Belle de Rauch
Rauch (1966)

Belle de Rauch (1966):

This, the fourth of Madeleine de Rauch's eight scents, is an extremely light and slightly sweet scent. Despite the predominance of orangey notes (neroli, mandarin, orange blossom), I cannot detect any orange at all. What does come through loud and clear is the Honeysuckle and Jasmine, making this a sweet floral.

There is enough depth in the orris and labdanum to anchor it, but not overwhelm it. It has a whisper of green (muguet, galbanum), again just enough to balance the jasmine and honeysuckle, not bury it. The effect is that provided by baby's breath in a small bouquet from the local florist.

This is more suited to a young woman, late teens through early twenties, than the misnamed “Miss de Rauch,” which had a far more mature outlook than its name suggested.

Here are the notes:

Top Notes: Bergamot, Neroli, Mandarin, Galbanum;
Heart Notes: Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Muguet, Honeysuckle;
Base Notes: Oak Moss, Orris, Sandalwood, Labdanum

This would be best worn in early spring and would be quite a decent scent for the work place or school. It is decidedly feminine, quite unlike the other two de Rauch scents I've experienced (Miss de Rauch, Vacarme), which I consider unisex by today's standards.

A nice, sweet little thing, soft and powdery, happily still available on the Internet.

Bought a sample of this online. It smells lightly sweet, powdery-woody, a little bit rosy, a tiny bit leathery.