Au Lac Eau D`Italie for women

At first, I smelled nothing. And 10 minutes later, I was in paradise. Au Lac within few minutes from literally nothing becomes one of the most wonderful fragrances out there, a journey to the past, a delicate memory of an enchanted garden.

The top notes were not what really grabbed by attention, although water lily has a strong presence here, but the subtle combination of rose and osmanthus surprised me and drew me in. It's a simple fragrance, but by no means simplistic! The woody base is also a faint accent, all to emphasise on the lovely flowers, fresh, sweet, delicate, very feminine. If fairies smelled of a perfume, they would smell of Au Lac, I am quite sure.

I also find this scent somehow familiar, although I can't quite remember what does it remind me of. Perhaps a glimpse of a memory from my past life?

Fortunately I had not read any reviews to bias my nose when I hauled out this sample to try, so my first impression was, “This is just another airy-woody masculine cologne”. After reading the entire backstory about the Italian lovers on the lake and the fact that Au Lac is supposed to be an avant-garde feminine floral, I wonder if I would have perceived it differently from the very start. I hope not.

Au Lac starts out with sharp green and woody notes, heavy on the “cedar/masculine woody” base and the “airy/watery/marine/ozone” top notes. Whatever florals are present in the filling get completely lost, sandwiched as they are between these olfactory equivalents of thick and heavy bread slices. Over the next few hours it undergoes a series of pronounced changes. There’s a short time when there’s a citrusy lemongrass-like scent, but then the whole thing morphs into a sharp, non-sweet, slightly medicinal powdery scent that I find pleasant, if not what I was expecting. It smells familiar, maybe like a perfume or powder that my mother once had. After the powdery stage has been reached, Au Lac stays that way for the rest of the day, very un-gardenlike and un-lakelike. The scent is strong and long-lasting, with plenty of sillage.

Overall, it’s an interesting take on the powder note that I will enjoy wearing from time to time.

Sexy, subtle, sweet and floral, but not too overbearing. Definitely a late breezy afternoon walk thru the garden...right before sunset. MEEEEOWWW! Bonus...reels in my honey every time!