New Perfume Review: Il Profvmo Voile Blanche + Brigitte Bardot at The Beach Draw

woman-on-the-beach-gunter-kreil

Woman on the Beach (From Gunter Kreil Beach paintings)

Every year during the change of seasons from Summer to Fall, my husband and I have an argument.  Well, not really an argument exactly, but a strong difference of opinion about the seasons themselves.  I’m a Summer girl, and he’s all about Autumn.  I love Summer for its carefree spirit and heat;  he’s more melancholy and nostalgic, preferring to watch leaves turn and likes the introspection this time of the year.   Of course, we’re both right, and one  of the greatest things about  fragrance is that I don’t have to quit feeling summery even though the calendar suggests otherwise.  There will always be a scent to remind me of sandy beaches and light winds that will carry me back to lying under the sun for as long as I want. 

il profumo perfumes

Il Profvmo at Elements Showcase 2015 (Photo: Hernando)

This year’s contender against Old Man Winter is Il Profvmo’s Voile Blanche.   I came across this brand recently after Michelyn saw the collection at The Elements Showcase/ Capsule exhibition last month.  Voile Blanche captivated me with its light gauzy scent that immediately evokes summer somewhere in the South of France.. (For those of you like my husband, I  recommend trying their Patchouli Noir; its rich, slightly sweet herbal tones are perfect for Autumnal moods). 

SilvanaCasoli

Silvana Casoli

Silvana Casoli is Il Profvmo’s founder and nose, and her inspiration for starting the line came from her love of the natural world, notably the wind: “The wind calls me from distant places, deserts. I love wind! Within nature, wind is the element that, carrying all the smells, is present whenever inspiration becomes creation.”

woman on the beach 2 gunter kreil

Woman on the Beach (From Gunter Kreil Beach paintings)

And Voile Blanche carries this elemental fascination throughout its development.  The listed notes are meerschaum, wild jasmine, hoya, sand lily, white sand and flax flowers, and while I’ve never  knowingly smelled meerschaum (Sherlock Holmes pipe?)  and hoya ( a flower whose oil is used in skin care to soothe and calm). Voile Blanche is very reminiscent of a white, sandy beach with a slight warm breeze blowing through.  There’s a soft, almost grainy tang at the start that’s shot through with a slightly white floral tinge.   The initial impression is of an airy, open place with sand beneath your feet. The wild jasmine isn’t overt but you can sense its presence by an underlying sweetness in the scent. 

by Burt Glinn, Brigitte Bardot, St Tropez, France, 1958

Burt Glinn, Brigitte Bardot, St Tropez, France, 1958

Voile Blanche was inspired by a warm day in St. Tropez; it truly is transportive and has a distinct French air about it. It is a wonderfully breezy, slightly salty and floral skin scent that would be absolutely perfect to wear right now during the Indian Summer weather we have been enjoying on the East Coast or any time you want to feel that you are on a sunny beach.  

voile-blanche

Voile Blanche Eau de Parfum Il Profvmo

When cold weather finally arrives with all of its nasty distractions, consider layering Voile Blanche with Patchouli Noir for added warmth and depth.   All the perfumes I tried from Il Profvmo stayed close to the skin and are intimate. The longevity is excellent and I had  many hours of wear from these perfumes, so that lovely soft linen breezy feel of Voile Blanche carried me throughout the entire day

Notes:  meerschaum, wild jasmine, hoya, sand lily, white sand and flax flowers

 Disclosure:  I received my samples from Il Profvmo

Art Direction Michelyn Camen

Pam Barr, Senior Contributor

il Profvmo perfume discovery kit

Il Profvmo Discovery kit

Thanks to Il Profvmo USA we have a draw of an Il Profvmo Discovery Kit of 12 beautifully carded samples representative of the collection (Chocolat, Voile Blanche, Cortigiana, Quai des Lices, Pioggia Salata, Musc Bleu, Patchouli Noir, Vanille Bourbon, Ginger,Fleur de Bambu, Black Dianthus and  Coquelicot)  for a registered reader in the US (you must do this and use your registered name please).  To be eligible, leave a comment with what you enjoyed about Pam’s review if you have a favorite Il Profvmo perfume or one from the sampler you cannot wait to try. Draw closes October 16, 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 will be just spilled perfume

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20 comments

  • madeleine gallay says:

    Voile Blanche and Patchouli Noir, old friends I think. Brigitte Bardot o the beach and it truly is timeless. Love the curious mix of notes, just the words seem slow and delicious. USA. Thank you.

  • fazalcheema says:

    it is apparent from Pam’s review this fragrance is approp. for both summer and autumn due to its airy nature. I would also like to use this opportunity to mention even though i have never tried anything from the brand, i have heard the name again and again..many readers may not remember but Ms. Casoli was tasked with creating a personal fragrance for Pope Benedict. Ms. Bardot is French Marilyn Monroe and she actually had namesake perfumes which are very rare and nonexistent now..i think they probably were not marketed for long and mostly in France…

    I have not tried any Il Profvmo so far so excited about discovery sample set. thanks a lot for the draw. I am in the US

  • Patty P. says:

    I enjoy Pam’s no nonsense straight to the point style of reviews. I have no favorite of this line as I’ve not tried any as of yet. I would welcome this sample set. USA 🙂

  • JazzBelle says:

    I love the description for Voile Blanche. St. Tropez is one of my dream destinations. I love beach scents – they evoke the beauty of summer, but many beach scents tend to have that aquatic/marine note that can come off as a hit or miss.

    What I find fascinating about Voile Blanche is that it includes a few notes that I’ve yet to experience. What does meerschaum smell like? Hoya is another note I’ve yet to ever experience. And that’s what makes it fascinating – it’s a beach scent, but with something different.

    White sand is another note I’m curious about. What scent does the mind interpret as “white sand?” I also love the imagery of Brigitte Bardot on a French Beach. It’s romantic and it’ll be a perfect scent to wear during the summer or even when summer ends, where a whiff will take you back to that beautiful beach in St. Tropez.

    I live in the USA and although I have never tried any Il Profvmo perfumes, this review is making me really want to try Voile Blanche.

    Thank you!

  • Maya says:

    Marine scents can be “iffy” for me but…..when Pam mentioned that Silvana Casoli loves the wind, I perked up. I LOVE wind – the trade winds, the devil’s wind like the Santa Ana, a gentle breeze. I would love to try fragrances created by someone else who loves wind! Voile Blanche sounds interesting as does Patchouli Noir and Vanille Bourbon. USA

  • BostonScentGuy says:

    Thank you for the generous draw! Whenever I see “salty, slightly floral skin scent” in a review, I gravitate towards it. I do love the smell of sun-warmed skin. As for others I’d be interested to try–Patchouli Noir sounds wonderful and Black Dianthus as well, knowing dianthus to be a carnationey/peppery/stocky/clovey flower. I’m in the US.

  • bunchofpants says:

    I have no idea what meerschaum and hoya smell like, so I breathed a sigh of relief when Pam said she wasn’t sure about them either. It’s good to always cultivate a “beginner’s mind” even when you are an expert, because then you stay open to possibilities! Summer is my favorite time of the year, so Voile Blanche sounds lovely to me. I’ve not had the opportunity to try any Il Profvmo scents, but Patchouli Noir has already been added to the list. I’m in USA.

  • MikasMinion says:

    I’m always up for sampling a line I haven’t tried, and this is one I haven’t experienced. I have never seen hoya listed as a note in perfume and wonder which one is meant. I have a lot of different hoyas and many of the scented ones are quite distinctively different from each other, although there is a nutty-muskiness they all share. I’m really interested to smell one of my favorite flowers in a perfume so Voile Blanche is my top pick. I’m in the US. Thank you for the draw.

  • Irina says:

    I love reading Silvana’s quote about the wind. I would love a sample set. I live in the US. Thank you for the draw!

  • nemo says:

    I love salty perfumes! The paintings and pictures of the ocean remind me of summer, but late summer because they look slightly chilly somehow. Thank you for the review! I am in the US, thank you.

  • Cynthia says:

    Voile Blanche sounds beautiful, and I love the name. Voile is perfectly descriptive of a gauzey, light scent. My favorite way to catch a scent is when it is brought to me by the breeze, rather than putting my nose into a bouquet, for example. I have not tried this line but the Aria de Mare also sounds a bit like Voile Blanche in intent. I would very much like to sample this line. Thank you for the review, and the notice to the brand. USA.

  • girasole638 says:

    I love how Pam described the difference in her and her husband’s respective approaches to the seasons – we have the same difference of opinion in our house! I think Cortigiana sounds just wonderful – the blend of almond, iris and fresh cut grass. That’s the one I can’t wait to try! I’m in the US – thank you for the draw and lovely review.

  • roxhas1cat says:

    I liked Silvana’s quote about the wind. I have never liked the wind, but it made me look at it differently. I’m a summer girl who loves the fall/winter type of fragrances…..go figure. So I would love to try these samples. Thanks.

  • rowergal says:

    Wonderful, review. I really enjoyed how Pam so easily and vividly expressed the personality of the scents. I’ve never experienced a II Profvmo perfume before, but after reading through the notes in this collection they’re all so intriguing —especially the Voile Blanche described. I’m in the USA. Thanks for the review and the draw.

  • Staceyw says:

    I am in the U.S. and would love to try Voile Blanche after reading Pam’s review because I love beachy salty scents and seeing that the inspiration was a beach at St. Tropez and the picture of Brigitte Bardot sold me! I haven’t tried any of Il Profvmo’s fragrances but would love to try Chocolat and Vanille Bourbon.

  • ringthing says:

    I like how Pam describes perfume notes and how they relate to each other, and in this review I enjoyed the differences she noted between her and her husband. I want to smell Patchouli Noir the most. US, thanks for the opportunity.

  • sunnlitt says:

    “A light gauzy scent” and “summer somewhere in the South of France”. This scent sounds divine!!
    I live in the U.S. and I really enjoyed the happiness that this scent seemed to evoke in the write.
    Thanks so much for the review and the drawing.

  • Mim says:

    Pam’s contrast of Summer and Autumn folks, as played out with her and her husband, rang pretty true. I’m definitely an Autumn, and so would layer Voile Blanche over a patchouli, rather than patchouli under VB.
    I liked Silvana’s quote about the wind also.

    I cannot wait to try Vanille Bourbon!
    Patchouli Noir sounds wonderful and Black Dianthus as well, knowing dianthus to be a carnation-like.
    I’m in the US.
    thank you for the draw and lovely review.

  • Holly F. says:

    I love that Pam’s review transported me back to beach life! Which I miss so very much. I would love to try several of these Il Profvumo, of course Voile Blanche as it was described so eloquently, and Patchouli noir as well. I haven’t tried any yet but can’t wait to! I’m in the US, thanks!

  • hofken says:

    I enjoyed Pam’s review and her description of summer and fall really resonated with me as she said “I love Summer for its carefree spirit and heat; he’s more melancholy and nostalgic, preferring to watch leaves turn and likes the introspection this time of the year” I have not yet had the pleasure of wearing an Il Profvmo perfume, but cannot wait to try Patchouli Noir.