L'Artisan Parfumeur- Bois Farine

I have a weird relationship with Bois Farine from L'Artisan. I've almost purchased a full bottle several times, both in store and online, but every time I stop and question myself. First, there's the issue of having to spray a substantial amount just to get the fragrance to stick for more than twenty minutes. Then comes the perfume itself.

I'm not getting the promised fennel seeds in the opening. For me it always starts with the flowery flour. It's one of the most curious notes I've come across. It's gourmand, for sure, like a flour-dusted sweet dough. The sweetness is subtle and milky, like a memory from childhood that I can't quite place. The floral part isn't heady. It's blended with milk and flour, not too feminine, but I don't know how many men want to smell like this.

It's a comforting scent, but yet carries itself in a very prim and proper way. It remains fully clothed and never disintegrates into flannel PJs and bunny slippers the way many comfort scents tend to do. There's something familiar in the pastry kitchen part, but the soft and smooth woody finish keeps a distance.

The problem is, that it's not me. Maybe it's the "me" that I could have been, had I been born somewhere else. Maybe it's the person I would have been  with a different life experience, different desires and interests. I guess Bois Farine is nicer, warmer and softer than me .

Maybe if I bought the bottle and wore it often enough I could become that other person. I'm just not sure I want to.

Image: pastrypal.com