Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Eau Emotionelle by Agent Provocateur : Perfume Review

In love again, it seems.
On a particularly rainy, busy Thursday recently, I was frantically biking home after a full day of lectures and labs at the university, feeling quite sorry for myself, for I was completely drenched, cold and tired. My mood was instantly lifted though, as I opened the door to find a packet that came with the mail on the floor. Samples! A lovely reader I had recently sent some samples to, decided to surprise me with a little packet of her own, sharing with me some of her own finds. How wonderful is that? The gloominess of the day just washed off me in an instant, with the kindness that greeted me when I opened this thoughtful little packet.

One of the samples I received was Agent Provocateur’s Eau Emotionelle and I have –quite unexpectedly I might add- fallen hard for it. Eau Emotionelle is meant to be a lighter interpretation of the original Agent Provocateur scent, but I am hard pressed to find many similarities between the two. These are two very different scents, sharing a base that is perhaps slightly reminiscent of each other, but otherwise very dissimilar in ambience, feel and notes. I tried the original years ago for the first time, and even though I liked it, I never considered buying it, as I did not think it was unique enough. It is surprising that I find myself so unmoved by it, as it follows a recipe that I normally can’t resist: It is one of those fragrances that take no prisoners - it packs a punch, it is powerful, wild, animalistic, uncompromising and fearless... in other words, you can’t ignore it. In theory, it is perfect for me, in reality though I am just left shrugging, always ending up thinking that there are others that do exactly what Agent Provocateur promises, only better. Eau Emotionelle on the other hand seems almost unobtrusive, especially when compared side by side with its extravagant, older sibling. In fact, I have trouble discerning Eau Emotionelle at all for a while after smelling Agent Provocateur, the latter being so strong it completely overpowers my senses for a while, making me unable to detect the mild scent of the former.

Yes, Eau Emotionelle is mild and soft, but certainly not as tame and innocent as one might initially think. The opening is ever so slightly green and sappy but soon a lovely, sheer sweetness comes through that lasts throughout the development. There is a spiciness running through it, but one that lacks a bite, being gently enticing instead. The middle is a beautiful, delicate floral mélange that is utterly seducing, like a fine-spun gossamer veil. The base in turn, is gorgeously sensual: intriguing musk and a dusting of the finest loose powder. If the original is a plush boudoir covered in velvet and silk throws, Eau Emotionelle’s bedding is made of the best quality, high-thread Egyptian cotton sheets, with pastel-pink feathers strewn over it and a pair of the finest, daintiest, white lace underwear forgotten on the pillow. Seemingly innocent yes, but not quite... Indeed. This subtle scent is full of hushed promises. Catching the eye of a stranger for a moment too long, the accidental flashing of a woman’s warm abdomen, a lingering smile on flushed lips. And comfort. Heaps of it. Comfort and sexiness combined. Can you tell I am really, in love again? I’ve been looking forward to buying this gorgeous skin-scent for about a week now and come Saturday it will be mine. Sweet anticipation.

Images: www.freefoto.com, www.abeautifullife.com and www.shears.co.uk


10 comments:

tmp00 said...

I did like the Eau Emotionelle; the original I can only take in small doses. Very small doses.

I went to smell this at the Melrose Avenue store with a friend of mine who in the presence of testers tends to spray her neck until her ankles are wet.

I made her stay five feet away from me until I took my leave...

tmp00 said...

that is she doused herself in the original..

Unknown said...

I love the scent of the original but cannot wear it (when I wear it I am anxious all day), sadly Eau Emotionelle and Maitresse don't work on me skin. I suspect I just wasn't meant to wear Agent Provocatuer scents.

Divina said...

hahaha :) Seriously, the mental image I got from the first msg was enough ;) No clarification needed. Hilarious!

Divina said...

Hey Jen, you know... this is very interesting. I have only considered perfume the other way around, that is, as an anti-stress tool. It is very interesting to see it from a different light, that is, as something that can also cause stress/anxiousness. I'd be very interested to hear if other people have similar experiences with other perfumes... Hmm.. Maybe I should pay more attention to whether I ever get such reactions, but I am such a livewire in general that I doubt I would realize the effects were due to the perfume!

Unknown said...

Divina, I think it is the only scent that I like and does make me feel anxious. Overall, my attitude in general is the fragrances I wear do the opposite of that too.

Anonymous said...

I ordered Agent Provocateur and in my opinion, it's ok, it's not what I thought everyone was raving about. Maybe its the way it interacts with my skin...
on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being excellent..I would give it a 6.
I love the bottle..wouldn't buy it again.
Lopez,
Louisiana

Divina said...

Hey Lopez,

I had the same, the original Agent Provocateur didn't really work for me either. Have you tried Eau Emotionelle? This one's really nice!

lila said...

matisse, another scent from A.P. is also very nice. The original scent of A.P which comes in the pink bottle, is too strong for me and when I smell it, it reminds of me the wardrobe of an old woman :)it smells like old to me but but but I am seriously very curious of the emotionelle one cuz' I have always been a sucker for the soapy, powdery and musky aromas. And all around the web, people left comments on this one as it is powdery and musky...So in fact, I have just ordered my Emotionelle from strawberry.com. I ll keep you updated. I am also curious of the Strip as well. Has anyone of you tried that one?

Divina said...

Hmm, I've never heard of Matisse, now you got me curious..! I have a feeling you will enjoy Eau Emotionelle, congrats on your purchase!

As for Strip, I tested it on a few occasions and it failed to leave an impression one way or the other.