Apricot Privée by Phlur is not the literal fruity scent you might expect. After spraying it on myself, I was wondering, “I know it smells fruity but there is something else. What is that? Is it skin? Is it like a dirty fruit? It is a pleasantly soft fruit, on the verge of teetering in the sharp artificial bitterness but never getting there.
When I smell my wrist now, I can smell the faint notes of the fruit, that my own ignorance only recognizes as plum, because when have I ever eaten or smelled apricots? There is a slightly dirty edge to this, like a wicker basket of fruits picked up after rolling a bit on the ground, a little bruised and a bit more earthy.
$96 for 50 mL
Notes:
Top: Apricot, plum, cardamom
Heart: Jasmine absolute, peony
Base: Agarwood, tonka beans, sandalwood, labdanum
As time wears on, this fragrance doesn’t get stronger, doesn’t project. It just strips down to its base. That left me thinking it smelled more like skin, maybe musk. The perfumer describes this as almost leather, and I agree. So on day 1, I hated the base notes, I was after all trying for a fruity fragrance. Day 2, I could appreciate it more and respect the different scent profile. The woodier base notes stayed on well into the evening, very close to skin. There were still there, but would anyone even notice them at that point?
With the name they chose, I guess the “privee” part refers to how this will be a fragrance only you can smell. A private enjoyment, because this thing doesn’t project out. No one made any comments, but then again, I was in a sea of strangers, so that was unlikely to happen anyway. To be fair, I didn’t really notice it on myself at all until I forced myself to smell my wrists. It didn’t even become more prominent as I built up heat walking quickly throughout the city. Nor did it really take when I sprayed it directly on my sweater, a move I was hoping would eek out some more fragrance enjoyment. It did not, but it was a good try.
On paper, the fragrance behaved differently. It takes much more time to develop, starting off very faint. Then the fruit notes start to come through. I would say this fragrance comes across a lot more nuanced on my skin. Definitely make sure you try this on your own skin first before making a purchase.
Smelling Apricot Privée reminds me of my experience smelling Mango Skin. Where I could think, yay fruit, but what is that other thing? And then, “Hey where did it go?” As I’m learning about and playing with more fragrances, I’m gathering that fruitier fragrances are not great for me when I want my scent to introduce itself to people. On the other hand, if I just want to be confident that I smell good and no one else needs to know, fruity scents it is.
If you are looking more fruity scent that is more subtle, give this one a try.
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