Fruit de La Créativité by Grès

At first it’s a real raspberry and then the saffron and bergamot appear, which goes away quickly. I can’t find the rose, but I do find the cedar slightly dusted by the iris root. Finally, an elegant leather and nothing aggressive, with that coffee that I love. I put it on four hours ago and it still has legs. It’s more powerful than Extreme Pureté, with projection especially while the raspberry is active, about 3 hours. I find it precious and I’m glad I bought both Extreme and this blind. I hope that when Etat de Grace arrives I like it as much as any of them.

I love it. It wasn’t love at first spray; at first I felt lots of alcohol and something very masculine, without coffee or the raspberry I expected. After 10 minutes, it started to please me: raspberry with sweet talc, soft and almost creamy. The idea of freshly cut raspberries in a gamulán pocket got stuck in my mind. Today, two years later, other ideas come: the raspberry is present from start to finish, refined, giving a lesson in good taste in front of the brash raspberries. I thought there was no coffee, but today I found it, at the bottom, covered by the leather, almost imperceptible but necessary. It motivated me to write this review. In Chile they only sell it wholesale, I’m worried about running out, it’s the only one that makes me feel that need not to be absent. I smell different, not just elegant, but refined: refinement is brought in the DNA, elegance is learned.

A complicated fragrance: friendly notes but the overall effect is atomic. On my skin the fruits and sweetness disappear leaving an intense cedar that resembles oud and becomes bitterly vehement. It has excellent performance is challenging and has a vintage touch. Not one of my favourites but I want to give it more chances to win me over.

Bought blind and it has disappointed me hugely after reading positive reviews. I expected something elegant with well-crafted notes but found a nauseating leather smell like an old handbag. I only detect that note and nothing else. It will go in the bin without remedy.

Well, I really wanted to love this perfume. Two months ago I read reviews and I convinced myself that I would love it, especially for the elegant leather. Today, on a semi-spring day of 24 degrees, I went to look for it at 2 pm. Without perfume, I wanted to feel its gusts. The opening is wonderful: dark, liquorish, woody, leather. I said to myself: yes, real perfumery! But in a minute that adult gust disappeared and a sweet floral/cream sweetness remained, nothing elegant, which reminds me of Orissima by Ted Lapidus, one I had to gift. I expected raspberry, leather, woods, elegance, something like Black Perfecto PRN, but no. Only a generic and brash sweetness remains close to the skin. I’ll try again tonight. EDIT: I’ve been using it for three days with low temperatures and no sun. It changes the perception, but I understood that the brash sweetness of the saffron/rose blend is not for me. I’m a fan of rose/leather and rose/oud, there is counterbalance and depth. That ‘sweet Arab’ hint makes the charm disappear. It doesn’t smell niche, it’s a different proposal based on old elegance, only in the opening. I expected raspberry as in Hot Couture and rose/leather as in Black Perfecto, but no. Not leather like Bottega Veneta. It’s interesting and I’ll give it a chance for winter. I agree that wood is missing to give depth and coolness; it reminded me of perfumes in pretty bottles but sweet to the point of nausea, that note clashes, I think it’s the saffron. EDIT (8 months later): The longest review of my life about a perfume that is not a favourite, but it’s my duty to inform that it changes with the temperature. Today, a cold rainy winter night, it feels delicious. The juicy raspberry and a sweet gentle leather base win the match. The whole is sweet, but when moving it feels fresh, airy and elegant. The saffron and brash notes grow with the heat. If you intend to buy it, use it on cold nights, with jumpers, coats or body jackets, that’s its ideal moment.

Smells like something familiar but unpleasant; I don’t know what but I don’t like it. I’ll try to give it more chances before dismissing it on first impression. 24/10/22 EDIT: After searching for the perfect moment I found it: warm fresh spring. It opens wonderfully with unusual but well-blended fruity and spicy points lasting 20–30 minutes. Then it surprises with a well-crafted sweet chocolate a delight for connoisseurs. Afterwards the raspberries appear with roses and a minimal leather note. The saffron is well-executed interesting and elegant like entering an Indian feast with potent and familiar aromas. Perfect climate: warm but fresh day suitable for spring. Good longevity about 7–8 hours the last three close to the skin. Not recommended in much heat (disappears in 15 minutes) or much cold (lasts 4–5 hours smelling strange like overripe fruit about to rot at least the first 15 minutes). After that time it becomes bearable.

The opening is… dreadful! I notice a very sharp heavy leather with a spicy sensation on the nose that I dislike hugely. But… after 15 minutes the opening settles and softens revealing a more pleasant floral aroma. The intensity gives way to something much finer and more wearable. I wouldn’t buy it blind just because of that strong opening. It won’t be a favourite; it’s economical and if you can survive the opening you’ll have a normal simple daily scent. Longevity and projection after the strong opening are moderate.

I don’t know much about notes, but I enjoy scents: new, fresh, elegant and sensual. Sometimes I’m a bit fussy. I was gifted ‘Fruit de La Créativité’ and at first I thought it was for a man, very dated. But in minutes, surprise! Everything changed. It’s warm, strong, genuine, without artifice and elegant. It makes me feel secure, can you feel that with a perfume? Everyone perceives it differently. I would never have bought it, but now I keep it in my dressing table. Literally, it’s been a gift. Just apply without overdoing it.

Without a doubt, it’s strange not to see reviews in almost any country. Forget the unisex, I bought it out of curiosity and it’s for women. It’s refined, of incredible quality. It opens with wild red berries, fresh and sweet, soft. The coffee is not of the bean, it’s green, half-roasted, sour and interesting, all wrapped in wild berries, a red rose that zigzags and a shy saffron. The leather is not Ferrari, it’s like opening a box of new patent leather shoes, sweet and soft. It’s a new work, elegant, with personality. Ideal for fresh summer afternoons or autumnal nights, for a grown-up girl. Mental blend: 40% Van Cleef Rubí, 30% Bvlgari Rose Essentielle, 30% Chanel Chance and touches of D&G Pour Femme. Quality 9, bottle 7, trail 8.5, originality 9. It’s timeless. With 2 sprays it lasts 8 to 12 hours, an aromatic bubble. Apply little so as not to invade.