In the depths of winter, when I begin to lose faith that spring will ever come again, the yellow pompoms of mimosa lift my spirits. No matter how rushed I am, the slender branches arranged in the florist’s windows tempt me to slow down, and I walk out of the store burying my face in a large bouquet. The fluffy flowers caress my cheeks and dust them with lemon-yellow powder, and the scent is vivid and joyful to match the explosive color–a mixture of green violet and honey soaked almonds. It’s delicate, but remarkably persistent, filling the room with the aroma of Provence within minutes.
Even if you haven’t smelled real mimosa*, chances are you’ve encountered it in perfume. This material is one of the most intriguing and complex. The mimosa used in perfumery belongs to a related family, Acacia, with two varieties processed commercially for their fragrant oil–Acacia decurrens var. dealbata (called simply mimosa in the perfumery trade) and Acacia farnesiana (cassie). The former is the pompom like yellow mimosa in my photo, the latter is simpler and more austere but equally fragrant.
When I first met mimosa absolute, I couldn’t recognize the familiar honeyed almond fragrance in the green, thick and spicy scent emanating from the dark, viscous liquid. It was not until I left a scented blotter to evaporate for an hour that the familiar soft mimosa began to take shape. The reason mimosa and cassie essences are heavily accented with spicy, green notes has to do with the way they are processed. The flowers are often distilled together with the foliage to maximize the yield. On the other hand, there are methods to give it more nuanced treatment, isolating and highlighting the floral and honeyed facets of mimosa blossoms.
Cassie absolutes: on the left, a classical absolute from Egypt; on the right, a modern molecular distillation treatment. They both smell very good, even if different.
The best of mimosa essences smell of cucumber peels, tender leather, violets, honey and green almonds. Cassie, by contrast, has more curves and spice. The powdery violet and jasmine notes are whipped together with cinnamon and leather for a decidedly different sensation. Though beautiful, mimosa is not as immediately alluring as rose or vanilla, and most perfumes use it in small doses. Then again, it’s one of the most expensive raw materials, so few perfume houses can afford more than a touch.
Mimosa Accents
But even a hint of mimosa can significantly enhance the complexity, richness and nuance of many blends. Man-made jasmine, violet and lilac accords become more natural with a mere whisper of mimosa or cassie absolute. In masculine fragrances like the famous Geoffrey Beene Grey Flannel, mimosa, along with other floral notes, is used to soften the woods. I also like the way it mellows the green sharpness in fragrances like by Kilian Bamboo Harmony and Tom Ford Jonquille de Nuit.
Besides natural mimosa, perfumers use a variety of materials that have a mimosa-like scent. For instance, to create Après L’Ondée, Jacques Guerlain used anisic aldehyde, and its combination with violet, tonka bean, orange blossom, and iris gives Guerlain’s masterpiece a delicate, spring-like aura. Decades later, his grandson Jean-Paul Guerlain designed Champs Elysées, a mimosa based fragrance that was more frothy than wistful. Despite it being a market flop, you can still find it at the Guerlain counter and can compare it to Après L’Ondée.
Mimosa Gold Standard
The gold standard mimosa for me is Frédéric Malle Une Fleur de Cassie. Its author, perfumer Dominique Ropion, is a man so in love with mimosa that his passion is contagious. In Une Fleur de Cassie he uses the top grade of mimosa and cassie absolutes, and it’s a bombshell. It’s also one of the most challenging fragrances I know and is somewhat of an acquired taste, but it’s worth keeping a sample on hand to revisit from time to time. I’ve been wearing Une Fleur de Cassie for the past six years, and I still discover new twists in its elegant form.
For a true mimosa as it smells on the branch, I turn to L’Artisan Parfumeur Mimosa Pour Moi. I haven’t found anything better, but frustratingly, before you manage to say its name, the perfume vanishes. Annick Goutal Le Mimosa is a blend of mimosa and peach, a lovely idea in theory, except that the sweaty touch of cumin seems out of place to me. Nevertheless, this quirky perfume has its fans, and I recommend giving it a test drive.
A Taste of Mimosa
Two relatively new fragrances with interesting mimosa notes are Yves Saint Laurent Cinéma and Valentino Valentina. Cinéma is a sophisticated gourmand perfume that reminds us that we probably taste mimosa more often than we smell it; it’s a popular flavor component, important for creating a natural tasting raspberry, passion fruit, or violet. Valentina’s strawberry milkshake is accented with tuberose, mimosa, and jasmine, and while I admire the way it’s constructed, it’s too sweet for my tastes.
Another perfume that bridges the gap between flavor and fragrance with mimosa is Caron Farnesiana. If you’ve tried Ladurée Cassis Violette macarons, you will recognize similar almond meringue, black currant and violet notes in Farnesiana. The sweetness is moderate, and the gourmand notes are wrapped in layers of creamy musk and sandalwood, but the teasing sensation remains.
Bonus reading: Erin’s delightful 5 perfumes: Mimosa post for NST.
*Not to overwhelm you with botanical names, but in the U.S., Albizia julibrissin, the Persian silk tree, is sometimes referred to as mimosa, and it’s also richly scented with powder, honey and sweet hay. To add to the mimosa confusion, a plant colloquially called acacia is actually a black locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia), and while it smells deliciously of orange blossom and coconut cream, it has nothing to do with mimosa.
Florist’s Tip: when you bring cut mimosa home, trim the ends and put the branches into warm water. It’s best to do it in a heat-resistant container, and once the water cools, you can transfer the bouquet to a glass vase. My florist recommends repeating this treatment every day while the mimosa is fresh; it forces the flowers to open up and release a strong burst of perfume.
Photography by Bois de Jasmin
80 Comments
Persolaise: Thanks for this great read, Victoria. It looks like we’ve both been in mimosa mode lately 🙂 I still have fond memories of this year’s Bataille De Fleurs in Nice! April 22, 2013 at 8:06am
Victoria: What mimosa perfumes do you like?
Nice must be splendid in the winter when mimosa is in bloom. We get small branches here, but the photos my friends sent me show huge mimosa trees! April 22, 2013 at 8:31am
Eric: What’s Bataille De Fleurs? April 22, 2013 at 9:50am
Victoria: I’ve never been, but it sounds like a great and colorful event.
Here is more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nice_Carnival April 22, 2013 at 11:29am
Persolaise: Okay… I wasn’t going to do this because I didn’t think it would be appropriate (so please delete this comment if necessary) but a piece I wrote about this year’s Bataille should appear on Basenotes soon.
And yes, it was VERY colourful and VERY enjoyable 😀 April 22, 2013 at 1:45pm
Victoria: Thank you for mentioning it! I look forward to reading your article. April 22, 2013 at 3:13pm
rosarita: Thank you for the informative article, fresh mimosa sounds just wonderful! That’s the kind of thing my small town florist would never carry. I appreciate the clarification about the Persian silk tree; we had a beautiful “mimosa” tree when I lived in Houston. April 22, 2013 at 8:21am
Victoria: They are flown in from the South of France and occasionally from Holland, so they’re rare to find in the US. A florist next to my office in NYC who would occasionally get it said that it’s not popular enough.
The Persian silk tree smells wonderful! The flowers look like something out of a lady’s boudoir. April 22, 2013 at 8:35am
Bee: I’m not an expert on this note, my only mimosa scent is the now discontinued Kenzo fleurs d’hiver. I like taking it out when mimosas have their show-off time, so now it’s back in the cupboard until next year. April 22, 2013 at 8:30am
Victoria: Kenzo Summer also had a great mimosa note, and while I haven’t tried Fleurs d’Hiver, it sounds wonderful. Too bad it was discontinued. April 22, 2013 at 8:32am
Annikky: I love these educational posts, they are a huge help when trying to make sense of scent.
One of my favourite recent fragrance memories is a mimosa-moment. I was sitting in my shabby hotel room in Paris, eating Chicken McNuggets and opening my brand new Frederic Malle coffret with shaking hands (as you can tell by this description, I had my spending priorities firmly in place). Une Fleur de Cassie was the first I tried on skin and I loved it straight away. I had done my homework and expected this one to be hard to like, but somehow it clicked immediately. Still, I understand completely why it can be challenging – the total cool of the fragrance was in such a contrast with my surroundings that it was kind of funny, but it could also be intimidating. I imagine that if I ever need to meet an enormously talented architect who has impeccable taste, doesn’t suffer fools and hates everything frivolous, this is the scent I would wear.
For me, it isn’t really a floral. It’s a sharply intelligent abstract etude and my defence against people cooler and smarter than me. April 22, 2013 at 8:35am
Victoria: I think that to most people Une Fleur de Cassie smells like wet paper, which makes sense to me, but the other impressions override this association. I also started enjoying the scent of cassie absolute much more (in the beginning, it smelled too much of green and mulch!), and there is so much of it in that perfume. I agree with you that it’s not exactly a floral. I suppose if you expect a delicate blossom, it will be a shock. 🙂 April 22, 2013 at 9:40am
briony: One of my favourite mimosa fragrances is Patricia de Nicolai’s Mimosaique. To me it’s like summer in a bottle. April 22, 2013 at 9:12am
Victoria: I loved Mimosaique too, but I believe that it has been discontinued. Your description of it as summer in a bottle is perfect. April 22, 2013 at 9:37am
AndreaR: I noticed that decants of Mimosaique are still available at Surrender to Chance and The Posh Peasant. April 22, 2013 at 11:54am
Victoria: So tempting, Andrea! 🙂 April 22, 2013 at 12:37pm
Victoria: And Tania Sanchez says that it reminds her of vintage Caron Farnesiana. April 22, 2013 at 3:14pm
Eric: I believe Givenchy Very Irresistible for Men contains mimosa or so I read. April 22, 2013 at 9:49am
Victoria: I don’t remember off the top of my head, to be honest. It was a long time since I’ve smelled it. April 22, 2013 at 11:30am
Marcy: Interesting article! I didn’t know mimosa is used in food too. April 22, 2013 at 10:07am
Victoria: It really has a nice flavor! I begged the lab for some food-grade mimosa to experiment with at home, and I loved the effect it gave. But it is usually used in minute quantities, since the flavor is very strong. April 22, 2013 at 11:31am
Nancy A.: Hi Victoria,
Mimosa is heaven sent! When I manage to find these fresh flowers I will always try to purchase. Even as they dry they aren’t too bad aesthetically and you are absolutely right when you mention Mimosa Pour Moi’s disappearing act. Whenever you review notes in particular fragrances, I gain in the knowledge of why I gravitate towards that fragrance. Also, remember Mimosa by Calypso St. Barth’s? I believe it’s still around and I admit I used to wear it, but it’s a different mimosa. I, too believe Goutal’s fragrance is unimpressive to me. As always, thanks for the review! April 22, 2013 at 10:12am
Victoria: I’ve tried Mimosa by Calypso St. Barth’s before, and I need to revisit it. Good mimosas are rare! Thank you for reminding me of it. April 22, 2013 at 11:32am
OperaFan: It’s obvious that I need to try the Malle.
L’Occitane used to make a lovely mimosa fragrance (with matching scented soap) that helped me recognize the same note in Champs Elysees. It’s such a shame they discontinued it.
How long do you let the branch tips sit in boiling water? or do you just dip them in? I can’t imagine letting them sit too long as “cooked” branch ends would prevent the drawing of additional water to feed the flowers unless the intent is to stunt further development. April 22, 2013 at 10:44am
Victoria: L’Occitane’s fragrance collection has such a quick turnover! I’m also disappointed that they discontinued mimosa.
My florist said to let them sit in the boiling water until it cools down. Granted, I don’t have patience to repeat this every morning as he instructed me, but it really worked to open up the flowers and turn my room into a corner of Provence. Despite my concerns, the hot water didn’t kill the branches either. They remained vivid and bright. April 22, 2013 at 11:35am
zuzanna: I adore Une Fleur de Cassie. One of ma faves, but although it was love at first sniff, I purchased it after a year of testing or so. I felt I’m not the right woman to wear it. Ha! Fortunately, I changed my mind. For me, this perfume is extremely sexy and nasty, but in a very sophisticated, aloof way. Ropion never forgets that flowers are sexual organs.
Btw, can someone please make a black locust perfume for me?
Greetings from Warsaw. I think this is my debut here. April 22, 2013 at 11:15am
Victoria: Ropion’s perfumes are definitely pure seduction! He loves animalic notes and notes that have a sultry, decadent feel.
I would love a black locust blossom perfume! It’s such a gorgeous scent. April 22, 2013 at 11:27am
Annikky: Nasty, sophisticated and aloof – my sentiments exactly. April 22, 2013 at 2:11pm
Victoria: Oh, and welcome, Zuzanna! 🙂 I’m always glad to meet other perfume lovers. April 22, 2013 at 3:10pm
solanace: I’m sold. 🙂 Gonna get some Ropion samples! April 23, 2013 at 5:00am
Victoria: How can anyone resist now? 🙂 April 23, 2013 at 5:02am
Diane: Beautiful post, Victoria – thank you. Jean-Paul Guerlain actually had nothing to do with the creation of Champs-Elysees, though. It was the first (acknowledged) time that Guerlain chose a fragrance created by a non-Guerlain perfumer. April 22, 2013 at 11:16am
nikki: How interesting, no wonder it is so different, thank you for the info. April 22, 2013 at 11:23am
Victoria: He worked on it, along with Olivier Cresp of Firmenich. But it wasn’t the first Guerlain perfume to be outsourced. Firmenich also worked on Samsara. Parure was also co-authored. The question of authorship in perfumery has always been really complicated. (I should add, at the houses like Chanel and Guerlain that pride themselves on doing everything in-house and hence are reluctant to reveal the details, this is even more complicated.) April 22, 2013 at 11:25am
nikki: Une Fleur de Cassie is one of my favorite perfumes, and I use it often in any weather. It is a bombshell in a way, but it also represents lazy summer afternoons, it is a perfume I like for myself, very intimate. Your description of spring and Mimosas reminded me of market stands filled with mimosas in Northern Italy. The Italian Riviera seems to be an ocean of bright yellow. Here in Arizona we have a tree which is similar in color and scent and it is a Texan Acacia I think…all we need is the ocean and, well, the rest of the Riviera! My Parisian friend gets Mimosas sent every spring by her Dad who lives on the coast…such a lovely gesture.
Very informative article, Victoria, and so timely! Thank you. April 22, 2013 at 11:22am
Victoria: Arizona must be beautiful in the spring when all of the wildflowers are in bloom. I have a standing invitation from a friend to visit, so I must make that trip at last. April 22, 2013 at 3:15pm
nikki: Yes, you should visit in spring, it is quite amazing. I will make some good food when you come and celebrate by drinking mimosas… April 22, 2013 at 3:29pm
Victoria: Wild flowers, mimosas, good food, great company! Sounds perfect. 🙂 April 22, 2013 at 3:32pm
Dionne: I did an exploration of the mimosa and heliotrope notes last spring, partly to get a better handle on the differences between the two, and because I was craving the notes myself at the end of a long winter.
Higher-pitched florals often go sour on my skin, so it was a delight to discover that I could wear Mimosa pour Moi, and if I spray generously it has good longevity on my skin. April 22, 2013 at 11:24am
Victoria: Mimosa notes are very different from the most popular ones like rose and jasmine, and they have the plushness that is quite distinctive.
Dionne, I’m curious what other mimosa perfume you’ve discovered and liked when you did your exploration. April 22, 2013 at 3:17pm
Dionne: That’s it, actually. I have what I call “outlier skin chemistry,” the kind that makes even SA’s recoil and say “That’s not supposed to smell like that,” so it takes some work to find florals I can wear (on the other hand, I’ve never had a problem with iris or incense and other woodsy notes).
I also tried AG Mimosa, l’Occitane Mimosa, Champs-Elysee, Cinema, Mimosaique, SMN Gaggia, Molinard Mimosa, Angela Flanders Mimosa, Fleur de Cassie, Farnesiana, Calypso Christian Celle Mimosa and Demeter Naturals Mimosa. All went sour except for Mimosaique, Gaggia and Cinema, but those three didn’t move me ie. they were likes but not loves. But I fell hard for Mimosa pour Moi. 🙂 April 23, 2013 at 9:16am
Victoria: What a great reference list of mimosas! Thank you, Dionne. You know, I complain and complain about the poor lasting power of Mimosa Pour Moi (at least, on my skin), but so far, it’s the only mimosa perfume that smells most like real mimosas. Maybe, it’s simple and not as original as some others I’ve tried, but it’s so happy and sunny. April 23, 2013 at 9:38am
Ann @ Indigo Perfumery: Having been in floral decorating for the past many years, I tend to get very picky with my fragrances. We actually use mimosa quite a bit from late December thru April. Plunging one’s nose into the blooms can transport you to a warm, sunny day even during a snowstorm!
I agree with you: I also go to L’Artisan Parfumeur Mimosa Pour Moi for my mimosa fix. Fortunately for me, it stays on my skin for a good 4-5 hours.
My other fav flower during the winter months is genistra. Sadly, I haven’t found a fragrance that comes close yet. April 22, 2013 at 11:27am
Victoria: You’re so lucky! Mimosa lasts for 30 minutes to 1 hour on my skin, but I enjoy it so much, I forgive it its fleeting nature. April 22, 2013 at 3:17pm
Elisa: You reminded me that I have a neglected sample of Champs Elysee, which I just put on. It reminds me of both Be Delicious and Rosine’s Rose d’Ete (which I’ve always thought of as a niche version of the DKNY!). Are apples notes often used in conjunction with mimosa, or does mimosa itself have an apple facet? Apple seeds, of course, have a bit of bitter almond in them. April 22, 2013 at 11:27am
Victoria: Mimosa and tonka bean (or coumarin) is a genius pairing, and it’s used in perfumes as well as flavors. But apple or any other fruity notes, especially with a green accent, can work well too. Mimosa, after all, is a rich note, and you want something sharp and bright to light it up. April 22, 2013 at 3:19pm
iodine: Your beautiful post has made me realize that I haven’t smelt a real mimosa, this weird spring! Too cold until the beginning of April, then a week of hellish hotness- OK, I’m a bit exaggerating but it was really unpleasant- when all flowers bloomed and faded quickly, now cold and rainy again… I try to compensate with candles- I owned the wonderful Mimosa Marin by L’Artisan, now I have a simple, yet perfectly delicious, Mimosa by Geodesis.
My personal mimosa scent is Farnesiana edp- and a precious sample of Une Fleur de Cassie! April 22, 2013 at 11:38am
Victoria: This has been a very unpleasant spring here too. We finally have a long stretch of sunny (and surprise, surprise, non-rainy days), but I have a feeling that it will end soon.
I recently mentioned that I’m rarely tempted by candles these days, but anything mimosa scented is such a draw that I want to find Mimosa by Geodesis. April 22, 2013 at 3:20pm
Maria B.: If I were to sink my face into a bouquet of mimosa, as you do, I would become a sneezing wreck. All those fluffy, pollen laden blossoms!
On the other hand, I do love mimosa scent. Bulgari Pour Femme is my go-to fragrance. April 22, 2013 at 2:07pm
Victoria: In NYC, I developed an allergy to pollen, and I have no idea what tree it was. Here in Brussels I don’t experience it, but I really sympathize with those who do.
Bulgari Pour Femme is an excellent mimosa perfume too. I should have added it to my list, but Erin described it so well already. April 22, 2013 at 3:22pm
Jennifer: I haven’t really explored mimosa in perfumes yet. The only one I’ve tried is Farnesiana, and I didn’t like it. I thought it was too sweet.
I didn’t know Valentina had mimosa. It does kind of make sense now that I think about it. Valentina had a plushness about it that I liked, though overall I also found it too sweet and not really all that interesting. I also felt a bit let down in that the sample card promised a white truffle note and they totally wussed out on it. April 22, 2013 at 2:15pm
Victoria: The new version of Farnesiana is very sweet, very obviously gourmand. The vintage is less so. I still like the new one, but I can see what you mean about it being too dessert-like. April 22, 2013 at 3:23pm
Cornelia Blimber: Very informative article again. I am allergic to the flower, but like the perfume as I smell it in Champs Elysées. I once had a sample of Une Fleur de Cassie but did’nt like it, I definitely must try it again. To my nose it was so vehemently yellow, and so obsessively sexy that I understood why Carmen threw a cassieflower in the face of Don José.
Good to know that Bvlgari Pour Femme is a mimosa!
Poême has a bad reputation, but I like it– I emptied a full bottle and some day will buy a new one. April 22, 2013 at 5:05pm
Victoria: That image of Carmen is what I will think about as I wear Une Fleur de Cassie! April 22, 2013 at 6:25pm
Cornelia Blimber: It certainly is a powerful image!
To me, Poême has a mimosa note as well, altough I admit it is rather harsh, i like its gay, yellow smell. What do you think? April 23, 2013 at 7:14am
Victoria: It does! It’s part of what gives it the velvety, honeyed sensation. Plus, it was created by the same perfumer (Jacques Cavallier) who did Cinema. They don’t smell alike, but they are made in a similar style. April 23, 2013 at 9:08am
Lynley: I’ve always associated mimosa (wattle) with autumn, as such a huge variety of them here in West Australia flower at this time. I love how the damp and coolness seems to suspend the fragrance in the air, and sweetens it. I wear Acca Kappa Mimosa in the autumn, it smells exactly like these huge yellow trees 🙂 April 22, 2013 at 7:02pm
Maggie: Lynley, I have that same association with the smell of the masses of wattle blooming all over the suburbs of Melbourne when I was a child. Une Fleur de Cassie, when I smelt it years ago, took me straight back there, (not sure if it still smells as strongly of wattle; I believe it’s been reformulated at least once).
Sadly, greedy developers have spent the last thirty years tearing down the old houses and ripping out their beautiful established gardens so that Melbourne now smells only of exhaust fumes. I envy you your beautiful West Australian flora. April 22, 2013 at 7:45pm
Lynley: Maggie, it does seem the same is happening in Perth also, with natural bushland being cleared for new housing, and beautiful old gardens and yards flattened to make way for an extra house or two, with no gardens at all! It saddens me that children now won’t have the experience of exploring gardens like we did- it’s one of my most cherished childhood memories 🙂 April 22, 2013 at 8:11pm
Victoria: I read that mimosa grown in the South of France is in fact native to Australia and was brought there in the 19th century. It just took off then!
Your description is so wistful, and it makes me long to experience it in person. Isn’t it sad when the developers change the landscape so drastically? April 23, 2013 at 5:01am
Mary: von Eusersdorff classic Mimosa???? April 23, 2013 at 4:36am
Victoria: Another nice mimosa to add to the list! Thank you, Mary. April 23, 2013 at 5:01am
mary: In 1982 on my wedding day in november, I had mimosa in my hair and bouquet and Chanel 19 as perfume and bodylotion etc etc. At that time my passion for perfume was not so developed I could decide for a mimosa fragrance as well. Now I also like the other von Eusersdorff classics like myrrhe and vetiver April 23, 2013 at 5:08am
Victoria: I can’t think of a more perfect choice than No 19 with your ensemble though! I can just imagine how beautiful you looked. April 23, 2013 at 5:12am
Andy: So happy to see another Perfume Notes! It’s definitely one of my favorite series of articles.
I think mimosa is probably a note I should explore some more, given how I love the scent of the fresh blossoms. Plus, I had no idea of it’s inclusion in Grey Flannel, which I’ve been enjoying a lot lately.
Also, thank you for clarifying on what is a “true mimosa” and the related plants. Even I have been a bit confused on that one. April 23, 2013 at 6:48am
Victoria: Thank you, Andy! I’m glad that you like these posts.
By the way, in Provence they candy mimosa blossoms, which taste fantastic. The flavor reminds me of violets with a strong hint of almond. April 23, 2013 at 9:12am
Erin T: Hi! I’ve been away on vacation, but it was very, very nice to come back to this wonderful, informative post. Thank you for the shout-out, and for the very interesting info on one of my favourite groups of notes: the absolute/essence paragraphs were fascinating for me, in particular, and I don’t think I’d ever realized the foliage was often included in the distillation process. I wish I had been able to smell the absolutes: I only know the mimosa/cassie facets from finished perfumes.
I knew about silk tree, but now I’m intrigued to know if there are any perfumes that feature black locust? Your description sounds delicious! April 23, 2013 at 12:19pm
Victoria: Your article was after my mimosa loving heart, so thank you very much! You’ve reminded me how much I love Bulgari Pour Femme.
The difference among absolutes can be astounding, especially considering that it all comes the same plant. This, of course, is not limited to cassie or mimosa, but it was fascinating to compare several different absolutes. The classical one is rich, heavy, with a spicy-leathery note, while the molecular distillation is sweeter, with more cucumber peel green and more violet.
I think that there might be some wisteria headspace accords, and they are more or less similar to black locust. But nothing compares to the real blossoms, which should be opening up in May. April 23, 2013 at 1:02pm
Daisy: I wore Une Fleur de Cassie for my dissertation defense, and every time I need to feel confidently myself, it is the bottle that I consistently reach for. True, it’s not an easy one to love, but it loves you back in so many ways! April 23, 2013 at 5:54pm
Victoria: Scents can help a lot when I need to focus.
I love how you put it–“not an easy one to love, but it loves you back in so many ways!” I can’t agree more. April 24, 2013 at 5:29am
Emma M: Fascinating post – the reference to Ladurée Cassis Violette macarons is enough to get me exploring these notes more!
I had a sample of Une fleur de Cassie, but sadly it leaked before I had chance to try it on skin. I remember liking the fragrance though, as it slowly evaporated in my sample box. April 24, 2013 at 5:44am
Victoria: That flavor is my favorite among all of their macarons. I would have never guessed how well black currant and violet would work together. I’m craving them now. 🙂 April 24, 2013 at 10:14am
Jessica: I just enjoyed re-reading this post! I love Farnesiana. I’m also very fond of Amouage’s Opus III, which has plenty of mimosa (to my nose). April 24, 2013 at 8:48pm
Victoria: Thank you, Jessica! I’ll have to revisit Opus III. The softness that mimosa gives is so alluring. April 25, 2013 at 6:11am
Austenfan: Very late to this article. ( I have been away on holiday for two weeks, so am now doing some catching up. I should be cleaning but reading is more enjoyable.
One fragrance that has a mimosa accent and is not that well known is L’Infante by Divine. I much prefer it to Champs-Elysées.
It’s a very lighthearted and friendly fragrance. May 5, 2013 at 12:13pm
Victoria: Thank you for mentioning L’Infante! It’s definitely one of the nicest mimosa fragrances, and you’re right, it’s very underrated, like the entire Divine range. Probably, it’s not as well-known, because they don’t distribute widely. May 6, 2013 at 3:55am
Austenfan: L’Infante and Bvlgari Pour Femme are probably my favourite Mimosa fragrances.
Mind you I have only tried Une Fleur de Cassie once, but it seems to be in another vein entirely.
I like the Goutal, but it doesn’t seem very mimosa’ish. May 6, 2013 at 6:23am
Ewa: Rajasthan by Etro May 30, 2013 at 11:03pm
Victoria: Thank you, Ewa! May 31, 2013 at 11:15am
Nancy Chan: Has anyone tried Fleur d’or and Acacia by L’occitane? April 19, 2016 at 9:37am