frapin
ATTENDRE & ESPERER

2023

salted caramel butter
neroli
black pepper
lemon

cardamom
iris

cedarwood
vetiver
hazelnut

‘Frapin pays tribute to the famous literary masterpiece: The Count of Monte Cristo “Until the day God deigns to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom will be in these two words: Wait and hope!” Inspired by the elegant and intelligent character of Edmont Dantes, the eau de parfum is an olfactory journey that opens with captivating notes of Caramel Beurre Salé, Neroli and black pepper. The heart notes of Cardamom bring out the powerful character of the fragrance. The notes of Altas and Vetiver de Haiti allow us to discover the mysterious side of our literary hero in depth’ – Frapin

Attendre & Esperer is an interesting combination of notes, that ultimately lead to a really pleasant cardamom depiction. It’s a note that I enjoy, but often find a little bit too much, too grating, to fully enjoy if it’s prominent.

In this fragrance it’s paired with both a fresher top of lemon and neroli, and a woody, sweetened facet.

The opening is quite fresh; you get the almost minty, green tinge from the cardamom, mixed with a fresh airy quality, more so than citrus to my nose. It feels crisp and sharp, with the spices.

Underneath is is a nutty, earthy woodiness that also gets quite sweet for a moment. A salted caramel butter is named in the description and I can definitely imagine something along those lines, but to my nose, it’s more so bready, spicy and nutty than really sweet.

This is especially true once the vetiver starts coming through. In the drydown an almost soapy vetiver overtakes the composition for me. That style of scent brings its own kind of mild, sugary sweetness. Similar to Tom Ford Grey Vetiver, perhaps not quite as sweet as Essential Parfums Bois Imperial, but it reminded me of both. It’s much easier going and not nearly as sugary or sharp spicy as Noeme Khalil, which I reviewed in the same week. The cardamom is still there, but vetiver is more prominent after the opening on my skin.

Texture-wise, this one shines. It’s smooth, almost milky, especially considering its spices.

I feel that it makes for a versatile fragrance that you can wear anytime and anywhere. Definitely the type of fragrance that I gravitate towards for office wear myself.