Aéroplane Detaille

There are moments when my creative energy threatens to leave me for a while. Too many impressions, an unexpected change of mood, being trapped in a labyrinth.

And yet an old companion whispered to me that all I had to do was change my perspective. If you can't see the wood for the trees, it's advisable to observe the dense greenery from the clouds in order to understand it.

Aéroplane, my faithful companion.
Our meeting so unexpected, so comforting, so helpful.
Clarifying and testing at the time.

I have not forgotten the words of the friend who brought me closer to this treasure.
"Those who remain at odds with themselves are condemned to repeat the mistakes of the past."
A great pathos!
But his advice should prove helpful and help me out of a self-inflicted blockade.

I still remember picking up the heavy bottle of decades gone by almost powerlessly. It seemed to me as if it were an entrance exam.
The strictly geometric grooves, the clear relief with the historical sticker, the heavy lid with brass cladding.
Should a time-honored chypre help me gain insight?
Then as now...

Hiss!

Tart citrus fruits and an austere petitgrain open up.
I would even claim to have been shaken awake by the branch of the orange tree.
A well-dosed mint drops the temperature.
It feels like a cold morning. The cool air pervades the face, tones, sets decision-making processes in motion. No time for a stubborn hothead!
Suddenly you are more awake than awake.

The fragrance then extends a friendly hand, a very beautiful basil tints the coolness an illuminating green.

Anyone who has been lucky enough to smell basil bushes after the rain will understand this note. The aromatic opulence of the leaves gives way to a more subtle nuance, as if through the damper pedal of a piano.

This lovely accord is achieved with clean jasmine. Far removed from any indolence, the white bloomer acts as a floral mediator between the austere hesperides and the aromatic herb.
A wonderful green meadow with white flowers opens up.
And here I understand the name of the fragrance.
What could be more beautiful than a bird's eye view of such a landscape?
The base is wonderfully green as it progresses. Old-school green vetiver is always a nonchalantly elegant accompaniment. No smoke, nothing creaky, simply dignified and grassy.
The same can be said of the subtle patchouli of yesteryear. It is almost shyly supportive like a gentleman, restrained and grounded.
The soapy oakmoss rounds off the entire composition and invites you to find yourself in peace.

The overall impression remains light green with white speckles.

And that helps me to see clearly.

Suddenly you realize from a different perspective how easy the green hedge is to climb over and what an exhilarating scene awaits you.

Such a fragrance convinces with quiet but well-considered tones.

Yes, such compositions captivate with a consistency that defies the changing fashions of the following decades.

It is their apparent simplicity, their sophisticated balance and their charm that ensure the survival of tradition.

The Detaille house is based on just such a tradition.
It was the idea of a countess, Marie-Aline Detaille, Comtesse de Presle, who showed foresight during the Belle Époque by founding the cosmetics company in 1905.
As a passionate motorist at the time, she suffered from dehydration of her facial skin. The motorized vehicles of the time did not yet have windscreens.
And so she commissioned a chemist friend to produce an ointment, the legendary Baume Automobile. The Detaille brand was born.

Today, the portrait of the countess still hangs in Detaille's small store in a quiet street in the ninth arrondissement in Paris.
The new owner has shown the same foresight and kept consistent creations in the range.

And so I am confident that Aéroplane will continue to accompany me in the future, blockades or not.