Monday, January 25, 2010

Balenciaga Paris Perfume

One of the most anticpated fragrance releases this year is Balenciaga Paris. It seems like it took forever to finally arrive.

Billed as a violet chypre it's mostly violet. Not a sweet violet, it has many green stem notes and no powder. This is good but it lacks enough chypre. It's rare to find a good chypre though, and that anyone is attempting to market a semi one is something in itself.

The thing is this should have been edgy. The current Vogue( Feb.) has an article quoting Nicolas Ghesquiere and Charlotte Gainsbourg saying how they wanted edgy, or in his words, weird, and how she herself picked the stronger of the two. In reality it should be even stronger, with a touch of leather maybe, or the furniture wax smell that Ghesquiere stated he loves, as well as more oakmoss .


Now I love violet. A lot. So this does appeal to me, I just lament what could have been . It is very pretty , not the same as every other scent out there . Besides the violet and green notes there is a slight metallic edge and some of the moss of a chypre. Other notes include cedar and distilled woods. It's a good mix .

Sillage and lasting power are very good.

Balenciaga Paris will be in stores here beginning next month .

EDP 1.7 oz $95.00
EDP 3.4 oz $130.00
Body Lotion 6.7 oz 50.00
Shower Gel 6.7 oz $40.00

UK is £42 for 30ml at Harvey Nichols, and 75 Euros for 50ml at Sephora France


*press sample

22 comments:

Anna said...

Thanks for the review of Balenciaga Paris. I can't wait to try it!

Beauty Alchemist said...

Let me know what you think when you try it.

Unknown said...

I purchased it from Neiman Marcus today and it is a great, sexy unique fragrance. Once I smelled it, it was a must buy for me plus I got a purse size (.25 oz) as a free gift.

Beauty Alchemist said...

Thanks for your feedback . The free gift is a great extra. Enjoy.

Unknown said...

There was a scent sample strip in a magazine. Oh, God this parfum smelled wonderful! Yes, I am buying!

ckn said...

I hate all perfumes. Walking past the cosmetics/perfume counter in department stores nauseates me and gives me an instant headache. The sample strip in Vogue was undeniably heavenly. This is the first perfume I will seek out and BUY. Ever. It is beautiful.

Beauty Alchemist said...

ckn- Balenciage is your first buy? Enjoy it.

Beauty Alchemist said...

Sherry- Hope you got your bottle and are enjoying it.

Unknown said...

I'm much on the same page as ckn. The Vogue strip was absolutely heavenly. I already bought the bottle and am going through it fairly quickly. This is the best perfume I've purchased in years. Thanks for the review.

Anonymous said...

I've been waiting to get a whiff of this since I've started hearing about it. I seriously rubbed the sample strip in the ad all over me. I will definitely be saving my pennies for this lovely scent!

Anonymous said...

If I'm typically an
Angel wearer, will I enjoy this fragrance?

Beauty Alchemist said...

Anon- not sure if you'd like this vs. Angel. They are nothing alike. Angel is very strong and this is pretty light. Not overly light but not strong at all. Angel is what's called a gourmand fragrance, Balenciaga is floral with some woods.

Best to test it first if you can and see.

Hope that helps.

Anonymous said...

Unlike some of the others that do not like perfume, I am an addict. The only problem--it is a challenge to find something that is delightful to me and not offensive to others. I have never ordered a perfume from a strip in a magazine until now. The minute I received this at my doorstep, I ordered another bottle. I guess I am scared to run out. It is utterly fantastic and I am so glad I ordered it.

Jean said...

LUUUUV this stuff too! Great post.

http://ledefile.wordpress.com/

xo,
Jean

Beauty Alchemist said...

Thanks, Jean. Popped over to your site- really good.

pheromones attract women said...

This perfume looks so interesting and the bottles looks great for it has a nice scent.

cletsey

Jeanette said...

I cannot find it in Denmark. Does anyone know where I can buy this fragrance online?
KR Jeanette

Beauty Alchemist said...

Jeanette- I have no idea where you might find it in Denmark. Maybe a reader will know and comment.

www.bergdorfgoodman.com has it online in US but I do not know if they ship overseas. You could check their site. They do have great customer service. Also possibly Harrods has it online? not sure.

Unknown said...

Is Quadrille by Balenciaga still produced?

Beauty Alchemist said...

seaysmith- I truly don't know but I've heard no one talk about it. If they told that in Paris, it prob. is DC'd.

Unknown said...

Absolutely love it...and it does last. My perfume for life, now.

eula_w said...

Arrrgggh! I want this one so badly. Thank you for a beautiful review, as always.

pheromones for women