Costume design by Joly for Figaro in "Le mariage de Figaro," comédie de Beaumarchais , 1807 - Wikipedia
They say that scent triggers memory, yet I can’t remember where it was that I first smelled L'Eau Neuve Figaro. Was it at a store? At a sniffing party? Was it on someone? I may not recall how I came to smell it for the first time, but I can still remember that first smell of it and the desire to smell again and again.
Launched in 2010 by Lubin Paris, the French fragrance house founded by Pierre François Lubin just after the French Revolution, L'Eau Neuve Figaro is described on the Lubin website as ‘Bold and seductive like the Figaro from Beaumarchais’ plays, Figaro by Lubin takes liberties with conventions much like the character that inspired it.’
Figaro is the creation of French playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais and is the main character in his three Figaro plays. Beaumarchais was born in Paris in 1732. The son of a watchmaker, he rose through the ranks of French society and became very influential in the court of Louis XV as a music teacher. He made important contacts along the way and was a supporter of the American Revolution and played a role early on in the French Revolution by performing duties as a diplomat, arms dealer and spy.
Figaro was inspired by Brighella, the Commedia dell'arte character, and like him Figaro is a rascal full of contradictions: moral and yet unprincipled; easy going and just a teensy-weensy bit bitter and cynical. Sounds like just the kind of guy that would take liberties with conventions and I guy I’d like to know, if he smells as good as L'Eau Neuve Figaro.
It opens with soft, bright notes of grapefruit and bergamot balanced with the rosy smell of pink peppercorns. As the top notes fade, coriander leaves and clover appear creating a gorgeous green heart that encloses notes of fig and plum, brightened with a note of apple. On me, the fruits are jammy and toothsome. The fig note dominates, putting the ‘fig’ in Figaro.
I smell pine, resinous and camphorous, carried by a sea breeze blowing through the fragrance, carrying the fig through to a note of vetiver at the base. It is the counterpoint of these two notes – the fruity fig, the verdant, rooty vetiver, that make L'Eau Neuve Figaro such an unconventional beauty. Over, time it gets woody from creamy sandalwood, and resinous for styrax and slightly sweet from delicious scent of vanilla/spicy/almond Tonka bean.
The drydown is fruity, resinous and intriguing. Beautifully blended, L'Eau Neuve Figaro is an eccentric surprise that stays close to the skin and is a perfect scent for summer for a man or a woman.
I still can’t remember where I first smelled it, and I’m OK with that because L'Eau Neuve Figaro is unforgettable.
L'Eau Neuve Figaro is listed in our Decant Store, Decants are $5.00 for 1 ml.