Carven Le Parfum is an average-but-pleasant fruity white floral. It opens with juicy top notes (the official notes say mandarin, but the best my nose can do is “non-berry fruit”) and segues into a high-pitched bouquet that thins out over time. Carven Le Parfum instantly reminded me of Elie Saab, another Francis Kurkdjian creation, but a side-by-side comparison confirmed that the two fragrances are actually more different than similar. Elie Saab is thicker, sweeter, and more distinctive than the fresher Carven Le Parfum.
Carven Le Parfum probably wouldn’t be my first choice for a white floral, since there are quite a few great options in that category right now (Jour de Hermes, Cartier Baiser Vole, the aforementioned Elie Saab), but I’m always happy to see a brand choose to release a white floral over another fruitchouli. I’m also really taken with that elegant ad.
SCENTS OF SELF 
Interesting! I’m wanting to smell this. Ma Griffe is one of the famous old perfumes I still haven’t smelled; sounds like Carven is not trying to revive old stuff, but starting new. (I know nothing about the fashion line, either, which does not surprise me now as I found out recently that it was traditionally for petite people.)
You know, Elie Saab was too much patchouli for me – it grated on my nerves. THe rest of it I liked. This one sounds lovely, to be honest.
I went to Saks a couple weekends ago, and they had so many displays of this stuff that no matter what direction you approached the perfume area from, you couldn’t not see it. I gave it a sniff but it didn’t really make much of an impression on me. I remember it being kind of shampoo-ish, but I really don’t remember much else about it.
I dismissed this on card as a bit similar to Balenciaga Paris L’Essence, but feel I need to spend more time with it on skin as it is the sort of thing I should like.
That sounds amazing! I’ll want to check this one out, I guess. The official note reads interesting, and if it actually reminds you of Elie Saab, it’s worth giving a try. Cheers!