Terry de Gunzburg Bleu Paradis, Fruit Defendu, Flagrant Delice: Fragrance Reviews

One line of fragrances that I'm obsessing over these days is Terry de Gunzburg's (of By Terry cosmetics and YSL Touche Eclat fame). The lovely people from Essenza Nobile have sent me a few samples to try out and I have to say I am very impressed with the scents I have tested. Allow me to introduce you to 3 fragrances from Terry de Gunzburg's line: Bleu Paradis, Fruit Defendu and Flagrant Delice.

Bleu Paradis & Fruit Defendu are Terry de Gunzburg's offerings for the summer of 2014. Both of them are light, summery scents, meant to be used liberally. You can drench in them without being afraid that they are going to be too heavy, hence why they are available only in 100ml bottles. Beautifully packaged in posh, hefty bottles, the scents are smooth and very well-blended.

Bleu Paradis has notes of litchi/lychee, rose, cedar, amber and musk. It is described as a floral woody musky fragrance and it definitely has rose at the center core. However, this is not your traditional rose fragrance. It starts out a bit aquatic but fear not, as it is definitely not the dreaded synthetic, sharp aquatic accord. On the contrary, it smells natural and more refreshing than anything. Imagine a bouquet of roses by the side of the pool or even better a bouquet of roses floating on the water in a gorgeous, aqua blue pool. To that, add a delicious litchi accord in the opening and a light cedary/musky base and you have Bleu Paradis. It is very easy to wear and just lovely. I want it.

Fruit Defendu is a spicy, tropical fruity fragrance with notes of bergamot, mango, pineapple, turkish rose, pink pepper and white musk. As soon as I sprayed it on, I was intrigued by the spice/fruit combination, because spices and tropical fruit don't exactly account for your usual mix in a fruity fragrance; this pairing is exactly what makes it stand out in a sea of fruity fragrances. Fruit Defendu debuts like a sparkling spicy tropical fruity drink, almost a bit boozy for just a brief moment. The tropical fruit accord is smooth and nowhere near the generic 'fruit salad' mix that we've been seeing one too many times. Mango and pineapple are the main players here, alongside the pink pepper note. The rose note is not prominent, not in the way it is in Bleu Paradis. Once it dries down to a musky base, Fruit Defendu stays close to skin and the spicy tropical fruit combo is running through from top to bottom. Did I mention I want it?

Even if both of these are light scents, the staying power is good. I get about 6-7 hours of solid wear from both of them, which is perfect for me as far as summer scents go. 

Flagrant Delice is from TdG's original lineup of 5 fragrances that were launched in late 2012. This one will appeal to lovers of gourmand scents and it features main notes of fig and almond milk (additional notes are mandarin, red currant, tonka bean, white musk). Flagrant Delice is creamy rich and more of a fall/winter scent. It is really all about fig and almond milk, with a soft tonka bean note & vanilla accord underneath and it dries down to a smooth, comforting scent, featuring an interesting mix of sweet and green. I could swear that there's also a very light touch of coconut in there somewhere for a short period of time. If I were to describe this in just a few words, I would say it is a figgy, milky, almondy wonder of a scent. Flagrant Delice is available in both 50 and 100 ml Eau de Parfum. Staying power is, again, around the 6-7 hour mark. Oh and...I want it!

I have fallen in love with this line so far and I do intend to test and review the entire collection. Overall, these are very well-executed, lovely fragrances. There is nothing synthetic or sharp about them, one can tell they are made with high-quality ingredients and I love that they sink beautifully into the skin. They also seem to stay true to the listed notes, which is always a plus.

You can purchase the entire line of Terry de Gunzburg fragrances from Essenza Nobile, a beautiful store that stocks many rare, niche, luxury brands. I highly recommend them, I have shopped there before without any problems whatsoever. Their packages are lovely and customer service is great. You can also choose 3 free bonus samples of fragrance with any full bottle/product purchase. They ship worldwide from Germany.

Reviews based on samples I got from Essenza Nobile. I am not affiliated with Essenza Nobile or Terry de Gunzburg, nor am I paid to write these reviews.