Etat Libre d’Orange – Jasmin et Cigarette eau de parfum review

Jasmin et Cigarette is a perfume by Etat Libre d’Orange, a perfume house known for its bold, unusual and provocative names for perfumes, as well as perfume compositions. Its founder, Etienne de Swardt is originally from South Africa (the Orange Free State). There he found the very inspiration for the brands name as well. He worked for many years in the world of perfumes and luxury brands, primarily LVMH and Givenchy.

After he was grew tired, and we all know how sterile the perfume designer scene has become for the last two decades, he decided to establish his perfume house. A house in which perfumers will have complete freedom. An opportunity to transfer their ideas and olfactory visions, literally, to the bottle of perfume. The final result? Above all, some of the best and most creative perfumes ever made…

IDEA BEHIND JASMIN ET CIGARETTE

The inspiration for the creation of perfume Jasmin et Cigarette was the sensual image of a beautiful woman holding a cigar in her hand, wrapped in velvety smoke. The imagination of the old Hollywood, when Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich looked strikingly at men, bewitching them. Everything about this perfume is in philosophy of duality. Black and white film, masculine tobacco, feminine jasmine, sharpness of woody notes, soft white flowers. The everlasting yin and yang that play, interweave, merge and split.

PERFUME COMPOSITION OF JASMIN ET CIGARETTE

Many perfumers make mistake when working with white flowers, especially tuberose and jasmine. They allow them to flare up and therefore burn the whole picture and composition of perfumes. This is not the case with Antoine Maisondieu, a perfumer who found the perfect antidote to the opulent sweet jasmine, a rich creamy texture like banana shake. As a counterpoint, he decided chose the classic masculine note of tobacco, which in the case of Jasmin et Cigarette smells dry, ashy and icy. Yang to jasmine’s Yin. Despite a fairly linear structure, notes of tobacco and jasmine interweave and overcome each other, which contributes to the dynamics and overall olfactory pleasure of this perfume. Besides, you will not smell like half the city, of course. But how will you smell? I will quote the ideology of Etat Libre d’Orange brand:

Flamboyant, excessive, perfect. Sometimes scandalous, always delicious. Perfumes for life and love and making love.

Perfume creator is Antoine Maisondieu.