Tentations Parisiennes (Parisian Temptations)

I most ardently, most unequivocally, most unwittingly, love French patisseries! The French culinary expertise is most evident in its pastries and desserts where each piece is essentially an artform.

In Rueil-Malmaison, weather permitting, my lunch hour excursions were well spent frequenting the corner patisserie cum boulangerie down the road from the hotel. Otherwise, if I'm in a more adventurous spirit or feeling jaunty than usual, I hopped farther away inside the old, French provincial part of this suburb - the town square - with its commonplace cobblestone roads and plantation-style shutters of various shades.

This is where the most ambitious and exquisite array of patisseries reside, much to my gastronomic delight! An assortment of sugared masterpieces and visually-pleasing confections that make me weak at the knees and cause my stomach to churn vigorously.

I had eaten a generous chocolate cream of an eclair, a slice of banana-flavoured tart and some forgettable layered cake but the sweet French creation that left a lasting impression is macaroon! Specifically chocolate macaroon with semi-sweet chocolate filling.....

These macaroons, come in different flavours like chocolate, cafe (coffee), fraise (strawberry) and citroen (lemon).

Fitting the size of my palm, its crunchy meringue-rich texture has the consistency of a brownie and the surprising, harmonious blend of its filling with the chewy round macaroons almost melts inside my mouth. I am in cacao heaven!

So it came as no shock when I wolfed down one at the airport, lest I wouldn't be able to find one in Tulips Land to satiate my craving. However, I must say, the airport's mass-produced version was pale in comparison to the homebaked one in Rueil-Malmaison's lovely patisserie.

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In true holiday tradition, I've succumbed. I finally made a purchase of this wonderful rose concoction, also during one of my outings at the town square in one of the bevy of shops - L'occitane En Provence, the French's yet another successful franchise story.

It's sort of a mini-celebration for the upcoming __ anniversary of my birth (yes, I have to be wordy to get my strong hint across - haha).

I fell in love with this subdued rose bouquet ever since I spritzed some on my person at one of its shops in Kuala Lumpur - KLCC, I think. However, other 'needs' items took priority in my burgeoning shopping list.

My husband's concurring with my selection also swung the decision to a firm buy. Hehe.

L'occitane prides itself in developing its own sensuous range of skincare, beauty and fragrance products for women, men and the home. The high level of prestige and personal touch are reflected in my choice of fragrance - Eau des 4 Reines. As the name suggests, the scent combines the distinctive and quirky elements of 4 different roses.

The muted floral notes complement my preference for flowerful-infused aroma, more so when it originates from my all-time favourite flower!

I like the fact the fragrance is not too pungent or overpowering, dissimilar to a pure essence of rose, which is cloyingly sweet for my taste.

Also, despite being an EDT, I only need to sparingly spray it on since a very small dose of the scent is just what it takes to permeate the air. Too much would be an overkill.....

As such, I deem it a fine, prudent purchase because it will last me for a long, long time. More so now that, with a rambunctious infant around, I use fragrances only for special occasions or whenever I feel like it (which is hardly ever) ;-)