Les Néréides Patchouli Antique (Patchouli Précieux)

Source: worldofstock.com

Source: worldofstock.com

A keepsake memento box made of cedar, left in a dusty old attic, only to be found and doused with rum and cognac, then to transform as if by alchemy to something quite different. That is part of the journey you take with Patchouli Antique from Les Néréides, a French perfume house that initially started in the world of expensive, high-end costume jewelry before branching out into perfume. Their fragrances represent their overall ethos of the most basic, simple ingredients, presented in the most refined manner. They eschew expensive or fancy bottling, preferring to opt for a minimalistic aesthetic, both to appearance and, to some degree, the perfume itself.

Patchouli Antique or, Patchouli Précieux, as it is now known.

Patchouli Antique or, Patchouli Précieux, as it is now known.

Patchouli Antique (or Patchouli Précieux as it has now been renamed) embodies that aesthetic for much of its journey, though its opening is wonderfully complex and nuanced. The fragrance is an eau de toilette that is classified as an “Oriental Woody” on Fragrantica, and its notes are not complicated according to most sites. Luckyscent says that they are nothing more than:

Indonesian patchouli, Vanilla, and musk.

However, one French retailer provides something very different. Olivolga describes Patchouli Antique as follows:

Patchouli Antique becomes Patchouli Précieux, the perfume is the same.

The story of Patchouli Précieux: The soothing scent of rich, clean earth freshened by rain. This is the loamy soil of an enchanted hillside at dusk as you lay in the grass and watch the clouds. The opening is very intense, but give it a moment and the trademark gentle touch of Les Nereides becomes apparent. The patchouli retains its earthiness, but becomes soft and deep, melding with layers of pillowy vanilla and smooth musk to create a dreamy landscape … Bewitching!

Base: patchouli, cedar wood, sandalwood, vanilla, musk
Head: sweet orange, green note
Middle: Gurjum balm, scots pine

Source: footage.shutterstock.com

Source: footage.shutterstock.com

Patchouli Antique opens on my skin with a rich cocktail of notes. It is a blend of sweet, chewy, dusty, slightly medicinal, red-brown patchouli with booziness, followed by tobacco and a subtle whisper of leather. It is patchouli in all its true splendour with a spicy, sweet, smoky character that also has subtle touches of green, woody dryness, and dark resinous amber. The amorphous “boozy” note soon turns into something delineated and distinct, as both a fruited rum and a very aged, nutty cognac. Yet, the whole top bouquet is paradoxically filled with antique dust and old woods. Patchouli Antique smells much like an old cedar memory chest stuck in a dusty attic for years, then doused by a pirate’s stash of booze.

Source: cigarettezoom.com

Source: cigarettezoom.com

Patchouli Antique is initially very strong, but it quickly softens to become a beautiful blend of dark notes that envelops you in a small cloud. The rum smells as though it was seeped in juicy, Seville oranges. Though the fruity note is quickly subsumed by the patchouli, dusty, and smoky woods, it pops up occasionally to counter the dryness of the perfume’s base. The tobacco is simply lovely, and may be one of my favorite parts of Patchouli Antique’s opening. It smells just like the rich, fragrant, very fruited pipe tobacco that my uncle used. There is also a subtle leatheriness underlying the scent, but it’s burnished, aged, and completely doused by cognac. The overall blend is faintly similar to Oriza L. Legrand‘s Horizon patchouli, but Les Nereides’ version is much richer and more complex.

Source: thejewelerblog.wordpress.com

Source: thejewelerblog.wordpress.com

Ten minutes in, Patchouli Antique is like a dark topaz stone made from boozy patchouli and dry, dusty cedar, throwing off rich nuances of leather and sweet pipe tobacco like little, brown rays. There is the faintest hint of creamy vanilla lurking deep down below, but it is subtle at this point. The whole thing lies nestled in a smoky, resinous, slightly green cocoon that was initially quite muted, but which suddenly rises to the surface. It takes exactly 13 minutes for the patchouli’s green side to emerge. It’s metholated and slightly medicinal, but it’s much more minty as a whole. Patchouli is a plant in the mint family, and there are definite reflections of that side in the perfume, though they are quite soft at first.

Source: 1stdibs.com

Source: 1stdibs.com

Much more noticeable, however, is the woody dustiness that becomes stronger, and a quiet creaminess in texture. Patchouli Antique increasingly smells like the creamiest of very ancient apothecary cabinets, made out of cedar, covered by a light film of ancient dust, then heavily infused with dark, chewy, spicy patchouli. I think the creaminess is due solely to the vanilla which isn’t distinct in its own right at this point, but which works indirectly in the base to create that textural feel and smoothness. It rounds out any rough edges, making sure that Patchouli Antique is not too green or woody.

Abstract Mint Green and Chocolate Brown art on canvas by Heatherdaypaintings on Etsy. (Website link embedded within photo.)

Abstract Mint Green and Chocolate Brown art on canvas by Heatherdaypaintings on Etsy. (Website link embedded within photo.)

To my regret, the creaminess also serves to diffuse the boozy rum and cognac accord, weakening it and making it fade away almost completely by the 20-minute mark. Taking its place is a creamy mint tonality that soon dominates both the patchouli and the scent as a whole. It is as though Patchouli Antique has entered into a completely new phase where the primary bouquet is creamy mint patchouli, followed by dusty cedar and the merest hint of something leathery. The fragrance has the feel of heavy creamy, though not in any fresh, sour, or particularly sweetened way. The dry, woody, and minty elements cut through the vanilla, to help ensure that the primary focus is on the greener side of the patchouli. I have to say, I really miss the lovely fruited tobacco and run-cognac, and I’m not crazy about feeling like a creamy mint ice-cream infused with patchouli chips.

Source: 123rf.com

Source: 123rf.com

The second stage is short-lived, a quick transitional bridge to Patchouli Antique’s main phase which begins at the end of the first hour. The vanilla blooms in its own right, overtaking the mentholated mint element, and turning Patchouli Antique into a creamy patchouli-vanilla scent with a very dusty, woody undertone. The mint remains, as does the dry cedar, but both move increasingly to the sidelines. The patchouli has lost much of its chewy, spicy, smoky darkness, feeling washed, and somewhat cleaned by creamy vanillic softness. The whole thing hovers an inch above the skin, and feels very airy.

At the 90-minute mark, Patchouli Antique on my skin is 4 parts vanilla, 3 parts patchouli, 2 parts mint, and 1 part dusty, dry, amorphous woods. Occasionally, the patchouli will dominate the vanilla, but, generally, it feels much more enveloped by the creamy note. To be clear, however, the fragrance is never gourmand at all. Patchouli Antique lacks the sweetness for that, but the patchouli remains very muffled for much of the time. I would have far preferred more of the rich, spicy, smokiness of patchouli in a redder, brown fragrance than such a creamily beige one dominated by soft vanilla. That said, Patchouli Antique is a refined scent where all of the edges have been smoothed out.

However, I think it may have gone too much in the direction of cleaning the patchouli of its dark earthiness, funk, and spicy leatheriness. How people can compare Patchouli Antique to a monster of medicinal funk, smoky vetiver woodiness, and intense darkness like Reminiscence‘sPatchouli or Elixir Patchouli is completely beyond me. I see very little in common between the three scents, except the boozy element that both Reminiscence fragrances begin with if a lot is applied. On my skin, the greenness in the Nereides fragrance is primarily mint, whereas it was heavily camphorous and mentholated with the Reminiscence duo, in addition to being infused by an intense, smoked vetiver.

The overall lack of smokiness in Patchouli Antique also removes it from the realm of Chanel‘s spectacular Coromandel which is one of my favorite perfumes primarily because of its gorgeous patchouli drydown. In Coromandel, the patchouli turns into something like a creamy Chai tea dusted with white chocolate and infused with frankincense, but it always smells like sweet, spicy patchouli. The patchouli in Les Nereides’ version is much blander, creamier, cleaner, and softer, without the incense or spicy sweetness. There are minuscule flickers of both deep down, but they are heavily muffled.

Source: stonecontact.com

Source: stonecontact.com

In fact, Patchouli Antique seems increasingly like a vanilla fragrance with just dashes of patchouli tossed in. At the start of the third hour, Patchouli Antique is a creamy, woody vanilla with patchouli, followed by a touch of synthetic white musk in the base. It is also now a skin scent, though it is still noticeable up close. It soon devolves further, turning slightly powdery, until it is a mere gauzy smear of woody vanilla, followed by patchouli and white musk. It feels like a wispy, drier, simpler, less sweetened cousin to something like Serge LutensUn Bois Vanillé. I like the latter quite a bit, but it is not what I’m looking for in a fragrance that is supposed to center around patchouli.       

Patchouli Antique has very good longevity on my perfume-consuming skin for a fragrance that is an eau de toilette, but it is hardly as spectacular as others seem to report. Around 7.5 hours into its development, the fragrance is almost gone. It dies away entirely an hour later, 8.5 hours from the start, as a blur of dusty, woody sweetness. The sillage was initially strong with a large application, but soft with a smaller one. The average, overall projection as a whole for the fragrance’s lifespan was soft.

Suzanne on Bois de Jasmin has a detailed assessment of Patchouli Antique which I agree with in small part, though I think she experienced far more of the lovely opening phase of the fragrance than I did. Her review reads, in part, as follows:

Les Néréides Patchouli Antique is one of a number of patchouli-centric fragrances in niche perfume lines that strips away the past and presents patchouli as something eminently more palatable for modern tastes. […] 

Although the lasting power is superb and the strength impressive, Patchouli Antique is a mellow liquid using vanilla not as a sweetening agent but as a smoothing one.  Vanilla takes the edge off the green, aromatic and slightly minty quality that the note possesses in isolation. The “antique” of the name conjures up ideas of aging and one is hard-pressed to escape a noticeable mustiness that creeps into the fragrance after a fruity and golden opening.

Patchouli Antique is not enslaved to the herbal origin of the note.  After the fruitiness of the opening comes a lovely, semi-damp earthiness similar to what one finds in L’Artisan Voleur de Roses and then the notes of wood, paper, leather, and perhaps a vapor of alcohol. […]

Vanilla comes into play in the drydown, rubbing out the earlier earthy and liqueur-like qualities but not in a degree that makes the fragrance gourmand.  It does tend to desensitize the patchouli a bit[.][…]

Depending on the method of application (spraying or dabbing) it can become almost a skin scent when applied in moderation, or it can announce itself as patchouli and it will elicit remark when used that way.

I envy Suzanne for an experience that seems much boozier and for far longer than my own. On my skin, I had a liqueur and earthy patchouli phase that may have lasted 20 minutes at most, followed then by heavy mint ice-cream patchouli, woody vanilla-patchouli, and finally, just plain woody, powdery vanilla.   

On Fragrantica, the reviews are mixed, as some people find the scent too musty, minty, or mentholated. As noted earlier, 10 people voted that Patchouli Antique was extremely similar to Reminiscence’s Elixir that I reviewed yesterday, but I can’t see any overlap at all. In the Fragrantica comments, others bring up Parfumerie Generale‘s Coze, a scent I haven’t tried, as well as other patchouli mainstays. A few examples of the range of opinions:

  • I detect no patchouli at all in this, at least not as I understand it. [¶] It goes on minty, medicinal and slightly weird-smelling and reminds me of semi-fresh breath that someone’s been trying to conceal by chewing gum. Camphorous. [¶] There’s also something reminiscent of pu-erh tea emerging after a while. [¶] None of these notes are anything I associate with a personal fragrance applied for the pleasure of oneself or those around you. Terrible.
  • This is a thick, chewy patchouli, reminiscent of Coze in my opinion. Where Coze is heavy on the tobacco, this is heavy on the chocolate note (though none is officially listed) this is a great winter scent and if you like Coromandel, Borneo 1834 and Coze, this is most definitely a must have.
  • It’s an interesting scent – I think that’s the kindest thing I can say about it. […] It makes me think of dusty attics and cobwebs and stale cigarette smoke. I imagine being a child and finding clothes from 80 years ago that still have the faint scent of perfume on them – that’s the smell that I get. It’s evocative in a way but if I want to smell like this and I could live in a damp house with a bunch of smokers, wear Opium to bed and get up without showering and go out. Not my thing really.
  • This is not simply a patchouli fragrance, this is patchoulissimo. No frils, pleasantly unrefined, simple and extremely earthy patch with powdery/ambery undertones. Honest, unpretentious yet attention worthy for any patch lover…I stick with more complex interpretations of the main theme, but if you’re up for a classic no surprise patchouli, check this out, this is quality stuff.
  • As many of the reviews on Luckyscent mention, this really does have a musty opening note. In fact, on me, it is bordering on downright mildewy! But strangely, it’s mildewy in an endearing, nostalgic way…reminding me of memories made while playing with my cousins in the attic of their summer cabin. [¶] Eventually, after not too long, the mustiness fades and I am left with a soft, powdery, sweet patchouly.
  • I must say it`s horrific. Very strong tobacco and medicinal patchouli. So very much not up my alley.
The kind of purple, fruited patchouli to avoid if you want real patchouli. Source: Shutterstock.com

What purple, fruited patchouli feels like, and what to avoid if you want real patchouli. Source: Shutterstock.com

You have to be a lover of true patchouli scents to appreciate Patchouli Antique. Given the note’s notoriety since the 1970s with all the negative associations to hippies and “head shops,” true patchouli with all its spicy, sweet, smoky, earthy funk isn’t common in modern perfumery. What is listed as “patchouli” is the terrible purple fruit-chouli kind with its overwhelmingly syrupy, jammy, fruited, berried molasses that accompanies roses scents or which is used as the base in fake, neo-quasi “chypres” now that oakmoss has essentially become a thing of the past. People used to the patchouli  in commercial, mainstream scents like Chanel‘s Coco Noir or Marc Jacob‘s Lola (to give just two of a plethora of examples) will undoubtedly respond to Patchouli Antique with some of the reactions noted above.

That said, Patchouli Antique does have a mustiness and dustiness that isn’t typical of even dark, true patchouli fragrances. Tobacco and leather are more characteristic undertones, but, as some of the comments above demonstrate, skin chemistry may play a role in determining how they manifest themselves on your skin. If your chemistry always turns tobacco into an ashtray, or if you hate tobacco fragrances as a whole, then patchouli may be a problematic note for you in general. If, however, you love fragrances like Coromandel, Borneo 1834, or Guerlain‘s L’Instant de Guerlain Pour Homme Extreme (LIDGE), chances are that you already like the real kind of patchouli.

Whether you will like Patchouli Antique, on the other hand, will very much depend on how much vanilla you want in your patchouli fragrance. For me, the patchouli is far too stripped down and denuded, the vanilla dominates too much of the fragrance’s overall lifespan, and I’m not crazy about the mint phase. In short, I’ll stick to the gorgeous, smoky Coromandel if I want a patchouli-vanilla fix. However, if you don’t mind a scent that is predominantly dry woody vanilla, and if you don’t mind a powdery touch, then you should give Patchouli Antique a sniff. It has a lovely, boozy opening (brief though it is), the drydown is very soft, and it is very affordable at $70 for a large 100 ml bottle. I know someone who enjoys powdery scents and loves patchouli; she uses Patchouli Antique every night as a comforting, soothing bed-time scent. You might feel the same way.

DETAILS:
Cost & Availability: Patchouli Antique or Patchouli Precieux (the new name) is an eau de toilette that is most commonly sold in a 100 ml/ 3.4 oz bottle and which costs $70, or €65. A few places offer the 30 ml bottle which costs €35 (or €29 on sale). There is also a body lotion. Generally, you will find the perfume under the old name being sold at a discount, or that sites carrying it are sold out, as they make way for the new bottle. In the U.S.Luckyscent carries Patchouli Antique in the old 100 ml bottle for $70, but they are currently sold out. They also sell a 0.7 ml sample for $3. Outside the U.S.: You can buy Patchouli Antique directly from Les Néréides where it is sold under the new name, “Patchouli Precieux,” and is available in both sizes. The 100 ml bottle costs €65, while the 30 ml bottle costs €35. I found the perfume discounted on a few sites under the old name: the Netherlands’ DePluymGraaff sells the 100 ml bottle for €49, while Italy’s Scent Bar sells the 100 ml for €55 and the 30 ml for €29. In the UK, Les Nereides had a shop in London in Kings Road, but I read that it has closed. The brand’s jewellery is carried by the House of Fraser, but not its scents so far as I can tell by the website. I found Patchouli Antique at Ursula and Odette, but the site has no e-store. You can perhaps call to purchase. Elsewhere in Europe, France’s Olivolga sells Patchouli Antique in the 100 ml bottle for €65, as does Linea Chic. Germany’s First in France has Patchouli Antique on sale for €49, perhaps because it is the old bottle with the old name, but they are sold out. They offer samples of the scent for €4. Les Nereides shops: Les Nereides has stores in Paris, while its line is also carried at Paris’ Les Galleries Lafayettes and Printemps. There are also Les Nereides boutiques in Sydney, Odessa, Hong Kong, China, and Japan. You can look up their locations at Les Nereides Store Locator. Samples: I obtained my sample from eBay, but Patchouli Antique is also available at Surrender to Chance starting at 2.99 for a 1 ml vial. Many of the sites listed above offer vials for sale.

46 thoughts on “Les Néréides Patchouli Antique (Patchouli Précieux)

  1. Certainly sounds worth trying, especially given how affordable it is! Sounds lovely. I’m glad you’re doing a patchouli week!

    • It will be longer than a week, but I am going to try to sprinkle in some reviews about non-patchouli scents for those who hate the note. 🙂

  2. Thank you for another great review. I would like to try this one. I live in Japan, but as far as I know the Nereides shops here only sell jewelry.
    I’m enjoying this patchouli series 🙂

    • Hopefully, they will have the fragrances tucked away somewhere in one of the shops. I can’t imagine that they wouldn’t sell their own fragrances! So, if you manage to come across a boutique, do pop in. And, if they have it, let me know what you think. 🙂

  3. Well, you Must know how happy I am that you are reviewing my favorite note. Les Nerides is kept in my bedside drawer and I spray it on my wrists and neck every night before bed. it is my sleeping potion. Sadly when I wake in the morning I can detect no trace of the scent that lulled me to sleep. I don’t usually wear patchouli fragrances out in the. public. I guess I am worried about offending others. But I do wear them a lot at home. My current favorites other than the Nerides are, Psychedelique, Intrigant, Mazzolari, Montale, Cristina,Laetitia, Coromandel, Borneo, and Bois 1920. I lied…I do wear the Laetitia, Coromandel and Borneo out in public. Just not very much.

    • If you don’t mind my asking, why are you more concerned about patchouli being offensive to others than, say, musks, oud, gourmands, or something else? You were everything from MKK to Absolue Pour Le Soir. Why would patchouli be the thing that might offend others?

      • I don’t rightly know. I guess I might be just over sensitive to criticism and jokes about ‘hippie smells’. I don’t wear MKK out in public ever since I read that it has made some reviewers vomit. And APLS is reserved for special nights out. I have not yet worn Chypre Mousse out in public either. But I am drenched in it right now, alone at my desk. Even though I temper what I wear in the public, my friends and family have to smell whatever I feel like wearing.

        • A philosophical thought for the morning: perfume is about self-expression, identity, and being true to that inner self. If you’re massaging your outward identity and self for fear of what others might think, you’re not being the real you. That person wears MKK, patchouli, and a wide host of things. It is who she is. Caring so much about what others may think is not caring about your personal voice. There are as many opinions and views out on there on perfumery as there are cars on a Florida highway. Giving so much power to a tiny fraction of them is giving power over how you express yourself, and, ultimately, over your freedom to be you.

          Just my philosophical 2 cents for the morning. 🙂 My apologies for the theoretical abstractions which are, at the end of the day, none of my business at all.

    • I *love* antique Chinese apothecary cabinets! Had an ex who had the most gorgeous one, and I wanted it so badly for myself. You can get them with a variety of cubby-holes or drawers, though the latter are never enormously wide like a desk drawer might be.

  4. I didn’t like this the first time I tried it but it grew on me. My skin doesn’t bring out the vanilla too much. It makes me think of old books for some reason. I like it but hubby doesn’t. He says it’s too musty smelling. He likes the clean stuff. Purple patch would be right up his alley.

    • Heh, your husband of Windex fame and love. *grin* No, I can’t imagine him loving this one either.

      I can see how patchouli might bring out the smell of old books. The one I’m reviewing today definitely did that for me. As for the vanilla in Patchouli Antique, how great that your skin didn’t bring out too much of it. I think the perfume would be much prettier in my eyes if I experienced what so many others did.

  5. A lovely review, Kafka, I was hoping you’d cover this one! I have it and quite like it, although it remains more of a boozy patchouli-tobacco scent on me all the way through rather than switching to being so vanilla dominated, and hm, I didn’t notice it being very minty at all at any point, I shall have to look for that in particular next time I wear it. But, sometimes I think my skin kills vanilla, as even vanilla dominant perfumes will often mostly smell like the other notes on me.

    It’s not my patchouli holy grail, but I do enjoy it… And I keep meaning to retest Coromandel to see if it still gives me a headache… I have yet to have a single Chanel work on me though 🙁

    • I envy you that boozy-patchouli-tobacco scent! I really do. I seem to have experienced WAYYYYYYYYYYY more mint than everyone, and I’m not thrilled about it. My bloody skin is such a pain. I wonder what it would be like to have skin that kills vanilla….? LOLOLOL.

      Did Coromandel really give you a headache? 🙁 That sucks. Let me know what happens if you try it again.

      • Well, look what my skin did to Fate Woman, wahhh! But really, my skin does good with most things, and I often get very good longevity. Almost every Lutens’ lasts 15+ hours on me, although I do seem to squish projection (which I guess could also be the dry climate)… but not always, Ambre Russe is HUGE on me, and I routinely get asked what I’m wearing by people five feet away, even six hours after applying one spray. I feel like a nuclear bomb when I wear that stuff.

        And yes, Coromandel gave a horrid headache the first time, at least triggered it, I’ll try it again soon and hope that something is different this time.

    • It is my pleasure. Really, it is. 🙂 I’m thrilled that some readers are so excited about the series, as I didn’t know I had much company in my patchouli-loving corner of the world. It seems to be such an under-appreciated — possibly even, disliked — note. I’ve sometimes felt I’ve had to mumble sheepishly and quietly that it is one of my favorites. lol 🙂

  6. Patch Antique has been a favorite of mine for several years. Thanks for the wonderful description, especially the “apothecary cabinet”. That seems right on, to me. I don’t get so much mint, so perhaps my experience of it is more like Suzanne’s. I have always wanted to try Reminiscence’s Elixir so I will have to go get some.

    • You lucky devils, all of you! 🙂 What I would give for your boozy, sweet, patchouli-dominant experience! It sounds quite wonderful. My bloody skin, alas, didn’t seem to want to play nicely with it at all. I had such high hopes for it, too. But I’m really glad that you and so many others have had a good experience with the fragrance. Hopefully, by the end of this series, you may find one or two other patchouli scents that you might want to test out.

      • I have a LOT of patchouli scents, haha, but there is always room in my collection for more! Ever try CB I Hate Perfume Patchouli Empire? It is pretty complex, plenty of patch, sweeter than Patch Antique, imho.

        • NO! I hadn’t even heard about it! I really know very little about Christopher Brosius’ fragrances, but I will definitely look out for that one! Thank you for the heads-up. 🙂

  7. Great description! Love the detail, especially how the scent changes as you wear it. Too true in general but I often don’t pay attention.
    Great post!

      • I’m still figuring out exactly what patchouli is! I’m learning so much from your writing…never thought of perfume with such detail and sophistication. Rethinking what I (really) like as I read. And, as I think I mentioned before, what I like and wear is very mood dependent. I’m still stuck on that Arabian Oud (or whatever the proper name is…) so not quite ready to move on!

        • I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying Kalemat that much! And I’m so happy that you’re learning more about your tastes and the notes that you like. It makes me very happy indeed, my dear. 🙂 🙂

  8. i ve tried this some years ago and it’s definitely worth to buy for every patchouly lovers in the same house brandt i prefer imperial opoponax

  9. may i ask your name ,unfortunately watching your avatar pics i was sure you were a man ..

    sorry for my thoughts and congratulations for your beautiful reviews hugs from italy

  10. This one sounds interesting and relatively easy to get hold of in France but not as readily available as the Reminiscence ones that are everywhere here. Seems like quite a few like this one. I’m sure it’s another fume that the hubbie will hate! On my list to try definitely – and the other one from Les Nereides that was mentioned. That sounds up my alley as well. Really liking this series – thanks!

    • I really liked the Imperial Opoponax, and you can read my review of it if you’re interested at: http://akafkaesquelife.wordpress.com/2012/12/27/perfume-review-les-nereides-imperial-opoponax-evoking-the-guerlain-classics/ One thing to note, though, is that Les Nereides changed the name to just plain “Opoponax.”

      As for the Patchouli Antiques, I don’t think anything will be quite as easily accessible in France as a Reminiscence fragrance, but it’s still carried by a number of sites if you end up being interested.

      BTW, I’m becoming more and more intrigued by what your husband loves or hates. 😀 I know he shares my lavender phobia, but does he also hate patchouli? What sorts of things does he like? lol

      • Just read your Opoponax review and that sounds like my cup of tea so will definitely search for this one. Mmm my other half is a tricky fish when it comes to scent. I’m attempting to find out what he likes / doesn’t like from my rampant perfume testing. He definitely doesn’t like the more potent scents on me e.g. today I’m trying out Sables and he said “don’t get that one”. I love it though. I’m pretty sure he likes florals on me even the more unusual ones like Black Orchid. Also he has liked Balenciaga Paris and L’Essence that I wore before I discovered the range of perfumes that are out there. Anyway I’m trying to get him to broaden his smell set. Is proving slightly difficult … he is a French man … with slightly more conservative tastes than my New Zealand ones.

        • Heh, he sounds like he may be stuck in more traditional, cologne-like or light, fresh modes, but I’m sure we can work on him, the two of us. 😉 It may take and going about it stealthily in small doses as you get him acclimated, but it can be done! 😀

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    • It’s very hard to find the Nereides line outside of Europe and Asia, it seems. I provided the retail links that I could find. Perhaps you can check the Store Locator link to find an online vendor closest to you from whom you can order. I don’t recall seeing any brick-and-mortar stores in Australia that carry the line, but you can double check their website. Ordering from Europe may be your only option.

      I don’t think I have any Melbourne=based readers who comment regularly, so I’m not sure if there is anyone local who will see your question, but let’s hope. 🙂

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