VioletNYC

At first it was all Ambroxen and Cashmeren for me, with a hint of bergamot. But give it 10 minutes and the wild strawberries come through beautifully, with almost a champagne-like effervescance. The dry down is almost all wild strawberries.

It’s a happy summer fragrance that would work in shoulder seasons as well.

In my ongoing quest to find a perfume that smells like Dylan Purple and/or Modern Princess but lasts longer, I tried Dolce Peony with high hopes. It is frequently compared to both of the above, but I found it fairly different from the other two fragrances. There’s certainly a lot of sweetness here, and as Christophe Raynaud Is the nose for all three, there is a certain family resemblance. But this one is definitely floral forward, which the other two are not. The sweetness here also feels a bit more synthetic to me. Last but not least, while the patchouli grounds the fragrance. It also adds a subtle note that I’m not loving.

So while this is definitely a fruity floral, I’m not sure those two elements are working as successfully together as they have in other Raynaud fragrances.

I had to overcome my snobbery about this not being a “high-end“ designer perfume. When I started looking for a new signature sent, I assumed it would be from Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, YSL, Burberry, Jo Malone— one of the well-known or upscale fragrance houses. So I was at first disheartened by how much I liked “Yes I Am.” Purely for ego reasons: I was a little embarrassed that my favorite scent was from a mass market perfumer. Couldn’t they at least express the name in French? “Oui, Je Suis” would at least signal that it is a French perfume.

But I finally realized this was all nonsense. I adore the scent. For me, it’s a perfect balance of fruity and (barely) floral wrapped in a creamy hug. The floral note is definitely subtle — never sharp, thank goodness; it pairs beautifully with the raspberry; and I was surprised to learn how well milk and amber work together.

Cacharel describes the scent as their first “cremosa”—referring to a raspberry soda with cream. That description is pretty spot on.

“Yes I Am” is proudly my new signature sent.

Edited to add: The less said about the bottle the better, but the miniatures—the same size as actual lipsticks—are adorable.