French Lover
French Lover by Frédéric Malle is a masculine-leaning eau de parfum from 2007 in the niche price tier. It opens with galbanum, angelica and juniper berry, moves into incense and pink pepper and dries down to cedarwood, vetiver, oakmoss and musk. Expect around 8 hours of wear, and it projects at a moderate level.
Notes, explained
Opening
- Galbanum Intensely green resin. Smells like snapping a plant stem in half.
- Angelica Musky, herbal root. Earthy and a bit strange.
- Juniper Berry Gin, basically. Piney, dry and bracing.
Heart
- Incense Smoky, dry and meditative. Adds gravity to anything.
- Pink Pepper Fizzy, rosy and bright. Adds sparkle without heat.
Dry-down
- Cedarwood Dry, pencil-shaving woodiness. Clean and structural.
- Vetiver Dry, earthy, smoky grass root. Smells like soil and citrus peel.
- Oakmoss Damp forest floor. Bitter, green and the backbone of every chypre.
- Musk Warm, skin-like and slightly sweet. Makes a fragrance feel like you.
Smells like this
- Olfactive Studio Autoportrait
- Ormonde Jayne Isfarkand
- Ex Nihilo French Affair
- Atkinsons 1799 Spice of London
- Lattafa Art of Wood
- Floris Jermyn Street
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