I could have given this post the title "A Little Bit of Self-Knowledge", since when it comes to perfumes you definitely need some. For years, I had been attracted to fruity, flowery and sometimes downright ethereal scents. J'Adore by Dior, Chanel Chance, Insolence by Guerlain, Very Irresistible by Givenchy are but a few of the scents I loved over the years, and let us not forget my greatest love Éclat D'Arpège by Lanvin.

Let's just admit: I'm anything but ethereal, both inside and outside. *sigh* I was never that sweet little girl-next-door with an impossible-to-wipe-off smile on her face. There's constantly some kind of conflict within me, and my mind in pretty androgynous as well. On the one hand, I love drawing, painting, making jewelry, and quite obviously I'm a cosmetics and makeup fanatic. Okay, so far that's feminine enough... On the other hand, however, I'm very much into computers, designing websites (that particular interest of mine in currently on hold though...), I can always appreciate a nice car when I see one, I used to watch Star Trek on a regular basis (when I still watched TV that is...), I like science fiction, comics, Star Wars, and have never had any problem with figuring out how an electronic gadget works. See? I'm a total geek and have quite a lot of interests that men usually possess. See? It was inevitable: sooner or later I had to realize that the above mentioned perfumes don't suit me at all.




Enter Yves Rocher's Neonatura Cocoon EdP. As the name suggests, it's a wrap-my-arms-around-you kind of scent that envelopes you in a relaxing mixture of chocolate, vanilla and patchouli, which makes it many women's so-called "comfort scent". I must admit, I'm no exception either: it makes me feel safe, calms my nerves, and keeps me that way all though the day, which is one reason I like it so much and reach for it almost every morning these days.

The other reason is that I love the duality it possesses which is a very important personality-trait of mine as well. There's the chocolate and vanilla in it, which are together responsible for it's delicious, inviting and comforting side. Note, however, that this is definitely not your average sweet and fluffy Choco Pops kinda scent. Don’t get me wrong: I have absolutely nothing against sweet and fluffy Choco Pops kinda scents, in fact, I love them, but if they’re not quite your thing, you might just want to give this one a try.

I might as well draw a parallel between Neonatura Cocoon and gourmand chocolates with a 99% cocoa content. Chocolates like those tend to make you go "Ewww" the first time you try them: they are unusually bitter, sometimes intolerably so, they have a spicy, sharp tinge and enjoy gluing your palates together. :-) However, they also have the tendency to make you want more in time: they grab hold of your tastebuds, and whisper sweet things in your ears until you can't help but go back for another small piece the next day. And another... And another... Until you eventually find yourself hating the "normal" kind and having eyes (or tastebuds in this case) only for the confection with the high weirdness-factor. Go figure... :-)

Then there's the patchouli, which is the complete opposite of the previous two: it's dry, woody, even a bit earthy, and represents the masculine side of this perfume. The two together create a mix that's pretty hard to get bored of, as the scent constantly shows you different sides of itself: one minute its chocolaty side makes you daydream and opens your heart, and in the next moment the crisp patchouli takes over and brings you back to Earth, bringing with itself a different mindset, one much more grounded and determined.

It took me a while to start caring for Neonatura Cocoon. The first time I tried it almost exactly a year ago I was disappointed by the patchouli notes and thought it would be just perfect without them. Yet, I kept sniffing my wrist all day (it's an incredibly lasting perfume!), and something must have started then, because ever since that day I had been wanting to try it again, right until about a month ago when I finally did and decided to hunt up a 5 ml version on E-Bay. I must have realized then that it's perfect the way it is: all its different aspects and the huge contrast between the two main notes make it unique and yet strangely familiar.




And hey, don't you just love the pebbly-ness of the 5 ml bottle? ;-)




Has any of you ever tried this particular fragrance? What's your take on it?
Love it?
Hate it?
Or both. ^_^