Mon Parfum Chérie par Camille is the latest fragrance release from the luxury french perfume house Annick Goutal. I’ve tried a few of the Goutal scents over the years and whilst I find most of them to be high quality, I am yet to discover the one that gives me the warm and fuzzies and as you can probably tell by the title of this post, Mon Parfum Chérie par Camille fails to impress.

The story behind Mon Parfum Chérie par Camille is as follows:

“As Annick Goutal dedicated the Petite Chérie perfume to her daughter, now it is Camille’s turn to honour the eternal beauty of her mother. It all started with a unique present preciously stored away in their office : a small concrete that the author Colette gave to Annick Goutal. A woody, timeless fragrance that has survived decades with no signs of aging. Camille, obsessed with this unusual fragrance, was drawu back to her childhood memories of Hollywood’s wartime movies. Tempting satin. Delicate lace. Actresses and their gloved hands and ruby lips. And a memory of her mother dressing for an evening out…

A name to remember her by, Mon Parfum Chérie, Par Camille.” [1]

The Notes

Top: Plum and Powdery Notes
Heart: Iris, Violet and Spicy Notes
Base: Patchouli and Heliotropine [2]

How Does it Smell?

Patchouli, patchouli and more patchouli! Thankfully it’s the dirty, dusty, good kind of patchouli that most fragrance houses shy away from, but all the same there is a LOT of patchouli! Don’t get me wrong, I like patchouli, it smells great when it interplays with other notes within a fragrance but on it’s own it smells too harsh, dirty and dusty.

I had hoped that the plum would appear in all it’s juicy glory and counteract the dry harshness of the patchouli but it’s nowhere to be seen. The patchouli takes the role of a vicious dictator from which all of the other notes cower in fear.

After a few hours of headache inducing patchouli and a huge amount of temptation to reach for the nearest Brillo Pad and scrub the godforsaken thing off, Mon Parfum Chérie par Camille softens and touches of powdery iris start to shine through but the patchouli never really relents.

It’s a shame really, I wanted to like Mon Parfum Chérie par Camille, the story behind its creation is cute and the notes did sound right up my street, but unfortunately it turned out to be an epic fail. I like to think that there is a nice perfume hiding deep down under all of that patchouli, but I didn’t stick around to find out, I opted for the Brillo Pad.

Availability

Mon Parfum Chérie is available in 50ml and 100ml Eau de Toilette and 100ml Eau de Parfum. Prices range from £61-£80.

Disclaimer

This review is based on a sample of Mon Parfum Chéri par Camille Eau de Toilette provided by Escentual.com

[1] annickgoutal.com

[2] osmoz.com

Image 1 spirer.com