I love that everything Houbigant creates shows consistency.First of all, consistency with the special history -three hundred years long- of this brand. Then, consistency with the personality and style of the people behind it, and with their personal vision of perfume: a vision that speaks of a sophisticated, serene, balanced, smiling kind of elegance. In a word: a happy one. Although Houbigant was born as a perfumer for the Royals at the time of Marie Antoinette, the perfumes it offers are not intended to affirm any idea of richness or beauty, nor to be noticed among others. They do not shout their presence all around. Perhaps, their success lies in the fact that they aim for happiness. The happiness of those who create them, and the happiness of those wearing them. Happiness, in perfumery, is a rare quality. At Esxence I met their new Pivoine Souveraine by Celine Ellena, a hymn to spring, at the center of which shines a floral accord as fresh, beautiful, and bright as a diamond, and the four masculine releases, by Luca Maffei. Today I?m writing about Ambre des Abysses, featuring a perfect balance between tradition and modernity. The base is an ambery fougère, a great timeless classic that I find fascinating also from the point of view of historical consistency: the legendary Fougère Royale is just a creation of Houbigant. When you have such a prestigious past behind you, it can be difficult to find the courage to offer a new point of view, and instead... ...