Review of Couleur Primaire by Olga Steinfeld

Four years ago, my life changed dramatically. I found myself in a new environment where not only the culture, people, and climate were different, but even everyday things felt unfamiliar. Fragrances were no exception. My favorite perfumes smelled noticeably different in the Israeli climate: they became sweeter, duller, while certain synthetic notes grew stronger or transformed into something else entirely. On top of that, during the long hot season that lasts almost nine months a year, I desperately missed the feeling of freshness, coolness, and cleanliness. I spent almost a year searching for my perfect "Israeli perfume" and found it by chance in the most unexpected place. Couleur Primaire was unlike anything I had smelled in Israel before. It is a synthetic, ultra-clean fragrance that opens with the scent of cold, almost aggressive washing powder, followed by sweet watery pear and fresh peony. On my skin, it creates a feeling of cleanliness that lasts all day. Most importantly, it ignores the heat and stays fresh no matter how high the temperature gets. I finished my first 100 ml bottle in just six months because I simply couldn't leave the house without wearing it. The opening is sharp and striking. It genuinely feels as if you've buried your face in a bag of washing powder. Then the fragrance gradually softens as the sweet pear and fresh florals emerge, while musk and ambroxan maintain that immaculate clean feeling. At this stage, it no longer smells like washing powder but rather like a freshly laundered white shirt dried outdoors. In cooler weather, the opening remains more aggressive for longer, so I wouldn't recommend wearing it during autumn and winter. Longevity is around 4 to 6 hours, depending on the season. P.S. After spending more time with it, I can say that it shares some similarities with Byredo Blanche (softer, sweeter, and more powdery) and Jeroboam Kun Amo (sweeter and without aldehydes).