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Post by Poodle

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I love white flowers. I find it interesting that the smallest flowers with the least color usually have tons of fragrance. Another interesting thing is you almost need to stand at a distance to really smell them. It’s odd but sometimes sticking your nose into a bunch just doesn’t have the same glorious effect as catching the scent on the breeze.

I’m not much of a citrus girl but orange blossom makes my heart skip a beat. It’s one of my favorite notes for the brightness it gives to perfumes. Unfortunately it can end up smelling soapy which some people hate. I don’t mind soapy orange flower. To me, the soapy note is really relative to what kinds of soap you’re used to smelling. Mom didn’t buy flowery soaps so my reference point is different I guess. Even now when I do buy flowery soaps I don’t mind smelling like them.

Eau Aimable by Les Couvent des Minimes 2012

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords in one line:
Bergamot, mandarin, orange blossom, petitgrain, rose, nasturtium

Eau Aimable by Le Couvent des Minimes is based on the original recipe of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary. It’s not a soapy orange blossom perfume to me. It’s bright. It’s white. It’s flowery. Dare I say it’s a great little blast of orange blossom at a great price? It is! I picked mine up at Ulta on sale for less than $30 US. That’s practically free in comparison to a lot of perfume these days. It opens strong and sweet but then quickly retreats to a softer sillage.

Photo Stolen Wikimedia

 There’s a whole lotta orange here: bergamot, mandarin, orange blossom, and petitgrain. It’s flowery, not too fruity, and doesn’t call to mind sour baby aspirin or cleaning products. It’s simple and I mean that in a good way. It smells like real flowers and isn’t ruined by excessive amounts of white musk like many orange blossom perfumes. Eau Aimable is pretty linear but the key word is pretty. You can’t help but feel pretty when you’re this flowery. I don’t smell much rose or nasturtium but honestly I haven’t tried to find them. I’m enjoying the overall orange blossom effect too much.

Photo Stolen Wikipedia

This fragrance could give a lot of niche scents a run for their money. It has decent lasting power, isn’t too syrupy, and wafts at a respectable level. If you’re looking for a simple orange blossom scent this is worth a sniff. It’s become a favorite bedtime scent for me. A light spritz before crawling into some soft sheets is a perfect way to drift off to dream. It’s also nice for those days when I need a little fragrant sunshine like right now as I’m writing this and we’re under a tornado watch and the sky is turning funny colors.

Le Couvent des Minimes has $38/100ml

I’m a fan of cheap and cheerful fragrances. What are your guiltless scented pleasures?

Hugs
Poodle