Could Have... Would Have- L'Artisan Bois Farine

I have a weird relationship with Bois Farine from L'Artisan. I've almost purchased a full bottle several times, both in store and online, but every time I stop and question myself. First, there's the usual L'Artisan issue of having to spray a substantial amount just to get the fragrance to stick for more than twenty minutes. Then comes the perfume itself.

I'm not getting the promised fennel seeds in the opening. For me it always starts with the flowery flour. It's one of the most curious notes I've come across. It's gourmand, for sure, like a flour-dusted sweet dough. The sweetness is subtle and milky, like a memory from childhood that I can't quite place. The floral part isn't heady. It's blended with milk and flour, not too feminine, though I doubt most men would be interested.

It's a comforting scent, but yet carries itself in a very prim and proper way. It remains fully clothed and never disintegrates into flannel PJs like many other comfort scents can go. There's something familiar in the pastry kitchen part, but the soft and smooth woody finish keeps a distance.

The problem is, that it's not me. Maybe it's the "me" that I could have been, had I been born in Europe, where both my parents are originally from. Maybe it's the person I would have been had I not have a sarcastic edge. A different education. Different desires and interests. Just like me, only softer.

Maybe if I bought a full bottle and wore it often I would be that other person. But I don't think that I want to.