Smells Like California: Van Cleef & Arpels California Rêverie EDP

Back in August when summer was coming to an end, Van Cleef & Arpels released California Rêverie as part of its Collection Extraordinaire. When we think of California, a vision of tall palm trees, glassy ocean waves and sunshine year-round comes to mind. If you could bottle up all of the beautiful things that make the West Coast the best coast, it would come in this beautiful glass bottle.

Perfumer Antoine Maisondieu created this fragrance after choosing the one landscape that the Golden State is known for — the sun. Maisondieu chose a strong, sun-filled flower that would bring to life the atmosphere he was inspired by. “When I composed this perfume, I imagined a journey through dreamlife California, bathed in sunshine. How could I recreate this feeling? Jasmine was the obvious choice,” explains the perfumer. Jasmine sambac is the heart of the base note for this fragrance. The white flower first blossomed in humid climates in regions of India before spreading to other lands. This scent, which is said to represent purity and hope, is used to create many popular perfumes.

Upon uncapping this eau de parfum, we were hit with citrus notes of mandarin orange and neroli, which were completely refreshing. The jasmine forms the heart of the fragrance and blends beautifully with the soft frangipani florals before leaving us with a craving for sunshine with the beeswax and vanilla bottom notes. The overall scent is fresh and reminiscent of summer, but still appropriate as a fall fragrance. This bottle of California dreams will keep you in a golden state of mind.


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