Saint Foutin de Varailles

[theseagrows]

Beeswax, frankincense, dried rose petals, and a dribble of wine.

2014 version: first let me say, where was i in 2010?! i am surprised that i didn't try this scent then. it's a resiny rosy-wine scent on me. thankfully the beeswax/frankincense isn't overwhelming, since they are some bpal notes that sometimes don't work on me. i really can't detect much beeswax, if any, at all. thus far the frankincense is behaving, though i think i detect a slightly lead-like scent coming through, as bpal's frankincense can do on me. this is a dark dusky scent, and the roses and frankincense seem to fight for dominance and the wine moves more into the background as this dries. i also think the beeswax peeks through more as well. this has a similar feel to gypsy queen to me, but that has a stronger rose scent to me, while this is heavier on the beeswax, and gypsy queen is more complex and spicy.

[milo]

Roses and wine at first, kind of sweet and alcoholic. Dry, still sweet, less boozy, more resinous, still rosy. This is quite nice, but for some reason, I dislike wearing wine blends as I find they can be quite cloying. This one is just a bit too sweet and fruity for me, but I do love the concept.

[tinyvulture]

On me, this perfume is dried rose petals and red wine, smoothed out by sweet beeswax. I'm not noticing the frankincense. I just adore the beeswax -- it makes this blend special. I wish it was a bit stronger; it's one of those scents that stays very close to the skin. A grown up, womanly scent -- there's a quiet seductiveness to it.

[LizziesLuck]

Love all the notes in this, except wine, but I am hoping that doesn't ruin it!

 

 

Wet: A blast of wine. But then the beeswax comes forward...this might be ok! The wine, Frank and the beeswax together create an almost chocolately quality. Interesting.

 

 

Dry: I LIKE this! And it has WINE in it! That's unheard of. There's still this interesting cocoa sort of scent going on - must be the combo of notes giving that impression. It's rich, and sweet, without the wine smelling artificial like it usually does, not the Frank bullying the other notes. The beeswax is prominent and gorgeous. This needs a full day test, but I may want more!

[Lucchesa]

Saint Foutin de Varailles worried me at first. It was all slightly sour dry red wine and dusty rose. But within a few minutes, the frank emerges and behind it, the beeswax, and the combination is ultimately lovely. This isn't fruity wine or beeswax that's dripping with honey; this scent is not sweet on me at all. It's a dry frank, a dry wine, dry rose petals, beeswax that hasn't seen the hive in many years. It's not, in fact, my usual sort of thing at all, and yet I like it a great deal. It's a grown-up scent, incredibly evocative, a little mysterious. And while I rarely get throw with any oil, I kept getting wafts of warm resiny, winy rose petal. My friend is singing in a concert of modern choral music at St. James Cathedral in a couple of weeks; I think Saint Foutin would be perfect.

[Teamama]

I have a partial of the 2014 release.  In the bottle & wet on my skin, the wine note is very sharp, almost a vinegar.  That dissipates quickly, thank heavens.  On drydown, this is a sweet, resiny beeswax scent with a faint hint of wine and frankincense.  I don't get much rose. 

An excellent alternative to The Lights of Men's Lives when I want some beeswax.  If this comes around again for Lupers, I plan to pick up a bottle. 

[starbrow]

2010:

 

Truly, eleven years later, this baby is ALL wine. That's no dribble, that's a whole bottle. I am not sure it's behaving nicely on my skin anymore. The wine goes sour, almost like vinegar - and I see I'm not the only one who has this experience. It does die down, but it leaves a grapey note behind that swallows up the beautiful beeswax and frankincense that I was hoping to smell peeking out after the wine calmed down. Spoiler: the wine doesn't calm down on me!

 

I wouldn't have guessed there was rose in here, but I can see it lending a little aromatic spicy quality to the wine. Where does the grape end and the rose begin? Hard to tell. Strangely, upon drydown the waft IS rosy, a deep dark red rose, but only when one is smelling it from a foot or two away; up close, the wine note is still strong and dominant and not very pleasant on my skin, but I'm strangely enjoying the rosy waft!

 

I am not sure about this bottle. It's so very odd on me, and I'd definitely like to see the beeswax and frank make more of an appearance, but the rose halo is really cool, and I don't even like rose much? Will continue to experiment.