I have a whole section of perfumes I wear over the Holidays. Probably my favorite of all of them is 2010’s Etat Libre d’Orange Like This. I enjoy it because it is the perfume which closely resembles cocooning at home with family and friends. It is a cozy, happy fragrance I will never be without. Earlier this year I heard that the perfumer, Mathilde Bijaoui, was making a new spicy perfume for creative director Etienne de Swardt. At the time it was exclusive to a European department store and I resigned myself to waiting until it was released more widely. It turns out that time is now as I received my sample of Etat Libre d’Orange Spice Must Flow just in time for the Holidays.
Etienne de Swardt
Anyone who is a fan of the science fiction series “Dune” by Frank Herbert will recognize the name. In the book “God Emperor of Dune” we are told, “The spice had glowed radiant blue in the dim silver light; and the smell- bitter cinnamon, unmistakable.” If you are of the mind-set to pair your perfume to its name, there is plenty for you to find within Spice Must Flow. Because it has arrived at the beginning of the Season, I’m in a more Holly Jolly Christmas mood about it all.
Mathilde Bijaoui
Spice Must Flow opens on an overdose of cardamom. It provides a zesty green tinted whoosh. Ginger comes along to add even more kinetic energy. Mme Bijaoui adds a tiny bit of warmth as cinnamon wends its way in between the cardamom and ginger. Then an opulent Turkish rose arises. This is that spicy rose I prefer. The previous set of spices finds plenty to harmonize with. The ginger slowly mellows out until it provides a subtle gingerbread accord as if there was some baked a few hours ago. It ends on shiny silvery frankincense atop a fir tree.
Spice Must Flow has 12-14 hour longevity and average sillage.
It might become easy for many to label this Like This 2. It is not that. If Like This is about the joys of being home. Spice Must Flow is the excitement of going to a Holiday party wearing a Turkish rose on your wrist, or lapel. I think I have a new perfume for my holiday shelf.
Disclosure: This review is based on a sample I purchased.
–Mark Behnke
