I must be Facebook’s favorite customer because the ads they post get me every time. Well, not every time but often enough. 😀
I’ve been a fragrance lover since I was a little girl. Instead of my interest in perfume slowing down, it has actually increased. Facebook is primarily responsible because through FB I joined a group called Facebook Fragrance Friends. You can only imagine how many new scents I’ve been turned onto by those folks. However, this recent purchase was because of an ad that I saw on Facebook, most likely because they’ve got me pegged as a fragrance addict because of my membership in FFF.
The ad showed a number of lovely simple perfume bottles that reminded me of the simple spray bottles from my favorite Italian fragrance and bath & body brand, Farmacia di Santa Maria Novella, the world’s oldest pharmacy and producer of perfumes and soaps.
The ad on FB that I saw advertised an opportunity to try a new French fragrance brand for $4. How could I resist?
The brand is Sylvaine Delacourte Paris named after the creator of the new fragrance line. Sylvaine Delacourte was the Creative Director for Guerlain for 15 years. Then in 2017, she launched her own independent brand. I enjoyed reading about her on Facebook, and I chuckled a bit because her Facebook page was clearly written in French and translated into amusing English. It said that Sylvaine was “passionated by the freedom of creation and the smell of natural raw materials.”
At any rate, the brand is sold online and in niche boutiques that specialize in independent brands, the kind I often look for. I am seldom interested in popular fragrances with the exception of a few classics.
Sylvaine Delacourte Paris is an innovative brand – its first two collections were created around two key notes: Vanilla and Musk, two notes that are among my very favorites. And that’s where the innovative trial device comes in. For $4, I ordered a Discovery Box! I was able to try 5 samples, 1.7 ml spray vials called coffrets in French, each of which was created around a key note. I chose Musk to try first because my very favorite scent is Musc Ravageur by Frederic Malle, and I’ve often favored musky scents (and I’m not talking Jovan Musk circa 1975). The samples were shipped to me directly from France, and they arrived in about two weeks or a little less. The shipping on all orders including the samples is free which was quite amazing.
The fragrances are arranged in a simple but attractive heavy paper holder. A pamphlet describing the collection and the individual fragrances was included with the scents.
Here’s how SDP initially described the Musk Collection:
“Musks come with a wide olfactory variety: they can be fruity, clean or even woody, yet they all have a certain softness in common. That is why I call them olfactory pashminas because they bring both comfort and lightness.” Delacourte goes on to say that there can be challenges to creating musk based perfumes with long-lastingness and sillage (broadcasting, i.e. the ability of a scent to be smelled by others).
The 5 musk-based fragrances are:
- Dovana: tender musk: pure, fresh, “light flowers curled in a nest of clean musk”, “light as soap bubbles”, cheerful and free
- Florentina: powdery musk: inspired by the Palazzo Farnese in Florence, the cradle of perfumers like my favorite Santa Maria Novella, the home of sweet iris whose powdery notes combine with musk to create “a cashmere effect”, sensations of harmony
- Smeraldo: green musk: emerald, the combination of white musk with the sharpness and woodiness of vetiver
- Lilylang: solar musk: luminous, jasmine combined with ylang-ylang the “flower of flowers”, sun kissed skin
- Helicriss: spicy musk: assertive, charismatic, powerful, related to the sunflower, everlastingness
They range from light to assertive. I was sure that spicy Helicriss was going to be the scent for me, but instead Florentina has won my heart. In fact, I had to laugh because I had recently fallen for a fragrance, Royal Earth, from The Harmonist. I had received a sample in my Barney’s beauty bag, and I loved it so much I was planning to buy a bottle. But after I bought a couple more small sample vials, I came to the realization sadly that it didn’t last on me. One of Royal Earth’s key notes is sweet iris. Like Florentina, it is described as powdery and musky. So I’m hoping that Florentina will have more lastingness and greater sillage than Royal Earth did.
Take a look at the video with Sylvaine Delacourte describing Florentina. It’s in French but it’s subtitled.
For another $4, I think I will order the Vanilla Discovery Box, the 5 vanilla-based fragrances, and see what I think before I decide if I will make a purchase. Before taking the plunge and ordering a full size 100 ml bottle for $160 (actually it’s less expensive than Musc Ravageur or Royal Earth), they have an interim option for $40 where you can order two spray bottles (not sure of the size) in the two perfumes of your choice.
In addition, they have a VIP Club that is valid for 30 days after placing an initial order that gives you 30% off all purchases FOREVER as well as special gifts and priority service. Hmmm. I need to take advantage of that!
I also need to mention that their Customer Service is incredible. On both Facebook messaging and via email, they answered my questions lickety-split!
If you’re a fragrance lover like I am, I encourage you to try one or both of the Sylvaine Delacourte Paris Discovery Boxes. For $4 delivered, how can you go wrong? At the very least, you’ll feel like you were just in Paris! Check out the Facebook page and the Sylvaine Delacourte Paris website and let me know what you think.
Gee, I hadn’t remembered this until I looked a few minutes ago: Sylvaine Delacourte Paris sent a referral link that if I share my discovery experience, and a friend orders a $4 Discovery Box, both the friend and I get $10 toward our next purchase! A win-win for everyone! If you decide to try one of the Discovery Boxes, I would be grateful if you order by clicking my referral link, xoxo
As a fellow scent lover, I regularly visit CaFleurebon.com for reviews and draws, and I love the reviews on a YouTube channel smellinggreatfragrance. Sebastian is also on Instagram and FB. Theme for the link!
Thank you, Libby, for taking the time to comment and share your resources with me. I will definitely check out CaFleurebon.com and the YT channel smellinggreatfragrance, and I’ll look for Sebastian on IG and FB. Are you a member of FFF on FB?
And trying the vanilla sample set, no shipping and only $4 instead of $12? A great bargain!
It’s insane but wonderful. A fantastic trial device!
$4.00?! How could you resist, indeed! I love fragrance as well, and this is such a great bargain that i will definitely have to consider placing an order! Thank you for posting this, Allison!
It’s so worth it to try 5 fragrances if you’re a fan of the key notes!
I’m a huge fragrance lover too. Pls add me to that group and let me know how you like the vanilla discovery box. I’m such a sucker for unique vanilla scents.
You should join Facebook Fragrance Friends! I get so many great recommendations!
If I wore fragrance I’d gladly order the Vanilla set. The price is not to be believed and the company sounds phenomenal.
4 bucks for 5 samples delivered from France was so amazing. I thought this would be something women would want to know about. I’m glad I found it!
I love scents as well! I’m scared to look into that FB group since I”ve already fell down the indie polish hole, wax melt hole and now indie make up! LOL 🙂 I did fine a perfume sampler…and my wallet may be in trouble. LOL
That’s probably smart, Kristi! Everything is so darn tempting!
These sound nice, I always say I want to wear more fragrance, but never follow through lol
I love perfume too. This sounds amazing and I’m definitely going to try a sample set!
For $4 delivered, you can’t go wrong! And their customer service is amazing
I think I’d be interested in the vanilla based line!
For $4 delivered free from France, you can’t go wrong!
I first thought the $4 was a typo, but WOW! That’s a great price to sample five scents, and I like that they are paired together based on specific type rather than just being a random mix.
I thought $4 was a typo too, and then I found out they delivered free from France. Amazing company!
The little set is awesome! A great way to find which one you like most… and $4?!?! Le steal!
Oui, d’accord!
I bet these all smell great. The gift set is so nice!
Thats a nice little set of samplers!
I’m so glad you introduced us to this brand! You know I’m always on the hunt for small French brands to discover and show on my own blog. I’m also a lover of niche fragrances, there is just so much more variety (and quality) when you don’t limit yourself to the big names that are sold at Sephora.
Laure, when I wrote the post, I was hoping you would see it. I think you would enjoy this brand very much!