Description
Fils de Dieu du riz et des agrumes is created by perfumer Ralf Schwieger in 2012. The fragrance is dedicated to the Philippines: “Fils de dieu comes from the Philippines to spread a message of warmth and enlightenment. Here, find an innocent wisdom that points to dreams and liberation. This is the golden eye that reflects beauty and conflict, rapture and pain. Fils de dieu is an emotional fragrance, a scent that requires a sympathetic connection between the server and the served, the giver and the taker, and the willingness to exchange roles.”.
Top notes: ginger, coriander, lime and shiso. Heart: coconut, rose, cardamom, jasmine, cinnamon and rose. Base: tonka bean, vetiver, musk, amber, leather and castoreum.
> It is available as 50 ml EDP.
matusov – :
This is fantastic. Completely unlike what I usually wear, or indeed what anyone usually wears but so damn good.
This was kind of a blind buy for me. I’d been trying for years to get my hands on a sample (Phillipine Houseboy was the early version on my test list), only to have the sample break in the mail. The packaging smelled fabulous and I left it in the kitchen for a week before I just went ahead and bought it. I worried it would be different on my skin than the kitchen counter and it is. It’s better!
Before checking the notes, I thought Thai basil, coconut, lemongrass and some kind of floral. It keeps bringing me back to this particular moment eating pad see ew on the terrace of a hotel on the beach in Hua Hin.
The best thing about it is how un perfume-y it is.
This is ELDO as it should be. Nervy, unique and yet beautifully articulated and wearable.
олеголег – :
A long French name that ends up being coconut. Yummy. Gourmand. Coconut.
Deroxhwyin – :
I bought the Etat Libre discovery set of dabbers. Fils de Dieu was the first one that I tried, because I was excited to smell a fragrance with rice notes, and I was intrigued by the associations with my mother’s homeland of the Philippines.
Most of what I can smell with this one is powder. Powder isn’t even listed as one of the notes. The top note that I got alongside the powder was a very, very tart (almost alcoholic or pure juice) green citrus. This perfume doesn’t smell of rice, vanilla, or any other sweet things.
After the drydown, all I was left with was powder. Am I just anosmic to all the other notes in this composition? Am I losing out on part of the experience just because I’m using a dabber as opposed to a spray?
Edited to add: I put this on in front of my husband, and he says that it smells like Froot Loops cereal to him. I can’t smell anything particularly fruity, not even synthetic fruity.
simbians 0308 – :
I’m mad for this at the moment – I got it as part of a coconut sampler, and was initially hesitant. The sharp lime opening was vaguely off-putting, even a bit medicinal. But as those notes faded, this became the most luscious creamy skin scent. Reminiscent, as others have said, of Shalimar…however it has an odd composition that I can’t get enough of. The creaminess is indeed like a ricey Thai dessert without being overly “spicy.” I want to describe it as a clean & green scent, but there is the hint of dirty castoreum sweetness & spice.
Third-party reviews are a mixed bag, with one friend telling me it smells like her grandma’s perfume and one rave review from a guy who said I smelled delicious (perhaps he meant literally like food). It’s an interesting and captivating scent – I bought the FB as it’s the perfect summer fragrance to me, and I’ll be sporting it for the next few months, day and night.
kerTatetruh – :
I’m a huge fan of Shalimar and this has some compositional similarities with a citrus opening, amber/musk base, and vanilla throughout.
But Fils de Dieu is much more than that. The tangy lime opening is electric and the rice pudding is so creamy and delicious. You also get cardamom and ginger.
This scent is an experience. If you’re new to fragrance and don’t understand why we’re obsessed, give this a shot on one wrist and you’ll understand.
gzg249intitytek – :
This is beautiful and a bit avant guarde, and I like it much more than I thought I would. I am wary of coconut, it’s sometimes fine, but can go wrong on me very easily. On me this is spicy and kinda tropical but not in an obnoxious or cliche way. This reminds me of the smell of the Mexican drink horchata, which is like a rice milk/cinnamon agua fresca drink, that I love; however, it hints at it without being actually foody which is nice since I don’t really care for truly foody/gourmand perfumes. This is great stuff! Could be worn in the summer too, despite it’s oriental spicy categorization, which is something I’m always keen on finding as I love that fragrance group.
vedrova-e – :
This one is beautiful! The name almost made me overlook this one because I have no idea what it means… but after receiving a sample I was kinda blown away by how good it is and it took me by surprise, being that I haven’t heard anybody speak on this one before. This one deserves being talked about, and I think people should get their nose on this. It’s a beautiful scent for summer. It’s a very tropical feeling fragrance, almost Island like… if I’m not mistaken the house created this one inspired by the Philippine islands, and I can see where they were going with that vibe. It starts off kinda similar to a Creed Virgin Island Water smell with lime and coconut, but when it starts to settle in then it leans into a creamy tropical territory that’s fresh and classy somewhat reminiscent of a Maison Francis Kurkdjian type of summer fragrance in a way… it’s very nice!
dead)mau5 – :
Opens with coriander and lime over a bed of milky coconut rice and spicy skin. Gets a bit muskier in the drydown but mostly linear. I love milky notes, coconut and lime, so I’m loving Fils. It’s not sweet, more of a unique savory gourmand for summer. I can hear the civet and it’s well blended and just a touch. I think the lack of spices like cumin make this easier to wear than other sweaty spice rack scents. The coriander and civet does smell like slightly sweaty skin, but the skin of someone who naturally smells good, if that makes sense. It feels balanced. Like the niche, more masculine version of my lime/coconut summer love, Lempicka Elle L’Aime.
I tried it on my boyfriend and it smells so good on him too. This one is a winner. Strong like! Would have been a love if the milk note was richer / creamier and the lime were more lime-y.
TokeLouddef – :
People, Please give this fragrance a chance! It is SO GOOD for summer months. A beautiful, tropical men’s cologne for summertime. NOT your typical fresh, aquatic citrus. It has so much personality. It was love at first whiff and now I just received my full size bottle today. Yaaassss!
Vladd2255555 – :
I prefer my gourmands low on the glycemic index, so Fils de Dieu carries a strong appeal. There’s a local Burmese place that serves freshly steamed Jasmine rice with coconut flakes. You’ll sense a natural sweetness to ohn htamin, and the coconut milk appears again in ice cream dessert. Like their menu, Fils de Dieu is spice heaven.
An outstanding jasmine-rice mix, similar to Maison Martin Margiela / Replica’s Tea Escape. The MMM has strong matcha and earthy mate notes that FdD lacks, so they certainly aren’t a dupe. Just a resemblance on this facet. The treatment of Jasmine in FdD is also reminiscent of Carthusia’s Gelsomini di Capri, another favorite.
The heart through dry down has similarities to older Shalimar, the one with civet — not the vanillic bombs of today. In fact, the most challenging aspect of this perfume is the castoreum-amber, based on personal taste.
Eldo continues to impress with this unique concoction of fresh aromatics and spices. If only it was twice the strength or half the cost, I would buy it.
wilopfort – :
I could not make heads nor tails of this concoction, but that seems to be a consistent problem for me with ELDO fragrances
Danis_33 – :
I guess I can call this one a gourmand, as almost instantly I get the smell of a rice pudding with milky coconut and some spices. Although there are times when I get a floral body lotion, actually more a suntan lotion, due to the coconut.
6/10
Guewnouxunk – :
The most disgusting perfume I’ve ever tried in my life. Such a suffocating mess.
pysik7002 – :
Deeply spicy and aromatic scent. Not my cup of tea.
anenerbe74 – :
I’m not easily taken with citrus-focused scents. I find citrus pleasant, but too er.. “diplomatic.” I tend to reach for citrus when I don’t want to offend anyone in tight quarters, but I still have to spray on something because…because if I don’t, who will? Anyway, this is not a clean citrus. This is dirty…even animalic? lime. The rice buffs out the jagged edges of the coriander, but surprisingly, with all these foody notes this fragrance doesn’t register kitchenish to me, though I certainly understand how others might be led in that direction. Every time I get a whiff of this, I have to stop and just appreciate the pleasant oddity. It’s so wonderfully confusing. It’s not often I appreciate being confused.
вадим73 – :
this starts off with lime, rice, coconut and spicy ginger and coriander. it has warm and cooling elements, it’s green, but spicy. after a few more minutes i get a perfumy musk and some rose and other florals, but it seems to be primarily rose. after being on the skin 30 minutes+ it dries down to a beautiful warm green spicy scent and i am in love.
grodz – :
This is an interesting one. I got a free sample of this a while ago, tried a little bit on the back of my hand, then forgot about it. I’ve been re-visiting all of my samples and this was today’s choice. When I first put it on, I got coconut, tangy citrus and rice – specifically, fresh steamed jasmine rice, straight from the cooker. Nice, but unusual in a perfume. A quick check of the notes online, and yep, coconut, rice and lime are a few of the ingredients in this. Half an hour in, the cardamom and ginger appeared. Three hours in and it’s mostly faded away, which is a shame – I can only pick up a faint citrusy tang now. Nice, but the staying power, on me at least, is weak.
rlq256Diobtetty – :
I want to post a change of heart about this fragrance.
“Fils de Dieu” is actually a pretty great scent and one that celebrates the adventurousness of niche perfume.
Some time ago when I first tested it, the thick, powdery rice note reminded me too much of a steamed up kitchen in a Thai restaurant. Today, with a more experienced nose, I can separate the ingredients more clearly to better appreciate the overall effect, which reminds me less of a kitchen, but instead of a fresher, spicier, more exotic cousin of Guerlain’s classic “Shalimar”.
The opening triad of lime, ginger and coriander is wonderfully fresh, clean and invigorating. Blended with this smooth coconut and powdery rice texture it lends a delicate gourmand feel which I now think is on the right side of foody, yet it still maintains an expensive and elegant feel thanks to the hint of leather in the background. It’s this warm, sultry, powdery leather smell that calls to mind Shalimar, yet in a softer, sheerer and more modern guise. It’s also a lot more unisex than Shalimar, never losing the masculine spiciness of the opening.
Now when I sniff my arm, I think of an evening banquet in some exotic Asian local, the smell of rice and spices diffusing in the humid air and mingling with the perfume of dry, soaped skin.
DEADTH – :
Sharp, herbaceous opening with a hint of fruit. Clean and invigorating but warm underneath from the coconut. I don’t get any rice but maybe I missed it in the opening? This is an interesting juxtaposition of sharp green with the soft, warm coconut/amber base. Complex and changeable – on the back of my hands it’s more herbaceous, on the inside of my wrists more citrusy and a tad soapy. This often happens with perfumes I try (due to the different amount of oils present?) but this the most extreme difference I’ve experienced so far. Despite all the food-y notes – coconut, lime, all the spices – and it’s tropical story it’s so dry that it’s almost, but not quite, austere. Unlike other commenters the base never really developed for me; it retained it’s green, cologne-y personality, although it was well balanced with the warmth of the base. This is my first experience with this house and I must say it lives up to it’s reputation as one that plays by it’s own rules. A fascinating and unusual fragrance but well behaved enough to be worn to work. Unconventional but in an understated, almost sly way. Stylish and mischievous.
kgt849speagoessenda – :
I got signed out. Sorry for the double post. First spritz… zesty lime…sniff…something fresh and green…coriander?…leaning masculine…here comes the wood…oh, and now we wait.
What’s this now?… warm and creamy…fresh coconut and rice come forth as the wafts of lime fade back. Never too much floral, just a whisper. layers overlap just so, never overshadowing but each having their moment. Keeps the element of freshness that means I’m adding this sample to my shower gel! How crude of me, I know!;) But I love to wake up to this type of scent during the warm weather.
Alekseutag – :
I could eat this, fresh, yummy, juicy.
Never smelled anything quite like this, it is exotic, without having the common tropical smell.
I would wear this on a dreamy honeymoon, then sniff the bottle whenever I wanted to remember it.
It is warm, comforting, original, soft, gentle, without being weak.
The drydown is powdery, but still very modern.
wxs466speagoessenda – :
I was expecting stronger lime and a refreshing scent from this but it seems very muted. Soft spices and some creaminess that suggest coconut and rice. It also didn’t last too long. I was hoping for a bolder scent.
Anhel108 – :
This smells like fresh coconut lime curry. Enjoyable, fresh, and clean. This would be wonderful for the spring and summer, though I question if I personally would want to smell like a coconut curry all day. A true gourmand scent as I was catching whiffs of this and left craving a nice Thai curry all day.
alex.torren – :
From the notes, I thought this would make me smell like a mild Thai curry. (And there’s nothing wrong with that; Thai curries are delicious. I’d love to smell like one.) Ginger warmth, coconut milk creaminess, coriander, lime – in theory, I should love this. But it just doesn’t sweep me off my feet. It’s a bit tame with surprisingly low sillage, especially strange when you consider how ELdO tries so hard to project a daring image. The floral notes are very subtle. If, like me, you LOVE coriander and can never get enough of it, you’ll find this comes up a bit short.
Don’t get me wrong, I like this fragrance. But it needs to be a bit MORE in order to be great: more of that creaminess juxtaposed with piquant greens and spices. It’s one of those for my long list of, “If this was cheaper, I’d definitely buy a bottle, but I simply don’t love it enough to drop the kind of cash they’re asking for.”
vitboy – :
I like this, but I’m not swept off my feet like I thought I would be either. I adore the opening, and I really, really regret the fact that the rice notes fade so fast; in my opinion this is what makes this perfume truly special. Once they’re gone, what I’m left with is a blend of citrus, creamy coconut, spices (mostly cardamom), and tonka, with just a hint of floral notes – thoroughly charming, with lovely complexity, and very wearable, but lacking that little je-ne-sais-quoi that would have made me fall for it completely. I find the opening notes so seductive that I keep coming back to the sample hoping that somehow it’ll be different this time around, but to my taste, the body of this perfume is a little bit lackluster. If only the rice notes and the shiso stretched out a bit more… In any case, if you’re curious about Etat Libre d’Orange, this is definitely one of their more approachable, safer perfumes. Even though I find myself somewhat frustrated by it, I’m still glad I sampled it: it’s a well-executed, quality perfume that evolves in interesting ways, and where you can feel the mark of a talented, devoted craftsman. A labour of love to be sure.
jeyk – :
This is something which I didn’t expect that I would like. I tend to like fresh floral or fruity floral perfumes, but I think I’ve found a new category of perfumes for me to explore! This is yummy but without the sickly sweetness of some perfumes. Perfect for days when I don’t feel like wearing something too girly. Too bad this is Way over my budget for me to buy a full bottle.
vladimir7485 – :
A soft fragrance that has a tropical vibe, although it doesn’t seem that well blended for a niche and I’d say it’s generic like a medium-priced designer. It’s so soft and soapy that it’s like a second skin after you showered with a tropical-scented soap. It wears close to the skin and doesn’t really project. Unimpressed with this one.
5/10
sy4ka1776 – :
Tropical, oriental… and totally delicious!Etat Libre d’Orange‘s gourmand masterpiece is Fils de Dieu de Riz et des Agrumes is a fantastic mix of a deep, animalic vanilla oriental (like Shalimar), and a savoury gourmand fragrance.
It has a crazy list of notes… but I basically get some food-like notes, such as lime, shiso leaf, ginger, coriander, coconut… and white rice, followed by leather, vanilla and castoreum. It’s an incredible combination. What I find it comes down to is a (very) well done combination between sweet, rich & creamy… and slightly acid-like savouriness. What I mean is that you have a creamy vanilla flavoured white coconut rice pudding, but also an spicy aromatic herbal mixture of shiso leaf, green cardamom, and the acidity of lime, with dark smoky leather and castoreum.
How does it smell? Well, really nice actually! You would think that this combination would not work, but it does… and it’s actually very wearable! At least to me anyway. I really like it and I think that if you are someone who likes “exotic” smells (or food) and likes “savoury” fragrances, with a hint of sweetness, then you will like this. Some people say it smells “too much” like food. Well, I personally think the balance is just right. You have leather and castoreum to balance out the gourmand aspect. Having said that, please try it out on your skin first, and give it time. I find it a very well done fragrance (really good perfumer here), and it works well with my skin. I think this is a fragrance for people with “unusual” or “unique” tastes in fragrances (like a lot of the Etat Libre d’Orange line), but I personally like it very much.
If you want something very different from anything else, try this one. It may smell like food on you and turn you off… or you may not think like that and really like it anyway! For me it’s very special and unique, and I enjoy wearing it every time.
TEPLIAKOV.VIK – :
I’m still a beginner when it comes to perfumes, and my sample of this has made me realise that I’m not into spicy scents.
I liked it in the bottle, where it smells like grapefruit, coconut and (subtly) of rice. Original and nice. On my skin, though, it smells just like a dish of creamy and most of all very spicy rice. At the dinner table this smell would be welcome but for some reason I don’t want to smell this spicy myself (otherwise I don’t have any problems with smelling like food; most of my favourites are pretty edible, although this is the first one I smelled that actually smells like a main course). Maybe it’s the coriander; it’s pretty dominant and I never liked that smell/taste very much (I don’t mind eating it but I never thinks it makes a dish any better, rather the opposite). More likely, spicy smells are just not for me (yet? I’ll try again in colder weather/when my nose is a bit more experienced).
Edit: it does get better in the drydown; it becomes a much softer and more generic sweet scent then.
baron1310-pol – :
I love the fragrance but all I am getting is an opening blast of Aquanet, then baby pwder/heliotrope, vetiver, and some tonka bean. It reminds me of Shalimar for some reason. Great scent but damn. Just damn. I wanted more…
errowJeosse – :
This was a blind buy, encouraged mainly by the reviews I read here.
I must first say that I live in a rather hot and humid area, and am of Polish-Iraqi descent, so both these facts probably affect the way this perfume smells on my skin.
I was expecting a “foody” fraguance, even wished for it to be on that verge between sweet and spicy-sour coconut and spices mixture. I have to say that I have a craving for “yummy” smells, yet they rarely combine well with my chemistry.
Anyway, this one is “perfumish” alright. It’s good, complicated, almost in an old-school way, yet no rice or coconut clearly detected.
It reminded me a lot of the old perfumes from the house of Guerlain, with it’s combination of clear, strong head notes and it’s rather down to earth base. It felt a little less ballanced than Guerlain, though.
I ended up giving it to my mom, who’s a real Guerlain fan. You can tell the difference between the brands when she’s wearing them, but still, it least on us two they smell quite the same.
Soaftmamadvag – :
Went to a niche perfume shop somewhere in Belgravia and a rather charming and competent salesman introduced this creation to me amongst a few others.
We both talked “perfume” and he introduced this brand to me that I have heard of but never tried.
This creation is interesting in terms of conceptualising and ingredients (that are of course of great quality) but somehow this is rather ‘foody’ and gourmand but not in a flattering way, I must insist.
All it is that you’ll end up smelling of “Thai Food” and people will tell that you smell “RICE” (instead of nice)….
art3m1s – :
This is like a gourmand Shalimar, just sweeter with a twist of lime and coconut. Like wearing Shalimar while sipping a mojito at an island bar. I like it a lot. Actually, I think I love this. It’s highly addictive.
Okay, I’ve decided I just have to have this. So incredibly yummy I can’t stop smelling my wrist! I NEED this!
xkt249Unlogrere – :
What a beauty!
The opening is the most gorgeous fresh, mouthwatering lime note, combined with steamed rice and coriander; the leaves, not the seeds.
It’s an unbelievably joyous scent, yummy, but not too foody. Exotic and just the perfect antidote for our grey winter days.
Then the car seat leather note that also features in Vierges et Toreros makes a short acte de présence, after which the fragrance transforms into a beautiful fluffy castoreum-amber scent, adorned by rose and coriander.
It’s a shortlived scent, and I do wish the gorgeous steamed rice and lime had stayed longer, but I enjoy the complete transformation it makes.
And anyway, I would buy it for the opening alone.
EDIT: not as shortlived as I thought. The beautiful fluffy amber/rose/rice drydown lingers on my skin for a long time. There’s a clear tonka note as well, which gives the whole composition the impression of a light rice pudding.
Actually, this perfume reminds me a lot of Shalimar. It has the Shalimar structure, but the lemon is replaced by lime, the vanilla by rice steamed in coconut milk and the leather and incense by tonka flavored rice.
An exotic, light, summery, quirky, modern (though Shalimar is timeless), Etat Libresque hommage to one of the most beautiful perfumes of all time.
I bought a bottle.
вадим17041995 – :
I had to test this one because when I saw the composition above I thought to myself: What a peculiar combination… After testing, I still wonder at its peculiarity. A lime juice with spicy traces. One of many interesting things to my nose is that I don’t smell so much coconut as nuts- it doesn’t appear creamy, but nutty. Altogether, it leaves on me an impression of an exotic smell (most likely from Asia) which wants to lift your mood by bringing you sun- so ELdO did a good job when fitting description to it.
rfe473bedyWelty – :
One thing I love about Etat Libre d’Orange is that there is absolutely no redundancy in their collection. Unlike many new niche houses, ELdO (established in 2006) does not rest with its meta-concept and churn out countless permutations of a small set of house notes. They do have a meta-concept, but then each individual perfume has its own distinctive concept, just like back in the good old perfume days, pre-Y2K, before all hell broke loose and houses and perfumes began sporing like mushrooms.
Fils de Dieu is an excellent example of what I’m talking about. The alternate name of this perfume is apparently Philippine House Boy, but I prefer Fils de Dieu du Riz et des Agrumes. Either way, the scent absolutely conveys an atmosphere of being in the Philippines and a feeling of rice and lush green vegetation. This is not green perfume but a tropical one, and I have to say that given the dominant coconut and lime it’s pretty difficult for me not to think of Bath & Body Works Coconut Lime Verbena while wearing this scent. There is a big difference, however. The ELdO dries down as a more masculine, spicy-woody scent, while the BBW always retains a more feminine sweet quality. The cardamom and coriander in Fils de Dieu are especially marked and really cut the sweetness of this composition, which also boasts a nice dose of ginger. BBW of course is quite big on sweet fruit scents, so the fact that its variation on the coconut-lime theme remains more dessert-like makes a lot of sense. They are catering to a particular market niche which has grown accustomed to smelling like fruit juice and the like thanks, apparently, to Ann Gottlieb, who I read somewhere has taken credit for the revolutionary “fruity turn” in the mass market fragrance world.
For my tastes, this spicy, more masculine and less foody version of the coconut-lime theme is more appealing as a perfume. (I do like the BBW as a vacation scent.) I’ve worn Fils de Dieu a couple of times, and I have to say that it smells swell, and I’d love to have a bottle. Nice job on this one, Ralf Schwieger and ELdO! Please keep up the good work.
nonaAccenia – :
I would call this a predominantly Jasmine and vanilla scent. The opening notes start out very fresh. Throughout the development there is slight waftings of coconut and ginger. Then in the drydown I smell mostly musk and vanilla with a hint of leather. Oddly, enough in the mid-notes I get that slight animalic uric smell, which sits at odds with me. The scent is more of a skin scent, very soft, almost fragile in nature, not too dissimilar to le labo’s what we do in Paris.
sweta – :
Fils de Dieu, du riz et des agrumes (a.k.a. Phillippine houseboy) is my first encounter with this brand and I am thoroughly impressed. As a matter of fact I love it! Easy to wear, different and charming.
The first minutes are a mix of rice pudding, rather not sweet… as if the rice were slightly toasted before. A tad of cardamom adds spice to this dish and after a few minutes coconut comes in to make it even yummier. I must add here that there is an element I couldn’t name on my earlier spritz (I’ve sprayed ten times today lol) and I am surprised it is one I generally abhooor! I mean castoreum… not only the smell but especially the idea of animals being used for our pleasure makes me feel bad. Fortunately now it’s all synthetic, isn’t it? I truly hate that note, but here it is handled just to give the scent a well balanced finish, to not let it go too sweet but rather sour-sweet (the lime too, of course, now I see where it is!). An exotic touch!
It doesn’t last that long at its pinnacle… 2-3hs max but then the scent, subdued, stays for many many hours. The drydown is nice, different… simpler but well done too. I don’t recommend this scent for parties or long events since it lacks strength after the first half hour… but it is truly delicious without falling into an obvious gourmand. It is unisex and even if not groundbreaking it deserves attention and will make you smell gorgeous, believe me. It is a very special addition to my cabinet.
Thanks Jane for your advice!
kolydy – :
Two thumbs way up for the opening stage: wet on the skin Fils smells like a warm sticky rice ball soaked in coconut milk. Absolutely delicious.
The amazing top notes then wear off and all that remains is a very weak aquatic cologne.
kasper82 – :
I’m still at the top note stage of my sample, but it made me laugh when I tried it at Les Senteurs. Opening Perfumes, the Guide at random I came across Poopoo Pidou which sounds similar. Has anybody compared the too?
buka12 – :
I love, love, love this! So beautifully warm and delicious smelling.
sfy069JeomiWogkig – :
I was incredibly fortunate to have won a sample of this fragrance in a competition a few months ago. I didn’t know what to expect, having never tested anything from this brand before, but I was delighted to be given the opportunity to test it in the comfort of my own home.
Fils de Dieu, (the name is far longer but I’ll shorten it to simply this), is a fabulously complex and beautifully composed fragrance. The main notes to my nose are orange, ginger and lime, however there are many other fascinating ingredients that make up the rest of this blend. I could literally smell this for hours and be quite content doing just that.
It is said to have been inspired by the Asian tropics. I have never travelled there, nor tasted many Asian dishes from which the coconut rice accord came to fruition, but I do get a sense of its exotic aura and somewhat foreign approach.
There are so many people raving about Fils de Dieu, and I’m just going to chime in with my positivity too. Even those that don’t fall head over heels for this fragrance, should count themselves lucky for having experienced the complexity of this scent alone. The perfumer Ralf Schwieger is a very clever man and I will be looking out for more of his compositions in future.
Although the opening is very bright and citrusy, the ginger and coriander add a certain depth and intensity to the scent. The spices are never too much. They prefer to compliment rather than intrude. The heart makes way for a delicious blend of coconut milk, white rice and vanilla. It’s not far from being a gourmand, and an interesting one at that. It’s savoury rather than sweet.
This fragrance amazes me with its smooth transitions from one stage to the next. The drydown is a delicate meeting of animalic musk with exotic spice. This is where a sense of sensuality can be felt, which I find a suitable end to such a captivating scent.
The longevity is rather good, lasting a decent six or more hours on the skin. The sillage is not overpowering, but it does leave a pleasant trail. I personally think that this is a fragrance not to be missed.
NB. I may be wrong, but I’m certain that this fragrance and Philippine Houseboy by the same brand is the same fragrance, just a different name.
Kabarikon – :
I am currently in love with this one and it is not my custom to buy any perfume without testing on skin at least a few times but this one broke down all my barriers.
Fils de Dieu seems to hit just the right balance between being gourmand and refreshing. Being saliva inducing pleaser of a crowd and yet totally unique.
So how did they ‘cook’ this? 🙂 Bet not the way I imagine but I would do it this way. Take DKNY Creamy Meringue or Laura Mercier Tarte au Citron. Add some coconut and greenness to make it fresh (as I am not entirely sure what shiso smells like but if this is a mint-like plant, it might as well be due to that).
Sprinkle a few spices on top and mix it thoroughly. The spices just give a mellow background, thankfully they are not sharp or overtly masculine to me. Personally I did not mind the coriander (not a fan of coriander btw)
With time it gets more animalic, musky and perhaps castoreum, stunning base I must say!
I know this is unisex but to me it is more suited for a woman as on the drydown it gets sweeter (I agree with almost vanilla-ey as Helsinki said).
ion – :
FDD – Son of God – is the most challenging fragrance I’ve tried so far. Etat Libre d’Orange might have some sort of a fixation with divinity: First Divin’Enfant, now this. Oh well!
The fragrance starts with a blast of lime, coriander and ginger. The heart is dominated by coconut. A big coconut that is accompanied with the coriander and lime. I dislike this fragrance and had to compare it with Secretions Magnifiques just to see which one I like less (Secretions won my little private ugly-race, but fortunately, it also brought out the rose note in Fils de Dieu)!
I’ve never been to Asia or eaten Philippine food, but seeing a picture of rice and lime really helped me to bear this fragrance. The “rice note” is very well presented and I really have to take my hat off for R. Schwieger for that. And if you sniff very closely, you can detect jasmine in the heart notes. It’s minuscule but it’s there.
Fils de Dieu is a laudable example of how perfumes can widen one’s own boundaries outside the actual world of perfumes