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A great fragrance, but not for my nose
There are those who love indole, and then there are those, like me, who find indole smells like a urinal cake. Indole doesn't smell dirty to me, but rather like a sharp knife to my olfactory nerves. Like the blue fluid in a chemical toilet, it's a separate note from the dirty stuff.
I have conflicting feelings about Femme Rochas. So far, I have only smelt the current formulation. Despite my rating, it truly is a great fragrance, and I understand why people praise it so. It's just the damn urinal cake note that gets in the way of my enjoyment. It takes at least 2 hours for it to calm down enough for Femme Rochas to register as something beautiful. Only then do I experience the stone fruits and spices. Not until the drydown does it turn intoxicating. The rich-but-quiet skin scent is absolutely divine. I just don't want to wait 8-12 hours to get there. I will use up the sample I have in the interest of expanding my palate, so to speak, but I doubt I will ever buy a full bottle. Out of curiosity, I may try a sample of vintage, pre-90s Femme Rochas to see how it compares. I am trying to understand fragrances that are out of my wheelhouse, even the indolic ones.
I have conflicting feelings about Femme Rochas. So far, I have only smelt the current formulation. Despite my rating, it truly is a great fragrance, and I understand why people praise it so. It's just the damn urinal cake note that gets in the way of my enjoyment. It takes at least 2 hours for it to calm down enough for Femme Rochas to register as something beautiful. Only then do I experience the stone fruits and spices. Not until the drydown does it turn intoxicating. The rich-but-quiet skin scent is absolutely divine. I just don't want to wait 8-12 hours to get there. I will use up the sample I have in the interest of expanding my palate, so to speak, but I doubt I will ever buy a full bottle. Out of curiosity, I may try a sample of vintage, pre-90s Femme Rochas to see how it compares. I am trying to understand fragrances that are out of my wheelhouse, even the indolic ones.
2 Comments
Jasmine, lilac, honeysuckle, gardenia, and orange flower all have diverse olfactory profiles, yet they share the presence of indole, which gives them a rich, narcotic fragrance. Without this unique material, which in pure form looks like white diamond dust, it would have been impossible to recreate the true scent of blooming flowers. A tiny amount of indole is all it takes to infuse life into a composition of floral notes, to make an abstract, vague petally form to appear as a lush, nectar suffused flower.
I normally hear fragrances lovers talking about indolic jasmine or perhaps tuberose, but I do not detect a heavy jasmine or turberose note in Femme. In fact, none of the floral notes really stand out to my nose. Are you saying the jasmine note in Femme smells indolic to you?