#i only got this because i was getting a partial bottle of varensia from the same seller and thought why not it’s only $8

[dozydawn]

Discontinued Fragrances: Pleine Lune by Ulric de Varens (1995)

From the same house that made the celebrated and popular chypre Varensia (1994), Pleine Lune remains very obscure, there isn’t even a listing on Fragrantica.

LaParfumerie tells me the top notes are pineapple and orange blossom, middle notes are amaryllis, jasmine, and almond, and base notes are honey, caramel, vanilla, and chocolate.

Came across a partial bottle for very cheap and I’m so glad I did. “Full Moon” is a soft vanilla floriental. My first impression was that it smelled like a 50/50 blend of an ultra sweet, Angel-esque gourmand of today and a big ‘old lady’ oriental of yesteryear. One foot in the past, one foot in the future. I’ve fallen hard.

I tested it before reading the notes, and didn’t work out that the fruit in the opening was pineapple. The pineapple here isn’t tropical or summery like you’d expect, it’s the warmth and sour-sweetness of a pineapple upside down cake. Behind it, there’s a powdery old school floral, vague and mysterious but big and loud, with a whisper of bitter almond, all working in conjunction with a backdrop of ooey melted caramel. And it sticks around, the scent itself is fairly linear, there isn’t much of a journey, but I wouldn’t want there to be. It’s perfect. I want to eat it, I want to sleep in it.

I love the astronomical, world-by-night packaging. Pictures don’t do it justice, but the bottle is lovely: frosted glass textured like a topographical globe, front and back. I wouldn’t call it a nighttime fragrance exclusively, but I’d happily wear this to bed every night, it’s that soft and comforting.

Great staying power, I’m thankful, and projection here means nothing to me, as long as I can smell it on myself, I’m happy. This is the first discontinued fragrance I’ve fallen completely head over heels for and I’ll be searching like a hawk for backups since it’s so obscure.