I received a couple of samples with a recent swap on Basenotes (I received my Gris Clair… today 
). There were two Frapin ones which I’ll try my best to review. I have no knowledge of Frapin at all, or these scents, so hopefully this house will be a nice new discovery.
L’Humaniste opens very “cologne-y”. There’s some bright, tart citrus fruit of lemon and orange and an overlay of aquatic notes. There is something really nice underneath all of it though which I can’t quite pick up on yet but hopefully that will come forward later.
The citrus is starting to burn off slowly, leaving that slightly soapy stain that citrus often does. I just did a quick Google search to figure out what the herbal concoction was that’s going on… Gin! That’s it, a lovely kind of gin and tonic note that almost smells like the fizzy drink itself. There’s a slightly cinnamon-nutmeg spice grounding everything, and a slight floral which I can’t really identify.
As the citrus leaves more and the gin and herbal notes come up front, a green, slightly de-sweetnened cardamom shows up and stays visible. I’ve only really smelt cardamom in a more warm, oriental composition: here it is fresh, fragrant and subtle. There’s a little crack of pepper as well which keeps adding a little kick to the top.
What remains after a little while is a flat gin-like herbal note, some fragrant greenery (cardamom), a dash of bitter oakmoss and a creamy base.
It’s all round a pleasant and safe masculine, but nothing I’m excited by.
Wow, this is more like it. Passion Boisee opens with a real boozy rum accord and some bright citrus – more orange than lemon. It feels thick and syrupy rather than light and refreshing like L’Humaniste. I can instantly smell some patchouli in the base, and up in the middle, a spicy nutmeg accord.
Unfortunately only a minute or so on and the lovely opening has become quite a plain scent. I smell patchouli (the tart orange has burnt off), there’s still a slightly boozy rum note, I actually smell rose as well but it must be a phantom note because there’s no rose listed. There’s some oakmoss there, pairing with the patchouli for a bitter green undertone. Some wood and leather also support it, and whilst the whole fragrance sounds dark and looming, it actually sits quite light: light but not transparent.
A peppery spice stands strong up front, and the green base notes, rich wood and leather dominate the remaining space of Passion Boisee. It starts with hope, and becomes quite plain from then on. So much so that there’s not much else to say about this.
I’m glad I got the opportunity to try these, but I won’t be hunting out the rest of their range to sample…
L’Humaniste Frapin 100ml – $155 luckyscent.com
Passion Boisee Frapin 100ml – $155 luckyscent.com
