Choosing the final three… (Photo: Despina Veneti, from her own L’Artisan Parfumeur collection)©

In times when my daily expeditions pretty much amount to a walk towards the nearest Seine Bridge, I find myself feverishly thinking about past, and future, journeys: to places familiar and beloved, near family and old friends, as well as to destinations yet to be explored, images of which are luring me like siren’s calls. My travel craving seems to be currently defining, to a large extent, my fragrance choices as well; for the last month, I’ve been clearly gravitating towards creations that enliven my voyage memories, and trigger off dreams of the journeys to come. Several of the fragrances I’ve been wearing lately come from the historic French House of L’Artisan Parfumeur, and that’s hardly a surprise: the brand has always been offering perfumes that encapsulate the essence of a particular city or region, from Provence to Réunion, Seville to Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro to Bhutan… The recent introduction of the brand’s customisable leather roll-up case, securely holding three travel sprays, marks the perfect time for me to present my three choices of L’Artisan Parfumeur fragrances – all of them reflecting journeys I yearn for…

L’Artisan Parfumeur Un Air De Bretagne bottle, travel spray, and IFF perfumer Juliette Karagueuzoglou (Collage: Despina Veneti)©

Un Air De Bretagne (Juliette Karagueuzoglou, 2017)

A creation from the brand’s Les Paysages Collection (composed of fragrances that offer figurative, naturalistic representations of famous French regions), L’Artisan Parfumeur Un Air De Bretagne is a fresh, airy aquatic scent of diaphanous beauty that manages to avoid the clichés of its fragrant genre. In her olfactive carte-postale of the peninsula of Brittany, IFF perfumer Juliette Karagueuzoglou captures the coastline’s iodized, salty atmosphere with one of the most satisfactory, well-balanced marine accords I’ve ever experienced: light on Calone® (and certainly using it tastefully), the delightful oceanic vapor effect of L’Artisan Parfumeur Un Air De Bretagne is based on a combination of seaweed and cypress absolute, whose unusual, underlying greenness additionally evokes the forests and moorlands of the Breton landscape. Furthermore, this sea spray accord is wisely contrasted with the radiant energy of juicy citruses and bright neroli, as well as the mineral tones of an ambergris note. Overall, the wearer of the fragrance experiences the aromatic equivalent of a trip to diverse, fascinating Brittany: crisp air, crystal-clear waters, shores covered with dunes and pebbles, dramatic cliffs and moors, and the alternation between humid, sunny days and intense rains. Spraying myself with Un Air De Bretagne, I feel the invigorating droplets of the ocean kissing my face as they’re being carried by the breeze – a sensation that resonates deeply with a Mediterranean soul living in the Paris Metropolis, perpetually missing the view, sound and scented aura of the sea.

Officially listed notes: Cypress Absolute, Sea Spray Accord, Seaweed Absolute.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Premier Figuier bottle, travel spray, and independent perfumer Olivia Giacobetti (Collage: Despina Veneti)©

Premier Figuier (Olivia Giacobetti, 1994)

 Inspired by memories of resting under a shady fig tree during a hot summer day in the South of France, perfumer Olivia Giacobetti started working on what would be the very first fine fragrance to incorporate the fig note. L’Artisan Parfumeur Premier Figuier proved to be a formidable showcase of Mme Giacobetti’s technical skill and artistic sensibility, as well a milestone of innovation in fragrance history. The elusive smell of the fig tree was reconstructed by combining the Givaudan molecule Stemone® (whose galbanum-like character, mixed with other green notes, evokes the unique smell of fig leaves) with lactonic notes like almond and coconut milk (recreating the aroma of the fig tree’s milky saps, as well as of its succulent, sun-ripened fruits). Intensely green, moderately woody and heavenly creamy, L’Artisan Parfumeur Premier Figuier is a wonderful naturalistic fantasy; a touching ode to the ideal fig tree, that’s always ready to generously offer rest, coolness and nourishment to passers-by; a humble, but no less magnificent, summer oasis… Although it spawned an ever-growing series of – often beautiful – fig-centered fragrances by numerous other brands, L’Artisan Parfumeur Premier Figuier remains timeless, and evergreen. It never fails to transport me back to carefree childhood summers spent in Greece, where the fig tree thrives and has been worshiped for thousands of years. It’s no wonder that as a child I used to love hugging the trunks of those blessed trees, trying to open my arms as widely as possible to fully encompass them. As it’s no wonder that I’ve been loving Premier Figuier for the biggest part of my adult life.

Officially listed notes: Almond Milk, Fig, Fig Leaves.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu bottle, travel spray, and independent perfumer Bertrand Duchaufourr (Collage: Despina Veneti)©

Timbuktu (Bertrand Duchaufour, 2004)

L’Artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu, Bertrand Duchaufour’s most iconic fragrance for the brand, has already earned its modern classic status, as confirmed by its inclusion in the recently updated edition of Michael Edwards’ seminal book “Perfume Legends II: French Feminine Fragrances”. Asked to compose a fragrance for L’Artisan Parfumeur’s “Odeurs Volées par un Parfumeur en Voyage” (“Smells Stolen by a Travelling Perfumer”) Collection, the perfumer drew his inspiration from his unforgettable experience of witnessing the Wusulan, a West African perfume ritual handed down from mother to daughter. Watching the Malian women infuse local roots and grains in unique blends of oils, and wave their hair and dresses through the smoke when the fragrant oils boil away, the perfumer was mesmerised by their lingering, sensual smell. L’Artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu has been so influential that one tends to forget how innovative, and utterly original, it was when it hit the market in the early 2000s; Mr. Duchaufour achieved the desired rooty, earthy and smoky effect by utilising nagarmotha oil, more well-known today as cypriol, a raw material which was just starting being used in perfumery. Adding vetiver, patchouli and a brand new woody accord based on Corps Racine (a novel green/earthy note), the perfumer completed the fragrance’s sensational base. L’Artisan Parfumeur Timbuktu was further embellished with all sorts of aromatic marvels: electrifying spices (pink pepper, cardamom, cumin), unexpected fruits (green mango, grapefruit), unusual floralcy (karo karounde, a flower native to sub-Saharan Africa), as well as fragrant resins (myrrh, benzoin, opoponax) and incense. The result is a fantasy voyage to a land filled with strange fruit, swaying papyrus trees, ever-burning bonfires and deceptively dry earth hiding its fertile moist, thanks to a great perfumer whose work so often echoes spirituality and mysticism.

Officially listed notes: Green Mango, Incense, Vetiver.

Disclaimer: I’d like to thank L’Artisan Parfumeur for the beautiful leather travel case. The opinions are my own.

– Despina Veneti, Senior Editor

L’Artisan Parfumeur customisable leather travel cases displayed at one of the brand’s Parisian boutiques (Photo: Despina Veneti)©

Thanks to the generosity of L’Artisan Parfumeur, we have a draw for a luxury roll-up leather travel case, filled with three 10ml travel sprays of L’Artisan Parfumeur Un Air De Bretagne, Premier Figuier and Timbuktu (value: 120€), for one registered reader in USA or Europe. You must register here or your comment will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what you enjoyed most about Despina’s article and her choices, if you have a favorite L’Artisan Parfumeur fragrance, and where you live. Draw closes 5/1/20. Extended to 5/3

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