When I received the new Etat Libre D’Orange Bijou Romantique I also received the other new release from ELDO, Fils de Dieu. I immediately fell for the flashier Fils de Dieu so that when I was sniffing the strip with Bijou Romantique on it I was ready to dismiss it; and did for a week or two.
Then I was sitting at my desk, sort of bored, and I picked up the decant again and sprayed some on my wrist. Without the showier fragrance to compete with it I slowly realized the subtle charms that perfumer Mathilde Bijaoui was conjuring with Bijou Romantique. Once I could experience it on its own I understood this was a fragrance for those who love complex fragrances.
The name Bijou Romantique comes from a graphic novel by Hugo Pratt called “Ballad of the Salt Sea”. The hero of the novel is Corto Maltese and in the story he bids “Adieu, bijou romantique” (Farewell romantic jewel). Mme Bijaoui is not working in the bright colors of a typical graphic novel. Instead she is working in the subtlety and depth offered by a literary inspiration that was number 62 on Le Monde’s list of the 100 greatest books of the 20th century. Further proof that these were artists who somehow connect through a spatial anomaly I present a picture of Pandora from the Corto Maltese novels and Mme Bijaoui.
Mme Bijaoui pulls off a bit of space time distortion herself as Bijou Romantique seems “broken in” from the first moments. This perfume is a delicate construction and the early going takes a very bright bergamot and an equally shiny lemon and keeps the life in both notes but manages to make them much softer than they normally are. You can spray this as liberally as you possibly can and the opening just never rises above a certain muted presence. I think it was that lack of intensity that made me think this was something to be dismissed. Once I wore it I realized it was but a whisper of things to come. Ylang-ylang is the next note and iris is used to again keep everything at a comfortable intensity. Mme Bijaoui also uses a bit of clary sage to add an herbal quality to the middle but the note that truly fascinated me was coconut. This is not your sweet baker’s coconut this is coconut extracted using Mane’s proprietary Jungle Essence procedure. This field extraction leads to a coconut note which actually reminds you it is a nut as there is a sweet woodiness to the quality of the coconut in Bijou Romantique. The base is again full of powerful players in vetiver, benzoin, and vanilla but as before they are kept at a delicate balance and left to float around you in a beautiful restrained haze.
Bijou Romantique has excellent longevity and modest sillage.
Mme Bijaoui has created a fragrant silk scarf for a breezy spring or fall day. A touch of chill to the air really allows the depth of Bijou Romantique to flourish. If you’re like me you will feel a bit melancholy when you bid “Adieu, Bijou Romantique”. At least until the next morning.
Disclosure: This review was based on a decant purchased from The Perfumed Court.
I have two sample vials to giveaway to one lucky reader. To be eligible leave a comment about a fragrance you did not like at first that is now one of your favorites or your favorite Etat Libre D’Orange fragrance. We will draw one winner on April 11, 2012 via random.org.
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilt perfume.
–Mark Behnke, Managing Editor