A few months ago I mentioned the Marais area in Paris, the current hot spot for perfume shopping. A wonderful range of fragrance boutiques in this historic area of Paris are waiting to be discovered and if you visit you’ll be spoilt for choice. I recently worked my way back to the City of Light before Xmas and one of the boutiques I promised to spend some time in on my next visit was Etat Libre d’Orange.
If you’re not au fait with the Etat Libre D’Orange range of perfumes, please check out their website. This is one of the first brands that really played with the perfume category in an irreverent fashion. The founder Etienne de Swardt decided he wanted to have some fun with perfume, to take a more modern, renegade approach to the category. He had worked in the industry before going out on his own and when you look at the fragrance scene today, there are now many brands that take a similar line. Modern perfume houses like 4160 Tuesdays also have a more irreverent approach to perfumery and I think this is a great space to occupy, providing the consumer with something a little out of the ordinary.
Etat Libre D’Orange’s most well renowned fragrance is Secretions Magnifique, a motley melange of what is supposed to smell like human excretions including blood, sweat, semen and saliva. I’ll be honest and say that it’s not my favourite in their collection but it’s worth seeking out for shock value. I have written about Remarkable People, a perfume that is lighthearted and a little dotty but wanted to acquaint myself with other perfumes in the range.
The brand recently celebrated its 10th anniversary and I popped in to see what the store offers. The boutique is quite small but large enough to let the perfumes do the talking. Art by Pat Andrea (due to a collaboration with the artist for the 10th anniversary box set), adorns the area and other quirky pieces set the scene. I really love the branding. It’s sharp and stands out with a defiantly contemporary look. The bottles seem a little off beat with the label attached over the corner rather than centre and their storytelling and partnerships are inspired.
Thomas Lindet took me through the perfumes and I was intrigued by many of their wares although I quickly narrowed down the scents that I would happily purchase. My top 3 favourites in the range that incidentally all have foodie connotations are :
La Fin Du Monde : the scent of iris mixed with buttery popcorn signed by Quentin Bisch who is also the nose behind Angel Muse.
Like This : a delectable mix of pumpkin and ginger under the creative direction of Tilda Swinton.
Fils De Dieu Du Riz Et Des Agrumes : this is a real foodie perfume with the smell of steamed rice, coriander and lime. I know this sounds like it might be a bad idea, but it’s divine.
Etat Libre d’Orange is a range that is definitely worth exploring and the store is well worth a visit. The location at 69 Rue Des Archives is in a beautiful area of Paris where hours can be spent walking the streets and devouring the beautiful sights. I’m returning next month and aiming to visit a few more stores and the Musée de Parfum. The photos I’ve seen on Instagram from fellow perfume fans make it look rather spectacular, design centric and definitely something to put on our visit list. I hope the hype is justified.
GIVEAWAY TIME!
Now for the good stuff. An Etat Libre d’Orange discovery set of 7 x 2ml perfumes is up for grabs including Dangerous Complicity, Fat Electrician, Remarkable People, Like This, Jasmin et Cigarette, Putain des Palaces and Cologne that comes in a tin pictured above.
I will post to anywhere in the world. Note that I won’t take responsibility if goods are damaged or lost in transit.
What do you need to do to enter?
- You must follow Megan In Sainte Maxime – here on this blog, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Let me know how you follow in the comments here on the blog. If you don’t already follow me, that’s fine, but you must do so to enter.
- Answer the question : Which fragrance are you most keen to try from Etat Libre d’Orange.
Entries close on Monday the Monday the 6th of February, 10am Paris time. I’ll post the winners on the blog, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Names will be plucked out a hat, or if there are lots of entries, I’ll use random.org. Bonne chance!
Notes : Images all by Megan In Sainte Maxime.
Megan In Sainte Maxime 
Great review, Megan! I admit this brand has never been on my radar but it is now! Especially Fils De Dieu Du Riz Et Des Agrumes sounds delicious. Interesting combination of notes. I agree with you this is a niche for people who want something out of the ordinary but I wander how many people we are talking about here. Would love to try more of their fragrances, I follow on insta and via WordPress.
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Hi Esperessence. There are definitely some great perfumes in the range, some are more avant garde but others are much more mainstream, so something for everyone. You’re in the draw!
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Megan, you have inspired me to dig out my previously untested sample of Like This which I’m enjoying immensely today! Though I’m actually more eager for Parfums Dusita, the one I’m most interested to try from today’s post is Fat Electrician – in a roundabout way, that’s what got me into this scent obsession, as I’d read a review of it a couple years back on a makeup blog that I follow. I’d not worn fragrance in many many years and I was so curious about it – but it proved too difficult to obtain (or I was not sufficiently obsessed yet!). I still haven’t smelled it, and I need to! Thanks for entering me in the draw, and for another lovely review (I follow your blog – which may not be such a good idea given how much my wishlist has grown in just a short time!).
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Hello morejasmineplease. Like This is great and I’m sure I was positively influenced by the Tilda Swinton association. Fat Electrician is a a great vetiver plus that name is hilarious. You should like it I hope. You’re in the draw!
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Hey there, Megan. …always enjoy your reveiws. I follow by email if that counts. I came here for the perfumes but you also introduce me to musicians I wouldn’t hear otherwise, so thank you for that as well.
I’ve tried Secretions Magnifiques, in sample, which turns out to be a clawless milk-kitten hardly deserving of all the hand-wringing. ‘Jasmin et Cigarette’ and ‘Putain des Palaces’ are on the FB Want List, but only from reading… so I’d most like to smell them.
Thank you for this opportunity.
Best Regards
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Hello DDJ. Thanks for the feedback and pleased you like the music too. Jasmine et Cigarette I really hated when I first tried it but have come to appreciate it and Putain des Palaces (great name) from memory was really good. You’re in the draw!
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As before, FB and Twitter are my weapons of choice. As for what I’d like to try …. Fat Electrician. Even if just for the name. Or that buttcrack.
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Hi Andrea. Love the name too. Maybe they need to do a companion scent to Fat Electrician and call it Buttcrack? I’m sure someone would buy it. You’re in the draw!
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The plumber’s buttcrack. With watery opening notes, middles of cumin and caraway and finishing with some lichens and moss. Oakmoss .
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It sounds like you’ve got that one sorted!
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Hi
I want to enter and like to try Like this .
😊
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Hi Eva. I know you follow me on Insta and here so you’re in the draw!
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I am intrigued to try Fat Electrician!
I follow on FB,Twitter and Insta
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HI Annie. Fat Electrician seems to be the popular choice. Great name. You’re in the draw!
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Hi Megan! Great review as always! ELDO certainly is a polarizing house with scents to love AND hate😂!
Somehow I never got around to trying Fils De Dieu Du Riz Et Des Agrumes, which is shocking because it sounds fantastic in that the notes remind me of Thailand, one of our most visited travel destinations. Just reading about it gave me a visceral reaction I haven’t felt on a very long time. Off to order a sample. Thanks for the draw. Xoxo -Robert H.
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Hello there Robert. Thanks for reading. I think it’s a love / hate sort of house but that’s a good thing in my book. Fils de Dieu is great for a good sniff and it reminds me of Thailand too, although it’s been 10 years since I’ve been there. You’re entered. Good luck xx
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As usual, love your writing and am a follower on Instagram. The company’s graphics are great. Modern and relevant…love the colours and themes.
As I’m a big fan of Tilda’s , very curious to try Like This.🤓
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Hi greekflower. Thank you for the feedback and good luck. I know you follow the blog and you’re entered.
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I follow via wordpress…
would love to try ALL of them 🙂
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Hi Lavender. Good answer! You’re in the draw.
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I like Etat Libre d’Orange concept and scents very much, between ELDO fragrances I am most keen to try always the last release. I love their packaging and their tendency to experiment in the wake of the classical French perfumery but seasoned with a pinch of provocation. My favorite one is Fils De Dieu Du Riz Et Des Agrumes.
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Hi marcopietro. You’re quite right there with ‘a pinch of provocation’. I love that turn of phrase. You’re entered!
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Following on Twitter and via email subscription 🙂 I’m very curious to try Remarkable People, as it sounds very fun! I’ve tried Jasmin Et Cigarette, and only wish I was the right person for it.
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MJ Moore – you’re entered. Good luck!
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Great read! I would love to try Jasmine er Cigarette- it seems polarizing and very intriguing! I usually like unique scents and love Putain des Palaces! Thanks for this chance
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Hi Cyndi. Jasmin et Cigarette is definitely one of those love or loathe scents. Definitely not boring though. You’re in the draw. Good luck!
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Interesting read! Id love to be able to find a boutique that would sell there products, however I am out of luck where I live in Houston, or I just dont know where to find them here lol.
I would LOVE to try Jasmin et Cigarette as the combo sounds really interesting!
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oops i mean their*
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Hi Tyler. You’re in the draw and Jasmin et Cigarette seems to be a popular one for the brand and well worth trying.
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Fat electrician has been a must try on my list for a long time because of the quirky name. I love how ELDO name their creations.
I’m following on facebook and twitter.
Thank you very much! Wish you all the best!
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Hi Michelle you’re in the draw. And another vote for Fat Electrician. It’s definitely a great name. The perfume is quite good too.
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I am most interested in Jasmin et Cigarette. I follow through facebook
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Hi Goh Sha. You’re in the draw. Good luck.
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I’ve just looked at their website, and I can’t narrow it down to one, so my top four (I know! I’m hopeless!) want-to-tries are (in no particular order):
1. Bendelirious
2. True Lust …
3. Putain des Palaces
4. Like This
Thanks so much for the draw, Megan, I follow by email.
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Hi Lena. You’re in the draw and I know they have a lot of great perfumes to choose from. Good luck.
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As a official Bad Girl, I think of Etat Libre d’Orange as the very BEST of BAD.The fragrance I’m most keen to try is Remarkable People because for some reason, I think it may be the only ELO fragrance I have not tried, and your piece about it aroused my curiosity . Sarah Colton http://www.badgirlsperfume.com
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