Trying Nina’s vintage bottle of L’Artisan’s exquisite Jour De Fete last night I was struck with the sharpest melancholy. Though ostensibly a perfume of celebration, a perfume that seeks to capture the bonbon lightness of vanillic sweets eaten at a French summer festival, all that I could smell was the piercing sadness of trees: those trees that my dad always said he loved so much but whose name he never knew (are they acacia?): that medicinal, bandage-cinnamon reek of wet autumnal days in the park when the life-death contingent is at its most real and soul-rending; pure poetry; absolute beauty.
I probably have a sample of this somewhere. Now I’m interested. I thought this was supposed to be light and fluffy, a confection. Your take on it sounds much more intriguing.
A quick search of other reviews indicates that the trees are laurels.
YES. That’s it. Some versions I have smelled are indeed fluffy and vanillic, especially the latest edition, but this older bottle is just piercing nostalgia for me. There is a stunning clarity to it. And it’s all about that laurel note (if it is laurel).
Ah. AND … it’s discontinued anyway.
Laurels do have a lovely scent.
The older bottles are definitely a different scent to the newer ones and yes they truly do elicit a feeling of melancholy and nostalgia.
Would love to experience this one again, in vintage formula that is.
I was genuinely shocked by how beautiful it is.
It’s back on the wrist for this festive season, after a long hiatus. I can’t get enough of it x
I’m so predictable. Had to pick up my beloved bottle a couple of days ago. It will be with me throughout this holiday. Yes there is an air of mourning about it. Perhaps it’s the fact that I am sitting here marking exams, when I should not be working. On the other hand, it could be the iris. Stunningly beautiful. x