Dans Ma Bulle Eau de Parfum

Almond and heliotrope sit at the centre of Carven Dans Ma Bulle Eau de Parfum, and together they give it a soft, slightly powdery character that sets it apart from the sharper modern florals. It starts fruity but not loudly so. Lychee is the distinctive one, sweet and floral and faintly rosewater like, and it folds naturally into the rose beside it. Mandarin orange brings a gentle sweet citrus and peony adds a cool, dewy, pink freshness. The whole opening is rounded rather than zesty, with no sour edge anywhere in it.

The heart is the reason to buy it. Almond here reads as marzipan rather than as raw nut, sweet and a touch bitter at the end, while heliotrope brings its unmistakable powder, soft and sweet and faintly medicinal, the smell most people associate with face powder or old fashioned sweet shops. Jasmine stops the pair turning into pure confection by adding a proper flower underneath.

The base is warm and uncomplicated. Vanilla continues the softness, sandalwood adds a creamy, milky smoothness, and patchouli supplies just enough earth to keep it from becoming sugary. Nothing here fights anything else, which is the point of the fragrance. At eau de parfum strength it lasts well and projects moderately, and it comes into its own in cold weather, where powdery warmth makes most sense. It is aimed at women and it suits evenings in, comfortable occasions and anyone who likes to smell soft rather than striking.

Carven is a Paris couture house, opened in 1945 by Carmen de Tommaso under the working name Marie-Louise Carven. She died in 2015 at one hundred and five. Fragrance has been attached to the name since 1946, and the perfume line was relaunched in 2013.