Snob Le Galion 2014

“Snob” strikes me like a photo of a bouquet of flowers. It is an abstract floral scent in which I cannot identify individual blooms. The fragrance remains almost consistently cool and distant. A very fresh bouquet of spring flowers, arranged in beautiful colors, but not lively.
I can’t quite make sense of the opening. “Snob” first acts as if it’s not a perfume at all. I smell a muted fruitiness that only vaguely reminds me of apple, more like apple shampoo, accompanied by dark, very subdued citrus notes, all surrounded by something faintly aromatic and green-herbaceous. The scent impression is clean and cool, and somewhat blurred by the aldehydes, a hazy, washed-out impression of something that once was citrusy, aromatic, and fruity. Nevertheless, the fragrance exerts a certain charm at this stage. I find myself constantly sniffing and wanting to know what I am actually smelling. The aroma is strangely familiar yet inexplicably foreign at the same time.

After half an hour, the scent gains momentum. Rose and jasmine become more pronounced, supported by warm-spicy, airy saffron and cool musk. An interesting combination. It now strongly reminds me of floral fragrances like “Fleur de Rocaille” and also of a cooler and “cleaner” version of “Joy” by J. Patou. The same colorful mixed bouquet of flowers can be smelled here, although this one is more restrained, more introverted. On one hand, it’s not quite as harsh-cool as I perceive the Caron, and on the other hand, it’s by no means as lush and animalic as the Patou (no civet).
What I wear in the next few hours is a spring-fresh floral bouquet, radiantly bright from the orange blossoms, cool from the white musk and the residual scent of apple, slightly powdery on the surface from the iris and cedar, lightly, but really only very lightly spicy from the remaining saffron. The fragrance feels very clean, balancing on my skin most of the time on the verge of soapy, without actually becoming so. Small, delicate roses and other light flowers in a cool and “smooth” musk cream. Although the scent is on the cool side, it never becomes cold or harsh. I assume it is rounded and softened by the jasmine and a very fine, velvety-woody and powdery base, though not necessarily warmer.

I do not know the original version and cannot judge what has changed in this new edition. I can only say that I really like this scent here; it almost exactly matches my preferences.
“Snob” is pleasantly distant, does not pander, feels elegant and nonchalant; in a positive sense, aristocratic and noble. If one wanted to find something negative, one could say it is somewhat affected, very concerned with distance, and perhaps even arrogant. Yes, the scent could be perceived as snobbish in a certain way, but I like it a lot.
However, it is not a candidate for purchase, as it comes across as a bit too cool-distant and abstract compared to other softer, sunnier floral scents that I already have, and it does not resonate with me emotionally. But if I were to receive it as a gift, it would be a fragrance I would gladly reach for on hot summer days.