Minxstinks: 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.