Shiseido - Feminite du Bois

Some time last winter I received a little sample of Feminite Du Bois. Feminite Du Bois is said to be a real masterpiece of perfume, until recently produced by Shiseido. Feminite Du Bois was Serege Lutens first perfume inspiration for Shiseido, but the perfumes is made by Christopher Sheldrake and Pierre Bourdon. Nowadays Feminite Du Bois is a part of Serge Lutens own line of perfumes, Les Salon Du Palais Royal Shiseido.


Well, I´ve had the little sample and was of course curious about the famous perfume. But, hmm... I didn´t like it. Oh well, I didn´t particulary dislike it either, I found it to be nice, totally ok and fine but also totally dull. Feminite Du Bois didn´t do anything for me. I read reviews about it, written by perfume lovers that I respect and couldn´t understand how they could think it was so amazing. Time goes by and my little sample of Feminite Du Bois was almost forgotten.


Then I happened to got a small bonus in a swap, an original spray sample of Feminite Du Bois from Shiseido. The other was an anonymus homedecanted sample. I think it was about time to give Feminite Du Bois a second chanse. It could be whole lot of different to spray or to dab a perfume on.


Ooooh, yes... I think you can guess what happened? I realise I am wearing a perfume that I must sniff constantly. Feminite Du Bois in spraysample from Shiseido is something totally different from the other Feminite DU Bois sample I´ve got. Of course they are the same scent, but while one of them is sparkling of perfume magic on my skin, the other one is as dull and stale as before.


I don´t now if the difference depend on the fact that I spray it on, or if it is because of reformulations. Serge Lutens himself has stir up some emotions, since he admit that the perfume has been changed, but without anything changed. Sounds kind of strange, if you change the recepie, how can the outcome be the same? I don´t know if my first sample is from before or after the reformulation. All I know is that the spray sample is filled with magic, while the other isn´t.


While writing this I have a spray of the magic perfume on my left arm, and a dab of the not-magic one on the right arm. And the difference is so big that I can get a stiff neck from smelling only at one side. And still I can smell that they are frustrating alike. What is the actual olfactory difference?


Feminite Du Bois, Shiseido (spray) smells a lot more, it is something in it that make it almost bubble and sparkle on my skin, like a heavenly brew made by -nice- witches. A brew of fruits, spices and woods, and even tough it´s plum (I can have some problem with plum sometimes) it´s not that kind of syrupy sugary plum. No it´s like a purple glow surrounded with almost golden shimmer. The other version is like if someone have tried to make water colour painting of the purple forest without being neither talented or inspired.


This difference confuse me a lot, I want more of Shiseido´s Feminite Du Bois, but at the same time I want to figuring out what the difference depends on.


The spray version is really longlasting and with a good sillage on me, while the other seem to lack also in staying power and sillage. I do recommend Feminite Du Bois, but the Shiseido sprayversion, you might get disapointed if you try some other version.






Pic: Background forest fantasy, photobucket