Saturday, December 12, 2015

Airy Florals and Jam

Carven Le Parfum is one of those perfumes I didn't know I wanted until it was mine. It'd been on my radar for at least a couple of years, but I didn't pay too much attention until Priceline started stocking it. I remember when I first saw it at David Jones many months ago, I instantly was drawn to the beautiful bottle. Something about the shape, frosted glass, white ribbon and gold-trimmed cap exuded a quiet, feminine elegance. I don't recall falling in immediate love with the scent, however. It seemed a bit to meh to me. Kind of fruity, kind of floral, nicely done, well mannered, not particularly distinctive or memorable. The price was also steep, so I moved on.





Later, when Priceline began stocking Carven perfumes, I decided to give the tester another go. I smelled both Carven Le Parfum and the EDT version Carven L’Eau de Toilette and definitely preferred the EDP. The EDT smelled weak and generic and a lot cheaper to me than the EDP. What really stood out to me about the EDP was the sweet pea note which isn't prominent in any of the perfumes in my shamefully large collection.

Retailing at $150 for the 100ml (the only size I've seen Priceline stock), I was tempted during the last 50% off perfume sale a few months back. But that still was $75 on a scent I liked, but wasn't dying to buy. So I resisted. In the ensuing months, I kept thinking about it intermittently, and whether I should've bought it. While on holiday in the US, I saw it in the department stores and Sephora for $112 USD for the 100ml (about $170 AUD with tax). $75 wasn't looking too bad after all. I began feeling tinges of regret, but at least anticipated it was only a matter of time before Priceline would repeat its sale. Sure enough, I casually walked into Priceline recently and it was half price off perfumes. There was one last bottle of Carven Le Parfum at the store, and this time, I didn't hesitate.

Created by Francis Kurkdjian, Carven Le Parfum has top notes of mandarin blossom, apricot and white hyacinth, middle notes of sweet pea, jasmine and ylang ylang, and base notes of sandalwood, osmanthus and Indonesian patchouli. The first few times I tried it on myself after I'd purchased it, I was surprised to discover this was much more of a white floral than anticipated. I struggled to smell the sweet pea I recalled most vividly about it. There's a purity and cleanness to it that feels fresh and bright, despite it being dominantly floral and sweet. I do get flashes of Elie Saab Le Parfum, another Francis Kurkdjian creation, probably due to the mandarin blossom and jasmine notes, but it's a lot less heady, and softer, more restrained.

I've been wearing Carven Le Parfum frequently and liberally in an attempt to familiarise myself with how it smells and reacts with my skin. So far, I appreciate that it's well blended, refined and radiant. Everything sings in harmony. The white florals aren't the overpowering, headache-inducing kind, but rather young, airy and entirely daytime wedding-appropriate. I like the dryness of them, bordering on soapiness, but tempered by jammy sweetness that isn't gourmand or artificially sugary. The fragrance stays close to my skin and has moderate longevity, though disappears within a few hours. Some reviews have mentioned a sourness to it that I don't detect at all (they also identify lychee in the top notes, which I almost wish existed, but can't smell either). The base of sandalwood and patchouli keeps things warm and rounded. I can't say I'm in love with Carven Pe Parfum, but it falls firmly in the "nice to have" category. I can picture myself being more fond of the fragrance as time goes on, but for now, we're still in the early, getting-to-know-you stage.

18 comments:

  1. It sounds super expensive and definitely out of my price range, but it does sound lovely!

    Jodie, xo // Jodie Loue

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    1. It's a nice one - but definitely on the pricier side!

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  2. This sounds perfect, I think we have similar tastes in scents. I can't believe it's 100 dalliers wow , at least you picked it up in the sale :)

    Zeynab x
    The Beauty Load

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    1. My tastes and preferences are all over the place - I guess I prefer to have tonnes of variety and a scent for every mood/occasion/weather etc. The retail price of $149 for the 100ml is definitely not something I'd be willing to spend, but half price made it a lot more palatable.

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  3. Love the frosted look of the bottle!
    Charlotte // charlottespicks.blogspot.com

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    1. Me too! It's a gorgeous bottle. One of my favourites in my entire perfume collection for sure.

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  4. I still have a sample of this. The description is much lighter and carefree, so the actual scent totally caught me off guard. It developed into something quite heavy and powdery on me, but it was many months ago when it was still warm. I should give this another whirl although I dismissed it completely. Some of the reviews from my favorite bloggers do have that kind of effect on me. LOL

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    1. It's always interesting how scents smell differently on people depending on their skin's chemistry. I can imagine this being a lot more potent in warmer weather. Oddly, I don't get any powderiness from Le Parfum - though it has been mentioned in other reviews. Hopefully if you do give it another try, you like it a bit more :) (If not, at least it's just a sample!)

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  5. I had a sample of this and I WANT TO BATHE IN IT!

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    1. Haha if only samples magically became full size bottles when we like the scent ;)

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  6. Such a gorgeous bottle, it looks so romantic and beautiful! I wish I could sample this *sigh* xx

    elizabeth | ”Ice Cream” whispers Clara | follow for follow on bloglovin or instagram :D

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    1. Yes the bottle definitely was a draw card, haha. Hopefully you can smell a tester bottle in a department store or something :)

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  7. My sister is a fan of this perfume! When I was in Jakarta for 6 months, I sometimes borrowed this perfume from her. I like it, but I like Elie Saab Le Parfum better. I surprisingly smell a lot of lychee and less patchouli. Noses are so different xD
    The frosted bottle is surely beautiful yet not over the top.

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    1. I can see how Elie Saab would be more to your liking. It's a very popular perfume! I kind of wanted it but then it reminded me too much of Lush Lust perfume. I can see how people would smell lychee in Carven ... but to me, it smells more like some other fruit. I don't know if I'm getting apricot but I guess it's closer to apricot than lychee. It'd be interesting how it would smell if the patchouli was more prominent and a bit stinkier. I guess it would throw off the balance of the perfume :p Ahhh, to be a perfumer!

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  8. Yes, I love sweet perfumes but not the sickly sweet ones. The bottle is absolutely stunning and I wonder what you do to take such gorgeous blog pictures, love them:)

    Chaste & Beautiful

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  9. I love all detail you put into describing all your perfume/scents... this sounds so pleasing and gorgeous to sniff out... The bottle is really elegant, a nice bottle to keep in my vanity table, sadly too expensive for me.. might give it a try at the store though!

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  10. This sounds lovely :) I love the notes of sweet pea, but it's hard to find the right balance. I'm sure this one hits the mark. I love parfums too, much better than the diluted version.

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  11. I have to admit that I horrible at explaining scents. The only thing I know is that I tend to like the ones that are sweater than any other type of scents...

    Now I really love the packaging of this perfume, it's really chic and classic :3
    Take care*

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