Cologne of Love by Le Couvent Maison de Parfum

Featured review The most detailed of the latest reviews.

After seeing the notes on Fragrantica, I thought it would be a fantastic cologne and had it on my mind, but after trying it, I gave up.

While it smells good, my nose detects a chemical hint that my stomach rejects (especially at the end when it fades along with the scent), plus that bitter orange peel note that I usually don’t like. That said, it’s my personal taste; I’m not saying it doesn’t smell good—it’s a pleasant blend of orange blossom with a vanilla touch and citrus (mostly orange). At first, there’s a fresh spark of petit grain (always surrounded by orange blossom) that fades until only the sweetish mix of orange blossom and orange remains (well-executed, with peel but no bitterness), accented by bergamot that I sometimes feel a bit mentholated (not fresh mint, but the green menthol my grandma used when she had a headache). The rose and cape jasmine go almost unnoticed; perhaps they’d emerge more with warmth… This fragrance brings me a certain nostalgia (maybe that’s the real reason I removed it from my ‘want’ list); not a memory, but an image of the countryside, a little garden in a village house, the possible scent of lovely, simple women from back in the 30s-40s… I think of an old mirror my grandma had on a wall (now a relic with an unknown whereabouts taken by some relative), with a photo of a lady in a simple blue dress in a summer garden… this saddens me… I think I’ve reached the bottom of my rejection 🙁 I consider it a fragrance for personal enjoyment; its light trail behaves like an aromatic layer that tends to blend with the skin. If you want to feel it all day, I recommend reapplying… unless you put it on your clothes or a handkerchief, where it will absorb much better and undoubtedly last longer. I agree with Shiseido that it resembles Angel Schlesser’s ‘Orange Blossom’ a bit, but not the others they mentioned… I don’t know the L’Artisan one.

• Citrus
• Orange blossom
• Longevity
• Fresh