Mainstream Monday – Sniffing a Popular Perfume
“Why did you buy a Tinker Bell perfume? Were they all out of Hello Kitty?”, David asks. And I admit that explaining that Van Cleef & Arpels Féerie isn’t actually a Disney branded Tinker Bell perfume is difficult. It looks like a product sold at Disneyland and I could argue that it smells like it too. I don’t feel like giving the response, “You see, Van Cleef & Arpels is a fancy jewelry line that for some reason decided to create a ridiculous collection of fairy inspired jewelry in the 1940’s…and to this day they still make a ridiculous collection of fairy inspired jewelry. And for some reason I bought a bottle of this fée perfume because I was deep in a violet phase within my perfume odyssey“. I’d rather just say that I did indeed buy a Tinker Bell perfume. I feel like their is less shame in that.
Féerie opens with sparkling aldehydes and a green violet. And then it gets so fruity. It’s raspberries and black currants over little powdered violets. It’s “synthetic” but it works. The heart is a sheer, powdery floral that is heavy on violet and rose. It fades into a quieter version of this with an addition of soft musks and one of those vetivers that are added for “greenness”.
Overall, this is a perfume as twee as they come. It’s cutesy “whispering” florals and fruits. It’s a bottle shaped like a faceted blueberry thing with a dang pixie parked on it. I have no clue who this is marketed to. I would say children but what adult would give a child a perfume bottle destined to gouge an eye out? My thought is this is actually for adults because I don’t think glitz’d out fairy $200,000* watches like this are marketed to children.
It’s also available in an EDT. I find the EDT less sweet and with more effervescence in the opening. I think I may prefer the EDT over the EDP (but I own a bottle of the EDP because longevity is an issue with the EDT). Yes, I own a bottle of this because at one time I wanted to have all of the candied violet perfumes. We all have a dark secret, now you know mine – I like to smell like frail violets and own a bottle of perfume in really campy packaging.
Notes listed include violet, green notes, mandarin, black currant, Bulgarian rose, Egyptian jasmine, iris, woods and vetiver. Launched 2008. PERFUMER – Antoine Maisondieu
Give Feerie a try if you like fruity-violets. Or if you like perfumes like The Vagabond Prince Enchanted Forest, Neela Vermeire Creations Bombay Bling (because of the fruits), Opus Oils Dapper and/or Molinard Violette. As far as violets go, this one is rather feminine.
Projection and longevity are below average. I’m lucky to get 5 hours of wear from it.
Féerie comes in two sizes with prices retailing $110-$150 at Neiman Marcus. You can also find it at discounters like Perfume.com for much, much cheaper.
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Violet candies and blackcurrant juice (czarna porzeczka sok). Twee as f*ck, but what do you expect from a bottle that has a fairy perched upon it?
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*Price isn’t listed. If you have to ask, you can’t afford it 😉 My guess is that it’s in the $100-$200k+ range. Seriously, who are the people buying these things? I realize grown-ups can like fairies but $200k+ fairy love???
Lol!
“As far as violets go, this one is rather feminine.”
I don’t think that any guy really cares what it smells like!
I can say with 100% confidence that not one of my straight male friends would purchase, for themselves, a perfume that is named “Feerie” that comes in a glass bottle with a silvery pixie on a bough “parked” on top.
Regardless of what it smells like.
My gay male friends, however, will be all over it with glee.
Regardless of what it smells like.
I did backspace on that line but was like, “with my luck, if I don’t put it, some guy will troll me and ask” and left it, lol. And yes, put it there because who the hell is going to wonder if this is “unisex”???
And yes.
And also add Mugler A*Men Parfums de Cuir, Ramon Monegal Mon Cuir, Penhaligon’s Quercus, etc. to their collection of glee perfumes.
I really wanted a bottle of this because I too have a thing for violet frags. The bottle Is very Disney. At least they march to their own beat. I would rather have this than that strange Nicki Minjai bottle.
You’re right. It could have been worse. I could have bought that creepy Barbie sexbot bottle.
This bottle is campy but I find it sort of charming. It *does* tie in with their jewelry line, which I heard was based on a Midsummer’s Night Dream.
Oh, and I totally want to wear this violet scent to Disneyland.
Aha I’m a sucker for candied violets too, I’ll have to check this out.
I think it’s worth checking out 🙂 Just be careful with the bottle; I’m lucky I haven’t poked my eye out with it yet!
I’ve come close to buying this at discount just because I kinda like that stupid bottle. Don’t tell anyone.
As a person that bought this stupid bottle, I won’t judge!
It’s campy and juvenile but at least they made something that looks different than what we usually see on the shelves.
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[…] – here’s a perfume that smells so good that it made Victoria forget that the packaging looks like it is meant to be […]
[…] – here’s a perfume that smells so good that it made Victoria forget that the packaging looks like it is meant to be […]