Review: L'Occitane Neroli and Orchidee

The latest addition to L'Occitane en Provence La Collection de Grasse line:
Neroli and Orchidee.

Wearing an orange-based body scent for me, or any citrus-based perfume for that matter, is quite tricky as some of these can leave you smelling like car freshener (Shaldan, anyone?) or household cleaning product (enter lemon-scented Pledge or Lysol). One of my favorite orange-centered perfumes, which I now have an empty bottle of, is Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Mandarine-Basilic. Beautifully housed in an intricate gold bottle, it combines orange blossoms, mandarine oranges and the magic ingredient (for me, anyways) basil, which tempers the acidity of the fruit. It is a lovely fragrance which evolves nicely in warm weather, being fresh, sweet, tart and green, with an addictive soft dry down.

Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Mandarine-Basilic was lovely to the last drop!

Enter one of L’Occitane’s most recent addition to their La Collection de Grasse line: Neroli and Orchidee, a floral number, combining Mediterranean neroli (a.k.a. bitter orange blossom) and exotic Madagascar orchid. I loved this perfume on first whiff, testing it on my wrist a couple of weeks ago at Rustan’s. That day, I kept sniffing my wrist all afternoon while walking in the mall, and into the night (like a crazy person)! Finally, two days ago, I managed to get myself one of the last two bottles left on display at the L’Occitane section in Rustan’s Shangri-la. Oh, the restraint from keeping me from buying both bottles was quite admirable, if I may say so myself, haha.

L'Occitane Neroli and Orchidee. 

Though marketed as a floral fragrance, to my nose, it is a juicy, fresh floral scent with a splash of orange, and creamy musky notes as you reach its base. The orange is so subtle but blends so wonderfully with the floral notes. No smelling of car freshener or Lysol with this one! Too, it works great in this hot and humid weather I am in now. And although it is "fruity floral" or better yet, floral with a touch of fruit -- to me, it still manages to smell sophisticated, and I can see this being used from day to night. Also, the bottle is beautiful, and the spray delivers a substantial dose of fragrance (Don't you hate it when perfume sprays squirt out fragrance?!). Longevity is fair at about four hours after initial spritz, after which I had to reapply. 

I am so in love with this scent and shall be dousing myself with it on especially hot days – which conflicts me as I don’t want to run out. *Suddenly regretting not buying that last bottle* D'oh! 

(Don't mind me, that's junkie-speak right there.)

Little Miss Fig-gy: Diptyque Philosykos and Laura Mercier Fresh Fig Souffle Body Creme

Growing up in Manila, Philippines, my only experience with figs was snacking on Fig Newtons. It was only later in life that I discovered that these little munchies (the fruit, not the cookie sandwiches) actually smelled great as a body scent.

I have to admit when I was in my early twenties, I have always passed the Diptyque fragrance counter at the local department stores without giving it much thought. Wow, little did I know that I was missing a lot. In the recent years, when I started to read perfume blogs and fora, I began to notice the brand Diptyque, and with that, the inevitable mention of one of its bestselling fragrances, “Philosykos”. For those in the know, Philosykos is one of the most popular fig-note based perfumes.

Open mind in tow, I trudged on over to the Diptyque fragrance counter in Rustan’s. The lovely SA spritzed on some Philosykos on a paper strip and on my wrist. At first sniff, I was immediately transported to the middle of my elementary school lawn after an afternoon rainshower, with the smell of damp earth and freshly cut grass blended with sweet notes I cannot quite describe.  After a few minutes the verdant notes die down a bit, and subtle sweet creamy notes settle on my skin (Could it be the "milky flavor of the fruit" the Diptyque website describes?). Okay. I loved it! I snagged the bottle right there and then.

My Diptyque Philosykos in the old bottle packaging.

Diptyque Philosykos in the new bottle design.

Diptyque Philosykos is a unique, beautiful scent! In my experience, it is not for everyone, nor do I find that I can wear it anytime (when I wear it on hot, humid days, the scent becomes cloying and quite sickening, and prefer to spritz it on a cool, windy day, or before I go to bed). Nevertheless, it is an unusual, woody, fruity and fresh scent, all at the same time.

Having discovered that figs smell wonderful, I ventured into trying Laura Mercier’s iteration in the body soufflé form. Equally beautiful, but in my opinion more universally appealing, Laura Mercier Sweet Fig body soufflé smells lovely and layers so well with Diptyque Philosykos.  The LM creation, I find, when combined with Philosykos, actually makes the latter more appealing to me. Not to mention that the quality of the body creme is excellent, not at all greasy and makes the skin so sooo soft! Definitely repurchasing this combo when I run out!

Laura Mercier Fresh Fig Souffle Body Creme is YUM-O.
Photo credits: www.lauramercier.com

Okay. Now I've got a hankering for some Fig Newtons.

Nabisco Fig Newtons. Does anyone know where I can still get these???