Roger & Gallet Bois D’Orange & Eau Des Bienfaits

Roger & Gallet Bois d'Orange 150th Anniversary Fresh Fragrant Water Spray

Roger & Gallet created a beautiful new Ltd Edition bottle to celebrate this week’s 150th Anniversary.  The luscious Bois D’Orange fragrance remains unchanged; simply repackaged in a striking screen printed bottle that pays tribute to one of the fragrance house's most famous benefactors, Napoleon Bonaparte…

“The bespoke emperor's flask was slim enough to slip inside his boot so that he could carry it with him everywhere, as requested by his beloved wife Josephine.”

I’ve blogged about Bois d'Orange perfumed body oil in the past {link}, a slightly softer version of this fragrance that spells sunshine to me.  The moment the sun appears, this is what I want to wear.  It’s been compared to walking through orange blossom filled garden of Andalusia and I couldn’t agree more. 

• Top Notes: Mandarin, Basil, Verbena
• Heart: Orange Flower, Neroli
• Base: Amber, Rosewood, Cedar

Fresh and invigorating but with a gentleness about it… this isn’t a sharp citrus. The woods and Amber provide a softness which in my opinion, help it strike the perfect balance.  And as it’s a fragrant water, it’s difficult to overdo this perfume - I often reapply it because I love the freshly spritzed hit I get from it, though the dry down is equally delicious!

Isn’t the elegant new bottle a thing of beauty…

The stark white screen printed design on the back creates a beautiful image when looking through the bottle (see above).  In the pic below you can see how the back of the bottle is flat, as if sliced off, allowing a perfect fit inside Napolean’s boot!

Eau Des Bienfaits Fragrant Body Mist

I’ve been rather spoiled by the opportunity to layer the perfume with Roger & Gallet’s Eau des Bienfaits Fragrant Body Mist.  While the fragrances are not the same, I think they work beautifully together.

This stimulating treatment fragrance includes essential oils and skin softening ingredients, lovely for this time of year.

“The joyful, invigorating water stimulates the mind and the skin. Its formulation of active ingredients includes hydrating aloe vera, quenching kiwi extract, toning ginseng extract and smoothing fruit acids derived from lemon. This caring cocktail works to pamper and soothe the body with its ultra-light and non-oily texture.”

With blood orange essential oil at its heart, Eau des Bienfaits is diffused with mandarin, bergamot and lemon essential oils. Violet leaves and orange blossom add a pretty floral softness.

• Top Notes: Mandarin, Bergamot, Lemon
• Heart: Blood Orange, Violet Leaves, Orange Blossom
• Base: Cedar, Patchouli

I love to spritz this all over, then top up with the Bois D’Orange Fragrant Water throughout the day… this exhilarating combo gives me such a buzz, a 100% feel good fragrance that isn’t overpowering, more like a breath of blossom-filled fresh air.  If I had to choose between the two, I’d go for the Eau de Bienfaits (in the Bois D’Orange bottle!). ;-)

Roger & Gallet Eau des Bienfaits Fragrant Body Mist Spray 100ml costs £28.50 at Escentual

Roger & Gallet Bois d'Orange 150th Anniversary Fresh Fragrant Water Spray 100ml is £34.00, also at Escentual.com

What’s your favourite Spring/Summer fragrance?

samples

Sunshine on a Rainy Day - Bois D’Orange

Roger & Gallet Huile Sublime Bois D'Orange

Ever gone for a sunset stroll on a balmy holiday evening and caught little wafts of intoxicating fragrant blossoms as you walk along?  To me, this is Bois D’Orange, bottled.  So I couldn't help smiling when I read that it had been inspired by Andalusian gardens.

Despite the name it’s not overtly orangey or even citrusy.  The French name translates directly as 'Orange Wood' - and this woodiness adds a gentleness to the orange.  A really soft, ‘skin’ smell is how I’d describe it. I love ‘skin’ smells… warm, slightly musky, not overpowering...
 

I love the bottle… the pattern on the back reminds me of stained glass windows.

I was drawn to this as it sounded like a summery fragrance, which it is, but in a very gentle, warm-sunshine-on-your-skin kind of way, rather than many sharper, fresh summery scents.  These are the notes:

• Top: Mandarin, Basil, Verbena
• Heart: Orange Flower, Neroli
• Base: Amber, Rosewood, Cedar

It is really quite subtle, suitable for either men or women in my opinion and well, yes – it has to be said – it’s sexy! As some of you know I’ve been longing for a new perfume recently, so I almost bit the postie’s hand off when this arrived for me today!  I only discovered the Roger & Gallet brand recently, after hearing a few beauty bloggers rave about it so decided to explore the website and was so impressed with what I found.  It’s not a new brand – it’s been around for 200 years in fact.

Bois D’Orange is one of the newest fragrance collections by Roger & Gallet. I’ve wanted an orange based perfume for quite a while, so my ears pricked up as soon as I came across this.  The dry body oil was recommended to me - and while it’s not something I’d normally opt for, it is just divine.

Please click to enlarge

Please click to enlarge

Huile Sublime Bois d'Orange contains a fine ingredient list, enriched with Argan, Almond, Camelia, Macadamia, Evening Primrose, Sesame and Essential Oils. The formula also includes antioxidant Vitamin E and invigorating orange essential oil. Bearing all of this in mind, it's right up there with much more expensive formulas.

I have it on the crook of my arm and have received the strangest looks and comments as my nose has been buried there, inhaling it all day!

Just sprayed

The oil sprays in a fine mist… you can literally spritz it all over you and it only takes a little light rubbing in.  It doesn’t leave your skin shiny or feeling oily – I’d happily dress a few minutes after applying.  I rubbed the excess in my hair and later discovered, when I stopped falling in love with it long enough to read about it, that it’s actually designed to be worn on the hair, as well as the face and body!

Immediately after rubbing in

Subtle sheen, immediately after applying all over arm

An extensive product range includes body wash, body lotion, oil and fresh fragrant water spray.  The latter is priced at around £15 for 30ml, which I think is amazing for such a quality product. I haven’t seen it in-store, but it’s available online

Huile Sublime Bois d’Orange is available at escentual for £23, though many products from the range can be found elsewhere, such as halfpriceperfumes and amazon.