Thursday, February 02, 2006

REVIEW: Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, George Sand

Notes: Lemon, bergamot, patchouli, rose, amber, musk, Mysore sandalwood, spices.

Pros: Rich, spicy floriental that quickly softens into a musky cinnamon.

Cons: Opium anyone? Though not as heavy as the YSL classic (and perhaps closer to one of the summer versions), I can't help but think of it each time I try this.

Bottleworthy? No, not at this price. Save your money and try Opium d'Ete.

Where can I buy it? $145 for 70ml EDP spray at Luckyscent.com

The Bottom Line: Beautiful, but ultimately uninspired.

Rating (out of 10): 5 (loses points for high price and low originality)

Inspired by a famous female author, can you think of any other scents inspred by famous women?

8 comments:

Marina said...

This one was not inspired by the author herself, but rather by her book, does it qualify?- Guerlain Chamade.

I agree about G. Sand and Opium. Definitely similar. Have you tried Etro Raving, M? Another Opium-wannabe / smell-alike

Laura said...

Darn! George Sand deserves a fragrance as daring and original as she was. I have a feeling the real George Sand would have worn either a man's eau de cologne to complement her male attire, or an outrageously femme scent along the lines of Fracas (or the 19th c. equivalent thereof), just to remind everyone that in spite of her trouser suits she was very much a woman.

As for other fragrances inspired by famous women ... hmmm ... there's Rance's Josephine. Also, I think a number of the Creed fragrances were inspired by actresses or celebrities. Spring Fever, I think, was inspired by Audrey Hepburn, Angelique Encens by Marlene Dietrich, and Royal Water by Princess Diana. Princess Diana also was the inspiration for William Owen's Adoration, I believe.

Thanks again for the great review of Parfum de George Sand. I still want to give this one a try just to say I tried it, but if it's so similar to Opium I won't need to buy. And a good thing too, at that price!

marchlion said...

The Opium d'Ete IS rather nice, isn't it?

I don't know that she's "famous," but Laura Tonatto's Eleanora Duse is in honor of the 1900s actress, who was apparently almost as well known for her wild love affairs with men and women. I guess violets were her favorite flower -- it's a lovely, rich violet fragrance, have you tried?

marlen said...

C - I didn't care for any of that Etro line...completely uninspired imho. In fact I've now swapped all away all my Etros with the exception of Heliotrope which I think is a defintie keeper...will have to review that one soon!

marlen said...

Laura - Also give the Opium Fleurs de Shanghai a try if you can - has a nice white floral touch inthe opening paired with a stronger mandarin note.

marlen said...

March - I haven't tried it and haven't had much luck with any of the Tonatto scents except Plaisir. I'm open to sniffing though!

marchlion said...

Marlen, the other LTs I have tried leave me cold, it was a complete surprise. But it's only worth bothering if you're a big fan of violet, because that's pretty much the whole story.

marlen said...

I`m iffy about violets...overall they leave me a bit cold unless anchored by something else. The exceptions are L`Artisan Verte Violette and Sonia Rykiel pour Homme - both winning violet scents imho!