LANCOME
POEME EDP

1995

PERFUMER
Jacques Cavallier

Angel’s Trumpet
Bergamot
narcissus
blackcurrant
blue poppy
green notes
mandarin
peach
plum

tuberose
jasmine
freesia
mimosa
orange blossom
ylang-ylang
heliotrope
vanilla orchid
leather
rose

vanilla
amber
cedarwood
musk
tonka bean

‘The structure of Poeme is original, does not follow classic structure of top, middle and base notes. The notes of the composition are appearing alternately, like echo. The composition features intoxicating Himalayan blue poppy, white and yellow flowers (mimosa, rose, freesia…) and vanilla flower. Poeme is a poem in the world of perfumes; the contrasts of bitter and sweet create a special sensual aura. The bottle with this miraculous bitter honey is a synthesis of the contrasts – attractive curves and straight lines.’

I’ve always liked Poeme from the couple of times I smelled it in store. I finally got my hands on an (older) miniature to give it a proper wear and my positive thoughts still stand.

Poeme to me falls perfectly in between the older style, very floral compositions and the uber-sweet trend that followed later. Even in this presumably older bottle that I’ve tried, it is just modern enough to still feel at home between contemporary women’s designers, but it lacks a cloying quality that many of them possess in my opinion and overall remains one of the best options for a sweet, fruity floral scent.

It opens with all facets at once; a fruitiness with a peach hue, an airy, petal-like floral bouquet and a vanillic sweetness.

The fruitiness is really well done; not overly thick and juicy, but still prominent. I mostly get peach from it, but it has a hint of tangy acidity that you get from blackcurrant as well

The florals, albeit almost overpowered by everything else at first, make this fragrance for me. On my skin the opening hour is a light, soft floral with a brighter tint, probably more leaning towards the mimosa, orange blossom, freesia side. After a while, the stronger, but very manageable white florals become more noticeable. In general, the flowers become more alive and dominant at this phase and it keeps the sweetness from making Poeme overly youthful.

The sweetness itself is more of a sun tan lotion vanilla, with the ylang ylang giving it that tropical sun tan twist. It is very sweet, but somehow not too much.

There are two other facets that I picked up on in my (limited) time wearing Poeme. One would be the slightly dated powdery texture that I don’t get all the time, but it definitely grows during the wear. Lastly, there is a definite soapiness to the overall composition; again, keeping things from being overly sweet and cloying.

I’ll likely pick up a bottle if I can find one at a reasonable price at some point in the future. Either way, this is a beautiful release, that perhaps most surprisingly has seen never received flanker releases, other concentrations or re-releases since 1995.