Clémentine California Atelier Cologne 2016

It was a little more than 4 years ago when I entered a Sephora store in the middle of Manhattan to get rid of my remaining dollars before I had to fly back to Germany. I strolled through the aisles to find something that was not available in Germany.

After I had already put a few lipsticks in the shopping basket, I passed a stand with travel-size perfumes just before the checkout and this beautiful turquoise packaging caught my eye (turquoise is my favorite color). The name was promising: Clementine California.

Perfect - I thought! I love California and clementines! Immediately, I had an idea of the scent in my head. I grabbed the tester, sprayed the perfume on my arm and immediately this wonderful scent cloud of freshly squeezed clementines entered my nose. Instantly, I was transported from rainy NYC to sunny California. I was on a luxurious summer vacation at the beach and in shock infatuation. This was the perfume I had unknowingly been searching for for ages. It's the perfect summer scent - fresh, tangerine, sweet-tart, light with a slight earthy note in the base.

Immediately I went in search of a larger bottle of the perfume, but unfortunately this was not available. So I bought only once the Travel Size and left the store delighted in the joy of something special to have found.

Back in Germany, I then went in search of this fragrance. Atelier Cologne I had never heard before and online searches and visits to the usual suspicious perfume shops were initially unsuccessful. I also had no idea about niche fragrances and where to get them. Until one fine day in the MyZeil Shopping Center I passed a perfumery that offered only niche fragrances.

Full of hope I entered the store and found full of joy a shelf with a large collection of Atelier Cologne fragrances. There it was at last, my 100ml bottle of Clementine California! Since then, I can't imagine summer without this fragrance as my signature scent. No other citrus scent comes close to it - and I have already tested several. Yes, the longevity and sillage aren't outstanding, but that doesn't detract from this heavenly scent that gives me a real happy feeling in the morning. I hope it will be available for a long time, even if it is really not easy to get it in Germany.