White florals at their best are overtly feminine, romantic and powerful. At their worst they are migraine-inducing and suffocating. Unfortunately, not everyone enjoys the headiness that goes with white flowers but I love their full, lusty scent.
Van Cleef & Arpels Murmure, which was released in 2002, is a great examples of what white florals can be. It’s beautiful and feminine without being sickly or cloying. There is something sophisticated about Murmure, although it doesn’t really fall into the category of what I normally would consider a sophisticated scent (I.e. something a little more daring or mysterious.)
Strangely enough I didn’t actually like Murmure the first time I wore it. I bought the bottle ‘blind’ (without testing the fragrance first) while I was going through my crazy ‘must acquire every perfume ever made’ phase; shortly after I discovered my love for fragrance. I loved Van Cleef & Arpel’s First so much that I thought Murmure would be in the same vein. I was very wrong, hence my initial disappointment.
Murmure smells modern to me, completely contrary to the old-world glamour of First. Like the sound of a murmur it hums quietly but powerfully through it’s stages. Upon first spray there is a strange herbal blast, slightly medicinal and my curiosity is piqued. I can’t say that I particularly like the opening, but it’s a little foreign and intriguing. Very quickly this fades into white. The top notes are listed as Freesia and White Rose, which I don’t get a lot of in the opening. The middle notes are Jasmine Sambac Absolute, Orange Blossom, Tuberose, Lily and Cassie Flower.
The Jasmine is most prominent in middle of Murmure’s wear. Jasmine Sambac (also known as Arabian Jasmine) is a variation of the Jasmine flower family and is a night-blooming variation. It is headier and more intense than other forms of Jasmine, so be warned that too much Murmure could make your head spin. Jasmine Sambac is also less sweet than other varieties of Jasmine, which is why Murmure doesn’t have that sugary or cloying property that other white floral scents can have. 
As Murmure fades we smell the base notes Brazilian rosewood, cedar and vanilla. The base is soft, stays close to the skin and has a beautiful warmth. The vanilla is woven nicely with the cedar and rosewood to create a comforting scent without any food-like vanilla connotations.
Overall Murmure is beautifully crafted and softly glamorous. I must also mention the bottle, which I think is stunning and perfectly representative of the scent. The top of the bottle looks very much like a sculptural interpretation of the opening of a lily flower, a strip of gold runs down the bottle and has the name embossed along it. It’s a picture of modern beauty, much life the fragrance itself.
Murmure’s creators include Jacques Cavallier who is also credited to YSL Cinema, Dior Midnight Poision, Stella McCartney Stella and a whole host of other big name fragrances. Also behind Murmure is Alberto Morillas who was the nose behind the Bvlgari Omnia fragrances, Giorgio Armani Sensi and Marc Jacobs Daisy to name a few.
Unfortunately I have not seen Murmure in-store anywhere in Australia thus far. However, it can be picked up for song online at e-tailers such as strawberrynet.com which ship worldwide. If you would like to sample Murmure before purchasing check out theperfumedcourt.com where you can order a sample.
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