Jardins d'Écrivains - La Dame aux Camélias

Picture: Marie Duplessis (1824-1847)
Watercolor by Camille Roqueplan (1802-1855)

La Dame aux Camélias from french nichhouse Jardins d'Écrivains is something so unusual as a Cologne de Nuit, a cologne to be used for bedtime pleasures. Of course any type of light fragrance could be used if one have the need to be perfumed round the clock but La Dame aux Camélias seems to be perfectly composed for the purpose as it not has the effervescent and uplifting effect as citrusdominated colognes.

La Dame aux Camélias starts with classic orangeblossom cologne notes blended with green and supported with a very smooth cardamom. The impression is that of  freshly laundered high quality linen sheets but without any contemporary detergent note. After a while an accord of delicate, subtle a bit oldfashioned (in a good way) and chilly flowers joins. The scent is clean but underneeth there is something almost on the verge to dirty, light animalic and maybe it's the indolic facet of orangeblossom that makes itself known combined with the musk and powdery tonka of the base. La Dame aux Camélias is a fragrance that triggers the imagination, I can well imagine that this was the scent of the exclusive linen sheets of the real Dame aux Camélias, the courtesan Marie Duplessis who also was the mistress of Alexandre Dumans the younger and the model for Marguerite Gautier in his novel La Dame aux Camélias (1848).

Beeing a colognestyled fragrance, La Dame aux Camélias should be applied liberally and if so, it lasts for a day, anyway if the weather is rainy and the conditions are humid. La Dame aux Camélias is intruiging and in the same time easy and pleasant to wear, entirely officefriendly. And the genereous 250 ml bottle is so beautiful....

Picture: La Dame aux Camélias
Photo: PR Jardins D'Ecrivains

Those who like fragrances such as Prada Infusion de Fleur d'Oranger, Guerlain L'Heure Bleue Edt and Parfumerie Générale Corps et Ames Eau de Toilette Apaisante will probably also appreciate La Dame aux Camélias.

Rating: 4+

Notes: Verbena, cardamom, orange blossom, violet, rose, camellia, tonka bean, musk, juniper wood

Thanks to Fragrance & Art for the sample of  La Dame aux Camélias