of the hive, chewing the beeswax after the honey is gone. Talk about a rich sensory experience! The smells of almond and smoke were also strong in the air during the honey harvest, as smoke and some strongly scented bitter almond substance was used to drive the insects out of the hive. I think incense in an orange blossom honey fragrance sounds fantastic! Thanks for the draw!

  • AimeeL'Ondee says:

    Amber notes will always bring me straight back to high school–I had an obsession with hippy amber oil that I got from a shop on State St. in Madison, WI. Thanks so much for the draw!

  • ana says:

    It has to be tomato leaf. Although my boyfriend calls the fragrances that have a tomato leaf note bug sprays, they never fail to transport me back in my grandmother’s vegetable garden.It was my favorite spot as a child. Also linden blossoms. There were loads of linden trees in the little town where I grew up and the smell of them in late spring was amazing. The scent of happiness

  • Amy M. says:

    Lilac. It reminds me of my youth, my family home, and Springtime in the Mid-Atlantic. And my mother. 🙂
    Thanks for the draw!

  • missp says:

    There was a heavy green linden bees-wax sort of smell in the park near my house as a kid, and to this day I’m not exactly what it was. It was intoxicating.

  • Kate H. says:

    The scent of red roses take me back to my childhood. My grandfather had the most beautiful rose garden and I can’t remember a day that he didn’t have a beautuful rose bud on his lapel. Thank you for the draw!

  • brie says:

    Lemon of my dad who wore 4711 and my mum who wore Jean Nate and Nivea cream in my youth. Rose of my eldest daughter who enjoys that note in her fragrances. Wild orange essence, ruby red grapefruit and orange blossom of my middle child who loves citrus scents. Lilac for the lovely lilac bush that blooms outside of my son’s window and scents his room in the springtime. Frankinscense,labdanum and patchouli make me think of the winters in the northeast. Too many notes…too many memories 🙂 !!

  • Noxa says:

    The fig note always reminds me of my grandfather and his orchard and eating the sticky sweet fruit as a kid with him watching over me.

  • Joey says:

    The smell of cilantro always reminds me of my grandmother. She raised me, and I spent every day of my early childhood in her kitchen, watching her make the most delicious meals. The flavor base for her food always used cilantro. The scent makes my mouth water and my heart heavy.

  • Maureen says:

    Honeysuckle bushes used to grow around my schoolyard in grade school….smelling it now reminds me of running around at recess and my favorite nun who was a yard monitor and would actually play games with us.

  • TaffyJ says:

    The scent of peony bushes is what I associate with the old house I lived in a number of years ago. I loved that house. The peony fragrance would waft through the kitchen windows…it was so calming.

  • MariaA says:

    Acacia tree flowers, we had a large tree growing outside our balcony and when you live in the city this is rare, as acacias are not very popular here. Still remember the anticipation every spring to take a sniff of the lovely blossoms!!!
    Love the review!!!

  • Masgreb says:

    Fig is an instantly comforting scent of home for me. It brings me to a happy place every time.

  • Ellen Covey says:

    The heavenly smell of burning cedar and juniper on a cold night in Prescott, Arizona is a smell that I’ll never forget. It reminds me of the time when my son was going to college there and I’d go and visit him during the winter holidays.

  • Michelle U says:

    I associate the smell of Beeswax and Honey with my childhood and my grandfather! I love these notes in perfumes because they bring such happy memories. It’s like am a little girl again and I’m just waiting for my grandfather to come home with a big jar of honey. 🙂

  • Lindaloo says:

    One recent association: the gorgeous smell of mock orange blossom, enjoyed for one full month while catsitting at a friend’s. I had the pleasure of sitting in the sun-dappled walled garden breathing deeply of these beautiful blooms while supervising her two young, skittish cats (recently rescued from a shelter) taking their first forays outside. Any sudden sound or movement would have them come running back to the safety of my chair, where they would crouch down beside it wide-eyed working up the courage for their next expedition.

  • Elisa says:

    I associate the scent of real vanilla extract with my grandmother’s kitchen, and helping her bake as a child. However the only perfume I know of that smells just like that is Guerlain SDV — it’s so boozy! Thanks for the draw, I love orange blossom.

  • Francesca says:

    Orange Blossom remind me of Greece, the Pelaponese and its capital Nafplion, surrounded by miles and miles of Orange groves! Divine

  • Jan says:

    Jasmine is associated in my mind with walking through the streets of Granada after sunset. Rapturous and calm at the same time!

  • Amer says:

    Orange blossom, incense and beeswax are the three scents that characterize Greek churches more than anything else. To me this triptych brings to mind Greek easter and happy childhood memories when I was more of a church-goer. I too consider myself an orange blossom zealot and I have full faith in Denyse’s taste. I expect this to be amazing!

  • Barbara says:

    Beeswax reminds me of when I was a child and a neighbor was a beekeeper. This started my love of honey–love the taste and scent !

  • Sasha says:

    This isn’t exactly a single note, but just as Christopher Brosius associates Coppertone sunscreen with the the beach, every time I smell Neutrogena’s sheer sunscreen it takes me back to a summer I spent in the south of France years ago, when I would religiously apply it every morning before going outside (though I burned anyway!). I wonder what notes make up the sunscreen?

  • Stephen says:

    Diesel oil and the smell of my grandfathers pipe tobacco in his garage. I would spend the summer with them and his garage/workshop was where I was always found!

  • Holly F. says:

    The smell of roses brings me back to my Mom-Mom’s home, one of the happiest places of my childhood. She loved tending to her roses, and the scent of them wafted through her home. That scent always stops me in my tracks.

  • mim says:

    I associate… cigarettes with my grandmother, along with chanel 19. Her wool sweaters smelled like that surprisingly appealing combination plus real wool.
    Cigars with my grandfather. Their house always smelled like smoke and usually like some sort of roast (we mostly visited on holidays).
    I associate wild-growing rosemary, saffron, and warm baking pita with an undertone of heavy oil with spending an afternoon walking around Jerusalem. Patchouli and vanilla (both of the headshop variety) with high school.

  • GinnyM says:

    From Seville a L’aube, orange blossom will always remind me of my freshman roommate — but in general, the scent of violet makes me think my maternal grandmother just walked into the room!

  • Sue R says:

    I associate the scent of vanilla with childhood summers spent with family in a cabin in New Hampshire. My mother would buy an organic lotion from the local health food store up there that had the most fantastic earthy vanilla scent. It mingled perfectly with the smell of the woods and smoke of the fireplace. 🙂

    Thanks for the lovely review! I’m so looking forward to trying Seville a L’Aube and reading the Perfume Lover. 🙂

  • Kathryn says:

    I have a strong emotional connection to Mimosa, (or as we call it in Australia, Wattle Tree Blossoms). I grew up on a large, country property where this glorious scent filled the air. I remember playing under these trees as a child and being fascinated by its powdery and brittle buds, that crumbled between your fingers.

  • Amberosmanthus says:

    I have a strong connection with lavender. It symbolizes my first born daughter born healthy and vital after a late miscarriage ended my previous pregnancy with despair. I surrounded myself with lavender to help recover my spirits after my loss. Lavender also calmed and centered me throughout my next anxious pregnancy to the victorious moment in which I finally welcomed my daughter into the world. Seville a L’Aube sounds wonderful and even includes a wisp of lavender!

  • Deanna G. says:

    The smell of cantaloup reminds me of summer as a kid. It was like my favorite thing to eat.

  • Miki says:

    Oh, the smell of the Oriental lilies that are now blooming in the garden. Their perfume just makes you so happy to be part of this wonderfull world. Thank you for the draw.

  • Dana says:

    The smell of Fidgi perfume reminds me of my honeymoon in Bermuda. Not that it smelled like Bermuda, per se, but I did buy a bottle of real perfume in a shop in Hamilton. I wish I still had that bottle. Thanks for the draw.

  • Karin says:

    What a wonderful draw! Anxious to try this one cause I love the back story…and am looking forward to reading Denyse’s book.

    As to a note that reminds me of a special time or place in my life…lilacs. Growing up, we had a number of lilac bushes in our yard. They were heavenly. Lilacs are nostalgic for me, bringing back good childhood memories.

  • Undina says:

    Thank you for the draw!

    I have a strong association of Linden Blossom with my high school graduation time: bittersweet but beautiful.

  • Kata says:

    Vanilla (pure, little sugary vanilla) always reminds me of my childhood – family events with lots of cakes, cookies. Vanilla always comforts me, and makes me happy. And I’m really fascinated by the uncountable shades of vanilla, it has so many faces, on the one end of the scale there is the “raw”, almost masculine vanilla, on the other end the sweet, sugary vanilla. And between the two ends there are so many wonderful vanillas.
    Not exactly a note, but I always associate Tresor In Love with my wedding day because it was my wedding scent, and I associate Ava Luxe’s Milk with the seconds I first held my baby in my arms, because I went to the delivery room wearing Milk.

  • harper says:

    eucalyptus leaves — always reminds me of a summer spent in portugal, particularly the gardens of sintra!

  • Isa says:

    I associate orange flower with my hometown, Murcia, in Spain. When I was a child I used to go to a park where there were (and there are) orange trees, and the scent in spring was wonderful.

    Thanks for the drawing!

  • Jessica says:

    Thanks for this great drawing. I am completely obsessed with the booziness of beeswax absolute. Add incense and orange blossom, well these are three of my favorite things. What’s that song? “Matchmaker matchmaker make me a match.” Oh no that’s not it. Do consider me anyway. Aloha, Jes

  • May says:

    After a painfull breakup I decided to take a trip to lisbona a city that I always wanted to see since I have a big love for Fado music and a special place in my heart for Jose Saramago was end of Mars, the city was all wet and cloudy something unusual in always sunny Lisboa, I got lost in this labyrinth called Alfama, the old part of the city …the small streets of Alfama were all slippery yet so charming in a melancholic way…then I closed my map and decided just to wander following nothing else then the smell of orange blossoms that lead me from an orange tree to another and from one gorgeous angel to another… I learned to follow the smell of orange blossom … The smell of happiness