Voyages Imaginaires Le Grand Jeu AI generated background, collage by Nicoleta
“In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” ― Albert Camus
Photo for Voyages Imaginaires Le Grand Jeu by Camille Goutal©
In the labyrinth of life, our memories and experiences interweave, each thread carrying its unique scent, like clues on a cosmic treasure map, leading us into the heart of creation, the birthplace of inspiration, the realm where art and soul converge. As we traverse these landscapes, the air becomes scented with something both familiar and wholly new, like an echo of our past projecting onto the canvas of our future. One such scented voyage of discovery awaits us in the creations of Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen, the masterminds behind Voyages Imaginaires. The collection is a veritable epic of the senses, like stepping onto the deck of an olfactory ship that’s about to cast off into the heart’s hinterlands, voyaging through the mystical topography of emotion, remembrance, and desire. Their journey, like the fabled ship of Theseus, reconstructs our understanding of the self, not through the literal olfactive planks of the vessel, but through the intimate, invisible, and ephemeral traces left by perfume on our skin and in our memories. Each creation, crafted with an unparalleled passion for natural materials, is an intimate invitation to an inner voyage, a means to unlock our subconscious, to stir our dormant desires, and to rediscover the lost paradises of our childhood.
Camille Goutal and Isabelle Doyen, official brand photo
It’s way past noon, somewhere on a tropical beach with white sands and clear pale blue waters. Today the ocean is still, no waves dare to bother the blue infinity stretched into the lines of the horizon. Above, a pale blue sky is the perfect mirror for the blissful silent eternity, in this place where clocks have forgotten their movement and time is ensnared and still. As still as the bodies stretched out in the sun, feet buried in the hot white sand, skin glistening, a deeper shade of bronze. The palm trees sway in the breeze, so slowly as if the air is made of white honey, slowly pouring between the large gaps between one second and the next.
Photo courtesy of the brand©
The first minutes into Le Grand Jeu summoned in my mind the image of that paradise – and if paradise was a lush tropical island, this would be its smell – a pale yellow light where the nectar of white flowers float in a sunlit milky veil.
Slowly things become less angelic and more human, with the aftertaste of the salt on the sweaty hot skin and the sweet white flesh of coconut that is so ripe, it almost feels like tasting an overripe banana. Playing in the background, we have the blend of milky white coconut juice mixed with the decadent richness of the vanilla, with tuberose lending its bubblegum-ish yellow mouthwatering facets to the mix. But it never feels too “tropical”, neither does it fall into the sticky aftermath of the usual white flower-coconut scents. In Le Grand Jeu, although not listed, I feel the presence of a mischievous green, lime-ish freshness that keeps the scent alive, light-as-a-feather, and as refreshing as a coconut cocktail, green umbrella included.
As the rays of the sun turn to the reddish hue of the evenings, the white flower blossom, turning carnal, voluptuous, all curves, petals so round they are busting out at the seams with powdery sweet nectar. The tuberose turns to a heady and opulent smell, mixed with gardenia for a creamy, elegant effect that works both for “old money” Monte Carlo aesthetics and young contemporary white-minimalist-art-gallery associations. Bond Woman, Bond Girl, Bond, James Bond – this kind of effortless, relaxed, and self-assured timeless seduction power has no gender, nor any age.
Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder1962 from Dr. No, Daniel Craig as James Bond and Eva Green as Vesper Lind Casino Royale 2006 photos IMDb
Note from the brand: “This one has sex appeal to spare, proudly flaunting its tremendous sensuality. Heads turn towards the arousing scent of wet, tanned bodies, heating in the sun. The full-on charisma of a Bond Girl, or Bond himself. We see ourselves, in long daringly low-cut evening dress or tuxedo, leaning over the gambling table, charmed, captivated. A summer that can last all year round. On the skin… A dazzling white, under a blinding sun. Gardenia and tuberose. Coconut milk. Vanilla. Exuberant and fearless. “
Notes: gardenia, tuberose, coconut milk, vanilla
All Voyages Imaginaries Parfums are 100 percent natural
Disclosure: Bottle gifted by the brand, opinions are my own
Nicoleta Tomsa, Senior Editor
Voyages Imaginaires Le Grand Jeu bottle and box by Nicoleta
Thanks to the generosity of Voyages Imaginaires we have a 75 ml bottle of Le Grand Jeu for one registered reader in the EU and USA. You must register or your entry will not count. To be eligible, please leave a comment saying what sparks your interest based on Nicoleta’s review and where you live. Draw closes 6/29/2023
Voyage Imaginaires Parfums are available in the USA at Indigo Perfumery
Please read Emmanuelle’s overview of Voyages Imaginaires, review by Ida Meister of Tea & Rock n’ Roll, (A Best of Scent 2021 for Emmanuelle) and Karl Topham (La Couleur de la Nuit). Voyages Imaginaires is the recipient of Michelyn and Ermano’s Best of Scent 2021 for Best Natural Perfume House and Voyages Imaginaires L’Eau des Immortels a Top 10 perfume from Ermano and Michelyn 2022. Emmanuelle included L’Eau des Immortels in her top ten of 2022
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