Eau Gourmande Fresh Fig by Laura Mercier

[chomiji]

So, in the discussion of my old fave Green Tea (by The Thymes), my friend smillaraaq suggested that I look for scents that had a green fig or fig note.

After looking at many scents online (mainly by using the Fragrantica site), it suddenly occurred to me that I have something here at home that is meant to be such a thing. I was given a box of these Laura Mercier products (perfume, lotion, etc.) as a gift in December, which was (as it is for many) a busy time, and I never did anything with them. So here's my attempt at writing up the perfume.

On a tissue (it's a spray bottle): sharp, fresh, green, floral (ylang-ylang?)

On my skin: alcohol (yeah, I'm sensitive to the carriers/preservatives), floral, wood coming through a little, slight sweetness of fruit (also: slight headache sensation in my temples)

Drydown: vanilla, musk, and wood (pencil shavings!), and then gradually a little sweet freshness comes back on top of those scents.

The notes as given on Frangrantica are:

Top: black fig, fruity notes, citruses
Middle: ylang-ylang, cassia and apricot
Base: musk, sandalwood, vanilla

I have to say that except for the blast at the start, I didn't smell the citrus and other fruits very much. And I realize that I'm not sure what a fresh fig smells like, although I have eaten them! But the headachey feeling is going away, and I rather like what my wrists smell like now.

Comments

[lunabee34]

I am the same way. We had a gorgeous fig tree on the property where I grew up and I have eaten tons of figs in my life. What does a fig smell like? IDK LOL

[chomiji]

The interesting thing is, I like the body butter even better than the perfume, although the perfume lasts a lot longer. I get more of a fruit smell from the body butter.

Likewise, I prefer my Thymes Green Tea lotion to the perfume. I really think there's something in the perfumes that puts me off. Of course, that's why so many are into BPAL etc. nowadays.

[lunabee34]

I really love having a shower gel and lotion to go with my perfume because it gives it such staying power. I have dry skin because my favorite past time is taking really hot baths every day LOL so lotion is a necessity.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

It might be an interesting experiment to get a little jar of some unscented body lotion/cream, and then spritz it heavily outside with some of the straight perfume and stir it all in. Let it sit for a day or two to let the more volatile top notes and carrier alcohol evaporate a bit, then try it out and see if the scent is mellowed any and/or it's less headache-producing than using the spray directly.

(And yeah, ylang-ylang is the only obvious culprit for a floraly smell there; it's a sweet tropical "white floral" sort of smell, a little bit like jasmine or gardenia.)