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beseaka – :
Rappelle-Toi is, what i affectionately call, a stinker. It’s in the same category of “stink bug” perfumes that i absolutely adore, but people around me might not really appreciate.
Dior Hypnotic Poison EDP, Mugler Angel EDP, Cartier Delices EDT (can’t speak of EDP since i never smelled it), and biggest offender of them all-Mugler Angel Etoile Mystique are my fave stink bugs.
Rappelle Toi took me by surprise; i think i expected something boozy,maybe green too,or peppery due to gin and pepper notes, but as it often happens, the picture we create in our minds is usually much different from reality.
If anyone wonders about what this smells like, well, it starts off similar to Annick Goutal Songes. I sprayed them both, and i swear that differences between the two are very subtle in the opening.
However, these two take two very different roads.Where Songes disappears shortly, in typical Goutal fashion, Rappelle Toi stays, maybe even longer than one would want it to.
It quickly goes from natural and pretty to stinky and stale, but don’t get me wrong, i love it. It reminds me of Stranger Things (Netflix show). It opens suitable for our dimension, and quickly turns like it came from Upside Down. It is very hard to describe it, one truly needs to experience this and form their own opinion. My husband, who likes all my perfumes, even the above mentioned stinkers, said Rappelle Toi smells like the In between Toe area after wearing boots for too long. I think i took slight offense to that, but i am not sure i will wear this outside the walls of my own home.
I will also never wear Angel Etoile Mystique again after getting legit embarrassed by it in public, but i can and do wear it when lounging at home.
With all that said, i do not consider Rappelle-Toi a safe blind buy. It’s certainly an acquired taste. Test before you buy!
slaoweem – :
This scent brought a vision of an evening encounter. It starts off innocent enough, that of gin drinks at a casual bar. Adorning the table is a drink glass, filled with water and a fresh-cut gardenia.
The evening continues with more conversation and finding each other’s present company engaging.
They agree to take a casual walk outside and enjoy the night air. The gardenia is quickly snatched off the table and they walk outside, continuing to enjoy the current conversation that was started in the bar.
As they walk together, the conversation slowly reveals their liking for each other. Suddenly, a kiss, and they are now wrapped in each other’s arms. A warmth fills the both of them. Senses take over, both wishing the night would never end.
Sadly the night ends, both parties had parted in the wee hours of the morning. Though both had left each other for now, what remains is a wonderful memory of that evening and the sensual, unforgettable warm scent of each other’s skin.
Editteheiniuh – :
It’s not exactly what I expected but it is wonderful. Opening is straight up gin and tonic to me with juniper, lime, and a hint of bitterness (like quinine) and an effervescent quality that takes it straight to the head. A gin and tonic that you are drinking in a summer flower garden,
In the heart I think I was expecting a more gardenia prominent scent and the gardenia is there but, for me, the whole thing is so well blended that, a short time into the development, the gardenia, honey, pepper, and incense all merge into a beautiful sweet/spicy/floral accord that is hard to deconstruct into distinct notes. There is also a lurking, background indolic or animalistic note through the heart part of this perfume.Sometimes this comes across to me as an indolic gardenia and at other times like that animalistic note you find in some honeys. There is definite sweetness here but it has a bit of a sharp edge that keeps it from going too sweet.
I tried it first, inside in a highly air conditioned house and, as it dried down, the sandalwood came forward and the whole thing slid slowly into a smooth, soft, warm, slightly waxy, skin scent.
Later I reapplied and this time went out in the 30degree C temps to do messages. In the heat, the dry down was different and developed a sort of tartness to it ( I don’t know why but something about the dry down of this in the heat reminded me of the dry down of my old Must de Cartier.) I think that this may be what some reviewers are referring to as a sour note but, on me, I find it to be a pleasant tartness that freshens the scent up in the heat.
All in all, a complex and wonderful scent .
I should add that this was the version in the old clear bottle that comes in the velvet box not the one in the new packaging. Not sure if that makes a difference to the formulation or not.
kkh101Unlogrere – :
I was able to get the 4oz bottle..the bottle is a thing of beauty. But the fragrance is just incredible. MY NOSE, picks up on a borderline grassiness, with honey and booze poured over it. And all the grassiness amounts to a very astringent smelling gin note, period.Thats off the top. And then it evolves into a thing of beauty. If you’re a man, wearing this will get compliments, despite what you may think.
Unless you are wearing something that is blatantly effeminate, I think most folks out here in the World, have evolved from thinking most fragrances are gender specific. There are entirely too many great scents out here to even debate what a man should wear versus what women wear.
Im wearing this now. And I already know that the sandalwood, pepper and booze, will keep me from smelling like Joan Collins. And on the other hand, smelling like Joan Collins, probably isnt a bad thing, right?. The drydown, features a big whack of musky sandalwood. All in all, this is a grade A scent.
And I love it even more, because the gardenia isnt all over the wall, so to speak, because the sillage is very moderate and sits close to the skin. Its more of a skin scent than it is, a powerhouse, in oither words. But if you spray a little more than necessary, it will last all day, and it wont gross you out. A masterpiece..
DonHerbarni – :
Very feminine take on gardenia, perfect for those who like their florals with sweetness. The honey note starts out very subtle, but becomes more noticeable with time. It eventually takes over in the drydown which, at least on my skin, is mostly honey. Perfect for cooler temperatures.
buharov79 – :
This was not quite what I hoped it would be. I was so looking forward to the incense which never showed up on me. The gardenia went very jasmine indolic on me. I love gardenias and jasmine in nature but am not keen on either in scents, especially jasmine. This was not a creamy sweet gardenia, but a heavy in the heat of summer indolic animalic jasmine.
My favorite part of the evolution was really the top and very fleeting note. The first five minutes are glorious gin, and it’s the real deal. It is a fresh, limey herbal juniper berry gin with a whiff of pepper and it may not sound appealing but it is. Of course, I do like gin especially gin and tonic. After that the perfume settled into the aforementioned notes.
The very last few hours, as a skin note, it became sweeter, more wood, so the sandalwood hit at the very end.
Overall, a nice scent, not love, but okay. I can see someone else loving it, but not me. The longevity is pretty good, but the silage is low. It stays in a bubble around the body, but does not leave a trail.
pavelarh – :
Finally got to wear this fragrance on a rainy day!
mmmmm! Swooning right now…
This is how this scent is meant to be worn: During milder weather, as a melancholic remembrace of summer.
Mild weather prolongs the sweet gardenia / “mango” (actually gin and honey that remind me of mango) notes, while keeping the civet funk in check… still sexy and very intimate, but in check 😉
There you have it. This is my update. My review below.
bcq269speagoessenda – :
The opening is an explosion of gin and gardenia, and a few minutes in, this lovely concuction begins to develop some heat in the form of honey.
This fragrance carries with it a certain elegance without having many ingredients. It is light, sweet, and sexy. It’s a contemporary sweet scent with quite the french estheatic, so be prepaired for a little funk (that’s the sexy part) mixed within all the beauty.
I think it’s best worn during spring / fall, and I imagine it would be beautiful to wear on a rainy day.
Longevity: 4 – 6 hours, Projection: Low to Moderate.
Now to what Rappelle Toi means to me:
That gin and gardenia explosion is very reminicent of the caustic milk that exudes from the stem of a freshly cut mango.
As this fragrance heats up, and the honey tones arise, I am immediately transported to my childhood: On the weekends, we would go to our country home, and on Satudays we often went to the town square.
I remember sitting at the plaza, biting into a freshly cut sweet mango purchased at the street market, the juice dripping down my hand…
There’s a civet undertone, which is reminiscent of salty bodies in the heat of this green little tropical paradise. -Surely B. Duchaufour, was not thinking of a 4 to 9 year old girl’s memory when he added this note; – But this is my experience, I am recounting here,
So… It’s hot, I’m sitting at the plaza, eating a juicy mango, and then… I hear the church bells toll, it’s the end of mass, and as the church doors open, incence fills the air…
Rappelle Toi is my childhood in a bottle:
Sticky, green and lush, perpetual bathing suits from Friday through Sunday. The only time I wore clothes was to go to town: some short shorts and a t-shirt on top of a damp bathingsuit and mangoes all year round.
I tried to recreate the experience, in the tropical garden of my Miami home. -Pictured on my avatar.- BTW, I moved into that place, because the lush garden reminded me of that country home…
And well, all I can say is:
Word of adivise: Do not try this fragrance in the summer. The civet takes over after approx. 2 hours of wear, and it smells as though a very cute furry animal had peed on me.
So this fragrance, in my view, is best worn as a melancholic rememberance of summer, during milder weather. It always brings a smile to my face 🙂
Rappelle-Toi: What a fitting name! I recommend you buy it, and create some memories of your own… hopefully far sexier than mine… and involving a fresh juiciy mango and a couple of gin cocktails
HausAlmollas – :
I’ve been on an L’Artisan kick lately…After reading the rave reviews on RT, I sprung for a ten dollar sample…Much to my huge dismay, this one is a BIG ‘no’ on my skin!
Woe, woe is me — I *SO* wanted to love this one…Unfortunately, I had to scrub it off because it turned super sweet on me, and leaned more toward a synthetic gardenia rather than the gardenias I prefer which are more natural and sometimes with a touch of green…No Sichuan pepper revealed itself, and the gin almost evaporated upon first spray…
*sigh*
Back to the ol’ drawing board…
romchen – :
Follow up review:
After spending time with this fragrance I must say from the name Rappelle Toi
Rappelle-Toi – To remind you / a moment of self-reflection
Down to the fragrance a lot of creativity / research / effort went into this
Gardenia has many different symbolisms and the phrase “Rappelle – Toi” is one of them
The mirror, the emotional healer, & up lifter… This gardenia scent is meant to empower & help you to release negative energy
The opening of gin, schezuan pepper, gardenia itself & honey all come together to create a true to life aura of a gardenia flower which actual smells like gardenia is its browning stages to me where it’s still fresh but takes on a darker more fleshy carnal aroma!!!!
As it Drydown the gin and spices mellow out and the honey stays with the gardenia creating a more indolic tone the longer it stays this is where I see it becoming weird to people or a little uncomfortable for some…. Leaving a clear state of pure gardenia and transitioning into a lustful, sex drivin, wild flower (hedonistic facets)
Rappelle-toi is diffinitly a gardenia that will make you reflect and be reborn again just from its true to life opening then when you’re feeling better it will bring out your sexy side
In many culture gardenia is in fact used for meditation, reflection, & a prayer aid because of its warm calming aura
This in fact makes me want to know what tom fords velvet gardenia smell like cause this fragrance would fit perfectly in his collection
ЧистЯк – :
One reviewer said it smells like it belongs in the Tom Ford private blends / Serge Luten line….
Well Tom Ford made one very similar to this called Venetian Bergamot just this one Has a more bitter opening with the gin & tonic ( a lime opening for those who are wondering what it smells like in the fragrance) while Venetian Bergamot is more sweeter
The pepper gives it a soft spiciness that’s more herbal tea like… Reminding me of another fragrance Queens by Bond N°9
But Rappelle Toi is very relaxing more relaxing than I was expecting from the reviews… It’s not a blazing gardenia but it’s a GARDENIA fragrance that’s sexy / inviting almost caramel / ambery like with the base notes… An evening scent indeed…
Mine did come in the original box (burgundy suede like) I don’t know how the newer boxed Rappelle Toi is compared to this one… More likely the same formula
meliya – :
Rappelle-Toi by L’Artisan Parfumeur is quite a daring fragrance. It won’t appeal to everyone but then again that’s half the fun. Of all the Explosions d’Emotions range, Rappelle-Toi was the only fragrance that was added to L’Artisan Parfumeur’s permanent line-up. I suspect that this fragrance was the popular choice.
Rappelle-Toi is a white floral done differently. It opens with a lush and creamy gardenia accord which is further sweetened by honey and gin. For the first few hours of wear this fragrance is super sweet and somewhat bizarre.
The heart throws in some darker notes like sichuan pepper, dusty sandalwood and smoky incense. Rappelle-Toi is an alluring fragrance that you can’t stop smelling because it’s unlike anything you’ve ever smelt before.
In order to appreciate this fragrance you do have to like gardenia and honey in large quantities. If you’re not a fan of big, loud white florals you probably won’t like Rappelle-Toi. Unfortunately my fiance wasn’t all too thrilled with this scent yet his opinion did not faze me, I happily spritzed on Rappelle-Toi at the airport before sitting next to him for a four hour flight.
I am pleased to say that Rappelle-Toi has excellent longevity, lasting the entire journey in a pressurized airplane cabin. I probably won’t be adding this fragrance to my collection as testing this fragrance whilst sitting next to my fiance was torture enough. However I wouldn’t rule out some further testing in the future.
Meencecaw – :
(update) Man, oh man….this is amazing. Right off the top, I did bump into something that almost smacked of something citrus-y…but it was indeed, the gin….which has that acidic bite that anything citrus-based, has. This stuff lasted most of the day on me. I wore it to work, and got a few compliments. I didnt come across the incense. But a co worlker did, because she called it out. Ive noticed that my nose will pick different nots up, at different times. So, that would be the case with this scent. Im sure in time, I will smell the incense.
I also get a “snudge” of Dior Addict (2014) in this, for what its worth.
This is what you’d wear with a tux…or on the other end of the spectrum, you’re wearing it with a nice pair of jeans (skinnier, for me), a chic pair of slip ons and a very attractive shirt of some sort.
This is a beautiful perfume….period. From my 2nd favourite house after Amouage
vicsTiliflins – :
I find Rappelle-Toi quite lovely with its woody notes, spicy softness, and gentle floral heart.
Gin is ever so fleeting in the opening. I had to really sniff hard for it to even detect it before it disappeared. The sichuan pepper is quite soft, no harshness but it does lift the perfume and elevate the vaporous woods. And yes, the woods… sandalwood, in beautiful abundance and quite amplified on my skin.
Gardenia is very present but not as a heady floral on my skin. It’s incredibly well blended with the sandalwood and accented with honeyed sweetness in delicate measure.
I don’t detect coconut as others have mentioned, but instead, a very prominent almond note that lends itself to a creamy, fantasy gardenia, so much so that it reminds me of the drydown accord in Mugler’s Alien, but woodier. This even crosses over into Lanvin Oxygene territory with its peppered woods with a wisp of musk and flowers. Yes, a definite hybrid of Oxygene and Alien, at least to my nose.
Great sillage and longevity additionally makes Rappelle-Toi a beautiful, warm, addition to any wardrobe.
volvo – :
Love this- I think of it as a sweet fig scent laced with gardenia which seems to belie the listed notes. Definitely is distinct and has some staying power.. it’s like Thierry Mugler’s Womanity but much more wearable, no strange or jarring notes!
krasotaspaset – :
If this perfume can be compared with a human person..
I would compare it with a hysterical drag-queen with a tiny sensitive heart.
devlanka – :
I thought I would like this, but I don’t. There is something a bit upsetting about it, maybe it is this particular kind of pepper or the honey that reads a bit sour on me. When I smelled it without knowing the notes, I thought it was indolic jasmine, but then I learned it is gardenia. I can’t say I detect much of the gin either. Not my favorite.
AlexDriga – :
I blind bought this recently, the original bottle in the pink box was on sale probably because they changed all the bottles now. Gardenia, honey, I honestly thought it would be a safe blind buy…. after having tried it several times I can only say the pepper is very prominent the first half hour and it’s also very sweet.
I’m sure this can smell divine on certain people but it’s too peppery on me for the first half hour or so.
This perfume in the new packaging is now only available in 100ml, if you are interested in my 50ml bottle pm me! (Europe only)
Boodiawal – :
The initial blast is really green and bitter. Then the gardenia begins to emerge. I don’t drink, so I’m not sure if I’d be able to identify the gin note, but I expect that it might be at least partly responsible for the greenness I detect.
Then… pepper and what must be honey and incense.
Wow. I’m not sure that I “love” it (yet at least) but I appreciate it deeply.
I love the combination of notes, how they work together, and that they seem uncommon” somehow.
Very nice green peppery gardenia. Probably a safe blind buy for anyone who likes gardenia with a twist.
GoblinRUS – :
I got my sample along with another new Duchaufour frag Sensual, with grapefruit and ginger. I didn’t think this was the one I would like the most, quickly purchased for $68/125 ml from fragrance net, a great value !
I forgot that gardenia was in this, when I first sniffed it, I thought wow, this is opulant, rich, warm, yet bright. I thought this smells like it could be Amouage, or Lutens, TF Private Blends…
There are no balsams listed, though it is described by Fragrantica as balsamic. Maybe the insence note is frankincense. It surely has the rich density of a good balsamic fragrance. I loved gardenia in Halstan’s classic, ” Z-14″. And a friend gave us a gardenia plant last year, so I can say the gardinija here is exquisite and natural smelling.
I think this is a truly shared fragrance, maybe slightly leaning to the feminine. The pepper, incense, woods and balsamic notes make it sufficiently masculine. Spring and summer have gotten most of the votes for season of wear, but my first impression was Winter, as the fragrance is so warm. I like the opening the best when the gardenia smells green and most fresh.
The fragrance is quite sweet, I would prefer it slightly less so, but it’s balanced with the hint of pepper and smoke. A sweet woody gardinija is the shortest way to discribe it. This is much less floral than say, Duchaufour’s Seville at Dawn, which is a much lighter or brighter white floral frag.
So I had recently capped off my collection with my best 40 after 3 years, with two great favorites, Sycomore, and Interlude. I couldn’t resist getting this though, as it’s quite extraordinary, may be close to top 5.
My dear mother died a month ago, and she was one of the best florists in America having her shop,”Nijole’s Flowers” in Greenwich CT. I had bought her “Gardenia Island” fragrance that she used. So this fragrance will make me think of her.
Rating: 8.75/10
God bless you. John 3:16.
dj_vex – :
A dreamy, creamy gardenia that emerges from behind some unique top notes. I feel relaxed, warm and happy when I’m wearing this.
vtarasovstr – :
This is gorgeous. Creamy, fluffy, dreamy and romantic.
Love it.
NEpal – :
This is one of those frags my nose had to learn. I have a decant of it that I put into my rotation so I’d wear it every few weeks. It was ‘nice’ but it wasn’t until about the fourth wearing that I ‘got’ it and it is the most gorgeous gardenia I’ve yet to find.
Gardenia is my elusive grail so imagine my joy when I applied Rappell-Toi once again but this time about 15 minutes into it I was absorbed in reading something when I thought, ‘what is this, where is the bright fresh true gardenia that is surrounding me?’. I couldn’t believe it, but that elusive grail had been in my cabinet all this time just waiting to surprise me.
Needless to say I hied over to ebay and found a new tester of it at a third of retail price sold through fragrance.net and hit the buy button!
stepnik – :
This opens with a blast of sichuan peppercorn, gardenias, and tiny bit of gin.
(I’m half asian and very used to the herbal almost soapy pepper smell that sichuan peppercorns impart, but never knew that they blend so gorgeously with gardenias!
They’re a match made in heaven)
Seconds later it transforms and a layer of beautiful real honey and what I associate as coconut cream drenches the the peppered gardenias.
It’s so creamy, intoxicating, and deliciously gourmand.
I am falling in love with this beautifully blended scent that combines sultry and innocent. This stuff is pretty powerful in the beginning, but it subdues into floral musk skin scent.
This embodies the scent of christmas with the asian side of my family in California.
The food cooked with coconut milk and lots of pepper, the flowers, some drinking, and creamy lighty sweet desserts.
I love it.
I run cold so I will probably wear this during the summer too since it has an asian/tropical/pacific island feel, but it’s a rich and slightly warm scent that may be too warm for some during the summer heat (depending on where you live and your body chemistry)
igor1989_10 – :
I just tried it for the first time and my bf tried it on at the same time, to see how the fragrance would differ.
At first i sensed something citrusy, fresh and quickly after, it became a bit smooth and creamy. It reminded me of some tropical liquor drink, maybe with some coconut in it (even though coconut isn’t one of the official notes in this one). It was delightful however and that creamy, fruity scent was even stronger on my bf. After a while it turned into a more warm, woody tone. I liked it. A lot.
Just tried it on once but i am looking forward to smell it on my arm, or a loved ones arm once again.
sheva-95 – :
This is a darling of a perfume, a real show-stopper. I’m going to get a FB of this as soon as possible. I’m telling you all this upfront, because I am making no attempt to be unbiased about it. 🙂
It opens bright and fresh but not unduely sharp, a cloud of florals enlivened with a drop of gin – no more than a drop, and in no way ‘boozy’ smelling.
The fragrance then moves smoothly to gardenia, but a soft and approachable gardenia, not the huge smothering thing that sometimes gives gardinia a bad name. This is flanked by other, less identifiable, florals and a touch of spice. The blend is smooth and no note dominates another unduely, although the gardenia is always to the fore.
Over time the base notes start to make themselves known, mostly based on a moderate but quite enduring creamy sandalwood with a litle musk beside it.
This a perfume with a lot of public presence, although it isn’t overwhelming or too ‘big’.
It has a delicious development from a clear sharable floral to a warm, smooth, very faintly animalic skin scent.
Highly recommended.
Edit – Well now I have the bottle, and it’s a lovely perfume to apply – lush and generous in a way that a sample can’t offer.
The drawback is that although the perfume is true to form early on, the basenotes are now much more prominent and much more powdery than I thought they were from the sample.
Longevity is good, (6hrs+) but then there is probably another six hours of musky powder that is distinctly stronger than a skin scent, and very faintly obnoxious.
It’s still worth it for the first six glorious hours, though…
Seepttahded – :
Rappele Toi makes part of the luxuous L’artisan collection, where each creation represent a kind of mood or sensation.Rapelle Toi, in thesis, is a contemplative perfume centered on the gardenia aroma, and for me it’s a kind of warm and sexy, not exactly my impression of something contemplative.My first impression is of something extremely spicey and fresh, with a smell that reminds me of both iris and cucumber.After this it goes into a fruity floral interpreation of the gardenia aroma, a floral, juicy one that reminds me of gardenia creations like Serge Lutens Une Voix Noire (without the boozy side) and Cartier La Panthere (without the patchouli base). There is a citrus nuance interesting on the fragrance heart, something that reminds of the bittersweet smell of orange flower leafs.Finally, it’s base reveals an interesting and different facet of its smell, a combination of honey, musk and sandalwood that offers a more carnal side to tis smells. In this phase Rapelle Toi acts for me in two lavels: at distance it’s fruity floral and succulent aroma seems inocent, but close the skin it reveals a more animalic and dry side that makes me think of something more intimate, like a love that hides all it experience behind an inocent facade. It’s a beautiful dynamic perfume, even tough it’s not a contemplative one.
borisSV – :
I bought this last weekend at Barneys. My favorite fragrance is POAL, but I wanted something new for the holidays that would be sexy and feminine and but not cloying or overly girly. I spent a good deal of time working with the fragrance associates to sort through my options. (A huge thanks BTW to the boys at the Chicago Barneys for being so helpful and taking so much time with me). In the end Rappelle-Toi was exactly what I was looking for. This fragrance is mature and confident in its femininity and I feel very beautiful when I wear it.
I like the bright gin opening, but then… I’m a martini-up sort of gal. This note passes quickly and moves to my favorite part, the combination of pepper, gardenia and incense with just a touch of creamy honey underneath. These notes are balanced beautifully and create a warm and feminine mystique.
I would say that the sillage and longevity are moderate but then, I am used to POAL.
————————————————————————————————
Edited to add… I’ve been wearing this now for a month and I’m obsessed with it. I wish I had a better understanding of perfumes so that I could correctly describe the interplay of the various notes. The longevity is definitely better than I first thought. While it isn’t POAL, it does project a moderate sillage for a good 6 hours. If I spray it on before bed, I can still smell it on my skin the next morning.
profitex – :
The opening is tough. The middle pure gardenia. The dry down is the best moment of this scent. A lovely skin scent. Not for me bc it’s quite floral. My favorite in this line is amour nocturne which I immediately bought two bottles of.