Citrus is often a difficult note for me. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. Despite hearing the term citrus gourmand mentioned a few times on various forums, I never went out of my way to test a fragrance that fell into this genre. Since discovering 1873 Colette, I can now see why so many people rave over scents such as this one.
1873 Colette opens rather citrusy, with a juicy blend of grapefruit, lime and orange. These notes are quite sweet on the skin, most likely due to a sugary note, not unlike the scent of citrus with a dusting of icing sugar.
The heart introduces a unique and potent lavender accord, tending to add to this fragrance's complexity. I'm a huge fan of lavender and I think it works nicely alongside the sugary citrus. During certain stages of this fragrance's development, it reminds me of the scent of a lemon meringue pie. Gourmand it most certainly is.
Although unisex, I think it has many girly attributes. When I smell 1873 Colette I picture a young girl in a white sundress running through an orchard during Spring. It hasn't crossed my mind as to how a man would wear this.
The drydown is a combination of musty lavender, gooey caramel and powdery vanilla. It lingers on the skin for what feels like forever, so there's nothing negative to be said about the longevity. The sillage is moderate, and is quite inoffensive provided that you don't over-apply.
I believe most niche enthusiasts would be pleased with 1873 Colette, and I can see many young girls drawn to this fragrance as well. It's a pity that it isn't more readily available. I'll be wearing a lot of this during Spring.
