Earlier this year, Clairefontaine released a limited-edition perfume, L’eau si belle (“Such beautiful water”), in celebration of their 150th birthday.

The name was inspired by a line in a traditional French song, “À la Claire Fontaine,” or “at the clear fountain”: À la claire fontaine… J’ai trouvé l’eau si belle. (French and English lyrics have been transcribed at this website.) I wasn’t familiar with the song until I learned of the perfume, but it’s very simple and beautiful; you can listen to a recording that was featured in the movie The Painted Veil on YouTube.

The perfume itself is lovely and bright, with notes of citrus, fruits rouges, and jasmine. I don’t wear perfume often, so I don’t know quite what to compare it to, but I will say that I appreciate how very light it is. (Don’t want to be distracted by how I smell all day.) It feels quite summery, and like what it’s supposed to evoke—fresh water, a clear stream.

If you want to see for yourself, it’s currently on sale at the Clairefontaine website for 29 Euros.

Gift idea, anyone?