Description
Immediately after launching the latest edition by the house of Atelier Cologne Pomelo Paradis, Atelier Cologne promote other new editions – special collection of fragrances Atelier Cologne Collection Azur which includes four exciting editions: Cedre Atlas, Figuier Ardent, Mandarine Glaciale, Sud Magnolia. The collection was announced at the beginning of 2015 and it can be expected on the market in early March. By means of the new collection of ‘eaux de cologne with character’ the house of Atelier Cologne and creative directors and its owners Sylvie Ganter and Christophe Cervasel celebrate 5th anniversary of the brand.
Figuier Ardent is inspired by fig and provides a blend of bergamot, anise and cardamom with fig leaves, fig fruit and black pepper, while the base closes with cedar, iris and tonka.
Fragrances of the collection Atelier Cologne Collection Azur are available in 30 and 100ml flacons, as Cologne Absolue.
The nose behind this fragrance is Ralf Schwieger.
muhammad – :
I love fig fragrances – the wonderful smell of fig trees towards the end of summer, the leaf and fruit. I like fig trees in general, so beautiful. I try all the fig fragrances I can find.
This one I did not like. Reading the fragrance notes, I can identify the iris, which gives it a certain powdery-ness. But the effect, both right at the start and later the dry-down this fragrance gives me it is of fig tree yes, but fig tree greener, in early summer or spring, the white sap in unripe figs. And it’s the late summer voluptousness which I like.
TLDR: smells like fig trees yes, but reminds me too much of the smell of the white sap in unripe figs.
qrd995speagoessenda – :
This is a really wonderful green slightly citric fig fragrance. It’s very green and very fresh. The fig note is there but it’s hidden by notes of fig leaf and other green notes. Projection is moderate (on the softer side actually) while longevity is moderate. It’s nice but I can’t help noticing that Old Navy’s Sea Salt & Fig smells similar (but without all the green notes) and has similar projection/longevity but for far less price.
4/5
mailo78 – :
Opens very green, woody with prominent fig tone. I do get lots of coconut here which keeps growing through the drydown. It turns into leafy green fig/coconut scent on a milky base.
I do get the niche quality, but it also seems somewhat straightfoward to me to the point that it reminds me of air freshener (truth is, most scents that are based around fewer ingredients than usual tend to smell like that to me, including many of Jo Malone’s line).
It reminds me a little of Acqua di Parma’s Mandorlo di Sicilia – although they have completely different notes, if you smell them side by side, they are very similar in style.
roman1980 – :
I fell in love with this scent when it first came out. I first sampled it on paper: the bergamot-fig leaf-iris combination was so fresh and unique. However, when I purchased a travel spray that spring, I found I could not wear the scent properly at all. The scent turned into something sharp and soapy. It contrasted horribly with my chemistry, making my natural scent smell like rancid BO, even when freshly showered. I tried it a few times throughout the spring and summer to no avail, but kept the bottle and used it to spritz some linens in my home for purely sentimental reasons. This smells like my childhood home on a mild summer’s day: I grew up on the New England shore, and we had several fig trees in our yard. My mother raised citrus trees and would put them outside in the summer as well, and as long as it wasn’t on my body, I loved the smell.
Thus, Figuier Ardent was pushed to the back of my fragrance drawer for two years, used occasionally to spritz my pillowcases when I wanted a whiff of comfort before bed. The notes in this are so bright that it did not occur to me to try this as a cold-weather fragrance until recently, and damn, have I been missing out!
Figuier Ardent smells like I am standing at the edge of the Northern Atlantic ocean on a cloudy winter’s day. The trees have lost their leaves, but the smell of juniper and the scrubby, stunted pine trees that grow at the edge of the marsh is so strong you can taste it. It is windy and the water is choppy, a tinge of ice in the air and as you watch the surf roll in, the waves sprinkle you in a fine, briny mist.
The opening is a bit sharp and alcoholic, but it wears off in a second or two. On my skin, the bergamot, cardamom, and pepper are the most prominent through the opening. The iris is also immediately present, lending a little powdery-softness to round out the sharp edges. As the opening fades, the iris loses a bit of its powderiness and becomes earthier while the woody fig smell becomes more prominant. I do not get the smell of ripe fig at all in this–the fig is very woody and green. For some reason, I smell something piney in the resins, although this note is not mentioned. The oakmoss/cedar notes begin to peek through as the middle notes develop, but this scent is not particularly long lasting, so the basenotes don’t really seem develop fully. They just fade with the rest of the scent.
I apply a spritz to each of my wrists, one to my hair, and one to my chest. The scent probably lasts 5-6 hours on skin, no more than that. The sillage on this is rather faint, projecting only about six inches or so. I think it works best for daytime, as it is light and discreet, though it may be a little outdoorsy for an office job. This is less unisex than most Atelier offerings. It definitely skews masculine, I think, due to its greenness and spice, but it works for an outdoorsy, athletic woman, too–which is probably why I love it so much!
wremnjitreste – :
While I do like this scent (let’s be honest, there are not many from Atelier that I don’t like) this is the most generic I have worn to date. I cannot detect fig at all. To me, this is high end Bath & Bodyworks Pima Cotton had a love child with Clean Linen.
I do get green, clean, fresh. Of course it is done well but again, it is too generic/soapy for my personal tastes.
gyulus85 – :
Huh, really strange. After the inital spray I get a PERFECT coconut scent, the way I love it. Creamy-milky, juicy, sweet and smooth coconut, even though no coconut is listed. I also get the fig with its leaves and the fresh anise x bergamot combo, making it a little bit green-floral. All the other notes are in there too and they are very well balanced so that it’s difficult to pick up an individual note (the cardemon being the most prominent out of all the other notes).
Initially gave me a little bit of a shampoo vibe, but the quality of the ingredients make it feel luxury. And after the coconut vanishes a liiiittle after 5 minutes it gets more green thanks to the fig leaves. After 10 minutes you begin to smell more cedar. And then after 30 minutes coconut again. It really changes a lot and it’s not linear at all (compared to most other AC fragrances).
Would be perfectly suited to wear on the beach. Has tropical vibes to it.
A good love for me, it’s one of the more outstanding ones from AC.
Only downside is that it lasts for like 3 – 4 hours with a moderate sillage. And after that it’s basically gone.
Flertoomo – :
I think I have worn just about every figgy fragrance that has ever been made and generally I like them enough but somehow they never have managed to truly capture what that verdant, sun-drenched fruit of paradise deserves!
Having said this, I feel differently about Atelier’s Figuier Ardent, although I also must confess that I have suffered many a disappointment with this lovely line of fragrances… costly, so little longevity and even anosmia!
BUT, I really DO love THIS Atelier!
Magically, Figuier Ardent, with its effusive and bright blast of zesty gorgeousness, sparkling Riviera sunshine, pungent peppered woodiness and lastly, a dollop of creamy pistachio gelato carry me to place not unlike the scenes in Portofino from one of my favorite movies, “Enchanted April.”
Since I am unable to pack my steamer trunk and spend the remainder of this summer in a villa in the rustic hills of Portofino, I think I just may transport myself via a tiny turquoise bottle!
Stollelyday – :
A rather pedestrian fig scent with a sharp, synthetic opening. Comparisons to the lush, milky Philosykos are inapt – this is much drier and screechier. There are much better Ateliers and much better fig scents to try.
VALTER-lol – :
It’s not wearable in my opinion in any situation and time.
Reminds me offensive soaps from Morton’s.
Too strong formula.
radost1 – :
Oh yessss. Something about this fragrance feels like foggy, cold, rainy mountain air. I love that feeling from fragrances. The fig and cedar come through in wonderful, natural kind of way on me. It’s the type of fragrance I could easily wear on a sweltering summer day without feeling like I’m wearing too much fragrance. It lasts about 4-5 hours on me. A perfectly unisex love.
Scream3028 – :
This scent opens in typical citrus-forward fashion Atelier but settles almost immediately into green fig leaves. I’m not a huge fan of fig scents, but this has a very lightly peppery note (very light) and I can just make out green cardamom (but it’s not at all a heavy hitter as in Kenzo Elephant or some of my other cardamom-centric and beloved fragrances) which makes it pleasant. Overall this is not spicy but green, and fresh. Fig comes into play after the leaves, but I do not smell some of the sweetness that others note–I sense more cool herbaciousness, not dry, not wet–just an “herbal essence” note. It actually does remind me of that 70’s shampoo by the same name. And I swear I’m picking up a lemony LOTV quality, less sweet and indolic and more crisp.
I think this is perfectly nice for the office, a hot day running errands, a clean and pleasant smell that is inoffensive, but I like more from my perfumes than all that. While it’s not a scrubber, it’s not a FB for me either. I was so hoping I would get a considerably more piquant pepper, anise, and cardamom out of this; if I had, I think I would quite like it–a dose more of these latter would change my notion of “body shop” fig smells.
Edit: lasts all day!
skazka18 – :
I get a nice dried fruit accord with the mixture of bergamot, pepper and fig in the opening. This cologne is powerful, yet linear. It just begged to be layered with Commodity Vetiver and sure enough. The Vetiver brightened it up and made it come alive. Next I shall layer with Clean Reserve Rain and will give my review of that pairing. 4 out of 5.
Lllevvitt – :
My expectations for this Figuier Ardent were very high: the fig tree and all of its components are probably my all time favourites when it comes to perfume notes, and Atelier Cologne is a house that has never let me down so far. But I should have remembered the typical aromatic, quite masculine drydowns that for me aren’t part of Atelier’s charm, but rather just something I accept as part of the package: not my thing, but not bad at all, and definitely worth it for the lovely openings and hearts.
In this one, that aromatic woodiness turns up almost right off the bat. As I said, it’s not that I really mind it, and in fact it works wonderfully with the sweet dryness of the fig in the early heart of the fragrance, after a short and rather unremarkable aquatic opening. The first few hours are really great just because of the way the sweet fruity notes go together with the aromatic ones; the effect is a little herbal, just sweet enough in a pleasantly green way, but grounded and steady too. Hard to describe, but lovely; and at this point the sillage is great too, so it’s a real mood-booster. The only problem is that the fig and other light notes disappear entirely after a couple of hourse, leaving only that trademark drydown, dry and aromatic in a way that is just a bit too masculine for my own taste, and that I can take or leave as a result.
So in spite of the wonderful heart this is just a solid like for me, and I don’t think I’ll ever need more of this than my little decant, although I’ll use that up with pleasure.
Allison_fromAC – :
I got about 5 minutes of citrus and then… powder.
I mean, is not that I don’t like it, I do, but this is just too much powder for way too long. I can smell something green and woodsy but it is mostly powder from begining to end and at 5 hours becomes quite annoying.
Not a scent for someone who doesn’t like powdery scents.
oes not lean too masculine nor femenine.
Sillage is quite good for several hours and longevity is in the 7 hour mark.
shtern – :
Starts fresh and green… becomes sweet and fruity… settles into a soft lime-coconut powder. I love Atelier’s style, gorgeous bottles, lovely labels, and their perfumes are all high quality. That said, while this one is beautiful, I have Armani Lei on my countertop. By 30 minutes in they smell nearly identical.
rxz226intitytek – :
A sharp, zesty fig leaf fragrance. Like Philosykos it has that beautiful, natural fig leaf note but brighter, fresher. This is a cool dry fig as opposed to the warm dry fig of Philosykos, probably from the anise, cedar, and bergamot. Unlike Philosykos, FA doesn’t feel like you’re in a fig garden in Greece, it’s more of an interesting take on the green fragrance genre. While I enjoy the freshness and liveliness of the Atelier cologne I think I will stick with Philosykos as the fig perfume in my collection. Fans of lively green fragrances should check this one out, though.
sokol80191 – :
Figuier Ardent is a nice take on fig!
The bergamot and lime are familiar and joyful in the opening, joined by a coconut-like fig scent and backed up by light woods and a soft-focus iris.
I love this fragrance for the heart stage, as Figuier Ardent smells like a dreamy “Summer Edition” of my beloved Yesterday Haze from Imaginary Authors. The dusty wood notes, light sweet cream, and delicate fig are all present, yet Figuier Ardent feels less pensive than YH, due to a current of brightness running through the composition using lip-smacking bergamot and lime. It’s summery, yet versatile and unique.
Alas, the heart stage lasts but a few hours and is replaced by a drydown in which the “femininity” flees the scene. The drydown is all cedar with hints of lime and bergamot. I wish my skin would have retained a bit of sweet, dusty creaminess from Figuier Ardent’s heart – so many summer scents already have a woodsy-citrus dry down.
My skin needs the ballsy drydown of Yesterday Haze, but I think Figuier Ardent could be a little gem for many people!
inches – :
I can’t smell a lot of fig. In fact, I think there is a lot of spices and woods. However, it is quite fresh. Not my cup of tea, but it’s nice.
judo-ist – :
This is a very fresh, mellow scent. The main notes on my skin are the fig and cedar, with the iris and tonka supporting. It is somewhat sweet but not cloying. Sillage was decent, but it didn’t last very long on my skin. I had to carry the travel spray with me to reapply every couple of hours.
bob468714 – :
For Atelier Cologne, Figuier Ardent is another interesting direction, a fresh fig fragrance with a lot of complexity. It opens, as many do, with some citrus and spicy cardamom, and the spice settles down in the heart of pepper and fig itself, though I did get a hint of fig at the outset. The base is mainly cedar to my nose, and this cedar base is becoming ubiquitous in the Atelier line, but I do get some of the iris as well, and it makes for a slightly sharp, powdery dry down.
I’ve only tried another “fresh fig” type of fragrance in the past year or so—D.S. & Durga’s Debaser–and Figuier Ardent has relatively high freshness and less sweetness. I wouldn’t say Figuier Ardent is wholly unique but it strikes me as a unique blend. Somehow out of iris and pepper and fig emerges a fragrance that is refreshing and enjoyable for warm weather wear.
Performance is decent, about what most Ateliers provide, moderate on projection and longevity.
This is definitely the fragrance I like the most from the Azur line so far, as Cedre Atlas and Mandarine Glaciale didn’t do much for me (Sud Magnolia seems to be regarded as feminine by many, moreover).
Pricing is in line with most of the line at $125 for 100ml, as well. I somehow doubt I’ll buy this one due to my preference of several other fresh fragrances in the line over it, but I’m pleasantly surprised by it, in a good way.
7 out of 10
Olegas – :
Love this scent. Very summery, with strong fig note but green at the same time. I also get a lot of coconut from this one and a milky tone. Lasts even after shower until the next day, good for both day and night. If you love figs, this is a definitive must.
radar104 – :
I do really like this, it’s warm, woody, and spicy, but too strong, and too masculine for me. My husband wears it either alone, or in combination with his current usual, Bulletproof by TokyoMilk.
I got the little Collection Azur set from Sephora, and can only wear the Magnolia. The others I gave to my husband.
NaitPoitjam – :
Definitely got the fig note, reminding me of Dyptique’s fig fragrance. A bit sweetish, yet veers on my towards a too-masculine edge. OK, But not full-bottle worthy.
svk292speagoessenda – :
Soft, smooth, delicate. These are the adjectives that immediately come to mind for me when describing this green and woody scent. And along with the lite woods and fresh airy notes, Figuier Ardent is also a touch floral. The fig note here is more creamy than it is green and dry; there’s more of an emphasis on the delicate than the sharp. It starts with a perfect mix of fresh fig and bright bergamot before quickly settling into a subtle combination of cardamom, iris and tonka. These notes all interplay throughout, and the fig almost takes a back seat, never coming fully to the fore again. Like nearly all from this House, it stays true to it’s name and doesn’t evolve drastically while being worn. The eventual drydown brings the cedar but thanks to the softer notes, it remains understated and not pungent. Though I expected a drier, greener, fig-ier scent, the floral, almost jasmine-like result is actually quite nice and distinctive. Longevity and sillage are a touch better than others from this House, but the unique blending of classic notes leaves no mistake that this is certainly an Atelier creation.
hhhtttqqqsss – :
I like this one and I indeed smell fig and wood. On my skin it is not sickly sweet but nice smooth and sweet as in an almost ripe fig. I don’t smell much fig and cocos as in Phylosikos en Premier Figuier but it is all in all a nice fragance. It is a soft skinscent as the most fig scents I have tryed so far. I would buy a full botle.
nok1man – :
Sampled at Sephora today. Goes on nice – sweet, unusual – but a few hours later it smells like Arrid Extra Dry! Ew!!!
golda – :
Figuier Ardent is a salty, breezy fig fragrance. I find it to be a unique spin on traditional fragrances with a beachy vibe. I can see this being a very polarizing fragrance, but I love it.
Mixail123 – :
Figuier Ardent starts with sweet fig and bergamot but about an hour later the smell of bergamot is replaced with cedar. By the 6th hour the fragrance begins to fade leaving it as a skinscent of fig leaf and wood. Overall this is a really nice scent that doesn’t smell synthetic but if you want the smell of walking through a fig plantation and freshly picked fig then try Miller Harris Figue Amere. I actually like Figuier Ardent except I was hoping it would have a stronger silage, but still I would consider buying this.
оля232 – :
I like this but don’t think I would buy a FB of it. The opening is pretty strong with fig leaf, bergamot and a hint of pepper. It was a bit overpowering in the car on the way to work!
After an hour the bergamot faded as the fig intensified. Both green leafy fig leaves and fruity figs, and a definite coconutty note. I also detected a fresh, soapy vibe: a bit like foaming shower gel. Several hours in, the fig gets a little sweeter and the powdery iris appears which is a really lovely combination. Lasts surprisingly well – I get 10 hours.
Husband remarked “smells like wet dog”, but I think it’s growing on me!
bublik90 – :
This fragrance has quickly become my signature. From the first burst of bergamont, pepper, cedar, and greenness (to my nose) to the dry down that hosts the fig, to the powdery iris fade, it is just magnificent. It takes me back to hiking days in the Cascade mountain forests of the Pacific Northwest. I do agree with Pindlekitz that is quite an “artsy” fragrance, but mountainous artsy. Longevity is about 6 hours on me, but it becomes more of a skin scent somewhere between 3-4 hours. I do wish it projected a bit more, but it still gets two thumbs up from me!
Stanchiki – :
This is an absolutely wonderful scent, and frankly I’m surprised Diptique hasn’t sued them for copyright infringement. This is a dead ringer for Philosykos EDT, even down to the milky, leafy undertones that add such depth to the original scent. As with all of Atelier’s cologne absolutes, it’s not big on sillage or longevity. I’ve had it on for just about an hour now and it’s aa very subtle skin scent. Other than that, I give it two thumbs up!
serega911 – :
I’m totally agree with the previous opinion of Charles.
I’m a big fan of Atelier Cologne and I love some of his earlier creations, but all the “Azur” line has left me totally cold. I have found, to put it one way, generally uninspired, except that the price has risen significantly in relation to the size of the bottles.
InnoneLerouff – :
I’ve been a big fan of Atelier Cologne from their inception. Several fragrances in the “Cologne Absolue” collection – particularly Trefle Pur and Rose Anonyme – are wonderful and represent very good value in today’s niche fragrance market. So it pains me to report that all four fragrances in the “Collection Azur” are really mediocre. Figuier Ardent is essentially a sweet nothing – at best, it is a poor rendition of the excellent fig fragrances created by Olivia Giacobetti for Diptyque and L’Artisan.
You can recognize the Collection Azur bottles by their blue glass – they look a bit like the Blu Mediterraneo bottles from Acqua di Parma and stand out from the rest of the Atelier collection. In this case, those distinctive bottles should serve as a warning rather than a welcome to try. All four seem to be redolent of sticky citrus notes typically found in much less expensive fragrances. They all seem to share a backbone of overly sweet bergamot and/or mandarin. It’s beginning to seem as though Atelier is releasing too many fragrances in a hurry – which rarely seems to translate to quality.
My advice – stick to the earlier Atelier releases. If you really want a quality fig, get either Philosykos by Diptyque or Premier Figuier by L’Artisan.
ZaYaC_173 – :
I love this on my skin. It starts out leafy with a fig/cardamom note and as it dries down it sweetens to add the iris note. I feel it’s a very artistic scent like what you expect your ceramics teacher would have worn in high school. There’s some here who don’t like it, but it works for my skin very well. Lasts the full work day with a few spritzes but it’s not too overpowering. It’s my new daily favorite.
xichkok – :
The opening was pleasant enough, but it turned into this really cheap, tacky synthetic scent. Like the kind of thing that would come out of a spray can.
I washed it off. It’s still there, but it’s making me cough every time my wrist gets within a foot of my face.
sajer – :
Still looking for a fig perfume I can love. Opening was promising, but the drydown’s way too masculine for me.
lom – :
Unfortunately, this did NOT do well with my skin chemistry.
I don’t get much fig, I get mostly pepper. So, unfortunately this one’s going back to Sephora.
бука – :
The opening and middle of this is stunning. Similar to the fig standard PF by L’Artisan and Philosykos by Diptyque, but with a little bit fresher and natural oomph to it. If you’re familiar with Atelier, you know they do an outstanding job with clean and natural scents. You can feel Schweiger’s delicate touch with this and it would be no different than some of his other compositions such as ELd’O’s Philipino Houseboy and Atelier’s Orange Sanguine where you sense a nice playful dance of almost tropical proportions tethered by a soft and natural powdery base. After about an hour and a half, the Iris really exposes itself and you get a pleasant baby powder feel. I tend to like the first two hours the most and at this point reapply as it’s a pretty light scent to begin with. However, I feel like this projects pretty well sillage wise and longevity is above average for Atelier. All in all a very beautiful fig from a very beautiful perfumer. I would definitely recommend this one for a more powdery interpretation of fig.
balldunker – :
Gorgeous, milky fig with almost a wheat note. It actually starts out pretty green. I wasn’t sure I’d love it, but then changes into creamy, milky, and delicious.. The drydown is similar to Imaginary Authors Yesterday Haze, in my opinion. I can’t exactly call it gourmand, but it’s close and almost edible. I wish they had bath products in this, because I would love to bathe in it. I’m glad this line is now being sold at Sephora, and they have the travel sizes. I think it could work in all seasons, but I see enjoying it the most in fall.
bulah003 – :
My local Sephora SA knows me well, so when I was in she ran up to me and announced that they got their hands on the new quattro from Atelier.
On initial spray very similar to Acqua di Parma’s Fig, so if you have that then don’t bother with this one.
Pleasant enough but I didn’t get a chance to wear it for long so I cannot comment too much more.