Le Baisier du Faune fragrance notes
Head
- bergamot, neroli, orange blossom, honeysuckle
Heart
- rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, lily of the valley, gardenia
Base
- sandalwood, leather, musk, civet, labdanum, ambergris, castoreum
Latest Reviews of Le Baisier du Faune
The short-lived craze in the 1920s to create animalic chypres, devoted to the image of the mythical Greek faun, did spawn an iconic scent, Guerlain's Bouquet de Faunes, perhaps their greatest achievement and today the most sought after of all their discontinued scents. This devotion centered around Debussy's ballet and tone poem, Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, as choreographed by Diaghilev and danced by Nijinksy.Molinard's interpretation is a complex mixture of heady florals and strong animalics. In fact the four standard animalics of perfumery (civet, musk, castoreum and ambergris) are all outstandingly present.
Upon applying, the ambergris is very strong, but is soon tempered by the other base notes. Sandalwood is practically lost to the animalic quartet. However, the beautiful floral quintet of rose, jasmine, ylang, muguet and gardenia does manage to lighten the effect somewhat and subtract from the over all heaviness of the base to balance the blend.
A very beautiful chypre, although not in the singular class of the Guerlain masterpiece. The Molinard is still very much worth seeking out for lovers of vintage perfume.