Fleur d'oranger by Fragonard

I was introduced to the Fragonard line with Fleur de Vanille - see my review here. Quite impressed with Fragonards quality, I realised that it was part of an EDT collection called Les Naturelles.

I eyed the other perfumes in this collection with interest & decided to go for a blind buy! They all sounded so alluring, but I really love the scent of orange blossom & mandarin so finally decided on Fleur d'Oranger.


This is what Fragonard have to say about their fragrance; 

"Hidden amongst its leaves polished with green light lies the orange blossom that has given us a suave eau de toilette as sensual as it is fresh. Tender neroli blossom joins with bergamot, jasmine and musk to enchant our senses with an inexpressible voluptuousness."

Fleur d'oranger's notes are;

Top notes: Orange Blossom, Bergamot, Mandarin
Middle notes: Jasmine, Honey.
Base notes: Musk

How does it smell?

True to its name the top notes - orange blossom, accompanied by mandarin are first notes I detect. I'm happy that they also last to the dry down for me!

Then comes the bergamot. I'm generally a fan of bergamot anyway, and in this case it's enough to let you know it's present but it knows it's not the star of this scent.

The honey note is next to appear & gives the fragrance an additional background sweetness. Then comes the jasmine & finally the musk.

The supporting notes in Fleur d'Oranger are so well behaved. Many orange scents that I've tried start out well, but the orange is usually overtaken & muffled by a stronger note - especially musk or jasmine, however they never do in this composition.

Fleur d'oranger is sweet, but not overly so. I would describe it as being "bright & cheerful" with aromatherapy qualities. It is a perfect Monday morning pick-me-up after you've dragged yourself out of bed. It sure improves my mood on those foggy mornings.

This is not a complex fragrance, and I like that. Sometimes you just need something simple. I haven't experienced any crazy weird notes coming out of nowhere.

Fleur d'oranger is definitely one of my go-to fragrances for hot Summer days & I look forward to using it to brighten a few Winter days when I don't feel like a cozy vanilla scent. It's also a perfect & safe work fragrance. No offending anyone here!

I really do like this one.

Longevity

I expected Fleur d'oranger to be like similar florals & disappear within a couple of hours but I must say I've been pleasantly surprised as it does last quite a few hours - almost a whole working day (8 hours) on bare skin. I haven't tried layering with moisturiser so I'm sure I'd be able to get a couple more hours that way. Fragonard does have a matching shower gel & body lotion that I may look at getting down the track however I have an orange blossom lotion by MOR Cosmetics that I may try layering it with.

Who can wear Fleur d'oranger?

This fragrance is not in the Men's section on the Fragonard website but I don't feel that it's specifically marketed to women either - very clever Fragonard! Fragrantica lists it "for women" but I disagree. It's definitely unisex, & could be worn by a man. So I would say go for it guys! You eat oranges too right?


The Bottle:

Fleur d'oranger's bottle is a simple yet elegant design which sprays a perfect amount of scent. It's a good quality atomiser which lets you control the amount of fragrance that comes out. I always like that.

Cost:

Fleur d'oranger retails at about $80AU if you buy it in Australia. I bought my bottle from evilBay for about $40AU which makes it a very affordable fragrance.

I wanted to purchase directly from Fragonard as their prices are even cheaper (you can also buy refills) alas Australia is a country they do not ship to. Sad face.

Would I buy it again?

I think my 100ml bottle will last a while, but I will definitely repurchase when it runs out.

Last thoughts

If you love the scent of orange blossom & mandarin, you will definitely love Fleur d'oranger. It is a simple, elegant & well blended quality fragrance. It could also be used to "brighten up" other fragrances. I'll definitely be trying this.

The Fragonard Les Naturalles collection looks extensive with other fragrances "starring"  notes such as Fig (Figuier fleur), Cedar (Cedre), Lavender (Lavande), Patchouli, Verbena (Verveine) & Vetiver. My thought is that they would work really well together & I'd be very interested to experiment with layering them with each other to make different scents.

There seems to be a collection/trial pack that I've seen pictures of, but I've never seen it for sale anywhere.

Fleur d'oranger reminds me of:

Orange Blossom by LUSH Cosmetics (I prefer Fleur d'oranger)

Blind buy rating; Success!
My overall rating: 8/10

Fleur de Vanille by Fragonard

I was absent-mindedly browsing through perfumes at a boutique when I asked the SA if she had anything with vanilla. She bought out Fleur de Vanille & sprayed it on a strip.

I had never heard of Fragonard before. I thought it was nice, threw the strip in my bag then promptly forgot about it.

A few days later I detected a beautiful scent. Mouth watering vanilla. What is that smell????? I found the strip wondered why I had dismissed it so quickly. Wow, I was in love!

French perfumery Fragonard describe their scent as;

"Sensuous vanilla flowered with Ylang, heliotrope and rose on a sweet harmony of chocolate, cocoa and musk"

What do I think?

This fragrance is very very sweet so you'll have to be a huge gourmand lover, but don't expect a cheap cupcake vibe. Sensuous is right! The vanilla in Fleur de Vanille is very impressive. Luxurious, silky smooth & rich.

There is a perfect hint of florals - rose, heliotrope & ylang ylang - & a touch of musk. These notes are so well blended & don't overpower or ruin the vanilla.

To tie everything up in a beautiful French bow - the cocoa/chocolate note brings everything together perfectly.

How long does it last?

The longevity is amazing for an EDT & lasts up to 12 hours on my skin. The cardboard strip I was given lasted weeks.

Would I buy it?

Fleur de Vanille is of the best floral vanilla scents I've smelt in a long time. I've already purchased a full 100ml bottle. When this bottle is half used, you can bet that I'll be ordering a new one. I will definitely be checking out more from Fragonard too!

My rating: 8.9/10