Perfume Review: Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery Fleur de Caramel + A Sumptuous Scent Draw

LaurieSternFRAGmentstable

Laurie Stern of Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery at FRAGments 2014 Photo: Elise Pearlstine

I am a huge fan of Velvet & Sweet Peas Purrfumery. Indie perfumer Laurie Stern hand-crafts each of her perfumes; they are all natural, and cruelty-free. The fragrances are luxurious and sensuous, with a distinctly vintage vibe.

Paul and Joe Spring 2012  cat lipsticks1

Paul & Joe Spring 2012 Cat Collection

Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery fragrances are lavish and decadent, and they always make me feel like putting on lipstick. I wear them year round, but I love them best in cool weather. Fleur de Caramel is no exception, and it’s one of my favorites. It opens with a floral/neroli note, and a little frisson of tuberose.

Tim Walker Vogue dancing

Photo by Tim Walker for Vogue Caramelized by Michelyn

Jasmine dances in and out for a while, enhancing the flowery note, while keeping the tuberose from making a fool of herself.  In fact, all of these Big White Flowery ladies are about to be completely shown down by the smoothest, silkiest caramel note you will ever experience.

Marcel Van Der Vlugt  caramel Mask

Marcel Van Der Vlugt Mask

The caramel slides in unobtrusively; you may even think that it’s the tuberose trying to butter you up. But the warmth and richness is unmistakable and it will soon become apparent that this is caramel at its finest. The sweetness is warm and sultry; it never gets too sugary.  There is a buttery, almost boozy quality to the caramel that melds perfectly in to Laurie’s incomparably sumptuous base of sandalwood and Tahitian vanilla (Note to Uncle Serge; it is possible to make a glorious base without the use of prunes and cherry cough syrup)

caramel bubbles and flowers

Photo Natasha V.com

Fleur de Caramel is a perfect gateway to both natural  and gourmand fragrances.  The caramel is discernible, but not in the least bit overwhelming. It plays very nicely with the floral notes, and brings back childhood memories of making pralines with my aunts, their various perfumes blending beautifully with the sweet buttery goodness permeating the kitchen. Those who love gourmands will not want to miss this, but it’s also a great perfume for someone like me, who is always fearful of veering off into Little Debbie Snack Cake territory.

Frangipani  Lula No 14

Frangipani  Lula No 14 S/S 2012

One final observation to share with you; last night, I found myself surrounded by the most luscious tropical scent as I was taking my shower.  I was sudsing up with Grandpa’s Pine Tar soap (judge not!), which I knew could not possibly be the source of the fragrance, and almost all of the other gels and soaps I keep in the shower are rose-based. I couldn’t imagine where the scent came from until I went over the notes of Fleur de Caramel and saw frangipani. Indeed, and such a gorgeous surprise 12 hours after I first applied the perfume.  That little extra boost aside. I get about 6 hours of the complete fragrance, which is amazing for an all-natural perfume. The base remains even longer. The sillage is decent; you won’t overpower anyone, but those standing near you will be glad they are. I highly recommend dabbing this on those places you’d like that special someone to linger over. This is a fragrance made for pleasing and being pleased!

Tammy Schuster, Contributor

Editor’s Note: Laurie was one of 14 artisans featured in The Fragrance Designer’s Primer and has won many awards, including a Gold from the San Francisco Artisan Fragrance Salon in 2013 for Fleur de Caramel (where Tama spoke… Tama you are always with us) and exhibited at the 3rd annual FRAGments Artisan Perfume Event and Collective.  Please read our reviews of Bed of Roses (2010) here as well as Honey here. And on this last night of Hanukah, please take a moment to read our review of Jasmine Dawn to Dusk, which Einsof tied into the miracle of the holiday here

fleurdecaramel2

Thanks to Laurie we have a 6ml bottle ( $75) of her award winning Fleur de Carmel for a registered  reader  (you must do this pesky step) in the USA. To be eligible please leave a comment welcoming Tammy to the CaFleureBon team, what you enjoyed about her review and if you have a favorite Velvet & Sweet Pea's Purrfumery perfume. Draw closes 12/17/2015

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

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18 comments

  • Welcome to the site, Tammy, and thanks for your enthusiastic review. I have not yet tried any Velvet & Sweet Pea’s perfumes, but you definitely make me want to.
    U.S.

  • Welcome Tammy!! Great review! I enjoyed the part about the memory of making Pralines with her Aunts.
    Fleur de Caramel is absolutely divine and one of my favorites of Laurie’s beautiful line along with Black Cat.
    I live in the U.S. Thank you so much for this generous giveaway!

  • Welcome to Cafleurebon Tammy! I’ve been a fan of Lauries website for quite awhile – love that it’s called purrfumery.com!

    I live in San Francisco so I especially love local artists. I love looking at the photos her beautiful garden in the El Cerrito hills. I also love that she capture the romance and mystery of perfume making, before the days of mass production.

    Fleur de Caramel sounds gorgeous! I love gourmand scents, but ones that are complex and Fleur de Caramel seems to capture this very well. I love neroli and tuberose, and the review describes very well the interplay between the caramel note and the floral notes.

    I love that this scent lasts for 6 hours with a decent sillage that doesn’t overwhelm, but is right there close to the skin for one to continue to catch whiffs of this gorgeous scent.

    I have yet to try any perfumes from this line, but I would love for Fleur de Caramel to be my first. I live in the USA. Thank you!

  • Welcome to Clafleurebon Tammy. Your review was amazing. You described the caramel very well. Not too sugary, warm, sultry, buttery with a boozy quality. You’ve sold me on this already. Then saying how it melds with the florals and vanilla/sandalwood base. Sounds perfect. I’m in the U.S.. I’ve never tried this house. Thanks so much.

  • Warm welcome to Cafleurebon, Tammy!

    I love that you mention how long Laurie’s perfumes linger. I am always surprised and amazed by this! How does she do that? My favorite perfume is Honey, but I truly love Jasmine and Tuborose and FLeur de Caramel.

    I so respect Laurie’s dedication to animal welfare!

    I am in the US.

  • Welcome, Tammy, to the CaFleureBon team!

    My favorite part of the review was the fact that you use Grandpa’s Pine Tar soap! It’s one of my favorite soaps!!

    I haven’t tried any fragrance by Laurie, so no faves yet (obviously). In the US.

  • First of all, Welcome Tammy to Cafleurebon. I am intrigued because Fleur de Caramel, as the name suggest, ventures into both floral and gourmand territories. It is not too sweet and has just enough booze which makes it seem like suitable unisex creation. I have not tried any from Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Perfumery yet. thanks a lot for the draw. I am in the US

  • WOW! Thank you so much for your delicious review of my Fleur de Caramel! Welcome !I love your article and it sent me over the moon! There is actually cognac absolute in it, to give it a boozy depth. Thank you for the kind comments too, from me and the kitties!

    XOXO~ Laurie

  • bunchofpants says:

    Welcome Tammy! I loved the bit about the frangipani note emerging in the shower! I really enjoy it when a fragrance gives me an unexpected “easter egg” long past when I thought it had all dissipated. This is the first time I’ve heard of Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery, so I don’t yet have a favorite.

  • Tracy Simmons says:

    Aloha & welcome Tammy. Tuberose and Frangipani are my favorites. I loved your reference to Little Debbie Snack Cakes. Hard to resist those. I haven’t had the pleasure of trying Velvet & Sweet Peas perfumery but your review makes me want to. Thank you for the chance of entering the draw. I’m in the US.

  • Welcome to Cafleurebon Tammy! You’re review was excellent. I want a bottle so that a special someone can linger over me.

  • Welcome, Tammy! I enjoyed your review and it’s nice to know Fleur de Carmel lingers so long! I have always enjoyed my visits to Laurie’s website. It looks like the perfect life, with her gardens, cats, and perfumes! Maybe some day I can visit. I have enjoyed Honey from her line. Thank you for bringing attention to this unusual perfumer.

  • Welcome Tammy! I loved the thoroughness and enthusiasm of your review. I’ve never tried anything by Velvet & Sweet Pea Purrfumery. This fragrance sounds scrumptious. I haven’t like a fragrance with a caramel note since Giselle by Carl and Fracci, but this one is all-natural and contains tuberose and frangipani! Thank you for sharing the love and introducing me to something that sounds signature-worthy!

  • Welcome Tammy! I love a fellow gourmand lover who wants not to reek of the baked goods aisle… And how I love the idea of that rebounding frangipani. I enjoyed all of your review, as it was fun and still answered every one of my follow up questions: yes caramel, delicious and nuanced… But is it candy? Yes flowers, Big White Ladies, but will they wear *me*? And pine tar soap, heehee. I have a locally made frankincense and myrrh soap in my shower that is, bizarrely, a ringer for it. This is a perfumer I have been longing to try and haven’t yet — I would love to be included in the draw.

  • Welcome aboard, Tammy! Your review style fits right into the poetic, mood-lifting vibe of the whole Cafleurebon blog! I could relate to your rose-filled shower… that’s my go-to bath product “flavor!” That said, a caramel perfume with enough backbone not to go too cloying sounds like just the ticket for these long nights. Haven’t tried anything by Velvet & Sweet Pea, but the kitty theme is too cute, and “Fir-ever Young” sounds like a hit too. I’m in the US, thanks for the draw!

  • skiclimblive09 says:

    welcome to cafleuerbon!

    i always love the foodie descriptions of florals.

    US here. thanks for the draw

  • welcome to the CaFleureBon team Tammy! Looking forward to your reviews. I really enjoyed this review and the comment that Fleur de Caramel “won’t overpower anyone, but those standing near you will be glad they are” I have not yet had the pleasure of wearing a Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery perfume.