Fragrance Review For Paris Balenciaga Notes: Violet Leaves Violet Carnation Patchouli Cedar What a different animal than Yves Saint Laurent's Paris which a radical flower bomb detonating every time you spray it. This is a soft floral whisper, a sweet and delicate scent of violet and woods. Even though they don't smell anything alike it has that lightness white filas almost aquatic feel as Waterford Lismore. The opening was a carnation. It's more of a violet as the violet and it's shrub leaves become more pronounced with a green and watery freshness. If there is patchouli here it's asleep. This is a subdued patchouli and more of a cedar wood. One touch of wood. Very simple. Easy to wear, inoffensive, subtle, and enjoyable in spring and saucony summer weather.
It's the kind of baby you can take with you anywhere because this baby doesn't make a sound. It won't cry. It won't scream and it won't throw out enormous sillage. It doesn't really remind me of Paris which is very smelly in a good way but this is not bad either.It is pretty, and it is floral, but is not just another pretty floral. Violet is a most interesting floral note to capture; naturally sweet with that metallic tang underscored by clean musk. That is what makes up Balenciaga Paris to me. No creaminess and no vanilla to winterize it; this is fresh for springtime. I received it in a swap about a year ago and at that time considered it pretty bland but nice enough for warm weather. I saucony shoes wore it maybe 3 times then shelved it.
I should add that the bottle is a work of art too. I do pick out a green violet and the cedar. To me, the scent is whimsical - more about fairies and elves than picking violets out of grandma's cottage garden. As the scent develops, the woody, almost mossy tones become stronger, yet retains a frail sweetness. Thankfully, not a whiff of patchouli on my skin (not a fan of that note!) For comparison, I'm wearing "Balenciage Paris L'Essence" on my other wrist. The two are so very comparable in the opening, and while they retain similarities in the violet and woodiness throughout, Paris dries more woody, while L'Essssence dries down to a slightly more lemony scent with a hint of patchouli. Overall, L'Essence is slightly more powdery and subtle.
And then, the juice. Oh, the juice, we haven't thought about it. A very, very mild and weak floral-woody scent. Too soft, too fleeting. Slightly violet, slightly carnation. A faint laundry musk. And that is all. A safe thing, anoter crowd pleaser, marketed to young, fashionable women. And it is exactly the same with all the other new Balenciaga perfumes. Not really such bad, but not woth of Balenciaga's name (or the price tag). And, in the meanwhile, what has happened with all the beautiful classic range of Balenciaga? Michelle? Le Dix? Ho Hang? Where are they now..? Better, they should have spent efforts, money and time in relaunch all these wonders, instead of another boring, banal scent that nobody is going to remember in ten years.
The list of notes includes bergamot, spices, pepper, violet, carnation, oakmoss, cedar, vetiver, patchouli and labdanum. The most distinctive notes, right upon spritzing, are bergamot and violet leaves. The violet flower comes in the saucony running shoes drydown, if you wear it in colder weather (when this one warms up on the skin, the carnation note can easily overpower the violet). It doesn't get exactly powdery, as one would expect of anything with violets. But it gets mellower during mid to late dry down: creamy and earthy, as in a muted woody base. It's easy to wear in all seasons, but I do prefer it in warm weather (probably because my wardrobe already has too many violets, but just a few "easy" carnations). Balenciaga Paris has low
sillage, you won't project anything unless you bathe in it.