Un Coeur en Mai is one of the more recent launches from Parfums MDCI, the French niche brand that packages its perfumes in limited edition, numbered bottles featuring Limoges bisque stoppers. They're $610 a pop, and anyone who reads here regularly knows that this is precisely the sort of "luxury" that is bound to irritate me beyond measure, and the price of the refills, $235 for 60 ml, hardly helps matters. So it was with great satisfaction that I tested the first 5 MDCI perfumes, found them beautifully done but neither outrageously wonderful nor outrageously interesting1, and moved on to other matters.
As always, I should have left well enough alone, but I dutifully tried the next 4 releases: Péché Cardinal, Le Rivage des Syrtes & Vêpres Siciliennes, and lastly, Un Coeur en Mai. I know Péché Cardinal has found fans, but it was very nearly a scrubber on me (ghastly fruit roll ups), and Le Rivage des Syrtes and Vêpres Siciliennes both left me cold. The last one to go on skin, Un Coeur en Mai, was the one that did me in. Figures.
Tania Sanchez, in the third and final update2 to Perfumes: The Guide, characterized Un Coeur en Mai as "pretty but unambitious", and I do think that's a perfectly fair assessment. But it's darned pretty, and sometimes darned pretty is all it takes: I was captivated from the first smell. Un Coeur en Mai was developed by perfumer Patricia de Nicolaï of Parfums de Nicolaï, and several commentators have pegged it as her meditation on Guerlain Chamade; it's also vaguely related to the grassier, less floral Le Temps D'Une Fête from her own brand.
Un Coeur en Mai is perfectly named: after a momentary sharpness, the opening is a charming and very spring-like combination of hyacinth and lily of the valley. It's green throughout the early stages, but not harshly so — the whole thing speaks in whispers, and it has a sort of girlish innocence to it that reminds me of L'Artisan La Chasse aux Papillons (although they smell nothing alike) more than Guerlain Chamade.
The lily of the valley lingers well into the dry down, laid over a pale fruity rose, and later, a pale, slightly peppery woody musk. The whole is more sheer than not, like a watercolor of muguet in early spring, and the lasting power is so-so. It would be just the thing to wear on the 1st of May, and I would have worn it then had I known. But buy it? I don't think so. It doesn't strike me as any "better" than the perfumes in the Nicolaï line, which can generally be had for peanuts: Le Temps d'Une Fête is a mere $45 for 30 ml. But if you bought it, I'm jealous.
Parfums MDCI Un Coeur en Mai is available in 60 ml Eau de Parfum. The notes include hyacinth, lily of the valley, petitgrain, bergamot, rose, galbanum, black currant, melon, mimosa, Bourbon geranium, black pepper, coriander, musk and precious woods. For buying information, see the listing for Parfums MDCI under Perfume Houses.
1. I should note that Angie liked them better than I did; see her reviews of Enlèvement au Sérail and Invasion Barbare.
2. Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez recently announced that they would not be doing future PDF updates, as it had become too time-consuming. If I remember correctly (I can't seem to find the email announcement, sorry) they will be making substantial updates to the upcoming paperback edition.
The cost of the Limoges-stopper bottles is nuts! This does sound very pretty, and sometimes I do just want to smell really, really pretty, even if it’s not that ambtious of scent. But I have enough pretty, I think. 🙂
I probably have enough pretty (and enough pretty lily of the valley) to last me too…still, might end up springing for a decant of this one day.
This is the best perfume EVAH!! Really! None of the other MDCI compare. Even at the price and considering my very limited budget, I think that it’s worth every penny. I hope one day to own a refill bottle and am humbly grateful to the MUA’er who sent me this sample. Of all the perfumes I’ve tried, it’s one of my all time favorites. I can’t wait to order the MDCI sample pack.
On me, Mai is actually very similar to the PdN Eau du Lude (and what a steal THAT one is!) but with more orange (petitgrain maybe?) and spice (I don’t think it’s black pepper– is geranium a spicy floral?). Couer en Mai seems a bit more complex than Lude and both are utterly feminine. I normally wouldn’t go for this sort of big floral scent, but my gosh, it’s so well composed…
Yes, I did not think of Eau de Lude but you’re right…
You don’t love any of the others, R? I love EauS and VS. Simply love them!
Now this one is sneaky. I thought it was just very pretty and happily wore my sample. But it has a way of creeping up on you, and now I admit that I am contemplating a purchase. Just contemplating…
Hugs!
No, really I didn’t love any of the others, although I didn’t hate any of them either except for the Peche, which was really quite nauseating on my skin. But you know how easily put off I am by ambitious pricing…there is really nothing that would make me buy this unless they repackage it entirely.
they do have a pretty reasonably priced ‘discovery set’ – 5 or 7 fragrances in 10 ml bottles, if I remember correctly. And who needs more than 10 ml or anything? I certainly don’t! 🙂 I have trouble finishing a 1.5 ml sample.
Good idea! Those minis are such a good value.
I do think Claude needs to really think about packaging these fragrances in less expensive bottles or canisters so more perfumistas can discover their sparkling beauty.
Agree!
Or at the very least, smaller sizes! After all, I didn’t hear many comments about the cost of Andy Tauer’s latest, and yet per ml, his is more expensive yet than these or the Amouage line. It’s just that in a 15 ml package, that comes to only $75, and no one even blinks. (Myself included…it’s on the definite buy list!)
Boojum, I know not everyone will agree with me, but to my mind, it is logical that you’re going to pay more for a true indie perfume (which MDCI is not), and in this case, unless I misunderstood, Tauer said he was doing these small batches & small sizes because he was using expensive raw materials.
See, and I confess I haven’t smelled any of this line yet, so no idea if the quality of the materials was up there with the AT or not. For me personally, that would make all the difference in what I would spend on a $/ml basis, and then it’s just a matter of small enough sizes to make the total $ manageable.
I’d be perfectly happy with 10 ml but don’t need the other fragrances…but wonder if I could find one on Scent Splits? Thanks for the idea!
I’ve seen a few 10ml bottles on ScentSplits, but the “markup” has been astoundingly (and, to be frank, disgustingly) high for things that one has bought for exactly $16 per bottle. I’m sure at one time, “split” really meant “split plus cost of shipping”, and not a way to tack on exorbitant profit and provide just another venue for one’s overinflated, work-at-home, ebay business ventures. But there are perfume decant suckers like me born every minute. Sorry, end of rant! 😉
Yes, that’s what split still means to me! That’s really too bad.
LOL Joe…well, as long as you have a handful of other suckers w/similar taste, you’ll come out ok in the end, right? I understand a little markup – the process IS a nuisance – but agree, if you’re in it for the profit, stick to selling decants and call it what it is.
E, admittedly, I’m SURE no one is getting rich selling decants on ScentSplits, and I have no problem with anyone adding a few bucks for their time and trouble. It just burns my butt to see 10ml “MDCI minis” for $40 when I know the 5-sampler pack of ten was only $76. And in this case, they’re not even decanting it! Sheesh!
I tried all these and some PdN’s at the beginning of summer. I think they are very nice, but was very non-plussed at the price point. If they were in the “normal” $50 – $100 range I’d probaby buy the Vepres Siciliennes which was real nice. But the MDCI don’t really walk on water or curl my toes. I’d rather spend $300 – $600 (!) on a ticket to Paris to shop Guerlains, or for that matter to have some bidding wars for vintage whatevers on ebay. I’m right with you on Peche Cardinal too – just not really there for me. Enlevement is the best of them but still not enough to justify that cost. I’d rather just go out an buy a FB of Amouage Lyric or 3 bottles of Joy parfum, you know?
Joy in extrait is still, to me, the best measuring stick for evaluating luxury perfume (with the proviso that it may well have been reformulated like everything else recently) — when you buy Joy, you’re getting something of quality, and it’s expensive but not at all ludicrously expensive. I have dismissed numerous expensive niche lines with the simple formula of: “does it smell better than Joy?”
I do the “Joy” parfum test, too! The MDCI scents are lovely (“Enlevement au Serail” and “Rose di Siwa” wore particularily well on me–RdS was a stand-out; I tend to enjoy Francis Kurkdjion’s work) but I agree with many here; there comes a point when a house must justify their (to some, outrageous) prices.
If fragrance quality can be measured based on the complexity of artistic composition (the creative work) or the quality and rarity of raw materials (the essences/ingredients of the recipe), then those gorgeous blends that are the rare combination of both elements (“Joy”, for instance) should be the marking posts of quality. I just don’t get that overwhelming feeling of “AMAZING quality” when sniffing MDCI’s EDP blends (and let’s face it; $600+ fragrances require nothing less than that kind of reaction, in order to even be considered a legitimate expenditure). How exclusive and limited are these fragrances, really? If other niche or independent lines/brands/houses—like “Parfums Delrae” or “L’Atlier Boheme” and even well-known but also well–respected brands like “Creed”—can manage to keep prices within reason, what makes MDCI stand out against them? The sculpted packaging does make for beautiful gift presentation and adds a special touch to the product, but we’re not talking about one-of-a-kind sculptures, here. I guess it’s the old luxury ideal; how much is it worth to you? How much do you covet it and what are you willing to pay in order to have it? Purchases like this would require “trade-offs” for most customers—the limiting of other luxury purchases. Personally, if I were spending more than $500 on totally frivolous porcelain figurines, I’d buy something charming from “Lladro” or search for a Dresden…not an easily reproduced fragrance bust. I know they are in “limited edition” and I find them beautiful, but they’re not so entirely unique to warrant a $600+ price-trag…
Absolutely! My sentiments exactly!
Nlb’s points are all good, and well made. This is such an interesting discussion because it goes to the heart of what the judgments that we all make as consumers of anything, not just perfume. How much are we prepared to pay? What exactly do we think we are we paying for if we pay top dollar? It’s fun to ride in a Rolls Royce and no doubt the craftsmanship and attention to detail are outstanding. But there are many other beautiful cars out there that do the same job.
It sounds as if the market for these fragrances is rich Arabian Sheiks (are there such creatures?) or millionaires buying gifts for their mistresses. Not people who live in the real world. As Nlb says, if it’s figurines you want you can do a lot better. Or you could spend $600 on a work of art, or a wonderful item of jewellery from a local artist or craftsperson, someone who could really use your support to help them go in to produce other beautiful things.
NLB – There is a fragrance called Ferre Rose for Gianfranco Ferre that is by FK. It is a modern sweet fruit-rose that is pretty nice for the price point. You may be interested to try it.
Also, the Parfums de Nicolai Rose-Pivione is a fragrance “sister” to the same above mentioned Rose Ferre, but a lot less sweet and more “classic” in style with a more classic damask/centifolia accord. I find the similarities so striking that it seems that FK and PdN may have even exchanged notes! Rose Pivione could easily have been one of the MDCI like Rose di Siwa, etc. Patricia de Nicolai and FK most likely know each other and each other’s work, you may be interested in seeking out these fragrances that are very similar to each other, and in the same style that FK and PdN have in common with each other.
“Or you could spend $600 on a work of art, or a wonderful item of jewellery from a local artist or craftsperson, someone who could really use your support to help them go in to produce other beautiful things.” —Yes, AnneMarie! That’s how I see it, too. That kind of price should be reserved for (In my opinion) one-of-a-kind art items–those that would benefit truly independent artisans. If $600 on fragrance is pittance to someone, then they have the luxury of avoiding these kind of conversations altogether ;).
…and thanks, AnnS, for the suggestions! I’ll be sure to try that variety…
So far I’ve only tried Enlevement au Serail and Promesse de l’Aube. They were both beautiful — very French and elegant, I’d say between Chanel Rue Cambon and PdN Odalisque. The two fragrances I tried were similar to each other in a way that I don’t think I’d need both (or maybe I should set my eyes on PdN Odalisque… save $$)
I’d love to know which one sells the most…wonder if it’s the Enlevement au Serail?
Since I’m such a big fan of both Chamade and Le Temps d’une Fete, and of Patricia de Nicolai in general, I’d probably adore this. But I’m with you on the cost, Robin – it’s ludicrous, in my opinion, to spend that much, even for something gorgeous. I’m very very happy with my Fete, anyway.
Fete is a lovely scent, but admit I never fell for it totally — it’s one of those where I got a sample, decided I didn’t need it, then ended up getting another sample because I kept thinking about it….you know the drill, I’m sure! I do think this is much prettier. But yeah, the price is just silly.
I have a special name and requirement for frag purchases (or the consideration of them) over $300; “Fiend” purchases. A craving for a scent that’s likened to, what I imagine, an addict experiences. It puts you in a whole new category of “want”–because, really; any luxury purchase that costs so much and doesn’t clothe the body, car or home, requires the drive of obsession and physiological compulsion in order to justify it. Before I spring $600 for a fragrance, I’d better have lost sleep for months while wanting it ;).
Fiend purchases — love that!
Hey C – I didn’t smell the comparison to Chamade or Temps AT ALL. Am I insane? Maybe. But I’d rather spend $400 on 1 oz of Chamade extrait than the $$$ on Un Coeur, which read as a fresh soapy and thin rose to me.
Don’t think you’re insane at all…they’re only vaguely related at best.
You know, I am with you all the way about the pricing of things in general, especially when the entire point of the pricing seems to be to purposely price out the hoi polloi, so to speak, but this line doesn’t strike me quite the same way.
They seem to me to have set out to make the best, most beautiful perfumes possible, made with care, and the best of ingredients, and to also have have a most beautiful presentation. All done for the sake of beauty. And all that comes with a price.
I don’t care much for the ones i have tried thus far, and I go from loving the bottle to thinking it strange and back again, so it’s not like I am exactly a fan.
From what I have read in interviews and such, no one involved seems anything but kind and gracious. I don’t think snob appeal is what is driving the price, so if I had the money, and I actually liked the perfume, I would buy it.
I had high hopes for Rose de Siwa, but it smells just like Ban roll-on deorant on me. Now I may have to order a sample of Un Coeur en Mai!
I tend to agree. it also seems that this line is designed for someone who just wants a signature scent to wear year in and year out. most of us here don’t fit in this category, ha ha!
Joliefleur, I don’t much care about the inspiration for the price, personally, or whether it’s about snob appeal or something else. And yes, everyone says that the owner of MDCI is a kind and gracious man, and I’m afraid I don’t much care about that either (and it’s one of the reasons I do my best to avoid personal contact with perfume houses…why be swayed by that?) My outlook is that there are many brands that are out to make beautiful perfumes and which are doing as good a job or better at a much lower price — Frederic Malle, Serge Lutens, for instance, on the “better” front. I know I’m pigheaded but I object to the whole idea of “modern luxury” as espoused by brands like this, which seems to me to be mostly about slapping fancy packaging on ordinary things and then charging ridiculous sums for them. Un Coeur de Mai would not be at all out of place in the PdN line for under $100 dollars.
But dont’ mean to be arguing with you about it, just having my say…and I really DO know I’m pigheaded on this subject 🙂
Robin, I love discussions, and do not feel “argued with” at all! And I agree with you, too!
Good. This particular topic gets me all worked up, LOL…
…especially when you know we’re the target group they’re trying to wrangle. We’re the ones that can slowly be conditioned to accept higher prices because we’ve done so before; ever hear someone say: “Oh, the fragrance is $50—so expensive, but I love it” and you thought “If only___(insert name of favorite pricey juice here)____ were $50. I’d buy four bottles at a pop…” ? We need someone like you, Robin, to speak up and say “Wait a SECOND, this is ridiculous—-I won’t be had” to bring us–and maybe an industry–back down to reality…
You know, I’ve got no idea who they’re targeting, but I would not in general have though perfumistas so much as the very wealthy. Would be nice to know who’s really buying these!
That whole “really pretty” floral category has a LOT of contenders in it, doesn’t it, and one person’s “pretty but nothing special” is always another person’s holy grail. To me, Ubar, Coeur en Mai, and Enlevement were all pretty but not orgasmic.
Péché Cardinal almost a scrubber? Wow. It’s fruity, alright, but to me nice enough at the level of sample one-drop dabs.
You’re right: MDCI was not the nectar of the gods I might have been anticipating from the retail price point (occasionally I’m still deluded/naive enough to think that price *might* actually be related to the quality of the juice). I think the price of the sample packs is just right, and hypothetically, their FB prices might be worth it if I was astounded. The one that almost gets to “worth it” for me is Invasion Barbare, only because it’s complex and develops through some amazing stages. IB and Rivage des Syrtes were probably my personal favorites. They’re *very* nicely made, but you’re absolutely right again: the PdN line has plenty of creations that are just as nice at one-third the price! I guess one’s not buying a perfume, one’s buying (or trying) a “lifestyle.” Whatev.
I will say this for Amouage…at least the perfumes (mostly. some of them.) smell like you’re getting something for your money in terms of quality raw materials. Homage is freaking gorgeous…I wouldn’t expect to find Homage for $40, or Amouage Gold, for that matter, or Jubilation. I’m sure the markup is still huge, but still.
You simply can’t imagine how utterly horrid Peche Cardinal was on me. Utterly.Horrid.
This sounds lovely as I am always on the look out for a really pretty scent. But the price is, well you know.
I think it may appeal to snobs who have money- “This must be good because it’s so pricey.”
–Off topic, My chasse Aux Papillons is almost gone. I like it, but not enough to reorder it. So does anyone know the difference between regular La Chasse and the Extreme? I might like that even better.
La Chasse Extreme is fairly different from the regular…I like it too, but wouldn’t necessarily see it as a more intense version of La Chasse:
https://nstperfume.com/2005/04/05/lartisan-la-chasse-aux-papillons-extreme-fragrance-review/
umm, actually Robin, I can imagine how horrible it was….because I found it to be nasty, runny, sloppy, watery peach juice with a strange artificial tang….thank goodness it faded so quickly! Usually things I dislike stick like glue. So far I have been singularly unimpressed by the entire line. And it’s a relief because I’m notoriously bad at telling myself “NO” when I want something…I think you all have figured that out by now 😉 …..but I’m equally offended by what seems to me to be ridiculous pricing… with exception of the introduction pack . There are a couple lines that I think are slapping a completely arbitrary prices on their products which don’t seem to be of any higher quality than anything else and I refuse to be manipulated in this way…I’m looking at you MDCI, by Kilian, Boadica the Victorious ! I feel like these companies think the perfume buying population is so fatuously dim-witted that we’ll follow them to the register, slack jawed with adulation, basking in the glory of owning a $400 bottle of fragrance that we won’t know we’re getting rooked!! grrrrrrr!
Of course, if you absolutely love the scent go ahead and buy it. I can only speak for my own preferences.
Glad I am not the only one who couldn’t stand that Peche. Whew.
It’s a sin.
Oh thanks, J. Now I have the Pet Shop Boys running through my head. What a way to start the day….
Good to know everyone’s opinions about MDCI. Promesse de l’Aube (which I refer to in my own head as “The Promise of Lube”–please don’t kick me off the list for that, Robin!) is one I’ve wanted to try, along with Peche Cardinal, but they keep getting bumped for other samples I want more. Guess I’ll keep putting them off until there’s nothing else to try.
Promise of lube! Most excellent. I don’t speak French & do that sort of thing in my head all the time.
I really would try the first 5, they’re quite well done even if I don’t love them personally. Peche Cardinal is one I just don’t understand…it really does smell awful on me, but I know others love it. Still, I can’t see paying these prices for what is essentially candied peach — not so very hard to come by, you know? In fact, it reminded me of some of the low-priced fruity perfume oil lines out of California. Maybe I’m just missing something.
“The Promise of Lube” is no doubt the next name up at Etat Libre d’Orange!!
Good Lord, I can just imagine the sticker they’ll make for that one!
LOL!!!
Some of these sound so good but I’m barely holding it in when it comes to the Hermessences, which are a damn steal compared to the Parfums MDCI. But I must confess, those bottles are preetty…!
I hadn’t heard about Turin/Sanchez team stopping with The Guide. I’m saddened but I must confess, I found them more entertaining than helpful. I can’t blame them, though. I was just flipping through The Guide this morning, thinking, “Even if they each did 4 a day, this must take them forever.” Oh well.
No, no…they’re still going to do the Guide, just not the quarterly updates in PDF form. From now on, any additions will wait for the next print book release. Does that make sense?
Oh, okay! I liked the book idea better anyway; I don’t much like having things on my computer. I have to reformat so often!
Gosh, it seems quite amazing that any of the MDCIs could be a scrubber; they seems so refined and genteel to me. I might even be tempted by Invasion Barbare if they slashed the price by 50%. But I have to say that none of the latest batch took me by storm. Un Couer en Mai was the nicest, but not something I’d pine for. And I’d pay MORE not to have the creepy bust on top of the perfume bottle. Does Claude really think that’s a good idea?
Trust me, the Peche did not behave anything like refined & genteel on my skin 🙂
But yes, 50% is about right — 50% of the price of the refill, that is, since I wouldn’t pay $300 even for the Limoges stopper bottle.
I think it’s kind of amusing that now there’s a tassel on the refill bottle. Thanks for the post Robin. I agree that I expected these to somehow smell in the category of the Amouage raw ingredients.
Have they changed the refill bottle? I really don’t know…they make it sound like all the bottles are the same and you can just switch the caps around.
MDCI has one of the highest ratios of hits to misses in any line for me. I will someday own refills of all of Promesse, Enlevement and Rivage when I have saved enough. I haven’t tried Un Coeur en Mai enough to know yet but I do agree on the vile scrubber that was Peche Cardinal. I also loathe the silly bottles and the price of them. However I do think that you can smell the quality in the juice, at least of most of them. They have good sillage, good lasting power and are pretty original in their compositions. I gave my mother a set of 12 handpicked TPC samples to fit her tastes for Mother’s Day, one of which was Enlevement and the others were Lutens, Nicolai, Guerlain, Caron, Malle, Ava Luxe, Byredo, Annick Goutal – a real mix. I asked her which she thought was the most expensive and the which the cheapest and she picked Enlevement instantly as the most expensive. That may say something about my mother but I do think the juice is quality and the price isn’t all in the bottles.
You know…given the choice between two samples, and told nothing about them at all.. my husband and our daughter both pick the most expensive one every single time. It’s just freaky. I bet my own hit ratio would be much, much lower.
Oh, I think it’s “quality” too…didn’t mean to imply that I didn’t. Just don’t think it’s $600 quality.
to me they do not smell top quality….they actually smell kind of cheap…perhaps my skin chemisty is sabotaging them.
Or $235 quality…since the rest of that clearly is the fancy bottle.
Recently ordered Chamade EDP from Beauty Encounter (only place in the States where I could find the EDP) – CAN’T WAIT to get it!!! I had a small decant of it, along with one of the EDT (readily available here), but the EDP was so much better, I just had to have it. First purchase of Q3, I suppose. 😉
As to Luca and Tania – so sad, but totally understandable. I was amazed at the amount of work they must have put into the first three updates to the Guide. Loved reading them. I’m sure they want to do justice to the reviews and not just throw something out there, so I totally respect their decision to hold off. In addition to the paperback update release this fall, they say they plan to publish “massive update in a couple of years.” I look forward to that one!!!!
Congrats on your Chamade, it’s a lovely perfume!
Ditto that, and thanks for letting us know where you found it. I almost paid full price for a bottle of the EdT at Nordstrom. Glad I restrained myself.
I’ve only tried their Enlevement au Serail (because of Angie’s review!) and like you, I was underwhelmed. It was okay, but not great. Melon and lily of the valley keep me from even being tempted to try this one, and as I am wearing Chamade extrait at the moment, I obviously don’t even need to.
The melon is restrained, but if you don’t like LOV you won’t like this one!
And adding…it would be at most a “meditation” on Chamade…it isn’t a copy in the least.
I’ll meditate on the real thing! LOL!
🙂
They sound interesting, maybe even interesting enough to sample in the sample set – but I probably wouldn’t like 5 or 7 of them enough to shell out the cash. If I could try two of them, that might be worth it. But if I’m going to drop a chunk of change, I’d rather spend it on L’Heure Bleue or Mitsouko parfum or some of the Serge Lutens.
You can get “regular” sized samples via Luckyscent or First in Fragrance, if you’re that interested, but saving your money for a classic Guerlain or Serge Lutens is not a bad idea either.
That’s been my strategy thus far – but I haven’t been able to “pull the trigger” yet. I’m working my way through my samples and trying to decide what my first “big” purchase will be. I can’t decide if I want to spring for a FB of something special or maybe get a couple of large decants of a few something specials.
It’s a good thing that I have to order online – that’s saved me from a few impulse purchases.
If your perfume collection is very limited as yet, I’d go for several nice decants over one FB. First, variety is a wonderful thing and second because your tastes are probably in a state of evolution and you might get to the bottom of a decant and say “that was nice, but it’s time to move on” .So no big waste. Or if you get to the bottom of a decant and say “It’s empty, what am I going to do!!??” then you can always buy an FB.
Smart lady. Listen to Daisy.
Daisy is wise.
The CEO would dispute the notion that my collection is limited, but it really is – mostly department store stuff, a few classics, tons of samples (well, tons to me, but probably not all that much), and no niche stuff.
I do want to try some of the niche, but am a little leery of going down that road – especially since so much of it seems to be on the pricey side. Then there is that part of me that has to try not to hyperventilate when I drop $80 on samples – it’s in the name of discovery, but it’s still hard to do when you think of the FBs you could buy at discount for the same money. I keep reminding myself that the sample money is saving me money in the long run by keeping me from making big (expensive) mistakes.
The other problem is knowing where on earth to start with the niche – I can’t sample everything and there is so much out there. I guess I need to develop a plan and budget a certain amount for sampling as opposed to the FB budget and go from there.
Aaahhh… the joys of new hobbies (obsessions?)
“Daisy is wise” —wow that just made my morning! Thank you!! But I’m still a bad dresser so I guess it all evens out (as I glance guiltily at my ‘Iron City Gym’ night shirt….actually it’s not even mine…went to bed so late that I ‘shopped’ in the CEO’s closet for something to crash in.) back to perfume…
I’m kind of a new perfumista too Cynthia, and I’ve made some, ahem, mistakes….. but really, you are saving by sampling even though the sample baskets can get expensive….don’t be too eager to trade away samples that you didn’t love right away…I’ve gone back to sniff things that got great big “NO” next to them in my notes tried them again and said “hey, this is GOOD!” It’s that evolution thing in action. The first time I tried Mitsouko (for example) I didn’t get it at all….now it’s one of my favorites!
I don’t have a ton of niche but if you want to take a look at my list of bottles, I’d be happy to send you some samples, my email is Daisyloo82 at gmail.com
Robin, I was fairly underwhelmed by the new MDCIs as a whole – in the first batch I only really loved L’Enlèvement, a fruity chypre in the Mitsouko family to my nose.
The problem with muguet is that even with expensive ingredients, it never smells luxurious, especially since it’s been so overused in air-freshener type thingies. Pre-formulation Diorissimo excepted.
And, like you, I actively LOATHED Péché Cardinal, really recoiled from it — so much so that it put me off reviewing the new bunch. It smelled like radioactive shampoo to me!
Radioactive shampoo — perfect description. It was really one of the worst things I’ve smelled so far this year.
Agree, muguet is not likely to smell like luxury. Still, wonder if I would feel more kindly about the price if this one was not created by PdN, given that I can buy her fragrances for so much less under her own name?
Just had a look at the MCDI website and was surprised at how ordinary it is. The notion that excellence in design could be applied to websites does not seem to have penetrated. Some of the images are nice, but content is minimal and the design is very clunky. (Text is laid over images so is quite hard to read – such a basic error.) So where is the money going? Good grief, if I had just forked out $600 for a bottle of MCDI fragrance and wanted to feel good about my purchase, I would be quite seriously annoyed.
Agree, annemarie. For the amount of money they are asking for their products, the website really is amateur. It actually kept me from seriously considering purchasing samples in the beginning. Although, I did cave later 🙂
The website is not good, but that is true of so many niche brands….very few have websites that really match what the brand is trying to convey in terms of cachet.
I know I’m a wet blanket party-pooper, but I would rather lay out that kind of dough for part of a ticket to Negril to Hedonism II. I could run around wrapped in a transparent sarong, nuzzling up to the nudists and reeking of ganja, and get more out of it.
There you go…good thinking!
Loved your review, Robin, and this has been a fantastic discussion. I haven’t tried the latest MDCI’s, but ITA with you about the pricing scheme. I don’t dispute the quality at all, but other lines (such as you’ve mentioned) have the same level of quality at a much more reasonable price. It strikes me that these are made for the person who loves to show off her “good taste” (not to mention high discretionary income) by placing a bottle in a powder room, or somewhere similar, where it will be bound to be noticed by all her friends and visitors. And that’s not why I’m ever tempted to spend a lot of money on perfume.
Exactly…if somebody wants to spend $600 to have an impressive bottle to display, fine…but that’s not what I’m after.
I ordered a sample of Promesse de l’aube because of the favorable review in Turin and Sanchez (I ordered a good few samples on that basis, I have to admit. . . I have since learned the difference between technical interest and personal appeal). It’s a pretty jasmine/ylang-ylang, beautifully rounded, with some mellow citrus and vanilla. Obviously quality, but also subdued and quiet. Ina on Aromascope thought it would make a good office fragrance, which made me laugh out loud. She’s dead right, but who in her right mind would spend $600 for her office fragrance?
Someone who worked in a REALLY fabulous office 😉
I tried Promesse de L’Aube also, and thought is was very nice, but not nice enough to tempt me to spend $600, or even $235 for the refill. I also have ordered a number of samples based on the reviews in the Guide, and some have been fantastic, some not. TS in particular seems to like some fragrances which I find very strange. Drole de Rose comes to mind–I hated it. The Amouage fragrances, though (Gold Woman, Jubilation 25, and Dia woman) are wonderful. They are not cheap either, but at around $300 for 100 mL, seem like bargains compared to the MDCI scents. The quality of the ingredients is also very obvious.
I am laughing to myself thinking about some of my very non-perfumista coworkers who think it is splurging to spend $50 on a bottle of EdT!!
I’m also with you Robin, houses that unjustifiably charge top dollar for their fragrances get on my nerves too.
Speaking of which, I had the chance yesterday to sample the Tom Ford Private Blend range in person (took a short break with the family to the city) and was pleasantly surprised. I thought they were all quite good in their own way. The haughty SA though was a bit dismissive and when asked advised me that they were $285 for 50ml because “they ARE a LUXURY product.” I felt like saying “sure, I’ll take ONE of EACH thanks,” but seeing that I can’t even afford one didn’t think that would be a great idea. Still I left secure in the knowledge that a few decants from scent splits would be more than enough to satisfy me!
The prices for the TF Private Blends strike me as ludicrous, but I know lots of people disagree. The scents are good, but not that good.
I loved Promesse de L’Aube and your comparisons with other scents make me think I might like it. It has gone on my sample wishlist on MUA!
Adding this in late for future readers who like Un Coeur en Mai (I do!) but who balk at the price tag…
Thanks to a very very generous MUA’er, I just sampled the new Parfums de Nicolai frag called Week-end a Deauville. WOW! I love this stuff! I’m posting it here because it’s in the same vein as Un Coeur en Mai and Eau du Lude. This is a Paris exclusive but available for shipping to the US from their store. Lovely stuff. I’d say it’s 50% Eau du Lude + 15% Odalisque + 35% something new. Like Un Coeur en Mai, on me it smells like a richer, more complex Eau du Lude. But rather than using orange and spice like Un Coeur en Mai, Week-end a Deauville uses a chypre-like touch to really give it resonance. Very lovely.
Personally, if money were no object, I’d own both. I’ll be watching for a split on the wiki or buying a full bottle of Weekend a Deauville for sure. Though I’d love to own a full (refill) bottle of Un Coeur en Mai, I probably can’t afford it and would have to settle for the MDCI sample set.
Try Deauville if this one seems like a good fit for you!!
It sounds lovely, thanks so much!
Just tried this today. I almost didn’t, as the first whiff from the sample vial fairly reeked of an odd, plasticky top note that I have smelled in some other recent fragrances. I did dab it on, though, and the top note fades out in about 20 to 30 minutes, leaving a wonderful, warm, and yes, pretty, heart which transitions gracefully into the drydown. It has good staying power on me (many perfumes do not), so I could almost pay $235 for it ( I will skip the $400 stopper, thank you). I just don’t want a fragrance that I will hate for the first half-hour each time. If only there were some way to fast-forward the top note to get to that wonderful heart!
Hmmm. I don’t get that at all, so can’t help — but maybe try the scent mentioned in the comment just above?
As I have commented on a more recent post I recently purchased the sample set of this line. I included Un Coeur en Mai because of this review and because I am a huge fan of PdN. I love it. It’s just so gentle and pretty. It reminds me of all the fragrances mentioned by other people. Le Temps d’une Fete and Lude in particular, but with all the angles removed.
Nowadays MDCI doesn’t seem quite as expensive as it did in 2009. Their prices haven’t gone up as much I suppose. And the sample set is just the prettiest thing I have received in a long time. Cute as a button!
You are so right about the prices…not so shocking now! Glad you love it.