Magnifique is the latest fragrance for women from Lancôme, and it launches this month under the tag line "You are unique; you are Magnifique". The celebrity spokesperson is Anne Hathaway; the perfumers are Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavallier; the spicy woody scent is intended as "an olfactive interpretation of red".
I will start by admitting that I'm not a huge fan of the Lancôme fragrance line. Offhand, I can't think of a single scent in their current range that I've any interest in wearing other than the lovely Mille et Une Roses, and I'm not even sure that is still being sold. Hypnôse, their last major launch for women, did not appeal to me at all. The name Magnifique — am I the only one who thinks of mascara or a hair care product when I hear Magnifique? And who finds "You are unique; you are Magnifique" downright cheesy?
Still, anything that continues the current "woods for women" trend is welcome, and the notes (saffron essence, cumin, Bulgarian rose, Mai de Grasse rose, jasmine, sandalwood, nagarmota and vetiver) sounded intriguing. A quick sniff on a card a few weeks ago was interesting, and impressed me much more than the Ralph Lauren Notorious which I was trying at the same time.
Magnifique starts with your standard sharp citrus opening, and the spices take a few minutes to warm up. When they do, they're nicely dirty — the cumin is not overdone, but it adds a bit of an edgy undertone to the rose-y floral notes. The dry down adds more dirt, quite literally: it smells like warm earth* and spiced ambery-musky woods. The whole thing is wrapped in a guazy veil of vanillic sweetness, again, not overdone, with just the teensiest hint of powder. It doesn't smell candied, and it's somewhat dark; I'd think it would wear better in fall or winter than in the heat of summer.
It isn't skanky, exactly, and niche-hound perfumistas might not be impressed, but to my nose it is pretty daring for a mainstream department store cosmetic brand, and considerably more so than some of the other feminine wood scents we've seen lately, like Estee Lauder's Sensuous, Bvlgari Jasmin Noir or David Yurman. I find it sexier than any of those, and to my mind, it would have been a better fit with the ad images for Notorious than the Notorious juice turned out to be. That said, I don't entirely love it and I'm not sure I could say exactly why, and the two early reviews at MakeupAlley are less than positive.
The lasting power is very good, but the spice notes fade after a couple of hours and then I find it a bit too bland.
Lancôme Magnifique is available in 30, 50 and 75 ml Eau de Parfum and in matching body products. It will reportedly be exclusive to Bloomingdales through August.
* I should add that a very kind person sent me a sample of nagarmota (see cypriol in the Glossary). It isn't exactly like vetiver, but it's pretty darned close: it's very dry and earthy-rooty. Some descriptions note that it has undertones of frankincense and cinnamon, and I can vouch for the frankincense part if not the cinnamon (although Magnifique smells vaguely of cinnamon). A perfumer could no doubt tell cypriol and vetiver apart, but even after wearing them together for several days in a row, I'm pretty sure I'd fail to pick out which was which in a blind smell test.
Waou, look at this ad!!!! It looks like a cover of a love book from Harlequin or Barbara Cartland, so cheesy not to say ridiculous and absolutely horrible, poor Anne Hataway, she worths the millions dollars they pay her, I would be so embarassed to be on a picture like this…
The name MAGNIFIQUE is perfect for Lancôme in my point of view, as it is not a fashion designer brand, it's difficult to have something very edgy.
In terms of fragrance, I did not like HYPNOSE but at least it was innovative, it lasts very long and you immediately recognize it.
Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavalier are very talented, may be the fragrance is better than the ad, it's difficult to be worse.
It really does look like a romance novel cover! In the case of Ralph Lauren Notorious, I thought the presentation (the bottle, the ad image & the publicity copy) were better than the juice, in this case, I'd say the juice is better than the presentation.
R, dear – you are right, you did like it more than I…I do need to give a spray on skin next time it pops up tho – the card I sniffed was just kind of snoozy – OK, I suppose (but I had hope more from “the modern woods for women” angle). Also, I can't imagine Anne Hathaway wearing this…
I think the opening is a wee bit dull — after about 15 minutes, it gets more interesting. Do try it on skin and see, but of course maybe you'll snooze anyhow. The middle part (between 15 minutes and 60 minutes) is arguably more interesting than Sensuous, but all the same I like Sensuous much better. I'd take this over the Bvlgari Jasmin Noir or the David Yurman though. And either way, so happy to see “modern woods” instead of “modern fruits”.
Well, the ad does look a bit like a romance novel, Anne H is such a pretty girl, I'm glad they did a softer warmer look for her makeup.
As a longstanding Lancome fan, I'll go see just for the heck of it.. Always interested to see what the new wood fragrances are like. Interesting to note, the juice is clear?
She is pretty. And yep, juice is absolutely clear.
Do you think they are aping the Estee Lauder tag line: “You are luminous. You are real. You are Sensuous.”
That's some serious cheese.
I haven't smelled it yet, but I probably fall into that “niche-hound perfumista” category and it will no doubt remind me of something I've either already smelled or already own.
The tagline is seriously cheesy… cheesy enough to serve wine & crackers with, really.
Of course, I'll definitely go smell it. The curious cat in me will win out, and I'll be powerless to resist a sniff. I wear O de Lancome pretty regularly in the summer, but other than O and Magie Noire, nothing else from Lancome has captured my interest. I remain cautiously optimistic until I can smell it for myself, lol.
Gosh, the Sensuous tag line is dumb too, isn't it? I sort of forgot or didn't notice. I guess they're all dumb, but something about the Lancome one just makes me think of mascara.
When I smelled Magnifique on paper it smelled *exactly* like something I couldn't place, and never thought of, but on skin it didnt' strike me that way. Do come back and tell me if it reminds you of something else.
Oh dear, I forgot O de Lancome, I like that one too. So make that 2 from Lancome that I'd wear.
Cypriol emits a slightly musty, earthy, old church scent — the dank earthiness links it to patchouli, and isn't present in vetiver, though vetiver is earthy too. I'm seeing this used a lot — the Annick Goutal Orientalistes have it, and so does the new By Kilian to be launched in August. Or maybe it's just me that's picking it up more?
Anyway, Magnifique sounds more interesting than I thought it would be (no big fan of Lancôme fragrances either).
I agree on cheesy..
Still you picked my interest with the warm earth thing!
Regards!
p.s.: Hathaway looks good in the ad, but for me sha always has this expression that looks as if she has sprang some nerve somewhere… looks a little bit off to me.
You are cramp-nifique?
I'm currently 'into' spicy notes, but the Lancome brand as a whole seems boring to me.
I don't know if it is being used more but it is certainly being “listed” more often than it used to.
LOL at “cramp-nifique”!
It is spicy but it isn't a spice-fest, if you know what I mean. Still, worth a shot if you're at a Lancome counter.
O de Lancome is nice, isn't it? And I do like to wear Magie Noir in the fall. It's nostalgic for me.
Anne Hathaway … now when I see her I think of her imprisoned ex boyfriend. Hope her image rises above it.
I'll have to try the Magnifique tomorrow…
Is this being geared towards women in their 20's-30's?
I know Anne is in her 20's, so I'm guessing.
Not much of a Lancome fan (other than Cuir and Mille et Une Roses) but I'll give it a sniff. Didn't like Sensuous at all – too chemical and sweet. I do like Cypriol though – look forward to sniffing the new Kilian with it (thanks for the tip carmencanada).
IMHO, Lancome hasn't had a good mascara since they discontinued Immencils Gentle Lash Thickener. I'm dating myself horribly with that one, arent I?
I plan to sniff this one and the new Ralph Lauren at some point over the weekend. I will definitely check in as to what it reminds me of.
You're not dating yourself w/ me, I can't remember all their mascaras! I know I used to use one, now I'm cheap & use something by L'Oreal.
It's really a great scent, wish I had a bottle.
And now I'll have to go google her “imprisoned ex boyfriend”!
If I've read about the target market, I've forgotten, but I'd be very surprised if they were aiming any younger than that just based on the smell. It doesn't smell “young”.
Sensuous *does* smell chemical & sweet, but I really like it, have been wearing it quite a bit. This is in a more “mainstream” style than Cuir or Mille et Une Roses, so perhaps you won't like it either.
I'd be curious to try this even if it's in the women's line. If you remember, I loved Hypnôse Homme (though I tested the Eau Fraîche recently and I honestly have no idea why they did a flanker — practically identical to my nose). I got a sample of Sensuous recently and I need to try it again (it sufferred greatly due to me testing Sycomore on the other arm), but I found it rather dull at first sniff. Definitely something a guy could wear, but there are so many woods I like better.
Aren't Climat & Sikkim any good? I've heard good things about those Lancômes.
You're not alone in finding Sensuous dull — I love it, but not everybody does!
I thought both Sikkim & Climat were good, just not great — in fact, to me that was the lesson of “La Collection”: Lancome had some good stuff in their back catalog, but nothing out of this world.
I *still* have not smelled Sensuous – I have a mall phobia – and although you like it, I wonder if it will be too sweet. This one sounds appealing – I love cumin, and of course woods, so if it shows up in, say, Ulta, I will try to sniff it. Bring on the woods!
And, yes, definitely cheesy name and slogan, but I can always say I'm wearing “Sex Panther”.
Huh. None of the new Lancomes does much for me, but this sounds like it has some potential, assuming I don't get an overdose of rose… and I had completely forgotten about Notorious! Nice review – I should scrape up my notes and their blurbage…. a waste of a great perfume name, in my opinion.
Since L'Oreal now owns Lancome, it's all the same in the end
Hmmm…I may have to take a sniff at this one while I'm at the perfume counter looking with mixed longing and trepidation at the bottle of Lancome Tresor. I know I'll eventually just give up and buy it, but I've had a bit of a love/hate relationship with it so far. There's one note in it that…irks me. I like it for a few minutes then think it smells slightly dirty. Ack…either way, I think Anne Hathaway out-classes the advertising for this by a mile.
What I want to see is a perfume add based on her recent “Get Smart” advertising. I can't decide if that would be hilariously cheesy, or a really cool “Bond-girl” sort of thing. I wonder what the Bond girls do wear, come to think of it….
maybe you're thinking of magnascopic which is a mascara (estee lauder i think, but dont quote me on it). i like the bottle quite a bit. ill have to see about the juice…
I think they just translated the French tag line and didn't bother to check the impact it would make in English. “Vous êtes unique – Vous êtes magnifique” sounds so much better! and strangely I can almost hear a husky French male voice whisper that… still cheesy, but definitely some 5 star kind of cheese, so to speak.
Thank you very much for the review anyway! Looking forward to trying this and many other perfumes – Serge Noire! all those exclusive Carons! the real Guerlains! El Attarine!!! (and allready hypnosing myself into accepting, that NO!, I can't afford THAT BOTTLE!) – over the weekend in Paris.
(thinking of translations, I always wonder how any native English speaker can support modern pop music… as a non-native speaker, at least I can sort of zoom out if the lyrics get achingly dumb.)
M, for me at least, “potential” is the right word. I don't love it, I'm just sort of impressed that Lancome has made it — it's more interesting than their usual, and maybe more interesting than much recent “usual”. You know what I mean. Don't think you'll get an overdose of rose in any case.
Agree on the waste of the name Notorious!
Many people are finding it too sweet, and usually I don't love sweet myself, but I really like it. Can sympathize w/ the mall phobia though!
I keep meaning to try the newer, sheerer versions of Tresor and never get to it. Have you tried them?
Have not seen the Get Smart advertising, in fact didn't know she was in that movie — will have to go investigate.
Debating which wine (red or white) will go better with this cheesy ad
It never fails to amaze me that these ad copy writers who are paid BIG BUCKS to come up with these lines can only seem to muster up enough creativity to cough up these swiss cheese-like ads. Whats worse is that they are approved! I've never been overly impressed with the Lancome line, although I will wear Poeme on occassion as well as my Tresor – which for some reason also illicits a frag compliment whenever I wear it. For me, Hypnose comes across as playdoh. I will give this a go, the notes do sound promising and totally unlike anything they've done thus far. Thanks for the review 
Magnascopic? Seriously, that's a mascara? LOL — that is funny. I don't think I'm thinking of anything in particular except that the name doesn't sound like a perfume to me.
It is true, everything sounds better in French (if you speak English, that is). And does that mean you're off to Paris this very weekend? Hope you have a blast, and don't spend every last cent
It is true — that ad did not require much creative brainpower — all the money apparently went to hire Hathaway.
Absolutely, this very weekend! The very great thing about living in Switzerland is that you can reach almost any corner of Europe in just a few hours by train without ruining your savings.
I really will try very hard not to spent half this month's salary on bell jars… and especially not on THAT BOTTLE!!!!
Luckily, hubby is into perfumes to, and loves the Palais Royal boutique, so I won't risk a major relationship crisis by dragging him around Paris on a perfume sightseeing tour. *LOL*
“I can almost hear a husky French male voice whisper that… ”
Ohhh… it seems practically custom-made for Serge Gainsbourg! I still miss him… Maybe they could just use “Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus”, instead?
Exactly! The Lancome mascaras smell better, though.
Hey, that has great potential for a poll! “Bond girls, who is your favorite, and what fragrance would they wear?”
I had a quick sniff of this last night at Macy's, though didn't try it on the skin yet (I probably will to see how it dries down) & liked the rosy spiciness of it – its a good office scent that's not obtrusive but is different from the more usual fresh/clean/aquatic/citruses that are more the norm . IMO this is going to compete well with EL's Sensuous – I've noticed a lot of people can't wear this (me included, it smells like rotting fruit on me). The copy is down right silly, but that's easy to fix on the next go around of ads & Hathaway is very popular with that 20ish age group that Lancome may be trying to bring in to the brand for the future (hence the vanilla-ish tones of the frag). I think this could turn out to be surprisingly popular in the mainstream (though I doubt I'd wear it).
Like you, Lancome's scents do little for me except for Mille et Une Roses, which I love. Macy's had a tester of “Magnifique” out last weekend, and I was so happy when I saw it because I LOVE woody florals. Alas – this is not a scent to love. As my MUA review said – cheap drugstore amber. It smells “old” rather than sophisticated. I left it on a while hoping it would get better. it didn't. Sigh.
Well….. I don't care much about the Lancôme range either except for Magie Noire which I really love. Hypnôse was a big disappointment (and Attraction even more so).
The ad is bog-standard; at least the dress looks intriguing.
The tag line doesn't work that well in German, because most of the people don't know how to pronounce magnifique (let alone the Douglas SAs *ggg*)
Anyhow, I give it a try, the recipe sounds interesting and I'm a huge fan of spicy-woody scents.
Have a lovely time, and do try SL Attarine & tell me how it is!
Had a poll planned for the various Bond men (the actors, I mean) but hadn't thought of the women. Probably because I pay no attention to the women, LOL…but that's a great idea, maybe I'll do both at once.
Hope you're right & that it will do well.
Ah well, plenty more fish in the sea. And thanks for the tip — didn't know Macy's had testers already. .
Well, harummph…I think the tag line's pretty silly…I seem to remember an adjunct profs. in the French dept. saying something like that to me at a party very late one night — even at eighteen I thought it was too cheesy to be believed. But the notes sound interesting, I will try it, although I have not been a fan of the Lancome fragrances. Interesting about cypriol — I've never heard of it, my first thought was 'vitriol'. Vetiver sounds much more encouraging…
Perhaps you'll like it despite the tag line
LOL — your prof should be in advertising, then.
Soehn, does the dress remind you of the old Magie Noire ads? To me, it looks like dress neckline/waistline is very similar to the old ads….
Liz
ps-It's so nice to hear others love Magie Noire too.
The Tresor Eau de Printemps and the Tresor Sheer are both huge improvements over the heavy, oppressively sweet original, IMO.
The EdPrintemps is especially nice; it's got a bit of freshness and greenery, a lighter rose note, lots of pale woods, and is quite surprisingly complex. Not easy to find now, unfortunately.
The Sheer — easier to find — is not as good; it's a decidedly sweet, linear fruity-floral, although I can see it being popular.
Robin, you hadn't heard about Anne's ne'er-do-well bf? She's moved out and doesn't want to talk about it, but it's one of those Prince Charming Gone Wrong stories that's actually very sad. Just clipped this for you from a quick Google:
Friends and family had urged the former NYU English literature major to dump the sweet-talking financier with a reputation for being as persuasive with the pretty as he was with the powerful. Follieri was a no-show at a June 16 “Get Smart” premiere.
Follieri faces 20 years in prison, if convicted, for an alleged scheme to swindle investors out of $6 million with bogus claims that Vatican insiders promised him sweetheart deals on church properties in the U.S.
Figures the one I'd be more likely to appreciate is already gone
Read all about it at Wikipedia yesterday! But no, before that I knew nothing at all about AH. And knowing me, I'll forget what I've learned by about the end of next week, LOL…
That was a great review Robin. I was given a bottle of Magnifique and I just can't smell it. Within a minute or so my nose closes down and I can't smell a thing! Could it be the mystical nagarmota – which is Indian papyrus root isn't it?
No, my guess is that one of the synthetic musk aroma chemicals is bother you. That's too bad. Narciso Rodriguez does that to me
(and same family as papyrus root)
O de Lancome is one of my favorite summer scents too, though I'm finishing a bottle and figure I won't replace it, bygone era I don't need to repeat or something. I've never owned Magie Noire but have always loved sampling it in the cold months of the year. That's it for the Lancome scents for me. As I write this, I happen to have a headache, but when I don't, I'll try Magnifique.
Hope your headache is better!
I finally tried the juice, and it came up body odor and latex. :O
Oh well. My Lancome SA knows I'm a solid Magie Noire girl anyway…
LOL! Cumin translates to sweat for many people, including me (when its in large doses). Latex I can't account for, but hey, at least body odor + latex isn't another boring fruity floral
Well, that's true!
I tried it on the skin this weekend, its definitely not a “me” fragrance. Its got a too sweet vanilla dry down that I don't care for, even though the opening cumin/rose is interesting. The Macys SA was telling me its been popular – the counter is directly opposite the EL one & they seem to be riding the coattails of EL's big Sensuous promotion. They are getting two types of stop bys – either you want to try everything new or you don't like Sensuous & walk across the aisle to try the Lancome. She also told me it seems Hathaway is a bigger draw than the EL models – more visual recognition aside from Paltrow. Interesting if that's true.
I tried it yesterday; I really liked the cumin, but ultimately it was too sweet and 'pink' for me. I have a hard time liking pinkish floral notes.
There seems to be a vat of “pink floral” getting heavy use this year!
I've only smelled Magnifique on paper, but to me it was very much like Escada's Sentiment….
They're both vanillic, I guess. I should try them together.
How different when I tried the actual perfume! Top and middle notes are very much like Kors by Michael Kors, but now – about an hour later – seems like a mix of Kors and Sentiment. Not bad, but not what I'd buy as it didn't last long (on me, at least) and seems derivative.
Well, you've saved a few more $$$
just like tresor. the head note vanishes immediately and the old fragrance is what's left.
Interesting!
i can add that it is very persistent, a lot more than the various versions of tresor, but really so so similar. i can't smell any new fragrance. if i had not seen the bottle i was sprayed with, i would have thought the shopassistant was kidding me. i had the impression she new what my reaction would be! she was ready for a :but it's just like tresor!
I share a bottle of this with my daughter and am wearing it today.
It is not as complex as ‘high end’ perfumes – there is no great story here, but it’s like a comfortable pair of jeans: easy to wear and no nonsense.
Lancome Magnifique is light, floral and feminine. I don’t usually like vanilla in anything, but the sweetness here is kept well under control.
Sometimes you don’t want to wear a song and dance or a trip into the past, sometimes you just want things to be easy. I like this perfume for those such days.
When it comes to Lancome, O de Lancome is a classic citrussy EDT. Great for long journeys or to keep in your handbag when you need reviving on the metro.
Yep, everyone needs a “comfortable pair of jeans” scent.
I happen to love Magnifique. It is just perfect for morning appointments. It does not smell perfumy strong.It takes a different note on a dark skin. I have been called smelling heavenly with Magnifique. It smells spiritual with its sandalwood note. Very yogic indeed.
Glad you like it!
Ive always liked this fragrance. I got a sample of it ystrday and I find myself really really LOVING it now. I really want a bottle. Like right now!!! Dang!! Yet another one I really really NEED!! : (
Have not looked, but would think you could get it at discount by now…
I would like very much to read a review on Lancome’s Poeme.Can I hope?
I haven’t smelled it in years, and it isn’t exactly a hot topic, so probably not — but you never know.
The one that really works on me, is grown up and womanly not girly (despite the model), is not another frooty floral, is actually a well composed fragrance from Lancome, whose fragrances are just so off-putting to me……
…..they discontinue.
:::cries piteously::::
It’s a shame. I’m afraid we’re stuck with La Vie Est Belle.