Omni

Glenn Miller might turn in his grave. The sound of swing became firmly established in 1939 as war engulfed the world. Mauboussin Jewellers of Place Vendome in Paris were celebrating their 100 year anniversary and it stayed within the family until 2002. Two years before the sale Christine Nagel had been commissioned to create a perfume worthy of the Mauboussin reputation, which now carried a 160 year tradition and was as recognisable in
France as Tiffanys is in New York. (Shame that Tiffanys bought the French Crown Jewels)

Today Christine Nagel sits with Jean Claude Ellena in the Hermes Bleachers, where her Eau de Cartier is in keeping with the transparent Ellena style.. Is she proud of Mauboussin? In a published interview Ms Nagel said she would have given her life's work, her eye teeth, her soul to the devil (you see, I forget exactly) to have created Feminite du Bois.....perhaps Mauboussin may have been her sincerest form of flattery, given that she would never have imitated it too openly. Plum, woods, patchouli, amber, and rose are all to be found in this delectable darling which morphs beautifully into French élan from its caramel beginning. I love it. It's the full orchestra, everything but the kitchen sink, but dang, it works just like Glenn Miller's big band. I want a boned corset with a big taffeta lined dance skirt. I want to be in the mood to wear Mauboussin. If you have perfume eating skin, if you don't mind getting a glow on, letting music fill the air, in the shank of the night, when the doin' is right this is for you and you can tell 'em I'll be there.

It is remarkable in that it contains 'Petalia', (a patented perfume molecule by Givaudan) and this piqued my interest. If you like Love, Chloe and No 19 Poudre this may join the ranks. I bought it after wearing it from shop testers where your perception is often clouded by the many competing perfumes of that micro climate and, hesitant, unconvinced, I happened to see Victoria Frolova's charming review. It was 'almost free' ( I am beyond shame) and it made its way from a grey market retailer to my door. What do you get? A touch of Ivoire, a bit of white pepper, the orange and the iris. The lavender doesn't come through much, doesn't speak to me, your experience may differ. I don't like the unimaginative bottle designer or the pinky tinge but I guess it's meant to play up the British lavender theme.
Up against Love Chloe and Ivoire (new) it's an 'also ran' but the dry down is pleasant and a bit tart, making it office friendly. Lasts about three hours on me. A nice scent for a soft cotton summer dress, quite girl-next-door and the absolute opposite of its marketing hype.

What’s got your face in a knot? Nothing, you say, but everything has lost its shine when your lover cuts you somehow. Rolling in the deep, the scent of his skin, the beat of patchouli, the astringent slap of oak moss, he should know, he should know.

When nothing is something you have L’Air de Rien, yeah, not pretty, what the fluck is pretty when you feel like this. You shout, the accusations are wrung out of you…what….an explanation. Oh, bruised lips, thighs, rumpled sheets, sleep. There’s amber, vanilla, rolling in the hay, sweet sweat and forgiveness in an oversized t shirt.

for the EDP. If you like Mitsouko and older Guerlains you might rate this. In short I find it a hybrid of Mitsy and Annick Goutal's Passion. I believe it was designed to be full on, in your face, Portofino rich, take no prisoners, BOLD. I tried wearing less of it but it's pedal to the metal in the same way that Mitsouko, or Amarige is. A quality perfume to be sure but yet another 'challenging' fragrance. Seems best in a warm climate. Not a comfort scent for winter at all. Young women looking for an contemporary Iris might try Burberry Brit Rhythm.

There are some fragrances you wouldn't wear to work or around young children. I have altogether too many of these. Pierre de Lune will take you to the secret places in a child's mind or perhaps remind your Grandmother of how life once was. I don't find much Iris but I do find a bog of cool arum lilies, slight narcissus, and a little violet. The ionone in violets that robs your sense of smell after the first whiff seems apparent here. The fragrance reinvents itself just when you thought it was gone. It's very interesting but not at all in your face as Cuir Amethyste is. Wear it at the full moon as I'm sure Giorgio intended. If I shower before bedtime and put on my PJs this is often what I will reach for. When I bought it, prior to repackaging, it was one of the refill bottles at a small cost. Now it is colossally expensive and I have very little left. Cher won an Oscar for her role in 'Moonstruck'. What's in a name? Enough to suck me in.