Synesthesia is a popular topic when it comes to perfume. Synesthesia is a neurological phenomenon where there is an involuntarily response to one sensory stimuli that may result in activating another sensory pathway (like associating a color with a grapheme/letter or associating a taste/flavor with a word/sound). In PerfumeWorld, there’s often discussion about scents and colors. Overall, synesthesia is said to be a rare phenomenon, but it seems like in PerfumeWorld it’s more common than it seems in the general population. My thought is that, it’s more of a cultural association than a perceptual condition. Anyway, I think many of us, when we talk about perfumes, can say things like, “This smells GREEN/BLACK/ORANGE” and we understand to some extent. We have an idea of what “green” smells like and we translate that word to scent in our minds. Parfums Delrae Coup de Foudre is one of those perfumes that I feel like I could easily describe in one word, a color. Coup de Foudre smells PINK¹.
Coup de Foudre opens with a cool, floral mintiness like rose geranium with dazzling citrus. From the beginning, Coup de Foudre smells “pink”. It has a dry, fruity pink pepper and juicy grapefruit over a blush pink bouquet of blossoms. The heart is apologetically floral with citrus nuances. The rose, the magnolia all glimmer with lemon-like notes. What I notice the most, is the peony. It’s fresh, living and reminds me of a bouquet of the prettiest, petal-y peonies, you know, like the sort of image that gets shared a million times on Pinterest. It’s a fresh rose and peony. Eventually the rose gets fruitier like raspberry jam. The dry-down is classic but updated. It’s sheer musks and a green moss that perfectly grounds the airy florals.
Coup de Foudre is one of those perfumes that’s so unlike me or what I usually wear. These sort of beautiful, “frivolous” and well, pink perfumes have always been something that I’ve struggled to justify wearing. I’ve always viewed these sort of florals as “hardship free” and frankly, felt that I couldn’t relate to that. But, that’s silly. Coup de Foudre smells beautiful and is one of the best examples of “pink” in perfumery. I love wearing it.
As far as peony or “fresh rose” perfumes go, I think Coup de Foudre is one of the best. The mainstream market has attempted this theme many times and has failed almost an equal amount of times. Parfum DelRae’s really is one of the best examples of peony or “pink florals” on the market.
Notes listed include baie rose (AKA pink pepper), bergamot, Italian lemon, pink grapefruit, rose de Mai, peony, Egyptian jasmine, magnolia, geranium, tonka, vetiver, white moss and velvet musks. Launched in 2010. PERFUMER – Yann Vasnier
Give Coup de Foudre a try if you like rose or peony perfumes. Or if you like perfumes like Parfums de Rosine Vive la Mariée, DSH Perfumes Peony, Gucci Flora, Lili Bermuda Pink, Penhaligon’s Peoneve and/or Stella McCartney Stella Nude. In my culture, Coup de Foudre smells traditionally feminine. It’s floral.
Projection is average. Longevity is average in my opinion; however, some people find it fleeting. It sticks with me all day.
The 1.7 oz EDP retails for $150 at Beautyhabit.Samples are also available for purchase.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A beautiful bouquet of pink flowers. I associate it with pink…and pink is a great color. I need more pink in my life.
¹I should really do a post on the best “pink” perfumes because there really are some sorry interpretations of “pink” on the market.
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This sounds gorgeous to me. I actually love peony and those pink florals but like you say, so many of them are downright bad and/or clearly made for the tween/teen demographic which I am decidedly not a part of. I’d love to give this a try. Sounds like it would be great for a tulip and/or cherry-blossom filled fresh spring Saturday!
The only reason I thought I didn’t like this genre was because of all the awful “cheap” stuff. I’m always saying that good perfumes can be found at any price point, but in this case…this one is superior. The others smell like soap or cleaning products in comparison.
I would have NEVER thought I’d be so drawn to something like this but it’s gorgeous. I see myself wearing it. And it would be perfect for a spring Saturday or at least when we wish we had one!
Thank you for sharing. I’d like to try it. Hop to here more from you.
[…] Parfums DelRae Coup de Foudre EDP – This is one of the few perfumes out there that I think actually smells “pink”. It’s a flirty blend of rose and peony. Retails for $150 at Beautyhabit. Full review here. […]