Lavande Eau de Parfum (2018)
Molinard (2018)

Lavande is a splendid, more lavender-centric, modernized Caron pour un Homme. Not much more to say than that.

If you like spiky, deep lavender, softened with a little bit of resinous benzoin-vanilla, this one's for you.

Once upon a time, I happened upon the Tom Ford counter at Neiman Marcus to be a bit nosey, if you will, and what struck my eye was a shiny new silver addition: Lavender Extreme. Well, then, when has lavender ever been really 'extreme'? I must find out... I sample it and its quite nice, a balance of lavender, florals, and tonka, sort of reminiscent of my beloved Caron Pour Un Homme without the musky dry down and a much higher ratio of lavender to the vanillic elements. I asked for a sample and was on my way, because I would never, EVER, EVER pay the exorbitant prices of Tom Ford Private Blend line.

Hell no.

Not for a nice lavender fragrance. Surely I will find something similar.

During a visit to C.O. Bigelow in NYC I happened upon the attractive violet-colored Molinard bottles and saw Lavande. There it is, almost exactly the same, perhaps just a bit more resinous, the presence of benzoin, but besides that, nearly a spitting image, at a fraction of the price. Dare I say its even better, because Extreme is a bit too extreme in its sweetness. I am happy. And I lived happily ever after...

Spraying this feels like walking into a high-end spa where doznes of wealthy men are lazing about, discussing business,politics, etc.simple,lovely, vanilla and lavender scent.this could be very easily be a signature scent for a man who does not need to wear a fragrance with banners or intense attention grabbing notes.a man of distinction,with presence.

The opening has both the sharp, herbal aspect of lavender leaf along with the soft and fragrant floral accord of the same stem. the vanilla and benzoin picks up the floral quality of the lavender, which is soothing and has light sweetness,while the musk carries the herbal feeling of the lavender, creating balance harmony in this composition.i love this part particularly... simply fantastic.really enjoy this scent, especially after a shower and right before bed with the coffee.

I blind bought a bottle of Molinard Lavande after watching Sebastian Jara's video in which he compared it favorably to the much pricier Tom Ford Lavender Extreme, which retails at $320 for 50ml vs. Lavande at $65 for 75ml, so it seemed like a worthy blind buy, and with a $10 off coupon at C.O. Bigelow, I went for it and have been pleased.

It's a creamy, sweet, semi-sharp lavender-dominant fragrance with a mix of labdanum, tonka, benzoin, vanilla, and musk. It's a nod to lavender fans while not being only lavender, and as with most fragrances, I appreciate its fairly heavy-handed sweetness to make it more endearing. The resins and tonka blend effortlessly with the lavender in the dry down, where the fragrances becomes predictably more mellow than its semi-sharp opening.

The obligatory comparison to Lavender Extreme is pretty flattering for Lavande. The two fragrances are very close in terms of smell, with Lavender Extreme being a bit creamier and featuring a pseudo “Play Doh” vibe that many have mentioned, whereas Lavande has more of the resin/sharp tonka blend in the dry down. Both perform comparably well–good, but not great. Certainly with its better pricing, Lavande comes out on top in terms of value, though it's totally fair that some might prefer the smell of Lavander Extreme.

Molinard's current main collection of eau de parfum concentration purple bottles are all priced modestly, at $65 for 75ml, their collection seems interesting. I've my eye on several that I'd be inclined to blind buy at even the retail pricing, which again is unusually reasonable for what seems to be a well-liked non-designer brand.

Overall, I'm quite impressed with Lavande and look forward to smelling more of the brand. This is, as the saying goes, quite the Lavender Extreme killer, even though I certainly still love Lavender Extreme, as well.

8 out of 10