Wikipedia - Die Junge George Sand by Auguste Charpentier, 1838
I don’t often read perfume blogs or perfume reviews. I like to discover things on my own, develop my own opinions without being swayed by others. But, I don’t live in a vacuum either, so every once in a while I do dip into blogs and books looking for….. something. That’s how I came upon Luca Turin’s description of 1804 by Histoires de Parfums.
In his book Perfumes (A-Z Guide) he says: “Histoires de Parfums contrives to produce, time after time, the most beguiling top notes in contemporary perfumery, with good raw materials orchestrated to produce both a legible structure and a rich texture. Its 1804 applies this treatment to a warm floral oriental. If this fragrance fails to lift your spirits, you are in trouble.” Well, trouble and I have been seeing each other for years, so that doesn’t worry me. Besides, lifting your spirits is a lot to ask of an EDP. Still, I found Turin’s comments about 1804 intriguing. Oh, sure I’ve been down this road before – a frag intrigues me, I hunt it down, try it and end up with that old feeling of anticipointment. Sigh. So I put trying 1804 at the bottom of my list of scents to try.
Months later I came across it, tried it and fell for George Sand right away. Yep, that’s right, George Sand, A/K/A Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, the French cross-dressing baroness writer. You see, each of the ‘personnages’ scents in the Histoires de Parfums line is named for a year and a person of influence born in that year, who inspired the fragrance. For example, 1804 was the year George Sand was born. Her life and sensuous romantic, independent nature inspired the scent. So how did 1804 get from the bottom of my list to its new home in the niche? Through merit.
It opens with notes of lush Tahitian gardenia, fleshy Corsican peach, and Hawaiian pineapple – what a showstopper! Not the usual bergamot/citrus hit here. Beguiling indeed. It may sound sweet and fruity, but it’s not. Gardenia can be overpowering, but the peach contains it before it gets too big while the citrus from the pineapple adds crispness.
At the heart, clove appears and adds warmth and spiciness while jasmine and lily of the valley bring the floral notes. Morrocan rose rounds them out. At the base, sandalwood gives it a woody dimension, patchouli adds earthiness while vanilla gives it a slight sweetness and white musk gives it an animalic facet - a slight ‘dirty’ note, almost like sweat, highlighting the soft pineapple that glows throughout the scent.
Luscious, creamy and rich, 1804 will not only lift your spirits, it will never let you down.
Today we’re adding 1804 to our decant sample offering. Decants are $5.00.