I was contacted recently by a new perfume company and asked if I was interested in writing about their product. After a brief description and a browse of their website I said “Oui!” but that I thought it best if I “discovered” their perfume in person. (I much prefer to blog about things I have tasted or tested or touched. It gives a more authentic perception for my readers. So I set up a meeting with François Marmey who represents the company and is putting together an internet publicity campaign. He said I was one of the first bloggers to respond, which makes me happy to be one of the first bloggers to write about it from a first-hand experience! We met for an after-work glass of wine at the Crillon hotel (I figured that the discovery of a new luxe product called for a luxe setting). We took a table on the indoor courtyard patio as the weather was nice for a change, and the tables are large enough so we had space to spread out the products and test them.

So, this perfume…oh my goodness it is right up my alley!!!! It’s different, it’s luxurious (although not TOO expensive) and it’s beautiful. The three things I love about it the most are : The manner in which it is applied, the presentation of the product, and the reflection that has gone into so many aspects of this product to make it a true luxury product.

I smelled three of the perfumes, of which there are four; one for each season of the year and all named as such. The concentration of perfume is 31% which is a lot more than the average perfume purchased in a department store (around 9% usually). This concentration comes from a special micro-capsulation process that allows for a more concentrated level of true perfume and is how they have been able to create this solid perfume product. Perfumes, many centuries ago, started out as solids anyway, back with the Egyptians, when dense “pâtés” of scent were worn in tiny jeweled pots, jars and jewelry, usually worn around the neck. So Laggridore has gone back to the ancient roots of perfume creation for inspiration on their product. Consequently, Laggridore’s perfumes are 100% without alcohol! The first perfume I smelled had me in olfactive ecstasy : the Summer scent. Youthful, oriental, fruity and floral it smelled so good to me I wanted to stay with my nose attached to my wrist, but then François may have thought I was a bit loony! But I just kept casually applying and applying it while we chatted…and occasionally smelling my wrist. I couldn’t get enough of it. I also smelled Spring and Fall. Spring is quite citrus scented, green, floral, fresh and refreshing; and Fall is powdery and floral with magnolia, iris, patchouli and more, and is perhaps for an older woman in her sixties. I am so curious to try the Winter scent when it comes out, as it is described as having cyprus notes, floral and an oriental accent with rose, jasmin, vanilla peach blossoms, and tuberose to name a few. Swoon!
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My favorite scent, the Summer scent has these elements among it’s different olfactive assets : (I won’t give them all away, so as to preserve some of the mystery that should surround any scent, just as a lady should keep an aura of mystery about her…And besides, it’s the composition of the maître parfumeur and not the ingredients that matter most…
Notes de Tête : Apricot, Pineapple, Cassis nuds and one more…
Notes de Cœur : Rosewood, Lily, and two more…
Notes de Fond : Santal, Vanille, Grey amber and one more…

The manner in which it is applied

It’s a caress that puts the perfume on the skin. You can use your fingertips or the “houpette” as it’s called in French, which is really a tiny compact mousse sponge that is ultra soft and thin. I liked the gesture of the fingertip application. You gently swipe some of the compact powder onto your finger in a circular motion and then lightly brush onto your skin (wrist, neck or anywhere else you please!) The powder is made so that it blends into the skin and does not leave a trace. (This is a nice change from liquid perfume that can stain fabrics like silk when sprayed). I was told that the average person could apply this 3 times a day. Morning, midday and evening (if needed). With that amount of application the compact will last a year. But I don’t think the average person would apply the perfume EVERY day three times a day., so I would assume this would last around 2 years, for me anyway.

The powder has a light silky texture that feels like a whisper when applying it. And the aesthetic appeal of applying perfume in such a delicate and sensual way appeals to me greatly. As I think that luxury so delicate and intimate is the best kind of luxury! I am all for anti-bling, anti “m’as-tu-vu” luxury without falling into the hipster and rags fad. This perfume offers more than just a scent, it offers a new delicate gesture in your daily beauty routine, a gesture that harbors a very human, very sensuous aspect : touch.

The presentation of the product

An emphasis on beauty, and a hint of classicism in the imagery on the product itself, it comes in a small, round jeweled box, that comes with a silk draw-string pouch that is lined with velvet so as to protect the jewel box. The box is made from metals such as zamac  (in French; a zinc mixture) and copper, that are covered in a 24k pre-gold flash layer (a layer that preps a support for gold electrolytes). The perfume powder is imprinted with a different design for each seasonal scent, and with Latin style lettering on the interior of the jewel compact. The exterior of the compact is also a different design for each season, and comes from a hand-sculpted mold.

The reflection of all aspects of the product

These perfume products were conceptualized for luxury, beauty and aesthetics, while also taking into account other very important details. For example, the fact that this product does not leave any traces and it blends invisibly into the skin. Then there is the size of the product, which allows for it to be carried in a small hand bag or purse, even an evening clutch with out being cumbersome. Also the perfume palette compact is made so that it is not easily breakable (in case it slips out of your hands or you drop your clutch). This is important for those of us who like to carry it around with us and not just keep it at our make-up mirror. Another aspect of a well-thought product is the tiny hole in the bottom of the compact case makes it simple to remove an empty cartridge and replace it with a new one… And the list of qualities goes on.

I can only suggest that you try this product for yourself. It is pure luxury yet remains entirely elegant and refined, and is entirely MADE IN FRANCE.

Commercialized only in major European countries for the time being.

The Laggridore website has been up (as of publication of this post) for about 2 months. You can purchase already off the site, but the official launching of the product is set for this Fall 2012. The price is 85€ for the box and the perfume powder compact, with the powder puff “houpette” and the velvet/silk pouch (a recharge is around 40€), but at the moment only two items are on sale (Spring and Summer compact kits) until the official launch.