Perfume Review – Tilda Swinton, Like This by État Libre d’Orange

Tilda Swinton has dreamed of a perfume.

That is how Etat Libre d’Orange (“ELDO”) starts to describe the perfume that they made in homage to (and in collaboration with) the talented, eccentric, British actress.

Not a girly juice, oh no. A radical fragrance that soothes the fire under the milky skin. A warm perfume, cooled by ginger. If this perfume was a light, it would be an orange glow. That’s what it is. Moreover, if you remove a letter Tilda Swinton Redfrom the word ‘orange’, you have orage – ‘storm’ in French – and that suits her. On the surface, the elements are rousing. On the inside, the fire is tamed, it burns gently in the fireplace of her Scottish home. The fire purrs, the ginger is crystallized, the milk is warm. The room is a sanctuary. She said: I want a cozy perfume. And I hear the word ‘Cosi’ too. Comme ça. Like This. This perfume is her offering, inspired by a poem of Rumi, Like This. And in terms of this uncommon woman, I also hear: And like nothing else. It’s like this – punctuated with a bewitching smile.

Tilda Swinton Like ThisTilda Swinton, Like This (which is also, alternatively, called “Like This,” “Like This, Tilda Swinton,” or “Like This… Tilda Swinton“) is the actress’ interpretation of her favorite Rumi poem. As she explains, she doesn’t even normally like scents in a bottle — but she adores Rumi and, now, the “cozy” comfort of her eponymous fragrance:

I have never been a one for scents in bottles. The great Sufi poet Rumi wrote : If anyone wants to know what «spirit» is, or what «God’s fragrance» means, lean your head toward him or her. Keep your face there close. Like this. […]

This is possibly my favourite poem of all time. It restores me like the smoke/rain/gingerbread/ greenhouse my scent-sense is fed by.

The simple feelings of “home” and nature were Ms. Swinton’s precise goal in creating the perfume — and I’m emphasizing that for two reasons: 1), because this perfume won’t be for everyone as it is quite… er… unusual; and 2) because the aromas of a kitchen are fundamental to the essence of Tilda Swinton Like This:

My favourite smells are the smells of home, the experience of the reliable recognisable after the exotic adventure: the regular – natural – turn of the seasons, simplicity and softness after the duck and dive of definition in the wide, wide world.

When Mathilde Bijaoui first asked me what my own favourite scent in a bottle might contain, I described a magic potion that I could carry with me wherever I went that would hold for me the fragrance – the spirit – of home. The warm ginger of new baking on a wood table, the immortelle of a fresh spring afternoon, the lazy sunshine of my grandfather’s summer greenhouse, woodsmoke and the whisky peat of the Scottish Highlands after rain. I told her about a bottle of spirit, something very simple, to me : something almost indescribable, so personal it should be. The miracle is that Mathilde made it.

Like This was released in 2010, and contains the following notes:

Yellow mandarin, ginger, pumpkin accord, immortelle, Moroccan neroli, rose de Grasse, vetiver, heliotrope, and musk.

Immortelle, or Helichrysum in Corsica. Source: Wikicommons.

Immortelle, or Helichrysum in Corsica. Source: Wikicommons.

Immortelle is such a key part of this perfume (and such a hugely polarizing note) that it’s worth a brief explanation for those unfamiliar with the name. As Fragrantica explains, immortelle is a flowering plant from the Southern Mediterreanean area which has the smell of either: maple syrup, caramel, fenugreek spice, curry and/or toasted bread. The essential oil “has a strongly straw-like, fruity smell, with a honey and tea undertone.”

Immortelle. Source: The Perfume Shrine.

Immortelle. Source: The Perfume Shrine.

I tested Like This three times, with slightly different outcomes for the opening and longevity. The first time, the perfume started with an airy (but strong) note of fresh, yellow citrus that almost immediately turned sweeter and more floral in nature. The overall image is that of a dry, slightly woody, yellow floral with honeyed sweetness and some dried hay undertones– which is precisely what Immortelle is like in large part. The citrus note isn’t exactly lemon, but it’s not really tangerine, either. It’s more like very honeyed lemon for the first five minutes.

Source: GumaGumalu.com Free Recipes. (Click link for a Carrot Milkshake Recipe.)

Source: GumaGumalu.com Free Recipes. (Click link for a Carrot Milkshake Recipe.)

Soon thereafter, Like This turned milky or lactonic with candied ginger, milky notes, light musk and an airy element of what felt like honey-sweetened vegetables. It wasn’t pumpkin, and it took me a little while to pinpoint it, but it turned out to be glazed carrots. I know Tilda Swinton Like This is supposed to evoke gingerbread houses and pumpkin but, to me, the note was definitely caramelized carrots. It’s actually a lot more attractive than it sounds, especially when combined with the floral elements.

Tilda Swinton Red HairLess than 30 minutes in, Tilda Swinton Like This (honestly, I’m never sure what I’m supposed to call this perfume!) becomes deeper, smokier and woodier as the immortelle starts to bloom. The milky elements fade as a slightly burnt note creeps in, along with a maple syrup accord. A little over an hour later, “Like This” turns into a complete skin scent that is the immortelle’s yellow flower, along with musk over a dry woods element and the merest dusting of maple syrup. It’s all orange-yellow and brown — and that’s about it. By the second hour, I thought it had died completely. Really. It seemed to have vanished. So, I began a test on my other arm when, to my surprise, faint traces of the scent popped up on the first arm a little later before fading away completely at the four-hour mark.

My second test started like the first with that citrus note that rapidly morphed into something sweeter and more floral. Again, the citrus was sweet and turned into tangerine around the five-minute mark, adding a soupçon of tartness under the combination of honey. Again, there were fragrant yellow flowers; candied ginger; and dry, wooded herbals that almost feel like the stems of the immortelle mixed with some hay. This time, however, there were no milky notes that evoked a sweetened, carrot chai. In contrast, there was now the definite scent of heliotrope, adding a candied violet undertone to the scent, along with very noticeable, lemon-nuanced vetiver, and the faintest hint of rose concentrate.

That rose note was a key part of both the second and third tests of Tilda Swinton Like This. It’s never a wholly distinct, individually clear note but, rather, intertwined with the carrot. I know irises can sometimes have a carrot-like undertone, but do roses or heliotrope? Perhaps it’s how the “pumpkin accord” translates to my nose when mixed in with the honeyed syrup aspects of immortelle and the roses, but I’m telling you, Tilda Swinton Like This smells of roses and yellow immortelle flowers heavily intertwined with caramelized carrots — all atop a foundation of dry woods, vetiver, and nutty, butterscotch-like, maple syrup.

Tilda SwintonI realise it all sounds terrible. I mean, honestly, what a combination! It’s as eccentrically odd and chameleon-like as Tilda Swinton herself. And, yet, in some crazy way, it actually works. Forget about the individual notes and just think of a very sweet, but simultaneously dry, honeyed floral scent of pink roses and yellow flowers. Imagine mimosas, almost, if you want. Now, try to think that underneath that, there is something that’s a little bit like warm, sweet carrots and nutty syrup (in lieu of the usual honey). But it’s not incredibly heavy or sugary, because there are some dry, hay-like notes, a woody element and a little bit of fresh green from the vetiver. That is the essence of Tilda Swinton, Like This.

The perfume remains that way for quite a while until, finally, the dry-down starts around the third hour and “Like This” morphs into light, sheer, maple syrup with musk. Whatever happened in terms of the 2-4 hour duration during my first test didn’t repeat itself the second or third time around when “Like This” lasted 9.5 hours and 8 hours, respectively. A change in the dosage was responsible. On all three occasions, however, the perfume had incredibly moderate to low sillage during the first hour, and soon thereafter becomes a skin scent. If you don’t put on a lot and if you’re anosmic to musk, it may appear to be much more fleeting in nature than it actually is. What is a little surprising is that the perfume is moderately strong despite being an airy, sheer scent that lies right on the skin.

Source: The Sweet Life at TheSweetlifeonline.com. (For Pumpkin bread pudding with maple sauce recipe, click photo. Link embedded within.)

Source: The Sweet Life at TheSweetlifeonline.com. (For Pumpkin bread pudding with maple sauce recipe, click photo. Link embedded within.)

I think your skin chemistry will greatly impact how this perfume smells on you, given the unusual combination of notes and the tricky aspect of the immortelle. On me, the flowers came to the forefront with the vegetable, ginger and syrup in the background. On others, however, particularly those commenting on Fragrantica, the situation was reversed. The vast majority talked about ginger and pumpkin up front, with the flowers nestled in the background. A good number also found the perfume to be primarily orange and/or ginger, with pumpkin not being so dominant. A few mentioned the immortelle as a floral note, (as opposed to immortelle manifesting itself as maple syrup), and a handful found that the heliotrope and vetiver were also dominant. Some of the comments may be helpful:

  • Upon first spray, the floral notes (heliotrope particularly) and spices are in equal balance, but as the perfume settles on my skin, the ginger, pumpkin, and immortelle become the stars of the show for several hours. [¶] Toward the end of the dry-down, Like This becomes a feminine, honeyed floral (yes, the floral notes re-emerge!). It is reminiscent of Annick Goutal’s Sables at this stage (an immortelle soliflore), but lighter and less syrupy. And finally, a hint of earthy, slightly leathery vetiver emerges. What a gorgeous ride this one takes you on!
  • The orange-ginger combination does give this fragrance a hint of just baked gingerbread, but dominant immortelle neutralises the sweetness and makes it too herbal to become a foodie dessert scent. I don’t get any pumpkin at all, not much rose either. Vetyver is another prominent note, along with clean musk make Like This a perfect unisex scent […]
  •  Even though I don’t pick up any of the pumpkin (which was what intrigued me from the reviews) it is absolute magic on my skin. I thought that freesia was my favorite floral, then I thought it was peony, then rose…now I’m certain it’s actually immortelle. LIKE THIS begins so incredibly with the immortelle, and as it dries down the tangerine and the heliotrope & ginger show in stunning form. I ordered a FB within minutes of putting this on.
  • Very light and grassy in a dried way, with a feeling of milky coffee in the back. I really wanted to smell pumpkin, but I don’t really detect that on my skin. The ginger and tangerine are just faintly there, as additions rather than strong presence, and overall it’s a nice but strange scent. It’s a mood almost more than a perfume.

I chose those comments to show you that Like This isn’t perhaps as gourmand as you may think from the description and notes. And, yet, there are plenty who find it very “foodie” — though they seem to be quite enamoured as well. As I said up above, it will really depend on how you feel about immortelle and how it manifests with your particular skin chemistry.

Those who shudder at the very thought of the note may want to consider The Perfume Posse‘s impressions of the scent:

it starts off a little citrus-ish, the ginger and heliotrope waves some flags to let you know it’s not gonna be like that. There’s a little bit of a tinnish feel in the open. And then the nutty pancake syrupy immortelle buzzes – not loud, soft and wafty, like a smoky tendril. The tin is gone, and it starts warming up in some fabulous ways that make my toes curl. I’m not sure I get pumpkin exactly, but there is this pulpy-ness blended into the immortelle that feels like pumpkin with some spice. Pumpkin pie, almonds and pancake syrup without the calories or sweetness. But it’s not really foody. Gourmand quality to it, but just not that. It’s warmer, richer, but completely light and wispy. I would … [never]  believe a perfume with this list of notes would be light and floaty. But it is. Warm, rich, light, floaty and a great big soft hug.

I tried Like This three times in part because I couldn’t decide how I felt about it. (Plus, what initially seemed to be a 2 hour duration in the first test made it easier.) And I’m still ambivalent. It’s definitely intriguing and it also really grows on you! I love the floral aspects of it on me, including the yellowness of the immortelle. And, honestly, that rose concentrate backed by sweet carrots is pretty damn cool! I’m less crazy about the flower’s maple syrup undertone as it manifests itself here. I know I wouldn’t wear Like This if it was primarily pumpkin, ginger, and maple syrup — but that is not what it is on me. However, that is precisely how it appears on a large number of people, so clearly this is a perfume that needs testing (on your actual skin) before purchase. For myself, I don’t think I would ever buy “Like This.” But if a decant or bottle fell into my lap, I would wear it. On occasion….

I think…

DETAILS:
Cost & Availability: Tilda Swinton Like This is an eau de parfum that comes in two different sizes and which can be purchased directly from ELdO’s online boutique. The prices listed there are in Euros: €79.00 for a 50 ml/1.7 oz bottle and €119.00 for a 100 ml/3.4 oz bottle. Samples are also available for €3.00. The company also offers two different Discovery Sample Coffrets for different prices. In the U.S., Tilda Swinton Like This can be purchased from Lucky Scent for $99 for a 50 ml/1.7 oz bottle, along with samples for $4. You can also purchase Like This from MinNewYork, or C.O. Bigelow. The larger size of the perfume (100 ml/3.4 oz) is carried at Parfum1 where it costs $149, but shipping is free. In the U.K, you can purchase Like This from Les Senteurs for £74.00 for a 50 ml/1.7 oz bottle; samples are also available. In Europe, Etat Libre d’Orange fragrances can be found at First in Fragrance which sells the 50 ml bottle of Like This for €79, along with samples and a Discovery Set of 10 perfumes in 10 ml vials. Samples can also be purchased from Surrender to Chance, the site where I obtained my vial. The price starts at $5.99 for 1 ml.

42 thoughts on “Perfume Review – Tilda Swinton, Like This by État Libre d’Orange

  1. I happen to have tried this last night and while most of the stuff you describe sounds yummy, I hated it. Thanks to your review I now know it was the immortelle (because L’Occitane has a skincare cream with that fragrance that also made me nauseated).

    • Immortelle is a note that leads to EXTREMELY polarized reactions! It’s why I kept emphasizing whether (or how much) you like the perfume will depend SOLELY on the immortelle, what you think of it, and how it manifests itself on your skin with your skin chemistry. Clearly, you fall in the category where it turns funny on you and/or you hate the note. LOL. 🙂

      • Kafka, this is really bizarre but this morning I decided to try A Lab On Fire Liquidnight again. I am getting that same sickly sweet maple syrup from it that I got from Like This- wondering if the former also has immortelle. I don’t see it listed anywhere but the notes on Liquidnight are sketchy. I would think it was me but I smelled two other fragrances in between and they were both fine.

  2. Dear Kafka, I had high hopes for Tilda Swinton Like This when I first heard about its existence. I LOVE pumpkin – soup! bread! pie! I immediately placed an STC order for it, along with a few other goodies (got to get that discount!). When I first tried it, I got a tooth-ache from its sweetness and I thought, OK, let me try it again. And the 2nd time around, the sweetness stayed and I smelled nothing else and what’s worse? No pumpkin smell. I tried it a 3rd time and finally gave it the boot. Good review though!

    • “Tooth-achingly sweet”? By your standards?? WOW! Clearly, the immortelle turned funky on you. Was it all maple syrup? Sounds like you had none of the florals that I experienced. If I recall that Questions #1 post on perfume notes, immortelle is one of the ones on your iffy list, no? Or was it on the hated list? As for the pumpkin scent, I’ve read a number of people who said they couldn’t detect it at all. Patty at Perfume Posse found some sort of amorphous, pulpy, *almost* pumpkin-like thing that really wasn’t — and I, personally, would bet it was a caramelized, glazed carrot note. But pure pumpkin? Not on me either.

      I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. Immortelle is such a tricky note. I think it’s probably as polarizing as tuberose!

      • Shocking, isn’t it…that this went too sweet on me. If I were to go by Undina’s comment below, I love AG Nuit Etoilee, Diptyque Volutes and SL Boxeuses and all these contain immortelle. I gave away the remnants of my Like This sample so I no longer have a scent reference…I’ll probably end up acquiring another sample, just because…

        As to my list of notes from Love to Hate, I did not even list immortelle! I would put it in Like. And because I can :-), i am moving rose up to indifferent and jasmine down to iffy. LOTV is still stuck in the abhor category.

  3. I’m so glad you reviewed this one, because I *just* smelled it last weekend. I liked it quite a bit. But I was also testing in-store, an despite trying some on my skin, I was testing a bunch of other things at the same time. But I was definitely tempted by this one in the store, especially since it was 50% off. I agree that it’s definitely not a pure gourmand, and that there’s a lot going on with it. Smelling this, and some other ELdOs that day, basically ensured that I will definitely be buying a sample set in the coming months. I was sort of surprised to like a number of the ELdOs I tried, given that my only previous experience was Secretions Magnifiques which isn’t really a crowd-pleaser.

    Now, it’s to decide if I want the smaller sample set, but which has 10ml bottles, or the sample set of the full line, which only has 2 ml samples. Choices, choices.

    • Given other people’s comments here, and also how immortelle can manifest itself so differently on people, I’m curious how the perfume was on your skin? Do you recall any florals? Any rose or dry woody notes? Any pumpkin, milky notes or was it mainly heavy maple syrup?

      • This is why I need to try it again! My nose was too divided for a really full picture. I remember mostly ginger (which I love) and a bit of florals. I definitely didn’t get maple syrup (which I dislike in both taste and smell, by and large) — but that’s not to say it wouldn’t present itself if I had a bit more time with it.

  4. Unfortunately for me, the musk I smell in there makes this perfume not wearable for me. So I gave my large sample away to a friend and it smells wonderful on him. 🙂

    • Is musk one of your hated, despised notes, Ines? Or is it something about the type of musk and how it manifested itself on your skin? I always like getting to know people’s liked or disliked notes. 🙂

      • Musk in general isn’t a hated note for me, there is just certain types of musks (the clean, synthetical ones) that I seem to be particularly sensitive to. And I noticed many people don’t react to them in the same way.

        • I’m the same way for certain synthetic musks when really amplified in perfumes, Ines, so I really understand. Some of my biggest scrubbers — like Malle’s Lipstick Rose, many of the Kilians, and one of the Bond No. 9s — had really extreme, synthetic vanilla and/or musk undertones that I found unbearable. Somehow, the Tilda Swinton didn’t manifest itself like that on me. (Thank God.) But I can understand how it would not work for others. 🙂

  5. Oh wow, this sounds gorgeous! Carrots smell great: I’ve only noticed them in one other fragrance and that was Dior’s Dune. I’m glad to see celebs like Tilda Swinton be considered marketable in a world of Kardashians.

    • I like the carrot smell too. It’s a fantastic undertone to Neela Vermeire’s Trayee where it combines with cardamom and saffron to create something truly lovely. (Though, it’s the perfume as a whole which is lovely, not solely that note.) Carrot is also part of By Kilian’s Flower of Immortality, but it’s not cooked and sweet there, so much as fresh. 🙂

      As for Tilda Swinton, I doubt any perfume brand *except for* Etat Libre would consider her to be marketable, saleable or a lure to buyers. But she totally fits with ELDO’s intentionally off-beat, tongue-in-cheek, extremely playful and facetious twist on perfumery. I mean, this is the brand that made a perfume in homage to a Finnish homoerotic artist who was an icon during the underground gay scene of the 1950s. LOL.

      Do you know if you like immortelle? If you do, then you should try this but if you struggle with maple syrup notes, perhaps you should stay away. I am lucky that immortelle is mostly floral on me, but it is a tricky note that can turn very funky/unpleasant on some.

  6. When I tried it I thought it was pleasant but since I’m boycotting this brand (I disagree with their aesthetic) I didn’t feel like following up my initial testing.

    • How does immortelle show up on your skin? I’m fascinated by how extreme the two sides of the note are and how polarizing it is for many people. As for Etat Libre, do you find their aesthetic to be vulgar and crass? Or is it something else? BTW, you seem a little better. Has the neck/back pain gone away just a little? I hope so. *hugs*

      • I’m MUCH better: I can drive (yey!) and I was able to stay the full work day in the office (which is good since I hate spending my PTO time on being sick). But I’m still healing.

        According to my database (meaning I had no recollection about this note which usually happens when I’m neutral about it) there are at least several perfumes that I like featuring immortelle – AG Nuit Étoilée, Diptyque Volutes, Guerlain Cuir Beluga, Serge Lutens Boxeuses and Jeux de Peau, Thierry Mugler Womanity Taste of Fragrance.

        As to ELdO, yes it’s exactly the case. And since it’s the second time my boycotting a brand comes up in two days I probably should finally write that post about brands/perfumers I’m boycotting (or trying to).

        • I love your database reports. The thoroughness and plethora of details so appeals to my detail-obsessed heart! 😀 If science and numbers didn’t alarm me so, I’d probably try to track things as well. Instead, I’m just going to rely on you. LOL. So, a big thank you for sharing the other perfumes with immortelle that you liked. I think it helped Hajusuuri in particular, as she liked a few of those but found the sweetness of “Like This” to be too much. Can you imagine — a perfume that SHE found to be too sweet and that I did not?!!! Clearly, my peculiar skin chemistry tamed something in “Like This”! lol.

          • I am very late to this but wanted to say I love it when you (and the authors of the comments) explore how a note hits different people – in this case, immortelle. I was curious about this because of loving AG Sables with its strong immortelle note.
            I still have a bottle of Sables that I bought in 1989 or 1990 and was recently intrigued to read that at this point its formula was 16% Mysore sandalwood! I have a bottle from c.2010 and while this is still lovely, still Sables even, it lacks the same – presumably real sandalwood – depth in the dry down.
            I mention this here, obviously, because of the immortelle link, as I found myself reading this review because because I was catching up withreviews of Sables, which often mention ‘Like this.’.
            I don’t get a lot of sweetness from the immortelle in Sables, It is there but I get hay and warm sand. It does have a maple syrupish note that could be called very sweet but on me this is intermittent, even elusive. This note comes and goes to such an extent that it never gets tiring, never outstays its welcome (in a way some sweet, or vanilla-centric scents do)…
            I can really understand how this note must be very polarising though and I personally never get a curry note that some find in immortelle and I would probably hate Sables if I did.
            I also wanted to say that the mention of the presence of a pumpkin note, as opposed to a carrot note, or whatever in ‘Like this’ might depend on exposure to cooking with pumpkin, especially in sweet recipes since I – and probably a lot of other Brits – have no idea what a sweet pumpkin pie smells like.
            I haven’t commented for a while but just wanted to say that I hope things go well for you and all the best for the New Year for both you and the Hairy German.

  7. This one works for me. It’s sweet but not toothache sweet on me. I get the pumpkin. It lasts longer than most things do on me and smells wonderful throughout. I did buy a bottle of it and while I don’t wear it every day, I do love it when I wear it. I’ve also gotten many compliments on it.

    • Yay for a perfume that lasts a while on your skin! I know that doesn’t happen very often. I was surprised myself how long “Like This” stayed on me. (Well, apart from that wonky first test which I really can’t explain.)

  8. Like This likes my skin. I do get maple syrup but in a way that I wouldn’t even characterize as sweet. I also get the impression of coffee that someone mentioned – no specific notes, just an impression. Imagine if they had released this without any notes like Jour d’Hermes. I wonder if anyone would have been able to guess correctly.

    • Welcome, Lorraine! It’s good to hear from someone not traumatized by the immortelle. LOL. I was amused by your clever “Like This likes my skin.” 😀 As for coffee, that’s interesting. I can see how perhaps the milky undertones may combine with the immortelle and the rooty aspects of vetiver to create that sort of impression. Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your experiences.

  9. I still have yet to find a ELd’O perfume that really strikes my fancy. I spritzed some of this on a strip once and was underwhelmed. You need to read Freddie from smellythoughts review of this. As he tested it, he was not thrilled with this either. On his post, he has a picture of Tilda looking confused. It was from that picture where we coined the phrase “Full Tilda Swinton” as moniker for fragrances that were underwhelming and just plain meh. 🙂

    • I don’t think Tilda Swinton would be a great perfume to test solely by what’s on a strip of paper. It’s too airy for that but, mostly, the immortelle wouldn’t necessarily show itself in the best way and would probably just show up as unnecessary sweetness. The floral aspect is the pretty part, imo, and on me, the perfume was primarily floral in nature. That said, I really can’t see you loving this one, Mr. Hound. You do like cozy perfumes, but this one…..? Hm. No, I can’t see it, to be honest.

  10. This is going to sound ridiculous, but I am forever confusing the story behind Like This with that of Miller Harris’ Rien. I know that they are completely different, but every time I see the Like This bottle, I think, “Isn’t that the one that smells like a not too clean scalp?!”

    I need to woman up and give this a try. I quite like Afternoon of a Faun, so I bet that I would like this too.

  11. When I first had a sample, this seemed like a quirky orange to me, with a kind of out door woodsy smell. I purchased a full bottle and about a year later, all I could smell was a maple syrup carmelized pumpkin. I don’t know whether the juice chemically changed, or my perception changed.
    I am not usually fond of gourmands and probably would not have bought something I perceived as carmelized maple syrup. On the other hand, there are far worse scents, and every once in a while, this seems just right. It is also just right for Thanksgiving.

    • Hi, “Me,” thank you for stopping by and sharing your experiences. 🙂 I can definitely see how this would work at Thanksgiving, even if it doesn’t the rest of the year. It sounds like the immortelle was purely maple syrup on you and with none of the flowers. I’m not a fan of gourmands, myself, so I sympathize a lot. 🙂

  12. This is one of those perfumes that I would like on someone else, but not me. I like Immortelle, and I do enjoy the floral combination here, but the background notes are still too gourmand for me. I mean, I love cooking and I love spicy perfumes…. but for some reason I can’t deal with smelling like floral gingerbread. Maybe it’s the comfort/homey undercurrent in the fragrance, because I just do NOT want to smell homey! I’m not even sure I can entirely go for cozy… I think I need more danger in my perfumes. Still, it’s pretty and seems well made and I’m glad I smelled it.

    • LOL! Your whole comment made me laugh. It almost verged on the indignant with regard to homey, floral gingerbread. *grin* Hilarious. I definitely don’t think this perfume is for you. I think I had less homey bits than you did but, at the end of the day, it’s not very me, either.

  13. “As for Tilda Swinton, I doubt any perfume brand *except for* Etat Libre would consider her to be marketable, saleable or a lure to buyers.”

    Just had to chime in here. She won an Academy Award, just did a video with David Bowie, is the muse for Chanel and did that show at MoMa where she slept in the museum. Her fans Love her with a capital L precisely because she is different from most celebrities. Like This is far and away Etat Libre d’Orange’s best seller from the line.

    I get the pumpkin, especially with the cinnamon and ginger notes, but on me it smells like pie, especially with the heliotrope and vetiver. I like to layer it with SMN Eliotropio — discontinued, so I often substitute Auric Blends Vanilla Musk, which extends my wearing. Not that I don’t find this perfume comforting, but it makes it extra snuggly and girlie.

    Otherwise, I think Like This could smell good on a man. But if what they say about pumpkin pie as an aphrodisiac for men is true, then I’d be careful!

    • My point was that she is not mainstream, and not the typical, conventional sort of celebrity or Oscar winner that a perfume brand might chose, except for Etat Libre who is as quirky as she is. She is no Charlize Theron or Natalie Portman, and all the things you mention just underscore my point, as well as for why it would be Etat Libre who would chose her. No-one is arguing that her fans don’t love her for being different.

  14. This is a great, great review! Actually I am wearing this right now and I think this scent is NOT eccentric. It’s really comforting, the vetiver is cosy and the immortelle strong, yellow and interesting. No flowers for me here. I have been sampling it for a few weeks now and will get this – my first perfume in two or three years, which is a great compliment for ELDO 😉

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