Wearing French Lover is the closest I can ever get to that "borrowing a man's white shirt" idea, considering my resident man is over 8" taller than me and wearing his shirts is not a good fashion move. At least his colognes tend to fit me well. I got him a bottle of the French version directly from Frederic Malle's website because the renaming of a scent for our market seemed a bit stupid. And the American name, Bois d'Orage, doesn't make much sense, except for the "bois" part, I guess. A wood after a storm is supposed to feel humid and thick, while French Lover is actually so dry it almost crackles when you spray it.
I never had a French lover, so I'm not sure what they smell like. Is it a mixture of angelica, pimento, galbanum, iris, bay rum, clove, cardamom, juniper, cedar, oakmoss, frankincense, patchouli and vetiver (these are the official notes)? Do they start medicinal and end with that cedar band aid drydown? To me, French Lover is mostly about frankincense and wood with just a hint of oakmoss. Not enough to declare it a chypre, but it does make me wonder where Frederic Malle and Pierre Bourdon (who created this scent) stand on IFRA and reformulations.
I wear several wood and vetiver perfumes that are considered masculine. They feel purposeful and I like them on those mornings I need an extra push to start my day. French Lover is a bit softer and friendlier, and as Nathan Branch noted earlier today, it's very comfortable to wear. We didn't really coordinate this, but I also have been marinating in the fragrance and sprayed myself from head to toe. It's pretty impossible to overdo it. French Lover melds with the skin and doesn't attack people around you. The crisp dryness is especially pleasant in this hot and humid weather.
Is it really about sex? I don't know, but is it sure works better than the mushroomy Dans tes Bras.
French Lover by Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums is sold in Barneys under the name Bois d'Orage ($200, 100 ml).
Photo: Calm Before The Storm by Sara*Teresa
I never had a French lover, so I'm not sure what they smell like. Is it a mixture of angelica, pimento, galbanum, iris, bay rum, clove, cardamom, juniper, cedar, oakmoss, frankincense, patchouli and vetiver (these are the official notes)? Do they start medicinal and end with that cedar band aid drydown? To me, French Lover is mostly about frankincense and wood with just a hint of oakmoss. Not enough to declare it a chypre, but it does make me wonder where Frederic Malle and Pierre Bourdon (who created this scent) stand on IFRA and reformulations.
I wear several wood and vetiver perfumes that are considered masculine. They feel purposeful and I like them on those mornings I need an extra push to start my day. French Lover is a bit softer and friendlier, and as Nathan Branch noted earlier today, it's very comfortable to wear. We didn't really coordinate this, but I also have been marinating in the fragrance and sprayed myself from head to toe. It's pretty impossible to overdo it. French Lover melds with the skin and doesn't attack people around you. The crisp dryness is especially pleasant in this hot and humid weather.
Is it really about sex? I don't know, but is it sure works better than the mushroomy Dans tes Bras.
French Lover by Frederic Malle Editions de Parfums is sold in Barneys under the name Bois d'Orage ($200, 100 ml).
Photo: Calm Before The Storm by Sara*Teresa
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