Vieux Carré

[LadyVictoria]

 

Vieux Carré

Shrove Tuesday – or Mardi Gras as it is known worldwide – has no greater observance of the raucous debauchery synonymous with the holy day than in New Orleans, a city which definitely knows how to party! In tribute to this vibrant and resilient community and their singular traditions of costumes, krewes, parades, balls, banquets and total joie de vive we bring you a scent which celebrates these elements in true carnivale style: tart pineapple and licorice get zesty with lemon and juniper then sweetened with white sugar all on a base of warm benzoin to make it perfumely perfect…where you at NOLA, because our party-in-a-bottle is ready to laissez les bon temps roulez!

 

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This one on me starts off as a fun ripe pineapple then hits the licorice note and gets very soft and fuzzy. It reminds me of With Every Breath for some reason because it gives me a very soothing soft feel. It dries down powdery and soft kinda like With Every Breath, which is nice and unexpected.
I thought I would be doing cartwheels and shaking my stuff down the aisles at work, but it's vert grounding and balancing. I feel safe and snuggly. Starts off like a pina colada though and ends with a nice blanket. It's perfect for Spring!

[Beccah]

All I'm getting from this one is delicious sugared pineapple, win!

[LadyVictoria]

This is a win for sure.

[katz]

Wet, this one is an ODD mixture of the licorice and pineapple. It does settle down to a softer, sweet pineapple with some *hints* of the licorice about. Very gentle, and close to the skin on me. I think this is a good pick for spring office wear.

[LadyVictoria]

I like this one for bedtime- it's go that With Every Breath feel for me.

[luna65]

This is from Mara's part of the description:

This is a whimsical celebratory fragrance inspired by the wild and complex libations New Orleans is famous for!

 

I think this is a great tribute scent in that New Orleans is a town which loves its liquor, and furthermore, celebrates that fact. So a scent based on two of the most prevalent ingredients in alcoholic drinks, but as well, two particular cocktails (for the lost art of the Cocktail still exists in NOLA): the Hurricane and the Sazerac. And it's genius! It's a fabulous combination; the pineapple starts out bright and sweet but not too syrupy, and then the "licorice jellybean" aura of the Pernod (even though it's not actual Pernod accord, but it has that feel to me) comes through and then it moves into a wonderfully complex creamy-sweet-perfumey skin scent. I love it; I was a little leery that either the juniper or the benzoin (or both) would act up on me, but the combination of everything is faboo! Yeah you right, cher!

[Isa]

I really like this one. Possibly my favorite of the month. I don't know why I was getting notes of booze and cake (other than I think everything /should/ smell like cake.)

[Potion Master]

Juniper and licorice are booze flavorings! But no "actual" booze notes, just the flavorings to suggest them.

[LadyVictoria]

I dabbed some of this on my arms last night because it was calling to me.. OH MY I looove this. It's sugared pineapple and marshmallow clouds on my skin!!! It's soft and beautiful. Reminds me of butterfly wings for some reason. Such a happy and soft scent.

[missdarlyncherie]

i hadn't really considered this for me but sugared pineapple and marshmallow clouds? That sounds pretty damn good for summer.

[damonkitty]

I was lucky enough to be offered this in a recent swap. I LOVE it!!!! It started out a really strong pineapple, but quickly changed to the most beautiful, sweet fruit white musk. I wore it to work today and within a half an hour I had someone say how good I smelled. She thought I smelled like baby powder though. I thought for some reason I smelled a little like coconut milk. Anyways, this is a wonderful summer blend and I am thrilled to own it.

[LadyVictoria]

I was lucky enough to be offered this in a recent swap. I LOVE it!!!! It started out a really strong pineapple, but quickly changed to the most beautiful, sweet fruit white musk. I wore it to work today and within a half an hour I had someone say how good I smelled. She thought I smelled like baby powder though. I thought for some reason I smelled a little like coconut milk. Anyways, this is a wonderful summer blend and I am thrilled to own it.

 

I agree. For me this is such a soothing scent. It really reminds me of New and With Every Breath. This for me is like resting your head on fluffy pillows. It's got such a soothing and soft landing. It's perfect for Spring and Summer.

[Gabylicious]

Vieux Carre is so pretty! I loved how the licorice note is so subtle, it is very well blended with the rest of the notes, but pinneaple and licorice are a perfect match here! I've smelled licorice in many perfumes, and it can be very strong, overpowering and ridiculously sweet... But Mara blends licorice wonderfully, the licorice in this one is coquettish and soothing at the same time! It is pillowy soft, very marshmallowy as in Flying Potion, and I would have never thought it would go so well with pinneaple....Now, the pinneaple in this starts out strong, proudly showing itself and strutting all girly,zesty and tangy, but the licorice immediately steps in and steals the stage....I don't get the lemon blossom per se, but it must be what is making the pinneaple so deliciously zestful....I get no booziness, but more of a sheerness quality from this potion, and it still manages to be a powerful potion with amazing longevity....

 

I think Vieux would be a very congruent potion to cover fun phero blends with lots of A-nol and maybe even Audacious, will be trying this ASAP...

Edited May 4, 2012 by Gabylicious

[tyvey]

okay, pineapple is one of my very favorite fruits, and I just get a ton of candied pineapple from this. fantastic!! *biting arm* OO as it dries down I get the anise. very nice! Doesn't feel literally boozy, but definitely gives an air of funness. I feel the urge to dance around.

 

[johnsonlisa90012]

I am wearing this today -- I received as a free bottle last year in the sale but I never really spent any quality time with it.

 

I also had the initial blast of fruit (specifically pineapple) and now (2 hours later), the licorice is more prominent--very much pernod. But underneath there is a creaminess I hadn't anticipated. The whole deal is so well blended that it feels like layers of scent--almost like a layered drink you would order.

 

I had been looking for something to wear as a roll on when I spray Summershine with Topper on my hair and neck. This is a perfect pairing for me. .. a deeper scent on my elbows and forearms and a cloud of pineapple around my face.

 

Love it!

[Eastwood22]

I'm wearing this over open windows, I smell amazing! Not like a pineapple at all. Just soft and creamy, maybe the pineapple with the benzoin remind me a bit of amber. After two hours, it's a bit more like a rich amber with a side of a soft rich creamy licorice fudge. Strangely, I think I smell it much more than when I first put it on.