I love it when a product has a story to tell and Annicke Eau de Parfum by Eight & Bob has one which captivated me when I was told all about it at a Bloggers Event.
The story starts like this - One night during the winter of 1936, everything changed for Albert Fouquet. Fouquet had travelled to Megève, a meeting place for the European aristocracy, to attend a dinner organised by his friend, Nicolas. Albert was the perfect French gentleman, a passionate traveller with a fascinating pastime: he created perfumes for his own personal use. These perfumes became an object of desire within his social circle, and the perfect gift for Albert’s aristocrat friends on special occasions. That magical night in Megève turned Fouquet’s life upside down: it was Annicke, a young Austrian girl, the daughter of a banker and Hungarian noble. Her extraordinary beauty, innate elegance and irresistible personality made Albert’s heart skip a beat. She was the most amazing woman he had ever met. Their conversation and dancing, together with the warmth from the fireplace on that cold winter night left their imprint in Fouquet’s mind and on his heart, along with the indelible image of Annicke. There was no doubt that he had met the most fascinating woman that any man could ever have imagined. That magical night turned into day, but Albert had to leave for Paris at sunrise. But not before writing a heartfelt letter to Annicke, in which he expressed his ardent desire to see her again as soon as it was possible. Months passed and many letters were exchanged between Albert and Annicke. Their words of love, desire and dreams all inspired Fouquet to create a unique and exquisite perfume, which concentrated all that Annicke meant to him.
A perfume that was as precious as the woman who had captured his heart. When they met again in Vienna, Albert surprised Annicke with his first creation. She was amazed by the scent as were her acquaintances, creating an irresistible interest around the young perfumer. From that moment on, whenever Albert visited his beloved Annicke, he surprised her with a new creation, a new aromatic gem for her growing collection. Fragrances that delighted and fascinated her, always the most exquisite combinations of scents. And now, many years later, Eight & Bob produces the same scents for women who, like Annicke, are captivated by the exclusivity of this unique fragrance collection.
Such a beautiful story behind some quite stunning fragrances and I was kindly gifted this discovery set which features vials of all 6 Annicke fragrances.
- Annicke 1 is a Floral Woody Musk fragrance and it has top notes are mandarin orange, peony and ivy; middle notes are lily-of-the-valley, jasmine and cyclamen; base notes are driftwood and white musk. It is a beautiful fragrance and one which you can smell on clothing a day or two after using. It starts off quite citrusy with a hint of floral before lily-of-the-valley and the musk dominate to make what is a beautiful everyday scent.
- Annicke 2 is an Oriental Floral fragrance and it has top notes of mandarin orange, fig and hazelnut; middle notes are tuberose, immortelle and ylang-ylang; base notes are sandalwood, vanilla and cedar. Now I am not a fan of vanilla as a scent at all, it leaves me with a headache, but thankfully, within Annicke 2, the vanilla scent isn't at all heavy. What I love about this fragrance is the fruity notes of the mandarin orange mixing with the floral notes before Sandalwood and Cedar take over to settle the scent.
- Annicke 3 is a Chypre Floral fragrance and it has top notes of bergamot, mandarin orange and red berries; middle notes are gardenia, jasmine and white rose; base notes are meringue, cashmere wood and sandalwood.
- Annicke 4 sits within the Floral-Woody-Fruity family and it has top notes of blackcurrant buds and nectarine, heart notes of ylang-ylang, rose and jasmine and base notes of patchouli, cashmeran and oakmoss. This is my favourite scent of all 6, I love the fruity notes as they mix with the floral notes, neither overpowering another and as soon as the base notes come into their own, they blend together and create a fragrance I adore.
- Annicke 5 is a Floriental fragrance which has top notes of bergamot, lily-of-the-valley and rum, heart notes of honey, plum and ambre 84 DL and base notes of patchouli, caramel and vanilla leaves. Another beautiful fragrance, but for me, it is one which gets better and better as it settles on the skin.
- Annicke 6 is another Floriental and this time we have top notes of bergamot, carnation and Sichuan pepper, heart notes of rose, cinnamon and ambre 84 DL and base notes of sandalwood, labdanum and benzoin. This one for me is my second favourite and it is one of those fragrances that can see you from day to night and still smell as amazing. The floral notes mixed with the Sichuan Pepper giving it that hint of spice.
Having the chance to try a discovery set such as this one is a great introduction to perfume brands, each 100ml of Annicke is priced at £140 from John Lewis*, Lookfantastic* and Harvey Nichols, so it is a lot of money to pay out for something you might not like after a few uses, by having a sample vial, it gives you the chance to try a fragrance within familiar surroundings to make up your mind.
*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.