Cologne of the Week: Le Fleur’s French Waltz

Celebrity brands should always be treated with suspicion. In most cases, they’re not the product of passion and genuine care, but rather, little more than an endorsement deal, in which they slap their name and fame to an overpriced white-label good. For example, companies like Masteroast now develop, roast, package, and generally run celebrity coffee brands, which they market on Instagram. But, even if the brand is a genuine passion project from a celebrity who’s involved and cares, there’s still reason to be skeptical.A musician is not famous for their ability to design and create clothes, so there’s no reason to assume their clothing brand will be any good, and they will usually pay themselves more than other founders will, whilst also charging higher prices. Suppose you compare two brands of similar status in the same market, but one was founded by a celebrity, and the other earned its name. In the vast majority of cases, you should shop at the latter; and that’s particularly true in high-margin areas like shoes, bags, sunglasses, and fragrances.It’s after this lengthy disclosure that I recommend French Waltz, the debut spring-summer fragrance from Le Fleur, the premium fashion brand of rapper Tyler the Creator. Sure, it comes from a celebrity’s brand, but CPL Aromas and perfumers Alexandra Kosinski and Julie Pluchet developed it, and they did a great job. Tyler is renowned for his excellent taste, and it pays off here with a floral, clean, sophisticated fragrance that leans feminine but works well on men, too.The top notes are mandarin, lychee, and magnolia, with rich, rose-jasmine dominant mid-notes, and a creamy sandalwood base. This sandalwood is a drumbeat behind the dominant floral fragrance, but it gives it a body that makes it work so well on men, particularly if you layer it with sandalwood-centered fragrance oil, like Maison Louis Marie’s No. 04, as I usually do.At $200 for 100ml, it’s a premium fragrance. However, it’s a beautiful cologne with stylish packaging and has solid longevity, lasting about 6 to 8 hours on the skin and far longer on clothes. In short, I didn’t regret buying my bottle.

Cologne of the Week: Le Fleur’s French Waltz

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