L’Artisan Parfumeur Caligna : New Perfume

L’Artisan Parfumeur unveils Caligna, its newest fragrance inspired by Provence. Caligna means to “flirt” or “court” in the local Provençal dialect, and the perfume “evokes a warm breeze blowing over the land, a sense of freedom in the wild open spaces, a lightness of being with laughter echoing into the distance.” Caligna was created by perfumer Dora Baghriche-Arnaud.
Caligna

L’Artisan Parfumeur, together with perfumer Dora Baghriche-Arnaud, honours an emblematic but less well-known ingredient of the Grasse region: the clary sage. Fresh and sensual, green and woody, fruity and ambery, the highly-faceted clary sage was the starting point for this perfume, and is married to, and enhanced with notes of fig and a jasmine marmalade accord, with all the natural richness of this iconic flower, resulting in an incomparable freshness and luminosity. The warm woody effect of the perfume’s base comes from the resinous depth of lentisk, a native plant of the maquis, and from pine needles, redolent of Mediterranean hillsides.

For the first time in L’Artisan’s history, a fragrance will have a spokesperson, Gudrun Ghesquière, a classically trained dancer. The ad is shot by American photographer Michael James O’Brien.

gudrun

100ml Eau de Parfum/£95 Available starting early April 2013 at L’Artisan Parfumeur boutiques and counters. Via press release

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55 Comments

  • rosarita: This sounds very pretty. Nice to think of pretty in the dead of winter. 🙂 January 24, 2013 at 7:23am Reply

    • Victoria: I like the name, so I’m curious to try it. January 24, 2013 at 7:33am Reply

  • Jenna: Am I the only one who thinks that the ad looks tacky? January 24, 2013 at 7:30am Reply

    • Victoria: I’m not a big fan either. It doesn’t seem to communicate anything extra about the fragrance. January 24, 2013 at 7:33am Reply

    • breathesgelatin: I feel that the model looks kind of washed out in the ad (unfortunate, because she’s clearly a beautiful woman) and additionally, is the nudity really needed for a brand like L’Artisan? This reminds me of the Natalie Portman Miss Dior ads, to boot. January 24, 2013 at 9:19am Reply

      • Victoria: Ah, I can see it now that you mention it–that half-turn! January 24, 2013 at 10:15am Reply

  • Mirian: I can’t wait to try this out! The ad doesn’t do anything to evoke emotions for the fragrance though. January 24, 2013 at 9:15am Reply

    • Marguerite: Indeed clary sage, jasmine marmalade and the fruity, ambery, green facetes sound amazing ! I am not sure getting an “egerie” and a face for the perfume will bring much especially as the ad looks a bit swarovskiest (without the jewellery) and doesn’t convey any provencal warm breeze to me. January 24, 2013 at 10:06am Reply

      • Victoria: Clary sage and jasmine would be a great combination, so I look forward to try Caligna. Your comment about the ad made me smile. 🙂 January 24, 2013 at 10:46am Reply

    • Victoria: There is some disconnect there for me. January 24, 2013 at 10:14am Reply

  • Heather: The ad doesn’t look tacky to me, but it doesn’t exactly transport me to Provence either. This sounds unusual and worth testing. I’m relieved it isn’t by Duchaufour. I know he has many fans but I’m not one of them. January 24, 2013 at 9:19am Reply

    • Victoria: But the idea of a scent inspired by Provence sounds so appealing, especially on a freezing day like today. January 24, 2013 at 10:16am Reply

      • Marguerite: then I am sending you some gentle golden breeze from sunny Provence where I am sitting staring at the snow covered Alps! January 24, 2013 at 10:25am Reply

        • Victoria: Thank you very much! It’s close to 5pm, but it’s already turning dark here. The northern winters… January 24, 2013 at 10:47am Reply

  • Elizabeth: I love the idea of an herbal jasmine perfume. Crossing my fingers that it truly does prominently feature Provencale herbs, and is not too fruity! Sage is one of my favorite smells. Along with thyme and rosemary, it reminds me of a medieval cloister garden. January 24, 2013 at 9:24am Reply

    • Victoria: I very much like sage too. In the evenings I often drink sage tea with honey, and I would love this combo in a perfume. January 24, 2013 at 10:16am Reply

      • Bela: Does clary sage smell the same as ordinary sage? Can’t remember whether it does. Clary sage is not used in cooking. January 24, 2013 at 5:09pm Reply

        • Ariane: Agree,I thought clary sage had nothing to do with sage and has a sharper edge to it!The perfume sounds interesting,but the ad makes one wonder if they are really wanting to be mainstream now. January 25, 2013 at 2:32am Reply

  • Jillie: Jasmine marmalade?? ….. Yum!

    This sounds like just the sort of thing I would like, and can’t wait to try it. But I am just a bit concerned that L’Artisan is changing so much. Hope this doesn’t bode too ill for the future direction of the company. January 24, 2013 at 10:58am Reply

    • Victoria: Do you know that Hediard has a collectiono of Flower Petal Jellies (jams), including a jasmine one? 🙂 January 24, 2013 at 11:39am Reply

      • Jillie: Thank you, Victoria! Getting straight on to check them out! January 24, 2013 at 12:25pm Reply

    • Ari: I agree that L’Artisan has given us a bit to worry about this past year, but I don’t think the ad is a major cause for concern. It could have been a LOT worse. (It’s a French dancer, not a Lohan! 😉 ) January 24, 2013 at 12:01pm Reply

      • Victoria: I like your optimistic outlook, Ari. 🙂 January 24, 2013 at 12:21pm Reply

        • Daisy: As long as they don’t name LiLo a creative director à la Ungaro! January 24, 2013 at 5:17pm Reply

  • Lucas: I’m looking forward to try this perfume. Hope I will get a chance to sniff it.
    I read somewhere it will be only available for 3 months. January 24, 2013 at 11:13am Reply

    • Victoria: Hmm, I didn’t see anything indicating that it’s a limited edition. Seems like a permanent addition to their line. January 24, 2013 at 11:39am Reply

      • Lucas: maybe I mixed the word order while reading and I changed “available in 3 months” (in April) to “available for 3 months” January 24, 2013 at 12:07pm Reply

        • Victoria: Ah, gotcha! Yes, the release date is set for early April. January 24, 2013 at 12:22pm Reply

          • Lucas: Problem solved. Hope Missala will bring some bottles to Poland, if not I might have a chance to smell it in London. January 24, 2013 at 1:01pm Reply

            • Victoria: I bet that in London you can find almost everything you’re interested in trying. January 24, 2013 at 3:10pm Reply

              • Lucas: You’re probably right. I’m planning to visit London for a few days either in May or August, depending on the airplane tickets prices. January 24, 2013 at 4:21pm Reply

  • Fatima: The write-up makes this perfume sound wonderful, but I have a problem with L’Artisan. I have tried several of their perfumes and they disappear within an hour. Do you have any idea why this is? I do not have dry skin and theirs is the only perfume that is this way on me. January 24, 2013 at 11:29am Reply

    • Victoria: I think that some of their fragrances are less tenacious than others, and I’ve experienced the same thing. It’s just their style. January 24, 2013 at 12:17pm Reply

  • shaney: Ooh, clary sage is one of my most favorite essential oils! The fig, jasmine, and lentisk sound like amazing complements. I have no experience with lentisk, but I am very interested now! January 24, 2013 at 11:30am Reply

    • Victoria: Lentisk smells like warm hay, almonds, slightly green. It’s beautiful note. January 24, 2013 at 12:20pm Reply

  • maggiecat: This scent sounds lovely, and I can’t wait to try it. I love clary sage, and jasmine is always a favorite. This sounds as if it will be a truly unique scent – but I do think the product would be better served by an ad that suggests spring instead of winter! January 24, 2013 at 11:57am Reply

    • Victoria: Yes, I think that’s true, the ad does have a frozen, wintery feel but it’s probably because of the colors. January 24, 2013 at 12:21pm Reply

  • neil chapman: But clary sage is such a weird essential oil! I can’t imagine it being used as a head note at all… January 24, 2013 at 12:28pm Reply

    • Victoria: It’s used as a top note quite frequently, especially in the chypres–Aramis, Lancome Sagamore, Aromatics Elixir, etc. Of course, clary sage oil differs very much from the absolute, and I don’t know what interpretation L’Artisan is going to offer. January 24, 2013 at 12:33pm Reply

  • Masha: This is one I’m quite excited about. I’m a big fan of both clary sage and jasmine. I’m interested in trying the work of a perfumer I’m not yet familiar with, also. I’m intrigued! January 24, 2013 at 2:00pm Reply

    • Victoria: She’s a young perfumer, and she has worked on some Oriflame fragrances and Esprit. And also Versace Vanitas. January 24, 2013 at 3:12pm Reply

      • Mikael: And Olfactive Studio’s Still Life! It’s not my favourite from the OS line, but very nice and well made so I’m hopeful. January 25, 2013 at 8:02am Reply

  • minette: this sounds fabulous! i love sage, and the other notes sound like great complements. can’t wait to try this! and i like that it’s not a duchaufour scent! am a bit burned out on this aesthetic. January 24, 2013 at 2:05pm Reply

    • minette: i meant – HIS aesthetic. 😉 January 24, 2013 at 2:30pm Reply

    • Victoria: Something interesting to anticipate! January 24, 2013 at 3:13pm Reply

  • Nancy A.: Hi Victoria,

    Not familiar with this creator/nose. The name Arnaud is it possibly a relation to Bernard Arnaud (LVMH & Sephora)? Because it’s L’Artisan, I’m always interested. The description of a fig/jasmine marmalade accord is unique characterization along with a new note for me: lentisk. It’s funny, with all the new fragrances on board, how does one decide what to go to first? January 24, 2013 at 3:25pm Reply

    • Victoria: They are not related. (He is Arnault.) As I just mentioned to Masha, she did only a few perfumes so far. She’s at the beginning of her career. January 24, 2013 at 3:31pm Reply

  • Bela: Sage smells/tastes wonderful, but clary sage is not the same. How different is it? I must have smelled clary sage at some point (I used to live in the South of France), but I can’t remember.

    I have yet to find a L’Artisan Parfumeur frag I really like, but this one sounds wonderful. I will definitely hunt it down. January 24, 2013 at 5:12pm Reply

    • Victoria: The one used in cooking is usually salvia officials, which has a sharper, more camphorous top note. Clary sage is warm, sweet, musky-ambery. The ambery part is quite pronounced, and some derivatives from clary sage can be used to replace ambergris. January 24, 2013 at 5:18pm Reply

      • Victoria: And I just remembered that clary sage is often used to flavor vermouth! January 24, 2013 at 5:18pm Reply

      • Bela: Sounds delightful. Thanks, V. 🙂 January 26, 2013 at 11:54am Reply

  • Daisy: Okay. Now my interest is piqued. The accompanying photo leave me cold . . . and slightly exasperated, but clary sage + fig, jasmine marmalade + lentisk sounds too interesting to pass up! January 24, 2013 at 5:20pm Reply

    • Victoria: It really does! And Dora Arnaud is an interesting new (well, relatively speaking) perfumer. January 24, 2013 at 10:31pm Reply

  • bluegardenia: Clary sage to me smells very sweet and like earl grey tea! February 6, 2013 at 10:41pm Reply

  • Frau_U: You can get a sample of this perfume from LuckyScent.com. I have one and I think it smells divine! The only thing stopping me from buying it outright is the price.

    As for staying power, this particular scent lasts pretty much all day for me. I plan on using an atomizer with it as well to get more coverage. It’s a velvety scent; almost like you can wrap it around you. Very warm and comforting. I’m in love with it! July 13, 2013 at 7:29pm Reply

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