Maison Louis Marie

Adobe Firefly AI's interpretation of a French estate in a forest of cedar trees,
surrounded by orange trees, fig trees, and white roses. Kinda funky, but ok.

I've been hearing good things about Maison Louis Marie, a house that produces both perfume oils and eaux de parfum. I got a great deal on the EDP discovery set at Sephora ($11.95 for 6), which was impossible to pass up. It was a fine investment, as each scent is quite good. Each are shareable/unisex, and can be layered quite successfully.

The quotes below are taken from the MLM website; the rest of the words are mine.

Antidiris Cassis

Cassis, Bergamot, Black Pepper, White Rose, Musk, Oakmoss, Tonka Bean

This fruity fragrance begins with a black pepper note enhanced by Bergamot and cassis. It then develops a strong green accord with a White Rose base and dries down to a warm Oakmoss, Tonka, and clean Musk base.

The rose is right up front in this one and mingling with the bitter fruitiness of the cassis to create almost a tart-sweet pomegranate accord. The rose is quite realistic, one with velvety petals like the softest apricot skin and an intoxicating aroma. There's also a grassy greenness about this scent, maybe some leaves, but it never gets stemmy or woody, definitely not thorny--aspects of many rose fragrances that ruin them for me. 

No. 02 Le Long Fond

Hinoki Wood, Cedar, Patchouli, White Musk

Founded by our grandfather, Le Long Fond is a nursery in Belgium that's still active today. This scent is a savory mixture of Hinoki wood accord underlined by notes of Cedarwood and Patchouli with a strong amber character.

I do love me a good woodsy scent, and this is one of those. It's turpenic, and a little spicy, and the patch note is pretty prominent. There's something sacred about this fragrance as well. It's like walking through a damp forest and stumbling upon a clearing with an old stone church that still bears the ancient smell of burned incense.  

No. 04 Bois de Balincourt

Sandalwood, Cedar, Nutmeg, Vetiver, Cinnamon, Amberwood

Surrounded by an ancient mysterious forest, Balincourt is the name of our family home where we took long walks on a magical trail called 'Lover’s Lane'. This romantic scent is a Sandalwood fragrance with a dominant Cedarwood and Sandalwood accord that's supplemented by a spicy Cinnamon Nutmeg complex with an earthy Vetiver note.

This is a soft and dreamy sandalwood, not overpowering or sharp. I get the warm fuzzies when I wear it, so I'd say it was more cozy than romantic. It's probably the most linear of the Maison Louis Marie frags I've tried, sandalwood from beginning to end, with hints of cedar and warm spices--absolutely not a bad thing. It's lovely from top to bottom and most likely will end up in my collection.

No. 09 Valee de Farney

Grapefruit, Black Pepper, Orange, Geranium, Cedar, Patchouli, Vetiver, Musk, Amber

Vallée de Farney is a nature preserve located in the native forests of the Mauritius Island. The forest is home to more than 100 plant species and numerous animals where Louis Marie discovered many new plant specimens. Inspired by the wild forest, this scent is a woody, mineral fragrance. The top note is a citrus accord of grapefruit, orange and black pepper enhanced by Cedarwood and Patchouli.

Starting out with the bitterness of grapefruit and the earthiness of patchouli, Valee de Farney soon becomes soapy and clean, with a backdrop of woods, though the grapefruit note lasts well into the drydown. It's like being carried through a cedar forest in the arms of a man wearing the most delightful cologne. Yes, it leans a tad masculine but is certainly wearable by everyone. 

No. 12 Bousval 

Sicilian Bergamot, White Cardamom, Italian Orange, Eucalyptus, White Ginger Lily, Oakmoss, Petitgrain, Heliotrope, Cedar, Myrrh, Musk, Amber

Bousval is named after our mother’s hometown: there, she'd walk her four collies during warm summer evenings, spending most of her time camping outside, catching fish, and picking fresh vegetables at the pond next to her home. Inspired by her enchanted summers, this scent has nuances of Valencia Oranges are joined with Italian Bergamot and bold White Cardamom. A signature heart of Ginger Flower is complimented with Eucalyptus and earthy notes of Oakmoss. Undertones of rich, sultry woods add to misted Musk for a modern aroma.

What she said. This is a joyful fragrance that opens with sunny citrus spiked with spice. Powdery light floral notes appear next, grounded by oakmoss. Bousval has very classic chypre bones while at the same time is also a quite powdery floral. 

No. 13 Nouvelle Vague

Coconut, Tuscan Fig, Agave, Tonka, Golden Woods

This refreshing, rich scent takes you to the Italian island of Capri where Marie frequently traveled with her sister while visiting the Amalfi coast. Nouvelle Vague transports you to spring on the Italian coast, where you’re walking on a tiny oceanside street lined with blooming wildflowers and native lemons. Its signature aroma captures an uplifting citrus accord, a sheer floral bouquet, and coconut wrapped with Tuscan fig and agave throughout. Tonka and undertones of golden woods ground this blend in comfort and warmth.

Though the website description mentions citrus, this is the rare Amalfi-inspired scent that doesn't have an obvious lemon note. I was hoping I couldn't smell the fig in this, as that is one of my least-favorite notes. Or maybe it would be overcompensated for by the coconut. But no, fig is the first thing I smell. There is coconut, too, but the most prominent scent--to my nose, YMMV--is the sea. There is definitely a marine quality about this fragrance, something sea-weed-y. It smells of skin after a dip in the Mediterranean sea on a sunny day. Between the fig and the marine note, Nouvelle Vague is not at all my cup of tea, but I can appreciate it.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks
Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

A Favorite: Bruno Acampora Musc

photomontage aided by Adobe Firefly AI and Photoshop

Bruno Acampora Musc

Musk, Sandalwood, Cloves, Violet, Rose, Vanilla, Amber

I have always been a fan of musky perfumes. I have several in my collection, from cheapies like Body Shop White Musk and GAP Heaven to Glossier You, Essential Parfums The Musc, L'Artisan Parfumeur Mure et Musc Extreme, SJP Lovely, Obvious Un Musc, Mugler Over the Musk, Narciso Rodriguez Musc for Her, and Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur. My favorite of the bunch though is Bruno Acampora Musc. My friend Daisy Bow gave me a sample a few years ago, and it was love at first sniff. I paid $135 for 50ml back in 2019; 100ml is about $100 more today. I see complaints about the price, but more and more frags are going for that kind of money these days. To me, this one is totally worth it. 

I think calling this scent simply "Musc," is misleading. The opening is like walking through a dense forest of old trees, where the ground is covered in an inches-thick mulch of damp decaying leaves. Mushrooms are everywhere, some of which are glinting with a metallic sheen. This is the scent that hovers around me when I wear this fragrance. When I sniff my clothes, however, I smell more of the forest wood, softened by vanilla and amber and a soupcon of powdery florals. It is utterly strange and utterly delicious.  

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

Maison Matine

I asked Adobe Firefly AI for an image with a realistic scene of a beach in the rain with open coconuts,
 surfers, flowers, insects, a cheetah, a hand, roses, a crescent moon, and a cartoon astronaut
riding a giant fish with a flaming tail. I got some weird-ass nightmare fuel shit that I've added at the bottom of this post. I tried again, adding an image reference prompt which generated the thing you see above. Not sure where the cheetah went and why a sun and lemons are included, but the style seems a bit more in keeping with the illustrations on the Maison Matine bottles. I also used two different MM bottles as reference prompts and got one image that wasn't bad, and more nightmare fodder. While AI can generate some interesting things, it will never take the place of a human artist like me.

I was pretty excited to sniff the Maison Matine line--the packaging is cute and the prices are reasonable--so I signed up for a Beautyhabit Master Class. As with all their online events, if you register by a certain date, you'll receive a bunch of samples in the mail which you can sniff in advance (I consider that cheating) or put them aside to sniff live during the class. 

The class was hosted by Beautyhabit's Paula Weiser and Karen Dubin (also of Sniffapalooza), plus Didier Maine de Biran, Maison Matine's director of business development. Didier gave us the history of the brand and the reasoning behind the brand and the packaging. It was, to be honest, a lot of information to process while sniffing seven fragrances. Let me just include the blurb from the BH web site, so you can get a general idea of things.

Maison Matine is a niche perfume company based in France with a mission to speak to a generation in search of independence and creativity. Inspired by the spirit of freedom, the collection is developed and manufactured in Paris, Grasse and Chartres by a dedicated group of independent French perfumers in collaboration with Maison Matine’s graphic designers. All products are limited edition and reflect a dynamic world in motion, while remaining simple and unique. With an environmentally friendly approach, the recyclable packaging is eco-conscious, the wheat alcohol is organically grown, and ingredients are harvested with respect for nature and producers.

In other words, it's a brand by young people for young people. I am old people with bad knees, however, and must confess that I didn't find that any of the fragrances spoke to me. Even the perfumers are young--and relatively unknown. Three are by Philippine Courtière, who has 57 fragrances listed on Fragrantica, but two of the other perfumers, Laurent Marrone and Remi Barbier, have worked on 11 scents between them. The other two fragrances we sampled are not attributed to anyone, at least not on Fragrantica. 

None of these perfumes begged me to own them, and I found an overarching sameness to the line when smelled one after the other. Most scents were a little high-pitched to my nose. But when taken individually, each is quite nice. I've offered some comments on each. I've also attempted to paraphrase some of the things that Didied mentioned, which are in italics.

Arashi No Umi

Green apple, Freesia, Peach, Jasmine, Damask Rose, Ylang, Virginia Cedar, Firsantol, Musk

"Sea of Storms" is a lovely, less-sweet and grown-up version of D&G Light Blue. 

Avant L’Orage

Pink Pepper, Jasmine Sambac, Benzoin, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean, Musk

While bright pink pepper pops up in the opening, everything else about this scent is a lactonic delight. I'm not sure where the storm comes in (avant l'orage translates to before the storm), unless it's a storm of creamy vanilla and tonka musk. The perfumer used ingredients from India to achieve the sense of serenity, self-confidence and spirituality.

Bain de Midi

Bergamot, Coconut, Tiare Flower, Ylang Ylang, Gardenia, Vanilla, Musk

This afternoon bath is no ordinary dip in the tub, rather it's a tropical fantasy of floral notes and coconut sweetened with vanilla. What I like about this scent is that the white flowers are fizzy and bubbly, but not indolic. It's rather reminds me of Ava Luxe Venus Sands, which is of the same school of thought but a stronger scent. 

Into the Wild

Cardamom, Juniper Berries, Pepper, Ginger, Magnolia, Frangipani, Chocolate

If you think you like green scents but are not 100% sold on them, Into the Wild might be a good scent to try. It's green, but also floral. Ginger, juniper, and pepper make the opening sparkly, and cardamom adds its sweet spice. The scent dries down to a pleasant bouquet of magnolia and frangipani. I don't get any chocolate. 

Nature Insolente

Orange, Lemon, Bergamot, Lily Of The Valley, Mint, Honeydew Melon, Vetiver, Cedar, Musk

The citrus notes in Nature Insolente are quite bold. The orange in the opening is so realistic, I can feel the individual juice sacs bursting. There's a bit of spicy greenness from the muguet and the mint, and I can detect the barest amount of fresh dampness from the melon. The drydown is lightly woody and musky. This scent reflects the recent COVID period when nature took over.

Poom Poom 

Rose, Mandarin Tree Flower, Orange, Kiwi, Orchid, Peony, Freesia, Rose, Musk, Sandalwood, Ebony, Vanilla

This is what a fruity floral fragrance should smell like. There's lovely fresh fruit in the opening, orange and I assume kiwi, and a lot of happy bright floral notes. Another COVID fragrance, this one celebrates the end of the pandemic when we can all socialize again. 

Tu Te Calmes (Calm Down)

Cardamom, Neroli, Sfuma Lemon Oil, Fig Leaf, Petitgrain, Virginia Cedar, Haitian Vetiver, Musk

While I love most of the notes in Tu Te Calmes, something in there gives an almost aquatic feel to this scent that ruins it for me. It's probably the fig, which is not one of my favorite notes. Others might find this scent rather cozy; despite the citrus notes and that damn fig, it's overall quite warm.

Used a Maison Matine bottle as a prompt for this one. Kinda ok.

 

Used a Maison Matine bottle as a prompt for this one. Yowza.

Used a Maison Matine bottle as a prompt for this one. Legit scary.

Didn't use a MM bottle prompt. Didn't ask for a bird.

Didn't use a MM bottle prompt. Where's the astronaut? 

Didn't use a MM bottle prompt. How can that cheetah run with those feet?

Didn't use a MM bottle prompt. Best AI hand I've ever seen. Poor astronaut has parsnips for legs though.

Didn't use a MM bottle prompt. The cheetah is enraged by his deformities.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.

A Favorite: Eau de Protection

photomontage created with the help of Adobe Firefly AI and Photoshop

Etat Libre d'Orange Eau de Protection

Bitter Orange, Ginger, Black Pepper, Turkish Rose, Jasmine, Heliotrope, Patchouli, Benzoin, Tonka Bean

At first sniff, I thought, nope, this just isn't my scent. Ordinarily, a vivid cocktail of rose and patchouli would not turn me on. Guerlain Rose Barbare, for example, a strongly rose/patch blend is definitely not my thing, though I can admire it intellectually. But I spritzed the ELDO scent on my arm anyway and found myself surprised. I surmise that it's the other notes in Eau de Protection that made me fall in love with it. The opening is still a bit extra for me; though patch is listed as a basenote, it's right there, balls out, along with the rose and some spice. It's taken me some years to develop, hmmm, not sure if I should call it a fondness for patchouli, but I don't dislike it anymore. (Dirty, earthy, hippie patchouli is still on the naughty list, however.) I feel the same way about rose. Some notes of rose are fine, others not so much. Let's just call my relationship with patch and rose what it is: frenemies. My frenemies and I don't hate each other. We have an understanding. And my understanding of Eau de Protection is that if I wait patiently for an hour or so, the patchouli softens and the rose's thorns fall off. The creamy sweetness of almond-y heliotrope and tonka make the rose seem almost jammy in the long drydown, and the effect of it all is downright addictive. I have good skin for fragrance, so even 8 hours after applying this scent, I can't stop smelling myself. My skin still bears a trace of the rose and patch, but my shirt smells mostly of tonka, and it's fabulous. I waited too long to buy this scent, and now I want to wear it every day.

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Posted by theminx on Minxstinks

Note: this post is my opinion. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned in this post or any other companies.