Wednesday Waftings: Sampler Set Review – Bastide’s Les Sept Merveilles Fragrance Discovery Set

Today, we’re going to take a little journey to beautiful Provence from the comfort of our own armchairs! As spring has officially now sprung and our thoughts are turning toward sunshiny summery days, I want to share Bastide’s lovely perfume sampler with you. Bastide is based out of Aix-en-Provence, France and owned by the famous hairstylist guru, Frédéric Fekkai. He and his wife, Shirin, acquired the now 31 year-old luxury beauty brand in 2015. Bastide is defined as ‘a small country house in the South of France.’

This collection is an enjoyable way to try each of their lovely fragrances. The samples are generously-sized and last a long time. A cool perk to this set is that it comes with a $30 off coupon that you can apply to a large bottle of your favorite; or perhaps three different favorites in travel-size? Each scent is available in both a large 100 ml bottle and a 10 ml travel-size rollerball. With the coupon, if you end up making a purchase of at least $96 (within a month of purchasing the sampler set), the set is essentially free. Not a bad deal!

Find it here:

Les Sept Merveilles Fragrance Discovery Set (at Amazon)

Les Sept Merveilles Fragrance Discovery Set (at Bastide)

And now on to my reviews of these lovely fragrances:

Figue Amour

• Top Notes: bergamot, cardamom, pink berries (peppercorns)
• Middle Notes: fig, violet petals, orris (sweet, soft, powdery, violet-like)
• Base Notes: creamy sandalwood, crisp woods, musk

I love, love, LOVE a good fig scent and this is, indeed, a very good one. The initial spray is one of spicy, peppery fig. I can definitely smell the cardamom and pink pepper. The middle notes of violet and orris give it a slightly powdery nuance. The musk and sandalwood base notes are not overpowering here and serve their purpose of giving this fragrance some depth and lasting power.

This easy-to-wear fragrance leans feminine and feels like a springtime/summery daytime winner to me. The projection is good but not outlandish so safe to wear in an office or in close proximity to others. Longevity is quite good, especially considering these perfumes are all eau de toilette concentration. Fig fragrances are a personal favorite and this one is very nicely done. Don’t miss my list of the best fig perfumes here!

Find it here:

Figue Amour 10ml travel-spray (at Anthropologie)

Figue Amour 100ml (at Anthropologie)

Figue Amour 10ml travel-spray, 100ml (at Bastide)

Neroli Lumiere

• Top Notes: lemon, pink grapefruit, cassis
• Middle Notes: orange blossom, neroli, jasmine sambac
• Base Notes: blond woods, crisp amber

This may just be the ‘earthiest’ of the four citrus-based scents in this collection. I would even almost describe the opening moments as more of a ‘dirty’ citrus. But as it dries down, it becomes cleaner, fresher, and slightly sweeter. Though, it’s still probably the least sweet of the four. The lemon is probably the most prominent, stand-out note here.

This scent is easily unisex, as are most in this collection. Projection and longevity are about average. Another great daytime summery scent and easy to wear around others. I enjoy a good citrus and Bastide does them well. Check out my list of the best citrus freshies here (it features many of these Bastide fragrances!)

Find it here:

Neroli Lumiere 10ml travel-spray (at Anthropologie)

Neroli Lumiere 10ml travel-spray, 100ml (at Bastide)

Rose Olivier

• Top Notes: bergamot, juicy tangerine, lychee
• Middle Notes: Centifolia rose from Grasse, pink peony, violet, olive leaf
• Base Notes: crisp amber, musk, white cedarwood, cashmere woods

Oh guys, I’m so sad my peonies aren’t blooming yet. I really wanted to add a fresh, beautiful one straight from my own garden to the photos of this fragrance. The market didn’t have any yet, either, but they did have this absolutely gorgeous rose so that was a win. On to the scent: the opening notes reveal a lovely, sweet rose swiftly joined by an elegant peony aroma. There’s a little something fresh and green in there, too, I’m thinking that’s the olive leaf?

This lovely and ladylike scent is going to be a pretty safe buy for rose and peony lovers alike. A perfect daytime scent to be worn to a wedding or brunch but would also make a very classy and romantic date night fragrance. This fragrance just screams springtime; though she is far too posh and demure to ever scream so it’s probably more of whisper. This is a lighter scent that will sit closer to the skin. Longevity is fair, you’ll most likely need to reapply midday. I love this scent and she is a go-to for me when I want to feel especially feminine and pretty.

Find it here:

Rose Olivier 10ml travel-spray (at Anthropologie)

Rose Olivier 100ml (at Anthropologie)

Rose Olivier 10ml travel-spray, 100ml (at Bastide)

Ambre Maquis

• Top Notes: tangerine, elemi (bright, fresh, green/lemony, peppery/spicy aroma slightly reminiscent of frankincense)
• Middle Notes: rose, labdanum (a deep, powerful, leathery and ambery note)
• Base Notes: patchouli, amber, creamy sandalwood

This is your ‘dirty hippy’ friend that you love to let loose with! This is a basic warm amber/patchouli/sandalwood mix that is perfect to wear to your favorite music festival. Opening is HEAVY patchouli, quickly followed by the amber. Sandalwood harmonizes with the other two as the scent dries down. This settles on my skin as a rich, warm, woodsy amber.

I don’t reach for this girl very often as most of my music festival days are behind me, but that is literally where I would recommend wearing this. An appropriate outdoor scent for summer and autumn. Not great for office wear as patchouli and sandalwood are strong and can be quite polarizing scents. Longevity is fair, about 3-4 hours. A great scent for the patchouli and sandalwood lovers and I would’ve worn this one every day in my late teens and early 20’s.

Find it here:

Ambre Maquis 10ml travel-spray (at Anthropologie)

Ambre Maquis 100ml (at Anthropologie)

Ambre Maquis 10ml travel-spray, 100ml (at Bastide)

Verveine du Sud

• Top Notes: Italian lemon, grapefruit, peppermint
• Middle Notes: verbena, peony, mint leaf
• Base Notes: crisp amber, blond wood, white musk

This is my absolute go-to summer citrus scent! My initial impression is a very clean, almost aquatic, lemon. The refreshing mint is absolutely evident in the top notes. As it dries down, the musk quickly skips over the mid notes and makes itself known right away, in the first few minutes of the scent. You almost don’t want to sniff up too close or you get that slight ‘wet dog’ smell that musk sometimes has. This time period is a little awkward for the scent and it’s best to give it some breathing room here and not inhale too closely to the skin, thankfully it’s short-lived. I definitely get the amber base note pretty quickly (probably about 5-7 minutes in) and thank goodness it takes away that ‘wet dog’ smell and brings a sweetness to the scent. The smell that settles on my skin is a clean, slightly sweet citrus that I adore.

Fresh and clean, it smells wonderful on me but I think it would be amazing for men as well. Superb for spring and summer wear and easy to wear around others. I see this as a more casual scent, I personally love to wear it on sunny walks around my neighborhood. It’s one of those fragrances where I can’t stop smelling my own wrist when I’m wearing it. I bought a travel-spray right away and will probably splurge on a large bottle sooner or later. Bottom line: I absolutely love this one!

Find it here:

Verveine de Sud 10ml travel-spray (at Anthropologie)

Verveine du Sud 10ml travel-spray, 100ml (at Bastide)

1958

• Top Notes: bergamot, mandarin, petitgrain (citrus, fresh, floral, woodsy and herbal scent)
• Middle Notes: lavandin (a powerful lavender scent, with an herbal, camphor-like undertone), rosemary, clary sage
• Base Notes: lavandin, orange flower, musk

The initial scent here is SUPER HEAVY on the herbs. I do get some of the mandarin/bergamot/citrus but it’s very light at first, the rosemary is really the star of the show here in the top notes. I almost feel a little like a chicken basting in rosemary, haha! As it dries down, the citrus scents come out more and start to shine. The bergamot takes over and is really magnificent. It gets sweeter as it dries down, too. Settles on my skin as a nice, fresh, sweet bergamot.

Overall, it is a very fresh fragrance and definitely unisex. Another great casual summer scent. It’s light and seems to fade into a skin scent a bit quickly. Longevity is not the greatest, unfortunately, 2 hours max.

Find it here:

1958 10ml travel-spray (at Anthropologie)

1958 10ml travel-spray, 100ml (at Bastide)

Nue au Soleil

• Top Notes: bergamot, mandarin, petitgrain
• Middle Notes: mint leaf, geranium, tea
• Base Notes: mate (strong, earthy, bitter, with a eucalyptus scent), moss, musk

I definitely get the bergamot right away with this one. The top notes are fresh, clean citrus. The geranium mingles with the orange blossom and they are brilliant together. I get a little of the ‘Froot Loops‘ accord from the mandarin/bergamot combo. It reminds me a little of another favorite of mine, Valentino’s Voce Viva. I would overall describe this fragrance as a carnival of sweet citrus fruits.

This is a perfect summer scent that can be worn pretty much anywhere. Projection and longevity are going to be your average for an eau de toilette. This is another favorite citrus for me that I wear a lot in the warmer months.

Find it here:

Nue au Soleil 10ml travel-spray (at Anthropologie)

Nue au Soleil 10ml travel-spray, 100ml (at Bastide)

In conclusion

This cheerful collection is my go-to all summer long. My favorite way to experience these scents, especially the citrus-based ones, is to spritz a little on before I go for a nice summer stroll. I get lovely waftings of clean, citrus goodness as I walk and feel completely submerged in summer happiness!

This lovely line also carries body washes, candles, luxury hand soaps, and more… and everything is pretty fabulous. I love to keep a bottle of their lavish Figue d’Ete hand wash in my powder room for guest use; the scent is fresh, green, and simply exquisite. Bastide also has a newer fragrance that was just released last year called ‘Lavande in Love.’ It’s based around French lavender and I would love to explore it at some point.

Have you tried anything from this luxurious French beauty house before? If so, let’s chat about it in the comments! 🍊💐🍋

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