Caligna L'Artisan Parfumeur for women and men

I managed to get my hands on a bottle because a lady in Northern Ireland offered to swap one of her LAP bottles for my Diptyque Do Son EDT. I picked this because I love clary sage as a note. Happy to see that plenty of people downvoted the similarity of this to Philosykos, which is a pretty anaemic fig scent to me. I needed another scent that would make me feel like a woodland fairy.

One of my favorites of all time. Big frown. It’s an absolute crime this was discontinued.

A truly, genuinely unisex cologne, but a soft cologne without sharp edges. Lots of clary sage at the core balanced with florals and fresh aromatics. Elegant, well blended and thought out if not hugely original.

I like this, it's less masculine to me than Ferrari Noble Fig. Fig can go too earthy or aromatic for my taste sometimes, this seems nicely balanced among the green, floral, and woody aspects.

Crying to learn that this beauty is now discontinued. RIP Caligna, hoping that you are resurrected soon!

It really does strike me as a woody-stemmed Mediterranean garden. On my chemistry, it leans slightly masculine, but is easily worn by anyone. I don't personally get any fig or hints of sweetness at all.

The opening made me nervous as it was super rose / floral, but it calmed down and the woody / aromatic side started opening up about 5 minutes into wearing. It's tremendously blended — individual notes rarely pop out, rather it is scene-setting. It has this baseline 'perfume' scent that I don't love and can't quite place, its rather floral & powdery, a little old fashioned. But, it really is the baseline, as compared to the primary aromatic notes. Overall, the scent is not linear, but it is constantly subtle, so the shifts are gentle.

On my chemistry, it wears quite close to the skin (I am a light sprayer, to be fair), but has substantial staying power.

For me, its just okay. I think The Harmonist Velvet Fire blows it out of the water for a dry, woody aromatic that feature clary sage. Velvet fire can lean a little soapy, but totally lacks the heavy baseline perfume scent that makes this feel older a little cloying to my nose.

I am very fond of herbal/aromatic perfumes. I find that they do not get boring so quickly as, let’s say, citrus or floral scents. Of course, it all depends on the composition, balance of the notes, etc., but ‘Caligna’ is a great example of a masterpiece when it comes to aromatic types of fragrances. Opening greets you with a soft clary sage, a slight hint of fig, but it is very delicate. Then some floral notes come into the picture, but in a very subtle way. This perfume is very well-balanced. Soft, green, not loud, unisex fragrance that would smell beautifully on everyone. Don't expect incredible longevity or sillage. But I do not care. For me, it is a piece of art!

such a lovely scent. fig is the star here, it a milky green fig. It’s not your usual fig, it’s very green and floral comes out later. Pine needles come around once on skin for about 5 to 10minutes. I overspray this so longevity is not an issue. Sillage is good and projects more than an arms length. Definitely an everybody fragrance. Highly recommended 10/10 fig is the star in this one and recently I heard someone say fig is the new “star note” coming up!

Entirely lovable, milky, green, almost savoury fig conjuring the essence of summer in southern Europe. On me, it needs hotter weather to shine; in cool conditions it's still smooth and unctuous, but a little underwhelming. This one is fresh and light, not ripe and fruity - and tends to disappear in the cold. So: what's to love? This: as soon as the thermometer hits 24C or above, it's Caligna's time: the herbal notes start to shimmer in your own little body-heat haze, while the fig stays botanical and plant-y enough to never feel cloying or over-pushy. You will not EVER smell like a fruit salad (my own personal idea of gourmand hell) or figgy pastry. This one stays well clear of the kitchen, preferring to wander off in the dry scrubland, singing its own song. And so in the heat it cools and refreshes, rather than making you queasy.

Rose, jasmine and violet often risk getting too cute for me to love - even one at a time, never mind in trio! - but rest easy - the woodier and more aromatic bits (mastic, pine needles, oak) more than balance it out and don't let the whole aura get too powdery or girly-girly. This one could be an easy unisex wear for fig fans, though the general mild, conciliatory, welcoming tone tends, slightly, to the femme side.

Longevity is ... argh... the sting in the tail, as it might seem to waft away in only 2 or 3 h on skin, on me at least; so spray generously and be sure to get plenty on your clothes. If it's humid, as well as hot, you may have better luck and get little puffs of delicious Caligna-calm for far longer, maybe up to 6h. Don't go expecting beast-mode fig though - this one is a charming, discreet, low-profile herbivore of a scent. And all the more charming for that. A fig-centric summer dream, without the cliches.

Caligna is a sparkly green sweet scent brings in mind a green field freshly cut. It's refreshingly calm n lovely.I can smell the fig note throughout the day.

Beautiful! Not a straightforward fig fragrance like philosykos or premier figuier, I get more floral notes, something almost water-y like fresh cut lilies or tulips. There's still a warmth, a subtle sweetness of the the fig and honey and soft woods which keeps my nose glued to it. It's a delicate and pleasing fragrance, unlikely to offend despite being unique.

For those commenters disappointed by the sillage and longevity, I think they're just going nose blind. My wife applies in the morning before work and I can always tell when we go to bed that night if she wore it or not (she applies lightly- just two sprays and no reapplication).

As a big fan of fig scents, I enjoy this, it's right up my alley. That said, for me this wouldn't make it in the top 10 fragrances with fig notes, and similarly to most other AP fragrances I've tested, I find its sillage and longevity to be really poor. If you're into interesting, long-lasting fig scents, you can do much better than Caligna

I love both fig fragrances of the brand because none of the two is a boring sweet fig. To me Calina smells like cracked flower stems of tulips or gigantic water lilies, fresh and watery, with a pleasant bitterness that fades away in 5-10 minutes and gets replaced by violet leaves and oris. I am glad I do not get any Rose and Jasmin. Not so much violet flowers either, because the powdery notes are not coming from flowers, but are leaning more towards earthiness and woodiness.
Unfortunately, the sillage is almost non-existing after an hour or so. By the time I get pine needles and dry woods the scent becomes very intimate, with tiny sweetness where fig is no longer recognizable. I like this dry down even more than the opening, but I am sad that it does not project.

DinaFrance (perfume reviews on youtube)

Only recommend for mossy fragrance lovers. I was expecting more of the fig, sage and violet to come through. You get more of the pine and quite frankly I just get mossy from this fragrance. Not for me.

The first perfume I smelled pickles in it. For me it smells like pickles with dill,good for me I have only a sample. I’ll give it one more chance in summer but for now it’s the biggest disappointment of mine

I would love a full bottle of this. This is like a ripe juicy fresh Mission fig laying on a bed of Iris. After a few hours the sweetness can become a little cloying, so I’d recommend go lightly with this. Just a little goes a long way. This is a fruity, figgy, slightly green, floral and somewhat powdery fragrance that I think is good for both sexes. There are no hard edges or sudden turns in this. Very well crafted and what a niche fragrance is supposed to be.

Smooth and fresh. Not sweet or dry, this smells wet, as close as you can get to running water without any aquatic notes. Completely unisex. In the opening, sage gives it an almost a menthol feel that is very cooling but it settles into a herbal vibe. I also get fig leaf and grass, very nice.

Tested an official carded sample from fragrancenet. I don't need a full bottle for $249 but I'm enjoying the sample. I did find the body wash on clearance for a ridiculously low price and will save it for next summer.

Where did it go?

It's lovely and fresh - A very well done fig scent, which I love. It's not too green, so that's also a plus in my books. It's sweet, but not overly - ie. in the way that a real fig would smell sweet, but not syrupy sweet like synthetic fruit scents.

BUT.... an hour later I need to paste my nose to my wrist to find any trace of it. It almost completely gone. It's unfortunate that the performance is so weak. This is the only reason I don't find it full-bottle worthy.

I immediately felt transported to Provence where I lived for a year. The parfumeur has taken two ingredients that I am slightly wary of -fig and clary sage and balanced them perfectly to create a relaxing, warming welcoming scent.Just goes to show you not to be prejudiced by notes. The art is in the parfumeur's hands.

Smells like mango to me and i get the violet leaf and some green notes. Nice scent. I like it.

Caligna is the smell of a hot August afternoon in a mediterranean countryside.

The insects fly around and the burning sun heats up the trees, everything slows down like a typical summer afternoon, the lazyness, the figs on the wood table in the kitchen of the summer house, the mosquitos flying around them, your nap on a deckchair under the pine tree.

Caligna, why are you so beautiful?

The dry down of this is totally like Silver Mountain Water, but more dried fruit-feeling. Where SMW goes more green, Caligna goes more warm. It's more dried fig than fresh fig.

This is very unisex and I think it would smell great on anyone. The opening is definitely the most fig-like part of the scent journey, and the dry down is the most comparable to SMW - a good, more affordable alternative.

Super pleasant.

I got an immediate scent memory that I couldn't place when I first sprayed this, and about 20 minutes later it came to me:

Wooden gift crates that are filled with fruit, artisan crackers and jams, etc.

The scents that stand out the most to me are orange (mandarin leaf) and wood (oak) with a vague white floral background. Drydown is pretty much the same. It's pleasant enough and I wouldn't completely rule out wearing it again, but it's a little too yuppie boho for my taste.

To give credit where credit is due, though, it does mix earthy with elegant/clean nicely. The woman who wears this sports pearls and maxi ethnic print skirts to brunch. If that's your vibe, you may love it.

Final verdict: Meh. It's just OK. Niceish and un-mysterious. It's very upscale farmer's market.

Caligna is an anomaly in my fairly mainstream wardrobe, and I love it. It’s well-blended but you can pick out almost every note, mainly the fig, pine, the strangely appealing waxy turpentine-like mastic... It’s sweet, and slightly medicinal which I usually can’t stand in perfumes but somehow don’t mind here. Not the dry, sharp medicinal quality that I get from CK Euphoria, more like an oily cream/ointment. It’s like a figgy Deep Heat or RubA535. There’s a minty cooling quality to it. Someone mentioned pickles and I can kind of see that (I think it might be the way the pine comes through at times?) but I wouldn’t have made that association if I hadn’t read it. Overall, I find it a weird and wonderful scent, great for the times when you’re feeling a bit wacky and weird yourself.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Caligna opens with a moderate projection fruity, floral, woody, and green notes. The fig is the fruity note that is most noticeable and mixes very well with the rose, violet, and jasmine. These three notes come across as a group of floral tones rather than individual accords. The clary sage and mandarin leaf create the next most prominent tone adding a floral and sharp green, herbaceous accord. The pine needles tone is also noticeable and adds a woody aromatic scent that the oak joins to enhance. The fragrance is relatively linear; the tones of the opening continue into the dry-down. Once L’Artisan Parfumeur Caligna has reached its full dry-down, it can be summarized as a moderate projection, slightly sweet fruity (fig), floral, green, piney and herbaceous fragrance with woody accords. The fragrance feels earthy, exotic, floral, formal, herbaceous, mild, modern, nicely-blended, playful, refined, rich, versatile, woody, and pleasant.

BATCH REVIEWED: 2020.
WOW RATING: 7/10. The combination of sweet fruity, green, and floral accords is good but not outstanding.
DISLIKE RATING: 1/10. Unlikely but the strong sharp green accords could be offensive to some people.
UNIQUENESS: 8/10. The combination of notes creates a relatively unique fragrance.
MASS APPEAL: 6/10. The fragrance is overall mass-appeal; the green accords lowers a bit its score.
PROJECTION: 3/10. Moderate, about 3 feet around the wearer.
SILLAGE: 4/10. Moderate, about 4 feet behind the wearer.
APPLICATION: Four atomizations will suffice.
LONGEVITY: 4/10. Moderate, about 4 hours with 2 of good protection.
SEASONS: Spring, summer, and fall.
OCCASIONS: Formal events, outdoor gatherings, office, casual, holidays, romantic, dating, clubbing. This is an office-friendly fragrance.
VERSATILITY: 9/10. Highly versatile, its fruity, green, and floral accords make it ideal for almost any occasion.
GENDER: Unisex with a slight tilt to the feminine side because of the floral accords.
AGES: Any.
RECOMMENDATION: L’Artisan Parfumeur Caligna can be found discounted for about $100. It is a great and versatile fragrance but its price/value isn’t the best. It is a nice-to-have but not a must-have.
BLIND-BUY: No, sample it first.
SUMMARY: A moderate projection, slightly sweet fruity (fig), floral, green, piney, and herbaceous fragrance with woody accords. The fragrance feels earthy, exotic, floral, formal, herbaceous, mild, modern, nicely-blended, playful, refined, rich, versatile, woody, and pleasant.

I've long been searching for a substitute to the discontinued Folle de Joie. This isn't the same, but it's close. Woodsy jasmine rose with a slightly sweet note from the fig. Like most L'artisan fragrances, it doesn't last long.
Update: layered with Histoire d'Oranger lotion and it smells more like Folle de Joie.

Fresh, clean and uplifting during this summer heat and humidity. Kind of soapy better yet shampooey reminds me of my girl's hair same vibe I get from bond#9 highline but HL last forever and leaves a huge trail
On the feminine side of unisex , these kind of fragrances I tend to wear with white shirts either buttoned or t shirts exclusively they are just too clean

Recently bought a spray sample of this and it is simply stunning. Uplifting and beautiful. Perfectly unisex. Fresh and herbal without a hint of anything sharp or harsh to irritate my nose. (The majority of fresh/herbal/cologne type scents are hard for me to tolerate. For example, someone mentioned Vetiver Fatale in comparison to this, and while I basically like that fragrance, it is harsh to me.)

I'm mostly a vanilla/iris/tonka/amber lover, but I also like fig. The opening says "mint" to me but that's probably because I'm not familiar with clary sage. The conifer component is there but in a soft, subtle way.

Sillage and longevity are both pretty weak, but I'm ok with that. It can be had for a very good price per ml, and I like the subtlety. Don't need it to shout.

Tried this after being absolutely wowed by Dzing!, and this is, while very different, just as pleasing. I'd be curious to hear if anyone has experience with the new bottle style versus the old--whether the scent seems to have been changed. Both are readily available at the moment.

A couple of other reviewers said it better than I can...

LANIER: "Caligna to my nose is light and soft on my skin and the notes blended into a pure tingling effervescent pop of spring. Lovely and bright, luminous in fact, Caligna is really the perfect uni-sex perfume for springtime or even in the cold months to recall the joys of May in bloom in the south of France."

empathyboy: "Caligna is a quiet masterpiece. This perfume could almost belong to the Jardin series by Hermes, particularly Jardin Monsieur Li. It is soft, light, minimalistic, exquisitely executed and utterly beautiful."

apentias: "...it is a masterful, acrobatic balance between opposites. It's both fresh and warm, uber chic and sexy, both smooth and piquant. How can something so discreet be so powerful? This juice elates and grounds you at the same time. "

I just blind bought a bottle of this based on reviews, recommendation from friend and the notes. This is not necessarily horrible on my skin but not something I want to wear again. Sigh. That's what I get for blind buying. If anyone wants to trade for a vintage poison please let me know. Or vintage women eternity or opium vintage.

Anyway, the thing that I can smell (from first spray through dry down) on my skin is something that is mimicking the smell of dill. The other notes on me at least are drowned out in a BIG way by this note that I can't place. It feels like there is only one note to me.

This smells COMPLETELY different on my friend that wears this all the time. It smells so good on her. Man, I really want to like this. It was so expensive.

Does anyone else's skin react to calinga like mine? Is there any frag that can be mixed with this to make the sour dill smell go away? This does not develop AT ALL on my skin. No returns to this online store after opened. I need to order samples first from now on. Lesson learned.

Anyone who loves this please talk to me about trading in the USA only. I am also interested in decants of other niche perfumes for this. Like a matching cost amount of Une Rose or some citrus or neroli that has reasonable longevity.

Wow...such a great fig/sage scent. I think this one leans more green and the sage is more prominent than in other scents (like in Ferrari Noble Fig, Figuier Eden by Armani, etc). It isn't milky or coconutty like other fig scents.

I actually prefer the greener side of fig. So I am a huge fan of this.

If you prefer fig scents overall, and like the greener side of fig, this is a pretty safe blind buy. L'Artisan has never let me down...and while I don't like everything they produce, there is a sense of quality throughout.

Blind buy: I first smelled a green herbal pasture, uber natural and intriguing. I’m a fan of fig based scents, and this fig is more pronounced on the drydown, along with floral notes and pine needles.

Wearing this on a warm Fall day, I’lll tuck it away until spring where I think this will bloom even bigger. Decent performance with low silage. Perfect unisex scent. Love it.

My bottle was bought of fragrancenet with the older packaging.

It's an interesting scent and very similar to Balenciaga's B skin. Very green, fig is the most dominant note with some other green notes in the background.
This scent's greenness seems even a bit too much for me. It smells so strong, I think it's would be more suitable for men.
Completely without sweetness.
A good quality perfume, but I wouldn't want it in my collection.

This is hands-down the best blind buy I've ever made, I only regret not ordering another bottle for backup. WOW. This is a rare concoction IMHO, a gem. Not only because it's beautifully formulated (I get clary sage and jasmine marmalade, absolutely, but also hints of tea, white pepper and bergamot?), but mainly because it is a masterful, acrobatic balance between opposites. It's both fresh and warm, uber chic and sexy, both smooth and piquant. How can something so discreet be so powerful? This juice elates and grounds you at the same time. It evokes the French campagne perfectly but is also skin-like. This is not Philosykos for me (as other reviewers mention), another old favourite of mine. I understand how comparisons would arise but this is an entirely different beast altogether. It is a lot richer and deeper but equally fresh, another contradiction. Very satisfying longevity and sillage. How to describe it in one word without overselling it? Masterpiece. Sorry, can't help myself.

EDIT: I know this is borderline sacrilege, but (when no one's looking) I spray this on top of MFK's Baccarat Rouge 540. They are meant for each other, I swear. They play off each other's notes and solidify into a multi-layered accord that lasts and lasts and lasts. Heaven.

I have a sample of Caligna. I love fig but Caligna is too earthy for me. It's a little too green and watery without any sweetness. The pine and clary sage just do not work on me. It's fresh but not the kind of fresh I like. (in winter)
-----
EDIT
I'm sampling this one again today on a warmer day and I've changed my mind. I like it more than the first couple of times I sampled it. Today Caligna smells similar to my beloved Philosykos, so I guess the heat brings more fig/freshness and less earth. (in spring)

Wearing it in summer now and I've changed my mind to LOVE! (in summer) -

Unisex, bright lemony fresh fragrance. This is the best,most natural, and one of the brightest citruses I have ever smelled

I do not find this particular fruity or having a lot of figs. I get the smell of banana peel or the essence of fruit and the muskyness of figs. It is unique,quality, something with understated complexity, like serge lutens froide has.

I think this is a brighter and more tropical kumkwat wood, where this manages to be full or rounded without oiliness,sweetness, resins, or woodyness somehow. That is a magic act if I ever smelled one

I recommend this over bergamote 22 and I get 5 or 6 hours with good to fair projection.It really lingers on clothes too

A masterpiece !!!

Sweet Fruity fig with musk in the drydown . I get 10 hours longevity on neck . Solid fig scent . Season spring

I bought this based on the top notes because I love fresh, green natural scents, and this is certainly that. The sage is prominent, I think, and projects the scents of a walk in the woods. Sage is everywhere where I hike and is lovely. I do also perceive strong fig from this one as well, but I do not perceive any jasmine or rose. I do think that I would reach for this if I need to surround myself with nature but can't get there, but I don't think I would use this when in my business suit dealing with clients. It seems to be just a faded skin scent after a couple of hours.

I wore this for a week straight by necessity--I had been traveling and decided to limit my luggage as much as possible. In the New Orleans spring, Caligna blossomed. The freshness of the clary sage, combined with the succulent, almost fleshy sweetness of figs, beckoned the promise of warm days under the sun. I felt confident, grown, and entirely natural. A very successful blind buy.

I have always been fan of sage smells, so I was kind of hyped to get my nose on Caligna as I haven’t really found that many scents that has prominent clary sage note. The fragrance starts with strong and sweet clary sage that has this nice dark green herbaceous feel to it, though I always start to look if there is some anise as it reminds me of it, but no anise in Caligna.
When drydown comes the clary sage still dominates the whole scent, there is just slightest hint of some woods and bit of something ambery. I wanted sage scent and I got it, but I’m not really that in to it, guess I don’t know what I really want now do I?

For longevity and sillage I’d say Caligna is average, meaning I get wafts every now and then without trying to smell it and it lasts most of the day on me so that’s perfectly fine for me. Scent feels like it would work the best on either autumns or springs and more on casual side than formal I guess.

I wonder if I just needed something along the clary sage to make it something that I really wanted to wear, as I still like the scent but I just feel no pull towards it, even if everything seems to point that I would love it, but it just feels ok. For clary sage lovers this would likely be something to look at, maybe you would find other facets to support its main note and not to just run over pretty much everything else in the composition.

I've seen Caligna described as a fig scent for people who don't particularly like fig scents, and I can see why, although as a bonafide fig lover, I adore it too.
Personally, I'd bathe in fig scents if I could - I love everything from the sharp green scent of the leaves and branches of the tree, over the earthy fruitiness of the real fruits, to heavily sweet interpretations of fig nectar. But I can understand how any of those can easily seem "too much" for those less in love with this note, and Caligna does seem like a great option for them.
It's definitely still a fig scent - really, the fig is as juicy, sweet and delicious as any I've smelled. But it's quite subtle: there's no sharpness here at all, and no heaviness: the fig is balanced wonderfully by the softer, herbal sweetness of sage and pine. Very natural, and so uplifting! A clear summer scent, but just as lovely now, in the darkest days of winter - reminds me that there's better days ahead.

This is really nice. You get a really nice fig note somewhat reminiscent of Atelier's Vetiver Fatal, but I actually like this one better. This one seems more natural and smoother.
The dry down has a very clean vibe to it that lingers all day. All in all I am very pleased with my purchase and would rate this a strong 9/10.

Pleasantly herbal with a brief bit of sage, then a quick musky dry down. This seems like a tourist perfume, something that you discover in a little shop in Italy that sums up at that moment your experiences and you purchase it hoping to carry away a bit of holiday. It’s nice and pleasant and good for the heat, clean smelling without going into lavender territory though to my nose it smelled like a subdued lavender, but that was the sage. Not my favorite from the house but won’t offend. Fresh with white musk dry down.

I disagree with the previous poster. Sure, it's just an average pleasant scent, but it lasts crazy long on me. 24 hours at the minimum. It powers through a night's sleep and a searing hot 15 minute morning shower, and still manages to radiate like I had just sprayed it on. Nothing else I own can do that. Not even Pure Malt.

I used up a decant of this on a scorchio mini break in Edinburgh and it fit the bill perfectly.
It's very light so it feels good spraying all over in the heat very refreshing. I'm not mad on fig usually but I did enjoy wearing it as a change, it clicked for those couple of days. Not sure I'd go for a full bottle but if you like fig this is a good one, not super lasting be prepared to respray respray!

Smells like ancient mediterranean romantic story. Very elegant, decent and sexy sage+fig composition which lasts just for an hour and disappears as if never existed. I prefer to overspray my wrists while very busy focussed computer hour with the headphones on.

Music: Maurice Ravel. Daphnis et Chloe.
Book: Robert Harris. Pompeii
Movie: Ridley Scott. The Gladiator
Painting: Botticelli. Youth of Moses

When middle aged Brits see 'K' and '9' in close proximity we just think of a rubbish metal dog robot with vacuous space inside from 'Doctor Who'.

Just saying.

Whilst we're dissecting language intimations, n'that.

More fig from Artisan. Very nice and fresh without being wispy and feeble.

I blind bought this beauty and it is rocking. my. world. If you love breezy, green, natural, and sweet smells this one is one of the best that I've tried.

The fig here is prominent but is comes off gentle. The scent is sweet and closer to skin. I agree with commenters that I get more leaf than fruit.

But wow, what a beauty. I am in love.

5/10

This green fragrant is great for the hot weather. I love the wood and the slighty flower note.

To me this is Philosykos Diptyque - very nice!

To Kl99: Seriously? Who cares what it means on Italian or associated with it? Caligna - Its just a Goddess of Dreams. Great perfume. Fresh, woody and dreamy...

This is a light, refreshing green floral. Zesty, even without any citrus. It's a fascinating composition; I actually like clary sage (it's a widely used essential oil, prized for its healing properties) but would never have imagined that it could be used in a perfume. The opening has an almost cologne-like quality, but complex, with hints of spices and something slightly soapy/shampoo-y. A good light but interesting fragrance for warmer weather.

Dear below, thank you greatly for this unnecessary explanation teacher-centric, and what a large abuse of lyric you make. And you should thank me for giving you this heroic occasion to defend this summer fig, such nobility. Nevertheless, the poem is certainly part of this humble observer. I have read the story of what Caligna means. It is written here also on the profile of the fragrance. So I presume you must be distracted or shortly smart. Poor dear. You also did not notice that I was exclusively speaking of the Italian market and how this can be negatively affected by a wrong name. Of course the niche browse in such dire straits that one more State does not change anything for them.
We all know what a pussy is or what a cock is, the first one is a little cat the second is a singing chicken when the sun grow up. But considering that we don’t ignore that certain words are used also with sexual referentions, We would not recommend to Cartier, knowing how they like to use animal names to their perfumes like Panthere, to use this two mentioned animals to baptise their next perfume. Not so classy you know? Well, Etat Libre d’Orange can. Maybe this Artisan’s “mistake” is not so grave. But believe me there are many Houses which create terrible names. I'm still of the advice that would be better, to save costumers, to choice very carefully a name which can compromise a fragrance.
Thank you.

Well I can't say if in Italy that perfume has never been a best-seller, but I don't think so. Cause of the name.
In italian it has bad sound. We could have word jokes about like:
Caligna la Cagna Maligna. (trans.: Caligna the evil bitch)

Cagna is the female of the dog (m.:cane; f.:cagna)
Maligna is Malignant/malicious.

Than Caligna in italian immediately recalls two not nice things.
Do more search before to choice a name would be better.

The fragrance is nice. Fizzy, acid, pungent, became warmer step by step.

Blind buy based on the beautiful reviews and on the pyramid because patchouli is not listed and on my skin this note is at first pleasant and seductive but after a while it becomes so boring and overpowering that I need to wash it off.
I own many fragrances by l’AP but I never tested something by Dora Baghriche-Arnaud. Wow Caligna is wonderful! Simply wonderful! It’s a painting of summer without heavy colours, storm or dramatic aspects. A sunny day when the whether is warm but non deeply hot. The fields are touched by a soft air that brings me the smell of figs, flowers, dry grass and aromatic herbs. I ear the chirring of the cicadas and I’m so relaxed and serene. Everything seems to last forever perfectly calm and slow. Nowadays my mood is not good. Often I feel worried, anxious and sad and my future seems so hazy. Caligna hits my heart. I’m not so sensitive about fragrances even if I’m always looking for emotions testing a scent. Caligna is a delicate painting of good days. I’m Italian (sorry for my bad english)and I love so much a little special country named “Oltrepò Pavese”. Caligna is Oltrepò Pavese at the end of the summer during a sunny, lazy and happy journey. Touching and poetic! A little gem! Great job Mrs Dora!

For those who love the summer fragrance , intense, penetrating of the fig with hints of herbs and plants of the Mediterranean is a perfume absolutely to consider.
Good longevity.

I have made thia my signiture fragrance, and #1 L'Artisan.
Exquisitly natural fig, fresh, warm, supreemly relaxing and enjoyable.
I never have to look for another fig fragrance, it cant get any better than this one.

I'v purchased 3 other fig fragrances after getting Caligna; Ninfeo Mio, Jardin Mediterranee, and ADP's Fico di Amalfi. Caligna is by far the best of the fig frags I have, although all of them are great and different.
Caligna seems to focus on the sweet milky fig fruit, no sweetness added, just naturally sweet like a ripe fig.
The Clary sage, lentiscus resin and pine seamlessly make an accord with the fig, somehow highlighting or accentuating the fig. So all these beutifull quality notes are working in this fragrance, yet it feels so simple and well blended.
The first weeks of wearing this I just felt it's a luscious fig fruit scent and not much more jumps out at you.

Then as I got to know it better, I'm picking up on the nuances of the other notes and appreciating all they add, making this a great fragrance. It's the most luxurious fragrance I know that's based on a fruit note.

Rating 10/10

God bless you. John 3:16

Bought as a blind buy. I generally enjoy fig scents but they don't do much with my chemistry. It smells like rotting grapefruit peels on my skin - I'm assuming that is the sage & another note doing something funky together. Not for me.

This is an amazing fragrance, mostly because the base is my favorite where typically its the top. To my nose, the following notes predominate:

Top Notes: Fig Fruit
Middle: Sage (?)
Base: Hay, grass,

The fig comes on strong but bows out quickly giving way to a pulpy weediness in the mid that I find very off putting (I suppose its the sage). What ever it is, it sticks around longer than the fig (which is unfortunate) but, if I keep with it, the reward comes in the form of the base.

Overall, this is sunny and bright, it brings to mind a summer walk in the meadow, with the scent of varying types of plants heavy in the air.

Longevity is in the 8-10 hour range.

I bought this blind for a very good price from TK Maxx. My phone died just as I loaded this page. It's a jasmine scent for grown-ups. It mellows down to an unexpected woodiness after the first floral hit. I love it. I spray extra on myself just to relish in it - which is rare for me as I don't like feeling overpowered by fragrance. It's 2:30am and I'm chilling with my friends at a grown up slumber party. I'm drinking a gin cocktail and this goes wonderfully with it. I put on more just so I smell it when I sleep. I sprayed it on my friends and they love it. Yay.

lasts forever. 12 hours + on me.
it is herbal. sage, mint, pine needles. and a very distinct fig for several hours.
for me there is dry down of herbal violets and jasmine.

it smells like a L'Artisan bottle lid feels like to hold. cool, smooth and heavy.
it can fill a big room. and the rooms smells nice.
or in my case, last night at bedtime meant the entire flat smells of clary sageyness this morning.
lovely.

but each time i wear it, i can't decide whether i enjoy wearing it, or whether i just enjoy what it smells like...if that makes sense.

this is a calming smell.
like a massive hug in warm sunshine.

It smells like the end of summer turning into fall. A hot and dusty day when the hay is turning yellow and the heat is dry, when the herbs in the garden still have freshness but the flowers are past their prime. Herbal bittersweet delicate beauty, this is not perfume. It is a scent, very poetic and evocative, a little melancholic .
I believe it is asexuate , not even unisex, as that would be something to be worn by men and women.... This is more of an scent for your surroundings than for yourself . I can't define exactly specific notes, except myrhhe , hay and sage, Very well blended, it has nothing vulgar , fashionable , sexy or even elegant. It's the quintessence of calmness .
Silage is minimal and lasting power far from good , unless sprayed generously on clothes when it lasts a long time. But overall it is beautiful in its nature and unique as a piece of well written poetry or a watercolour painting.

I have a 5ml mini bottle of this as a part of a coffret/case of 6x 5ml. A try out with 6 different scents from L'artisan. Mint note no doubts followed by mandarin leaf, it could be also thee. I can't smell the other notes as fig or roses. It is soft, semi sweet and as the most of L'artisans a skinscent fragance. It is indeed a nice scent, perfect for office and also for a casual day wear. Right now I keep getting a fresh waft of... tooth paste. I know it sounds crazy but it reminds me fresh cleaned teeth. In a good way as it smells clean and it brings a forrest air. Would I buy a FB of this? Not at this moment, but i must say it is not bad at all. Maybe a few more tests.

I would like to add a comment. L'artisan scents are totally different from anything else I smelled before. From a lot of brands I can get headache but not from L'Artisan. It smells just so natural, so clean.

Coalinga is a lovely scent, but on my skin it turns to a sort of lotion smell that isn't to my liking.
Would be nice on a scented sachet for the closet or a drawer.
Wouldn't call this a safe blind buy, unless going for a decent first. :)

I absolutely love this little gem but what I can't get over that it has no mint note in the list and I can't believe that no one has connected this smell with Paul Smith London for men which is one of my all time favourite frags but for some reason they seem to have stopped making 100ml bottles of it wether this is just a supplier problem in my area I'm not sure but I can only find 30ml bottles which they are asking silly prices for so I am so glad to have found caligna as it smells very similar to Paul Smith the only difference for me is ps is more frosty mint where as caligna is a smoother mint almost like wrigleys double mint gum but in a very appealing way so all in all 9 out of 10 for caligna on all fronts

It snows outside. And I got my 5 ml mini of Caligna..
It reminds me of rays of sunshine waking me up on a Sunday morning during the summer. The blue sky above and fresh air inviting you to start the day and make the most of it, instead of laying in bed.
Gorgeous, uplifting, sunny.

Clary sage is one of my favourite pure essential oils. I love to place a few drops on my pillow to invoke lucid dreams. The clary sage in Caligna is most definitely natural and of the highest quality. I love this scent so very much. As a perfume it is extremely light, and like others have mentioned, it sits very close to the skin. That is how I like my scents.

Whomever is lucky enough to greet you with a warm embrace could be in for a beautiful journey. They will be instantly transported to somewhere, elsewhere. A place that is comfortingly familiar like a long forgotten memory; a dream within a dream.

Never before have I found clary sage so well presented or complimented (by the inspired addition of the jasmine marmalade accord). Caligna is a quiet masterpiece. This perfume could almost belong to the Jardin series by Hermes, particularly Jardin Monsieur Li. It is soft, light, minimalistic, exquisitely executed and utterly beautiful. I would say that although unisex, this leans slightly towards the feminine side but that does not concern me personally.

Edit: I have already grown so fond of this that I've bought a back-up bottle. I know once Spring is here again that Caligna will be my favourite fragrance to wear when the sun is peeping through the branches of trees that are clothed with new life. One of my very favourite L'Artisan's.

Edit 2: oops. Two back up bottles now. I've gotten in a habit of substituting putting real clary sage oil on my pillow with spraying Caligna on my pillow instead. Sweet dreams are made of this.

Lovely fresh herbal woody scent. I smell sage, fig, pine, wood and mandarine leaves the whole time and maybe just a little hint of rose somewhere deep in the composition. I get no fruit and no other flowers. No sweetness whatsoever also. The sillage is skin and its very neighbourhood, longevity maybe 2-3 hours. Very natural, easy to wear in summer and spring. Definitely unisex.

It's a natural scent. The most natural perfumes I’ve ever smelled so far belong to l'artisant parfumeur line. It's a green herbal clary sage cloud with an accent put on young milky and not rape green figs. Resembles to a clary sage medicinal decoction used for prevention of some health problems.
Resinous basis (mastic) is quite strong in the very opening and hopefully then gets down and melts with airy jasmine. This resinous basis accompanies other notes all long and quite detectable at every stage including dry down. I think it adds an unisex caracter to this fragrance. Quite a good mixture of ingredients but not so long lasting. Lasts all the day with 5-6 sprays. Pleasant and quiet perfect for summer hot days.

I thought it was very light, but leaning toward the masculine rather than the feminine side. It seems I don't know what fig smells like, because I smelled woods with something fruity-acidic (thought it was citrus - I guess NOT). In the dry-down, it has gotten creamy. I thought it was good, but nothing to write home about - would like to try again.
EDIT: I did try again, and I like it quite a lot now! It's a different kind of fig, not the milky, sweet, honey-like kind. I like it better than Timbuktu and this time, I actually thought it was indeed unisex.

I grow clary sage and its very potent stuff. In aromatherapy it is used to cheer up your mood. I can easily identify it here. Just a smidgen to beautifully enhance the fig and rose. It is a pretty and fresh fragrance that would be perfect on a warm day.

I am literally on the fence leaning towards a buy for Caligna. I had a small random sample from LuckyScent and hadn't really given this much attention.
Over the last week, I've played with this scent and the fact that I don't just scrunch up my nose and dismiss it tells me something...
It is a clean, woody, green scent that goes down the same road as Bvlgari au The Blanc, Voyage d'Hermes and EA Green Tea....
So far, it works wonderfully on cool, rainy days!

I love Caligna, I especially like the way it lends itself to be worn in hot and cold weather. Its like a cold forest, green with a "frosted" flower/fig sweetness. It makes me feel like a benevolent ice queen..LOL
In hot weather the sweet fig and sage are more prominent and aromatic.

Mint, Peach Tea dreams on a warm summer day, in the woods. This to me is the most beautiful of fragrances. It's everything I want Keiko Mecheris' Peau de Peche to be, but just quite isn't. So, here's my little secret to making this THE hands down, most perfect fragrance that I've been searching for all my life. I won't tell anyone but you, Fragranticans, and only because I know I can trust you and that you'll appreciate it and not tell a soul...one spritz Caligna, two spritz Philosophies Fresh Cream. Minty, woody, sugared peachy goodness, AND you smell real real expensive and mysterious yet totally transparent and mesmerizing...and all that good stuff you expect from your perfume. Hey it ain't cheap to smell like a goddess, but at least you can buy ethereal beauty in a couple bottles of juice and become the girl (or guy) of your own dreams.

Caligna is an earthy, herbal ,musky, woody scent which is enough to refresh you in warm months but cosy enough to be worn during winter. Fig gives a thick, creamy and fruity quality while herbs such as clary sage add a wildness in the woody drydown. On me it's a skin scent that melts beautifully with my chemistry. A well balanced skin scent. Lasting power is quite good with a soft sillage that wraps the skin.

I don't like it for *ME* but I do like it a lot. I've always said that L'Artisan makes grown-up fragrances for big boys and girls and leaves the childish stuff for others.

Caligna reminds me of herbal (by not minty) breath-freshening gum. I'm not sure if those from America would be familiar with it, older generations, maybe. The clary-sage + mastic + pine combo is mind-blowing. I feel like I'm walking through a wet pine forest after a light summer rain every time I close my eyes.

The fig and jasmine give this a sweet twist, but don't skew too feminine. Caligna is most definitely unisex.I am not familiar with Dora Baghriche-Arnaud's other works but she has definitely got that L'Artisan signature down: High quality + an olfactory journey + something unexpected yet enchanting. I hope they allow her try her hands on more perfumes soon. I'm totally impressed by this.

If I ever go through another "Bonding with mother nature while smelling fabulous" phase, this one will definitely be in my arsenal. I can't stop smelling my hand and it's hard to type!

Try before you buy because to me this is one of those 'I love it but where do I wear it?'s..

Creamy milky fig, a little like Premier Figuier without the green. Very delicate and sweet, pretty, also more mossy than Figuier. The amber and florals are very restrained, this is a well-mannered scent; unusual, maybe slightly herbal, but not bitter. I like it for the creaminess and the delicacy of the composition. A win. :)

Even though I typically d not like pine or oak in my perfumes, I was taken by how smooth and creamy the opening was in this one - almost a whisper. A delicate beginning, unravelling into a graceful composition which made me feel so warm and peaceful. I would love to by the EDP. In general, so far I have fallen in love with every L'Artisan Parfumeur fragrance I have tried, and I do not give out compliments lightly...

In short: figgy green-jasmine tea.

More a cologne than an eau de parfum, office-appropriate, fresh and pretty.

Sweet fruit backed up by herbs and a rich pine. Fruity and fresh but still warm -- a bit spicy too. The florals are light and not overpowering. Would be great for work or casual wear. Great for anytime, lasts four hours.

Beautiful herbs like juniper and sage, crushed pine needles, fragrant woods, and sweet yellow mimosa. Such an uplifting and happy scent. It somehow took me back in memory of time spent with family on a summer vacation in Big Bear. We went for a hike in the mountains. The evergreens were lovely, and the air and dirt were dry. There were lots of wildflowers. This perfume is delicate like the columbines, bouncing on the air, and the sun was shining brightly. Great memories, great perfume.

Opens with creamy fig, jasmine and fresh fir. Then the ambroxan kicks in and the scent becomes more pungent and sour and starts to smell of tar and motor oil. Doesn't work with my skin chemistry, what a shame! It does smell lovely in the tester vial, creamy and herbal, as long as it doesn't touch my skin..

Woah, am I sniffing the right sample? It smells a lot like Bois Farine on me, which seems to make no sense. It is a professionally labeled sample so I'm assuming it's correct.

(From memory now) this was very very interesting, not at all what I was expecting! It had an almost creamy, sweet vibe to it. I was expecting sharp pine and mastica (which also smells like pinesol) so I surprised at how much sweetness I got up front. It did not strike me as masculine at all as I was expecting.

Hm will report back after a solo wearing... had something else on up top and this on my leg a l'addict.


ETA--------------
creamy sweet jasmine and the most delectable feminine pine sap smell imaginable. Very enticing. A touch of the inviting, delicate herbal green I associate with myrtle too, must be the clary sage? Very very good. Really enjoying my small sample and may seek a decant. Mostly creamy soft and slightly herbal, I dig everything about it so far EXCEPT the sillage (very soft, but this is again just dabbed from a 1ml sample).

Caligna is a wonderful scent for summer and spring. It´s very optimistic, light, aromatic and sensual. It forces you to smile :) The most I smell fig with clary sage and hint of citruses. If only price would be lower I would immediately buy it!

Another super aromatic composition, L'Artisan Parfumeur Caligna strikes me immediately upon application as a walk through a fragrant forest. Which is strange, because other reviewers seem to be detecting more fruit than foliage, above all, fig. This makes me wonder, frankly, whether we are actually smelling the same perfume, because to my nose this is about as far from fruity-floral (as one reviewer described it) as a perfume could possibly be! If there is fig here, it is wood and leaf, not ripe fruit, it seems to me. The feeling is clean and refreshing, and green but not sharp. Fir tree pretty much sums it up, and, as a matter of fact, is listed among the notes, at least according to some sources.

Clary sage is apparently the intended star of this show, and "Jasmine jam" from Grasse is also supposed to be an important component, but to me the fir is much more marked. Perhaps I am sensitive to evergreen trees having grown up close to the Rocky Mountains, so that whenever there is the tiniest waft I focus on that? Possibly. In any case, to me, Caligna fits right in with the forest green perfumes which I've tried in the past. I won't seek this out, but I like it and might end up with a bottle eventually. On ne sait jamais...

This comparison won't be very helpful to most, but there is some overlap with Le Labo Belle du Soir, one of the limited edition Anthropologie releases from a couple of years back which has always struck me as at least unisex and possibly more masculine than feminine. Keyword, again: forest.

...a really blah fruity floral. Some tropical sweetness and a bit creamy jasmin. There's nothing exiting going on here, no sillage and it's all gone much too fast to be in this pricerange.
Is this the same perfumehouse that produces Dzing!...?

Bah! Nice opening, a bit of fig and madarine leaf. Where are the floral notes? Very fleeting. The clary sage, pine, and oak are fleeting too, notes which if they had hung on, would make this more interesting. But all I'm left with in the dry down is a smell EXACTLY like Versace Woman.

Amyris pour homme by Francis had a baby with Santal 33 by Le Labo.

I have quickly finished a small sample of this. At first I thought "Oh, a fruity floral. It's very pleasant", but then I gave it a little time and I fell in love! My favourite part is the dry-down. Picture a stoney mountain path, baking sun, dry earth, a white-hot sky, aromatic herbs crushed underfoot as you climb the hill, dust in your throat, inhaling the fragrance of the parched herbs, sea shimmering in the distance. I don't get spring though - it's high summer for me (mind you I do live in Scotland )!

Highly evocative. I love it! Busy saving up for a full bottle.

This new perfume for spring 2013 is a part of the new Grasse Collection along with two equally new scented candles, Le Printemps and L’Eté. (L’Eté, “summer”, was my favorite!) The inspiration for Caligna was to capture the essence, indeed the feelings and smells of the beautiful countryside around the village of Grasse, the very birthplace of French perfume. The name comes from the provincial dialect of the area and means to “court” or “flirt”. The perfumer behind the fragrance, Dora Baghriche-Arnaud grew up in the south of France. Over the course of a year it took to create this fragrance she meticulously selected scents that evoke the feeling of a warms spring morning in the Mediterranean climate of Grasse.

The fist ingredient presented is Fig. The rich lush and flesh sensuous note is earthy and so delicious in its fruity fullness. Thus the stage is set by this quintessential Mediterranean fruit for the next notes that the nose for this fragrance, Mademoiselle Dora Baghriche-Arnaud added into the elixir. This note is the signature fragrance of the south of France and Italy, Clary Sage. This bright warm aromatic fragrance is somewhat familiar to me having grown up in Southern California where sage is everywhere. Not the elegant bright Clary Sage which is new to me but a sage none the less. This note was sunny and wonderful. The next note is Jasmine but not an ordinary Jasmine but Jasmine Marmalade. It was brilliant and just the right note to add to the Clary sage and Fig. It smells like the most amazing jam made of pure sweet luscious Jasmine flowers. If L’Artisan Parfumeur could only make a real marmalade of this I would eat it every morning on hot buttered French bread with a steaming bowl of coffee. Then there is a resin olibanum like Lentisk is present bringing with it the olfactory equivalent of cool morning earth heated by a rising sun. This is enhanced by a lush full honey like Oak that rounded it out nicely. The final note is pine needles green, sharp and fresh.

Caligna to my nose is light and soft on my skin and the notes blended into a pure tingling effervescent pop of spring. Lovely and bright, luminous in fact, Caligna is really the perfect uni-sex perfume for springtime or even in the cold months to recall the joys of May in bloom in the south of France. A breakfast in early spring on a terrace in Provence springs to mind. I really enjoyed the bright light touch of Caligna.

It lies very close to the skin and invites one closer to the wearer. Enticing and sensual like summer sun on tanned skin. Low longevity on my skin at about three hours. But that is no problem for me as I enjoy re-applying a good scent. Or if I have a change of heart I can apply something else. A good beach scent of for a picnic or summer outing.

(For my full experience in meeting Caligna check out my blog Scents Memory.)

FOUR GOLD STARS ****

scentrist I share your opinion. jasmine is quite present, I find though. also the fruity fig leaf. it has a strong milky/sage/fig opening, and jasmin comes through within a few minutes. I would have hoped for a longer stay of sage.
it's then a bit of a boring thing. not herbal enough if you like sage, not indolic or candid or jammy enough if you like jasmin. and it's gone within an hour anyway. so while I'm writing I am left with traces of fig-leaf and soft (a little smoky) wood and hardly to detect conifere.
not quite a scent that creates passion (nor does it calm or cheer me up either), but it is likeable. let's say it is a lovely, polite, slightly herbal jasmin.
I liked it most at the atlantic coast in summer, combines well with air that's filled with salt and the smell of algues and herbal christe marine.

Edit: I wear it quite often in winter and it really cheers me up; clary sage is the darling of many aromatherapists and I know now, why:-)

Now that I've tried this, some quick initial impressions.

This begins very bright and light, then cuts down to a somewhat figgy and jammy concoction. You may pick up on some of the jasmine notes, but candidly, it could really be anything producing the somewhat sweet center. Longevity was fleeting, I'd say within 60-90 minutes it became nearly undetectable on my skin and I really needed to hunt it down to find where it went. Sillage was non-existent.

It isn't unpleasant, but after only a short-while, it just isn't anything, really rather disappointing for something purporting to be an EDP strength fragrance. So yet another disappointment from a house that hasn't done very much right in the past couple of years.