Rancé Joséphine perfume is a feminine powdery fruity-floral. It’s one of those “romantic” fragrances that tries to come across as soft and delicate while still being loud enough to try to attract a man across the room. Joséphine does its best to give the illusion of femininity and softness while being a little loud and a bit busy.
Immediately I get “green” rose with Joséphine. This rose is, grounded by a powdery orris and has a bit of a Guerlain violet thing going on. This rose isn’t overbearing the other florals in the bouquet but you know there’s rose in this. Joséphine is “soft” like a bouquet of pale mauve flowers, but it has some sillage. Joséphine whispers…in a “stage whisper” way. There’s a delicate touch of fruits to this composition. There’s that classic 1950’s style peach with some candy-like currant. This is all on a powdery, pale pink peony. It’s a huge, blurry bouquet and I hope you like peony if you’re sniffing this one. The dry-down still keeps the powderiness with a white musk-vanilla with orris. The dry-down is sugary sweet. So, Josephine is busy with many feminine notes thrown in together to make a big ‘ole feminine floral arrangement coated in sugar.
My overall impression of Joséphine is that it is lingerie, not the “naughty” kind, but the feminine “tasteful” kind. Joséphine is soft, silky, sheer, and lacy in shades of cream, dusty mauve, robin’s egg blue, subdued lilac, and “nude”. (Think of all of those colors and the aesthetic used in that dreadfully boring but pretty movie, Antoinette). I find that Josephine is a really forced “romantic” scent. It’s pretty but it is was manufactured with the soul purpose to smell feminine, soft, and pretty. Josephine reminds me of that country-romantic-cottage decorating style where all the colors are all pale, there’s 25 million chintz floral prints, ruffles, and lace on lace. It’s pretty but too much for some people.
Notes listed include May rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, hyacinth, peony, lilac, hawthorn, bergamot, iris, violet leaves, geranium, black currant, white peach, cloves, galbanum, sandalwood, bourbon vanilla, ebony, ambergris, and white musk.
Give Josephine a try if you like “romantic” florals or perfumes like Guerlain Insolence, Juliette Has A Gun Citizen Queen, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique EDP, Creed Fantasia de Fleurs, and/or Hermes Kelly Caleche EDP.
Bottles of Rance Josephine retail from $92 to $135 and are available at the Rancé boutique.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Josephine is a pretty powdery fruity-floral perfume but I see no real reason to own it. Typically when I want something pretty, soft, and feminine, I reach for a Guerlain like L’Instant or Insolence. And when I want generic pretty, I go for Hermes Kelly Caleche. But, most of the time, I want something much more interesting.
Want more reviews? Try…
For some reason, this sounds sort of appealing in an everything-and-the-kitchen-sink way. And I really like that bottle!
It is! Like I said, like that cottage-shabby chic style: floral prints, patchwork, mixed textures. A little of everything that ends up being super feminine and slightly over the top.
I think the bottles are pretty too, very romantic.