Although I chose to do the perfume workshop at Grasse with Galimard, as you’ll know from my previous blog post here, that doesn’t mean I have anything against The House of Fragonard. On the contrary, my Dad found this beautiful introductory mini perfume set of the House at the Action store here in Belgium upon our return from our French holiday.
First, let’s talk about the intricate floral design of the box. Reminiscent of the Rococo era for which Jean-Honoré Fragonard was most well-known (the artist who inspired Eugène Fuchs, the founder). I’m sure you all know his most famous painting The Swing, it made a sneaky appearance in what I would now call a Disney classic (cough…giant money maker…cough), “Frozen”. I was lucky enough to see this painting in person at The Wallace Collection in London, and was surprised by how small it was (“Frozen” clearly having played with the dimensions “a tad”). Having studied Art History and being forced to memorise hundreds of dimensions for exams I can tell you that the scales of paintings only ever clicked when seen in person or in virtual museum tours. But anyway, back to the actual perfume set;
Fragonard - Fragonard (Parfum)
Starting with the namesake of the Fragonard Perfume House, to me it smells like a powdery/soapy orange not as light as the fresher scent of Jo Malone’s Orange Bitters but just as fruity. This is described as having white floral accords with the following notes:
- TOP NOTES: Bergamot, mandarin, petitgrain and galbanum
- MIDDLE NOTES: Hyacinth, lily, honeysuckle and jasmine
- BASE NOTES: Woods, amber, musk
Fragonard - Belle de Nuit (Parfum)
For me this perfume smells like a fresh rose but according to Fragrantica is described as a powdery floral with the main accords of rose. Fragonard’s website labels the notes as follows:
- TOP NOTES: Mirabilis, ylang ylang and gardenia
- MIDDLE NOTES: Violet, geranium and rose
- BASE NOTES: Plum, woods and musk
Fragonard - Soleil (Eau de Parfum)
This smells like a floral orange mixed in with suntan lotion to me, the definition of a warm summer’s day which is a perfect match to its sunny name. Soleil has the following notes:
- TOP NOTES: Jasmine, freesia and orange blossom
- MIDDLE NOTES: Rose, lily and wisteria
- BASE NOTES: Amber, sandalwood and musk
Fragonard - Grain de Soleil ( Eau de Parfum)
Grain de Soleil was bound to be my favourite of the set since it’s the only one that leaked all over the place and of which I have very little left. Despite the tinge of acidic black olives I get from sniffing from the bottle (which I think might be residual perfume gone bad in the lid), on my skin it is a very pleasant sweet patchouli vanilla with the following notes:
- TOP NOTES: Jasmine, heliotrope and orange blossom
- MIDDLE NOTES: Rose, iris and cinnamon
- BASE NOTES: Incense, patchouli and vanilla
Fragonard - Diamant (Parfum)
To me this perfume has a bit of a liquorice tone to it which must be the plum that I’m detecting as it’s described on Fragonard’s website as a sweet-oriental with the following notes:
- TOP NOTES: Mandarin, orange and pepper
- MIDDLE NOTES: Jasmine, plum and rose
- BASE NOTES: Vanilla, patchouli, musk and caramel
There you have it a gorgeous introductory set, which would make for a perfect gift no matter the occasion.
Which perfume sounded like the one you would prefer?
If you were to create a perfume collection which artist or painting would you choose as inspiration?
Have you come across any other great perfume sets as of late?
xxxemma