Perfume Review: Bois Blond by Parfumerie Generale
April 17th, 2007
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please re-consider the case of Bois Blond, the limited edition offering from Parfumerie Generale. Mrs. Ina has reviewed this scent in the past, giving it a lukewarm feedback. Why, o why?! Now I must step in and defend this beauty of a fragrance, a work of olfactory art, unique and unforgettable.
“On the first country morning wet verandah is floating in green underwater dusk.The door to the porch is open wide, cold breeze is coming from the garden and loud hollow buckets are ready for us to run with to the lake. To sleek, dazzling, lake, in which the whole world dropped and reflected on an early morning. The old bucket will gurgle, and the faraway echo will gurgle, too. You will scoop up cold deep silence, take a piece of solid smooth surface and sit on fallen tree for awhile.” (Tatyana Tolstaya, “Fire and Dust”).
Bois Blond opens up with a cold, bitter and almost peppery and pungent blast of grasses and galbanum. The top notes have it all: the moist dark forest, the blades of last year’s grass smelling warm and familiar, the dryness of a fallen cedar trunk, covered in moss. All these elements combine to produce almost a physical olfactory sensation of being in that environment, being there on a cold summer morning. If the opening of Bois Blond had a color, it would be translucent, “underwater” green. As the middle notes step in, the scent becomes strangely comforting. The chilly and pungent top notes settle, the grasses become more aromatic and with blond tobacco accentuating dry hay and cereals, the fragrance achieves almost a textural feel of these components. Here, as we bury our faces into the forest hay, we realize that it holds the promise of a hot summer day, that the warmth is buried deep inside these piles of dried grass. The wet hay has a heart of gold. Soon, the “underwater” green is penetrated by husky, golden, shameless stream of sunlight. Amber and musk come to the forefront, forming a very comforting, slightly sweet and, yes, sexy scent. It is a smell of skin of a loved one, skin that is still holding memories of walk in the dark chilly forest, of lying on a moist hay, of sitting by the cold lake, waiting for water to warm up so you can take a plunge.
I also would like to note that Bois Blond does not have a feel of a conventional perfume as there is nothing “perfumey” about it. However, it is not a caricature fragrance in any way, designed to mimic the exact combination of elements to convey a feeling. Bois Blond is not following in the footsteps of Demeter or I Hate Perfume. Parfumerie Generale takes the creation of environment through olfactory sensation to a whole different level. While all elements are there, they are blended seamlessly and elegantly, with one note underscoring, emphasizing or moderating others, rendering this creation extremely wearable.
Bois Blond is a limited edition scent. Along with the other limited edition scents, it can be currently found at Luckyscent, The Perfume Shoppe, and directly from the Parfumerie Generale online shop.
By Elena Singh
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized
22 Comments
1. esthétique du parfum | April 18th, 2007 at 12:09 am
I have a sample of it, only briefly tested it, reminded of some IUNX scent, something very etheral and contemplative. I love the theme and the notes but wished it was more bold, headier like Lutens scents, Bois Blond is too abstract for me.
2. dinazad | April 18th, 2007 at 2:11 am
Unfortunately, it is not available at Parfumerie Generale anymore. I dropped them a mail, begging for a bottle, but was nixed. Sighhhh…
I love this fragrance, and to me it smells of sunny clearings in primal forests and the dry, fragrant grass growing there… In fact, it reminds me of Poland and the forest (indeed primal) of Bialowieza and the bisons which roam it. And the coumarin-laden buffalo grass you can buy little packets of – they scent your closet for years! (You can find a blade of it in every bottle of Zubrowka wodka as well)
3. Leopoldo | April 18th, 2007 at 4:06 am
I love this too. It is late summer sunshine. Bottled.
4. Judith | April 18th, 2007 at 5:53 am
I love this too! Agree wholeheartedly with your review–and Lee’s comment. To J. and others looking for a FB–I believe The Perfume Shoppe in Canada (and online) still has bottles.
5. Louise | April 18th, 2007 at 6:42 am
I loved Bois Blind at first and second sniff. Just lovely. But then….zippo, gone. I am afraid I just need more hefty fragrance on me, though this is one to admire deeply.
6. Elle | April 18th, 2007 at 6:44 am
Gorgeous review! As a jury member, I know how I’d be voting. I hope PG reads this and decides to retract the LE death sentence.
7. Solander | April 18th, 2007 at 8:02 am
To me, the opening of Bois Blond smelled just like… FlowerbyKenzo! Weird, I know.. I’m not saying it’s a bad scent, but L’ombre fauve was the one really capturing my interest…
dinazad – Doesn’t luckyscent still have them all?
8. newproducts | April 18th, 2007 at 8:42 am
LaLaLaLaLaaaaa! I can’t hear you! I’ll just pretend I didn’t read this. Thanks anyway, Ina.
9. Patty | April 18th, 2007 at 9:40 am
Lovely review, and you have excellent taste. I don’t know what I”m going to do when my bottle gets low. I expect to just head to France and start the “Bring Back Bois Blond” picket line in front of PG, chaining myself to their front door until they agree to sell me a gallon.
10. Kelley | April 18th, 2007 at 10:07 am
I bought my bottle at Luckyscent…I wonder if they still have some? Ina, you are a wonderful writer. I always enjoy your reviews. This was a blind buy for me and I am very glad I got one. You are right, this is not a traditional fragrance in that it doesn’t have much sillage and it’s transition from top to base notes is very strange and almost linear. However, I find that it is extrememly long lasting but stays close to the skin. It has the effect of running through the forest and when you get back home, you have the smell of wet leaves and sap and even fresh air clinging to your arms.
I can’t believe PG is sold out! Yikes!!!
11. tmp00 | April 18th, 2007 at 10:15 am
Elena-
Beautifully written as usual. I loved Bois Blond, but fell harder for Querelle, so that’s the one I bought. I still cannot get past that “limited edition” bit; I know I should. I’m too focused on comittment, I guess. No one-night-stands and no limited editions. I need assurances and the illusion of permanence.
12. Cait | April 18th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
I loved this evocation of a fragrance. What a wonderful quote, as well. I think that Bois Blond might contain come of the same quivering spring feeling of my Alaskan home that I dream of making perfume from. Must try. Thanks for the great review.
13. Elena Singh | April 18th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Dinazad, thank you for your comment. Bois Blond also reminds me of my childhood in Russia, of running through summer forests with dry field grasses…No wonder that smell is so comforting to me. And yes, I do remember that bottles of Zubrovka (zubr is same as bison, right?) that my dad buys sometimes has those grasses inside!
14. Elena Singh | April 18th, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Leopoldo, thank you. I agree with you, that’s why I bought 3 bottles (evil laugh).
15. Elena Singh | April 18th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Louise, sillage is one qualm I have with this baby. If I pay that price and if it is a LE, I want: 1) bigger bottle, 2) more sillage, please!
16. Elena Singh | April 18th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
Solander and Patty, I actually e-mailed PG to make it a part of their permanent collection. Now let’s see what they say. I think all those who love L’Ombre Fauve and Bois Blond and other LE scents (Lilas) should write them. Even though I agree that going to France and chaining ourselves to their front door would be way more fun (::makes note to self to save for plane ticket::). Maile me when you go, ok?
17. Elena Singh | April 18th, 2007 at 12:46 pm
Cait, I am from Kamchatka, right across the strait from Alaska. We have the same flora and fauna. Don’t you agree our forests smell very similar to Bois Blond? Thank you for your kind words
18. Elena Singh | April 18th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Kelley, luckyscent had 6 bottles left a couple of days ago, you can still try it.
19. Elena Singh | April 18th, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Elle, thank you! Please join us in picketing PG headquarters. Bring your own chains.
20. Elena Singh | April 18th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
tmp00,
I ordered a sample of Querelle and cannot wait to try it. I discounted PG after I tried Aomassai and Brurule Rose, they just did not appeal to me. However, after this little LE stint, I ordered more of their samples. I totally understand your commitment theory! LOL! Thank you!
21. Ina | April 18th, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Elena, your amazing description makes me want to go give Bois Blond a second chance! I’ll be sure to try it again tonight. I’ll smell it while reading your review.
22. The Speaking Perfume | ap&hellip | September 30th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
[...] he has perfumes which seem really original like Aomassai or Bois Blond clearly related to it, and not particularly to anything else , and yet without the benefit of an [...]