FRAGRANCE | Fils de Dieu du Riz et des Agrumes EDP by Etat Libre D'Orange: The scent of a Philippine houseboy?

Fils de Dieu du Riz et des Agrumes. I won't even attempt to pronounce the whole thing. Even the house, Etat Libre D'Orange, I will just refer to as ELDO. I believe this was originally named Philippine Houseboy but I guess some people got offended. Truth be told, it would have been more fun, not to mention a hell lot easier to pronounce. Oh well. 

I got this fragrance for its rice note after being smitten by the gloriously creamy Santal Basmati by Affinessence. Unfortunately, it's not as dominant as I hoped it would be. Although noticeable enough, it's the lime and ginger that rule the opening with their own brand of citric, spicy sharpness. The lime is distinctly lime, with its inherent bitterness intact. It's also strong, with the ginger playing able support that complements the former's flavor quite nicely. The resulting scent is like a bitter citrus and warm spicy concoction sitting atop fragrant rice. 

The rice smells cooked but not exactly like the cooked rice that's a staple in Filipino and other Asian households. Instead, it's closer to sticky rice blended with coconut milk but without necessarily replicating that aroma to a tee. Either way, it's sadly overpowered by the lime and spiciness. There are hints of floral but they're very minute and nondescript. 

In about half an hour, the sharpness mellows, its rough edges seemingly sanded off, resulting in something more rounded and pleasant. Unfortunately, the rice, too, loses most of whatever aroma it has to begin with. There's a warm sweetness that slowly creeps up but doesn't overwhelm while a very light creaminess unfolds. The end result is a warm spicy scent with a gentle, sweetish creamy undertone. To my nose, the citrus spiciness doesn't project as much after a while and instead, I get a quasi-ambery vibe with a powdery hint, something along the lines of Ambre Impérial by Van Cleef & Arpels. Up close, however, the spiciness is more dominant. 

Despite not getting the rice accord that I had wanted from it, Fils de Dieu du Riz et des Agrumes remains a good fragrance. It's very wearable, versatile, and not bound to offend. Projection is pretty decent although the scent isn't as enduring, so resprays will come in handy. For all its shortcomings, it's still worth a try at least.