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Oriane
Helpful Review
2
Green and White Floral
Top Notes: Lily, Citruses.
Heart Notes: Lily.
Base Notes: Lily, Green Notes.
I wanted to explore more white florals as of late, especially lily-centric white florals. I was keen to try Lutens Un Lys, but given Un Lys's $300 price point for a 75ml bell jar, I decided to begin my journey elsewhere, specifically with Cartier Baiser Volé and Guerlain Lys Soleia. This review is specifically for BV, but I do compare and contrast the two fragrances to point up how their differ from one another in the white floral genre.
On the whole, BV smells exactly like its notes pyramid. I detect more citruses in the top notes than I do lily, but the lily comes through more in the heart and the base notes where it becomes creamy and slightly sweet. BV is also quite fresh and green. It is the sort of fragrance that one could easily to one's office, school, church, a nice luncheon, a wedding, etc.. It could easily be worn day or night. My guess is that it wears better in the Spring and Summer, but I see no reason why it could not be worn year round.
BV is nice enough. I want to test it out of doors soon to see how it develops in the heat and humidity before I pass final judgment on it, but at the moment, it is not something I would ever repurchase unless subsequent wearings impress me more than the first two wearings. I absolutely love the bottle, though! It is difficult to describe, but the bottle feels rather heavy and quite posh in my hand, and the overall design has a fine aesthetic quality that I almost never find in other contemporary fragrances. It is difficult to spray, but I am not sure if that may be a flaw in the atomiser on my bottle or not.
I had roughly four hours longevity from it last evening. By that time it was fading pretty quickly, but my skin was quite cool. Perhaps I would have greater longevity if my skin had been warmer. Anyway, at that point I applied the LS over it. (The first time I have ever layered fragrances.) I do not know if the layering of the two was responsible or not, but I could still smell the LS this morning whence I awoke.
Whilst I like BV well enough, I am much more enamoured of LS, but this does not surprise me because Guerlain rarely disappoints me. Honestly, some may mistake BV for an air freshener whilst others may mistake LS for a B&BW body spray except that LS smells like a higher quality fragrance, better ingredients and better blended. The ylang-ylang in it is delicious--sweet but not at all cloying. It is so well blended that I cannot disentangle the ylang-ylang and the lily notes. It is as though they are two sides of the same coin. It is definitely a lovely fragrance for the Spring and Summer. It does not smell the same as Terracotta Voile dé Été, but it is in the same "style" if that makes sense. Both have a light sweetness and warmth about them and project mildly in wafts. I like the bottle, too.
It has now been twelve hours since I applied LS over BV, and I can still smell LS on my skin albeit faintly. I did not expect performance as good as this, so I am pleasantly surprised. My white floral lily-centric fragrance journey will not end with either BV or LS, but they have given me a great start. If you wish to explore lily-centric fragrances, and if enjoy fresh, green fragrances, ones that are crisp and cool as opposed to warm and sweetish, then BV is a good place to start. If you think you would enjoy a slightly more complex and sweeter fragrance, one that is warm and more sensual, then LS is a good place to start.
On the whole, BV rates a basic thumbs up for delivering what it promises to deliver. LS gets a more enthusiastic thumbs up for not only delivering what it promises to deliver but also for being beautifully blended, warm, and sensual. At the end of the day, both have a place in one's wardrobe if one wishes diversity in her lily-centric white floral fragrance section.
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