Skip to main content

Laetitia by Rance 1795

I am finally getting around to sampling this house and I decided to review Laetitia first out of the 4 samples. I chose Laetitia because it smells pretty damn good and reminds me of another favorite; namely Reminiscence Eau de Patchouli.

I cannot get over how similar this is to the Reminiscence offering and during the first sample wearing, I was compelled to do a side by side. The differences are barely perceptible with the exception of price point. Rance 1795 is noticeably more expensive. That aside however, Laetitia is a labdanum-patchouli bomb that leans slightly feminine like its counterpart.

From the onset, cistus labdanum is front and center and everyone else ( including patchouli) are along for the ride. The citric opening of orange and bergamot are immediately reigned in by the labdanum surging upwards from the  base accord. It's a very nice accord that last about 5 minutes on my skin before a very muted floral heart tries desperately to unravel itself. Rose, Magnolia, Wisteria and a little zest from nutmeg do contribute, but these too only play subordinate roles to the patchouli that has already dug its claws into the amber. The dominant amber-patch is smoothed out nicely with a well executed vanilla. Laetitia is sweet, but not cloying and it doesn't take much of this EDP to make its presence felt.

Laetitia is so similar to Eau de Patchouli that it's redundant to own both. I own the Reminiscence and enjoy it immensely when I do wear it, but after sample wearing Laetitia numerous times, I have to give it slightly better sillage and longevity than my Reminiscence. Take note however that these attributes are redundant in and of themselves because of how strong Eau de Patchouli is on its own. Laetitia simply possesses a tad more presence.

Big thumbs up from Aromi for Rance 1795's Laetitia.

Comments

  1. This is quite interesting, I have never tried this before. I am really gonna try this one day. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Newport by Caswell Massey

Bergamot, Mandarin, Lemon, Lavender, Geranium, Muguet, Rose, Ambergris, Cedar, Sandalwood, Vanilla, Musk. After wearing Newport by Caswell Massey a few times and then reading what others had to say about this recent formulation, I found some of the opinions harsh. I have no way to compare it to the heralded vintage formula, nor can I use memory as I've never tried the original. Enter the current version. I do agree with some reviews that this rendition does not bring about the sense of beach and salt, but there's a long line of fragrances that fail to represent their depictions. However, Newport isn't so far off the mark that it's a complete misrepresentation. I can imagine wearing Newport ( or something similar ) in a beach setting. It smells classic due to the way Citrus, Lavender and Geranium are implemented. It's assuredly retro, but it seems to have that intangible I like that keeps me sniffing. Newport, at least on my skin, is top heavy in the sens...

Black Suede by Avon

Nutmeg, Clove, Amber, Musk, Moss, Wood Notes. Yes.........I am reviewing one of the Rodney Dangerfield's of fragrance. Black Suede has been gracing medicine cabinets, for better or worse, since 1980 my friends. If you're expecting me to inform you ( like others may have already ) that Black Suede is a nasty scrubber, you will be disappointed. On the other hand, if you're expecting a glowing review claiming it's a diamond in the rough, you won't hear that from me either. I will say though that Black Suede doesn't deserve the hate it's received and most of that is due to snobbery aimed at Avon products in general. I kid you not when I state that a close relative to this fragrance is Cacharel Pour L'Homme. The array of spice in both ensure comparison, but the "smoother" of the two is Black Suede due to its implementation of Amber. While wearing Black Suede, one can detect a hint of "drugstore". That quality doesn't manife...

La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme by L'Artisan Parfumeur

I read many reviews before or after I do my own and I seem to be at complete odds with the house of L'Artisan. I have previously said on basenotes that for me, L'Artisan Parfumeur is the most over-rated house I have come across. La Chasse Aux Papillons Extreme does nothing to sway that opinion. Yet another linear, floral dominant scent that does nothing to stir me up or inspire me in any way. This house has "pleasant" nailed down to an art form......but damn...can't we go beyond that? The only attempt at polarization so far has been Dzongkha ....and I found it a jumbled mess. At these prices, move me, anger me, hate me.......but please don't bore me. Extreme in a nutshell is a toned down tuberose with assorted "blossom" thrown in the mix. Is it bad? No, it's an acceptable floral scent that's very timid and just lays on my skin smelling like....well....a toned down version of tuberose with blossom this or that added to it. I'm almost a...