La Chasse aux Papillons
L'Artisan Parfumeur (1999)

hear the intro Vangelis' "Spiral" as I picture scores of butterflies fluttering about the tree blossoms. Pollen is shaking off the stamens, the whole scene verges on awe-inspiring chaos. Panning out, its a legion of butterflies: monarchs, swallowtails, admirals, whites, elfins. They are taking back their earth and the air is beaming with the fragrance of linden, green, sweet, tart, and ambrosial.

The linden pageant is rendered thicker and sumptuous with the blooms of tuberose, the ones that overnight will be visited by an army of moths, hypnotized by their aroma and pearlescent white hue. Their night shift offers the same display, flooding the skies, silhouettes across the moon. We zoom into the feathery antennae of one of the moths, we realize it's almost like fish-bone, with intricate detail as we move in even closer. The smell of the flowers is in their DNA.

Le Chasse aux Papillons is a brilliant pairing of linden blossom with white florals, one of the most direct florals I've had the courage to wear and in which to lavish. I feel that it pushes the nose to a new frontier for me, facing the initial discomfort from what at once seems overwhelming, even stifling, to what is near ecstatic. I can lean into the fantasy of the lepidoptera kingdom and imagine being viscerally drawn, much like them, to the flowers. 

The first wave of La Chasse aux Papillons smelled like Desitin. I was surprised that anyone would make a perfume that so closely resembles a diaper cream.

After ten minutes it unwrapped and the medicinal quality dissipated somewhat. Orange blossoms became more prominent and blended with the tuberose to make it softer and creamier. Tuberose fans will certainly want to give this a try.

Excellent sillage. This is well-made and it lasts for about four to six hours on my skin. It's too strong for work unless used with a very light touch. I enjoyed wearing La Chasse but I can't quite shake the Desitin impression, so when I run out of this bottle I probably won't buy it again.

A soft focus garden in the style of Renoir.

3*

Gorgeous floral blossom scent for women. Definitely one of the best feminine fragrances I've smelled. So many are awful but this one is sexy, fresh, and bright. The tuberose gives that outdoors, hiking in spring quality. The neroli is offset with linden so it comes off as fresh floral. I can't get away with wearing it without getting male attention, but it definitely would turn my head if a woman was wearing it. A woman of any age can pull it off. Great!

When the summer temperatures are 95+ degrees, with about the same level of humidity, La Chasse aux Papillons is a scent that's safe to grab, spray, and head out the door without concern of overdoing it. This is superb sticky-hot weather juice.

This is a lovely, delicate entryway white floral; the perfect gateway drug for someone like me who had a Big White Floral scare early on in their fragrance career. FYI: I've gotten over my white floral phobia fast, and am now completely ok with the original offender; Carnal Flower.

Back to La Chasse aux Papillons: It is the tenderest tuberose paired with perfectly pitched orange blossom (not too sweet, not too soapy); dewy, fresh and airy without ever being pedestrian or overly clean. I have a linden plant at home, and although I don't think its blossoms smell like much (maybe linden tree blossom has more of a smell?) but this fragrance does remind me of those beautiful linden leaves, which have the most delicate, translucent yet bright spring-green hue.

Wearing this makes me very happy today.