Today we're helping (hopefully) Liza, who has been wearing Lancôme’s Magie Noire for around 30 years. Liza can no longer buy the Parfum, and does not care for the reformulated Eau de Toilette: "jarring top notes; the heart lacks the depth and complexity of the vintage; even the lovely haunting dry-down has become sweeter and less woodsy and mysterious". She still wears it, but would love to find a sexy perfume with "an aura of mystery evocative of the original Magie Noire". She's willing to pay over $100, but doesn't want to pay JAR-level prices. Here are a few details about Liza:
Liza is a science writer in her 40s. She's also into crafts, dance, and growing fragrant plants, both indoors and out.
She loves big cities, occasional wilderness rambles, hats, scarves, patterned tights, and shoes. She dresses mostly in black, grays, blues, greens, and khaki; she doesn't typically wear make-up, nail polish, or jewelry.
Liza loves notes of jasmine, sandalwood, and incense notes, as well as most spices. She loves sweetfern, and all of the scents of plants she has grown (bay laurel, butterfly gingers, patchouli, lilac, narcissus, lily of the valley, bayberry, flowering nicotianas, and numerous herbs). She also likes lime, vetiver, and cedar in moderation. She likes the rose in Magie Noire, but wouldn't call rose a favorite note. Before Liza discovered Magie Noire, she liked Jean D'Albret Ecusson, Worth Je Reviens, Caron Bellodgia, and Revlon Jontue.
Liza also has two other perfumes that she discovered while searching for a replacement for the Magie Noire. One is Donna Karan Black Cashmere, which she likes despite the harsh top notes and the slightly too strong clove, but she finds that it vanishes within an hour or two. The other is Guerlain Mitsouko, which she now wears as a special occasion perfume — she doesn't find it appropriate as a daily perfume.
Perfumes that Liza likes but that aren't quite right for her include Piguet Fracas (too heavy/overwhelming), L’Heure Bleue (too cold), Bulgari’s Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert (lovely as a shampoo or shower gel) and Diptyque's Philosykos (lovely as a candle).
Liza doesn't like lavender, heliotrope, osmanthus, or freesia, and she doesn't want anything ozonic, overly sweet, or heavily fruity. Perfumes she doesn't care for include Guerlain Insolence and Shalimar (smelled like soap), Annick Goutal’s Un Matin d’Orage (ozone and something sour), Lancome's Trésor or Poeme, Tauer's Reverie au Jardin.
And here are the perfumes Liza has tried while looking for a replacement for Magie Noire:
Bvlgari Black (didn't like rubber note)
Bvlgari Jasmin Noir (unidentified skanky note that became more prominent with time)
Gucci by Gucci (lacks mystery, a little heavy)
Giorgio Armani Armani Code (lacks mystery, dislikes skanky note)
Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist (uninteresting)
Guerlain Samsara (starts out lovely if a little heavy, morphs into musky sweet vanilla)
What say you?
Note: image is Postbox @ Holme Next The Sea, Norfolk by at timparkinson at flickr; some rights reserved.
How about Sisley Soir de Lune?
Excellent choice!
Hi, Liza! For incensy undernotes for daywear, I’d try Hermes Un Jardin sur le Nil. A few others that spring to mind:
Bond #9 Chinatown or West Side
The Different Co Sublime Balkiss (love that!)
good luck!
I suggest this more based on the personality described than on the perfume notes.
Nocturnes de Caron perhaps?
Paloma Picasso? (it does get skanky, but it is good nonetheless)
Montana Parfum de Peau (lighter that what she is looking for, but could be a day perfume)
Hmm, that Paloma Picasso is an interesting suggestion, because I think that Magie Noir can get a little skanky, but not terribly so…(am a fan of it, in fact, as I am about to detail below…)
May I suggest Fracas?
I’ll second that… and add in TF Black Orchid.
I think she said she didn’t like that one? Or maybe I misread.
I’m thinking Fracas is a bit high & heavy in the nose, if Magie Noir is the one being replaced…but I can see the commonality in the thread of love here with that and the Tom Ford added in after… 😉
It says she likes Fracas, but it’s heavy and overwhelming.
How about Feminite du Bois–it’s woody and mysterious…or Le Labo’s Iris 39, a warm iris with patchouli? And I second the gorgeous powerhouse that is Paloma Picasso!
I agree with the Feminite du Bois-I love this fragrance!
Second both of these.
All 3 of my suggestions are admittedly over the $100 price range, but well worth it, IMO:
Frederic Malle Une Rose
Frederic Malle Noir Epices
Histoires de Parfums Noir Patchouli
Good Luck Liza!
Marko
I hate coming in late! All my suggestions are…well….suggested! But I guess I’m on the right track! I ‘m with the Noir Espices. It also blends well with other fragrances you want to give a little “kick” to, like a rose fragrance.
Oh, I’m a Magie Noire addict, too. This is a toughie!
I will third the vote for Paloma Picasso and also suggest Chanel Bois des Iles, Serge Lutens Arabie or SL Ambre Sultan, and maybe also EL Sensuous (the parfum is avail. now)
I keep on commenting on comments…will get to my own…BUT…as another Magie Noir fan, I get the Bois des Isles suggestion…am a big fan of that, too…in addition, am going to suggest the Champagne du Bois by SSS is a fine suggestion in the same vein, and perhaps adds a little [heft? touch of sweet depth] that BdI does not have, and might therefore connect even better with the Magie Noir love.
Noire. Sheesh. 🙂
A new jasmine that has gotten really good reviews and comments is Lauder’s Jasmine and White Moss.
I’d also suggest: Tauer’s Une Rose Chypree, Divine’s L’Ame Soeur, L’Artisan’s Saffran Troublant, or some of the Sonoma Scent Studio scents – I’m currently wearing and loving Champagne de Bois.
Another possibility might be Guerlain’s Spiritueuse Double Vanille, a woody, incensey, boozy vanilla – not nearly as sweet as Samsara (at least to my nose). Good luck!
I’ll second the Champagne de Bois. Other Sonoma Scent Studio creations Liza might want to consider include Ambre Noir and Incens Tranquille.
I’ll second and third Une Rose Chypree and Champagne de Bois
Lovely fragrances, two of my favorites.
I 3rd Une Rose Chypree.
I feel like I suggest this every week, but have you tried Tauer’s L’Air du Desert Marocain? I’ll also second the Rose Chypree mentioned above, as well as Paloma Picasso. Bandit might be another option.
This is a bit left-field, but Caron’s Yatagan might be an interesting option. Good luck and have fun!
Seconding l’Air!
Also maybe Habinta de Molinard?
For nostalgia, how about Je Reviens Couture? I just got a bottle, and it’s a very nice aldehydic jasmine, I like it alot. I would second the Sur Le Nil, and would add Givenchy L’Interdit (Les Mythiques) which has a nice combination of florals and incense and would be a suitable work scent. And definitely try L’Artisan Dzonghka – dry wood and incense and just plain wonderful. Good luck Liza!
Commes des Garcons has an incense series that she might like to try. I would personally recommend my favorite one Jaisalmer, with these notes: cardamom, incense, cinnamon, amber, benzoin, pimento berries, gaiac wood, and ebony. I love the spices and woods in this and it is not a “churchy” incense at all.
Alternatively she might try Parfums Delrae Amoureuse which I consider the ultimate jasmine scent. Notes are tangerine, cardamom, tuberose, jasmine, cedar moss and honey. I don’t get much fruitiness here so I would not worry about the tangerine. It’s just a beautiful, beautiful scent (though I’ve read it has now been reformulated). Good luck!
I spoke with an SA from Parfums Delrae on Friday and she said that they have NOT reformulated Amoureuse.
Didn’t it use to have oak moss? I just bought a bottle and it has none, and I’m pretty sure that has to be labeled. It also smells not as deep to me, especially compared to what’s left of my sample from a year and a half ago. Maybe it’s not called reformulation if they are just leaving out oak moss in accordance with new regulations?
Liza, normally I wouldn’t dare to comment (I’m hardly an expert), but we share a history. I, too, not quite 30 years ago, was wearing Bellogia and then switched to Magie Noire! But then my mother, not for the first–or last–time scent-jacked me so I had to switch to something else. So you might try what I wore for a number of years after Magie Noire: Coco by Chanel. A new perfume you might like that’s in the same vein (I think) is Bois de Paradis by Parfums Delrae (it has the rose note and spices, with much depth and complexity). I love it.
Both of these are fabulous, though Bois de Paradis does lean a little to the sweet side of things. (Just a little.) If you haven’t tried Coco in the parfum, do so. It’s a different animal–sumptuous, but with none of the brassiness of the EDP. I adore it.
hi Liza!
What about ParfumSacre by Caron?it,s got a bit of everything you like and it,s elegant and beautiful,Timbuktu by L’Artisan is a wonderful scent and really interesting and even if rose is not a favourite note of yours you could try Ta’if by Ormonde Jayne,it is so beautiful I cannot recommend it enough,good luck ,Lo.
I would suggest trying:
Bandit by Piguet
Dioressence
Aromatics Elixir by Clinique
Pomegranate Noir by Jo Malone
I was thinking Bandit, too. Also might want to try Piguet’s Baghari. I’ll second whoever said Chanel’s Bois des Iles, as well. Ormonde Jayne Woman is also good (although I have no idea how much that one costs)–it reminds me a lot of Bois des Iles, actually, but there’s something a little earthier and more mysterious about it.
Liza, like Suddenlyinexplicably, I wore Bellodgia and Magie Noire thirty years ago (like you, I also loved Je Reviens in extrait in the seventies), and my immediate thought, like hers, was Coco by Chanel. It gets a LOT of love but, interestingly enough, I never seem to smell it on anyone, so despite its popularity I don’t think you’re going to find it too commonplace. You can get it in extrait as well, which I think will satisfy your desire for that kind of special richness and complexity.
Another Jacques Polge creation is Chanel’s Coromandel from the Les Exclusifs line. Not cheap but a bottle will last you forever, and it’s definitely got the same kind of horsepower as Magie Noire.
I second the recommendation of Paloma Picasso and DelRae Amoureuse.
If you can handle the initial outlay — it’s expensive but very concentrated and wears beautifully for hours and hours — do try Parfums MDCI Promesse de l’Aube by Francis Kurkdijian. It’s a big guns, serious and ultra-complex scent, very deep and French and classic in structure. The jasmine comes out in mid-drydown in a heartbreakingly beautiful way.
One last suggestion, because it’s got some lovely jasmine winding through the heart and, like Je Reviens, a dusky violet, is the fabulously well-blended and gorgeous 1000 by Jean Patou. It’s got a base you’ll love — a luscious patchouli-vetiver — and the staying power is magnificent. I think you’ll be able to find it in extrait. I shied away from it myself for a long time because I thought it would be too formal and too dated — it’s such an iconic scent — but it is surprisingly easy to wear. You like Mitsouko, I see, but think it’s not exactly the right thing for daily use. You’ll find that 1000 is in the same family, and more wearable as an everyday scent.
Let us know what works. You’ve got some excellent suggestions already, and more to come, I’m sure! 🙂
Decants of Coromandel are very reasonable on Scent Splits.
As a Je Reviens extrait lover, I appreciate the 1,000 rec. I’ve never tried it, and now I really want to. Thank you!
I’ve never gone to scentsplits, so I don’t know a comparison, but The Perfumed Court also sells smaller sized decants.
I meant to write “I don’t know what the comparison is price-wise.” Left out a whole lotta words there. Ugh. I need to go home and take a nap…
I knew what you meant. 🙂
I’m a big fan of TPC, but if you want more than a ml. or two, scentsplits.wikidot.com is way more reasonable. It is people from everywhere listing either decants or bottles for sale, so often the prices are just what they paid per ml. for the bottle. Splits are also requested.
R, Je Reviens and 1000 are only very loosely related through their shared violet note, but if you love a fantastically well-made scent (and anyone who loves JR extrait clearly does 🙂 ) it will NOT disappoint. I was really surprised by it. I thought it was going to be dense and heavy, dated and “difficult” but it starts out quietly and elegantly and slowly gains momentum as it reaches the heartnotes. After two hours it’s still going strong and even smells fresher than in the opening minutes. The edt lasts a good 12 hours, so imagine the parfum. . .
Swoon….. sounds exactly like the kind of scent I love! I also wear a lot of the classic Guerlains in extrait and they do the same thing – unfold over several hours becoming more and more beautiful. I will definitely check out the 1,000.
I’ve never smelled it myself…but I’ve seen bottles of Patou’s 1000 go on ebay for an amazingly reasonable price….been tempted to pick up a bottle unsniffed…even though I know better than to buy unsniffed darn it!
Hi Liza! I share your scent history too! That is tough, as MN is one of those haunting lovely scents….
I’d second the recs for Paloma, Aromatics Elixir, and JM Pom Noir.
I’d also recommend:
-SL Daim Blonde for a lovely suede note with cardamon
-L’Artisan’s Voleur de Roses, lovely patch/rose note
Sonoma Scent Studio:
-Ambre Noir- dark, sensual amber, labdanum, rose, vetiver with oakmoss, patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood, olibanum, myrrh, castoreum
-Encens Absolute-resinous incense fragrance with frankincense, myrrh, labdanum, oakmoss, aged patchouli, cedarwood, sandalwood, ambergris
Hi Liza,
I just read Angela’s post about Balmain’s Jolie Madame. I don’t know why, but see if that scent interests you. It is a lovely scent, very unique, and 100 ml can be purchased for a song on discount web sites.
How about Ormond Jayne Woman?
Lots of mystery there – good suggestion!
I instantly thought of this one! Liza, FYI, the notes are:
– Top: Cardamom, coriander and grass oil
– Heart: Black hemlock, violet and jasmine absolute
– Base: Vetiver, cedar wood, amber and sandalwood
I third Ormonde Jayne Woman. Liza, you might also try Sabi, by Henry Dunay. Both are beautiful green florals with complexity and mystery. I love them both!
How about Molinard de Molinard? In my mind it is filed under “sultry, mysterious, and confident” along side Magie Noire. You get the jasmin and rose – but not in an obvious way. It has a sultry base of amber, vetiver and patchouli.
I don’t consider it a light, everyday fragrance, but I don’t see Magie Noire that way either. I also find it interesting that in the few posts I’ve seen on Molinard de Moldinard, each person describes it in very, very different terms – like it is a completely different fragrance on everyone who wears it. Perhaps worth a sniff.
So many good ideas … besides my insert comments already, I also think Coco (Chanel), Parfum Sacre, Feminite du Bois, Rose Chypree (Tauer), are good suggestions.
I see other Malle scents suggested, but think I might lean toward Parfum de Therese as my toss into the pile.
SS: Therese is a very recent revelation to me! So many things worth throwing “on the pile”, aren’t there? It’s hard to know when to stop.
So true!
Liza: I think The Different Company Jasmin de Nuit is worth sampling based on the notes you enjoy.
I see someone else mentioned Timbuktu, and that is one that I think is worth trying anytime someone likes incense at all. It is so goregeous. You may want to try Dzongkha too even though the notes might not match your list of preferences exactly. Also, maybe Parfums de Nicolai Maharanih.
[grr… yes, yes… spelling, typing too fast — “gorgeous” does it everytime — I know there’s no need to correct myself here, but it’s such a strong urge to make sure everyone knows you really *do know* how to spell, isn’t it? lol]
I see several people suggesting Coco by Chanel, and I got to thinking: a friend of mine who used to wear Coco exclusively was looking for a new fragrance not too long ago, and I casually suggested she try out 8 88 by Comme des Garcons. I think this may ostensibly be a male-marketed fragrance, but frankly it’s entirely unisex, as the easiest way to describe it is somehow both spicy and clean at the same time. Typically ‘clean’ makes me think of sterile and hospital-like, but the spicy side of 8 88 abolishes any such notion, making it a bit of a paradoxical scent. This may lend itself to that sense of mystery you’re looking for.
And for the record my friend tried it and loved it and now whenever I hang out with her I have to wear something else. That’ll teach me to recommend things from my own wardrobe 🙂
How about Les Nez Let Me Play the Lion? That’s a lovely incense scent that also has sandalwood.
How does someone get nominated for this help? I’ve got a perfume problem coming up for March of next year. Denise
Denise – click on the link at the bottom, “The Monday Mail”.
Did it. Thanks for the kind reply. Denise
Everyone above has such good suggestions! I too second, third, etc: Paloma Picasso, Parfum Sacre, Coco (one of my long time fav’s!), Bois des Iles, L’Air du Desert Maroccain, and especially the Sonoma Scent Studio fragrances which are very rich in incense & woods: Champagne de Bois, Encens Tranquille, Ambre Noir, and especially the Tabac Aurea which is outstanding, gorgeous & very very complex. The Sonoma Scent Studio Femme Jolie smells very much like the spicy dry down of DK Chaos, without that weird antiseptic thing at the opening.
I’d like to throw in Amouage Lyric for Women which is a stunning spicy, rose and incense fragrance that may be rich enough for your tastes, as well as the Amouage Ubar which is very rich and complex white floral-oriental.
If you want dark, rich jasmine and spices, the Andy Tauer La Maroc (pour Elle) is really fantastic stuff with an amazing jasmine – very dark and indolic – spices and rose.
Annick Goutal’s Songes in the edp is also very very rich jasmine and woods with a soft vanilla dry down. The rich, indolic jasmine in this one is very similar to the jasmine in above La Maroc.
Bal a Versailles also has very rich, well composed jasmine, spices and roses. It has a quasi oriental-chypre base and it really gorgeous stuff!
Also, Lancome Sikkim is really deep with rich spices and some rose. It is similar to Magie Noir, but an oriental rather than a chypre-woods.
Caron Montaigne is an outstanding, rich floral-oriental (sometimes also refered to as a chypre) that has a very rich composition of florals – jasmine, narcissus, etc — that dry down to a sophisticated amber oriental.
Along the same likes are the Parfums de Nicolai Sacrebleue which is a very intensely rich, classic vanilla oriental – very very rich and sophisticated.
Good luck!!
Second Ann’s recommendation of La Maroc Pour Elle: it’s a great jasmine.
And I could go ON about Sikkim, but that’s another story…
😉
Try Diorissimo (lily of the valley on a wonderfully interesting base), Aromatics Elixir (nice chypre for everyday, doesn’t get the respect it deserves), Bois Des Iles (heavenly sandalwood, but very expensive. However, that expensive, enormous bottle would last forever, and on me, even in EdT, the scent itself lasts hours and hours). Songes, by Annick Goutal, is a great jasmine/frangipani scent, but could be heavy for an office environment (I wear it with abandon, but I mostly work from home)
I’ve never smelled original Magie Noire so I can’t compare it exactly, but from the descriptions and list of notes I also thought of Ormonde Woman. Mystery in a bottle, it reminds me of dark silk velvet. Unfortunately a bit out of the budget range but decants are reasonable. Notes include cardamom, coriander, grass oil, black hemlock, violet, jasmine, vetiver, cedar, amber, and sandalwood.
Thank you so much to Robin, for including my query, and to everyone who has contributed comments and suggestions.
I’m delighted to discover that I share a scent history with several contributors, and am completely thrilled with all of the great suggestions. I had wondered if I might like some of these perfumes, but was reluctant to send away for samples without a recommendation from someone who had some idea of my tastes. Others were completely off my “perfume radar screen.”
I’m looking forward to weeks (or maybe months!) of happy investigation and will report back on which ones work best for me.
Thank you again to everyone who has taken the time to write in with suggestions.
I got blindsided by the truly amazing vintage Magie Noire this spring. After listening to people rave about it on a few blogs, I bought an unsniffed 80’s era mini (in that ugly black/orange/gold packaging!) from an ebay seller. I didn’t research the notes before purchasing, or I probably wouldn’t have bought it, because it’s very far outside my usual tastes, but it is just magnificent, witchy and elemental and somehow very, very feminine. And I cannot think of another fragrance anything like it, both sexy and mysterious.
I love/cherish/adore a lot of the recommendations that have been made (Parfum Sacre, Champagne de Bois, Feminite de Bois, Une Rose Chypree, Ta’if), but I cannot help but feel that they are very different in feel, being warm and enveloping, without the wild November wind feeling that Magie Noire gives me.
Paloma Picasso (though I don’t like it at all) has some of the same unfettered, independent chypre feel of the MN, as well as insistent sillage and demanding character.
Juliette Has a Gun Citizen Queen (100 ml runs about $130, I think?) is the sexiest fragrance I own, with similarly immense presence on my skin. JHaG calls it a chypre, although it is to my nose primarily a floral (rose, violet) leather.
Ormonde Woman does have a forested feeling in common with MN, and I found it much cozy and much easier to wear.
Um, strike the first “much” in that last sentence: “I found it cozy and much easier to wear.”
Good luck, Liza!
I liked “much cozy.” 🙂 Thought it sounded like something Natasha on Rocky and Bullwinkle would say.
Kind of the trick of Magie Noire, isn’t it…warm and also whiffs of dark that I attribute your “wild November wind”… to me, that list contains stabs at the woody/dry and yet warming aspects…Feminite and Parfum Sacre leaning muchly toward warmth…Un Rose Chypree having more of the dry spicy…
I have to add in another, now that I’ve had time to spritz once from my sample vial: Guerlain Rose Barbare. I think one of the tricks of Magie Noire is that it plays with rose and what some categorize as chypre, with something spicily hint of skankily warm linking it all; Rose Barbare feels like a similar ride. Price point is an “ouch,” however.
There was a thread this past weekend on POL where Vidabo (her blog is Moving and Shaking) compared Citizen Queen to Guerlain’s long discontinued Candide Effluve, which was called “heartbreakingly beautiful” by more than one person. Got my attention!
Magie Noir also gives me a luminous, cool feel besides the mystery…Nothing is like it, but I do think of Eau de Soir, Paloma Picasso for older scents and 31 Rue de Cambon, Soir de Lune for the newer ones. Looking forward to hearing your choice…ENJOY!!!
Actually MN spooks me a little and I am not easily spooked!!!
Others scents that came to mind for you Liza were Chypre Fatale, Passage d’Enfer and Geisha Noir and Ambre del Nepal.
Love Geisha Noire! 🙂
Oh, also try Estee Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia.
what about Hermes Kelly Caleche? it’s sexy with an air of mystery
Hi Liza,
If I may add a few suggestions to an already long list of exciting fragrances:
Dzing! by L’Artisan Parfumeur
L’Eau Lente by Diptyque
Cuir de Lancome
Sarrasins by Serge Lutens
From Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier: Or des Iles, Ambre Precieux
Maharadjah by Parfums de Nicolai
Jasmin et Cigarettes by Etat Libre d’Orange
Finally, I would advise you to have a sniff around Pierre Guillaume’s creations, especially Cuir Venenum and Harmatan Noir
All the best; I would love to know how you fare!
Liza has lovely taste & knows what she likes! After reading her likes/dislikes perhaps she might try:
Balmain Vent Vent, Ivoire
Bond No9 Madison Soiree
l’Artisan Parfumeur La Chasse aux Papillons Extreme
TDC Jasmine de Nuit
Creed Jasmal, Aubepine Acacia, Angelique Encens
L’Arte di Gucci
Prada Infusion d’Iris or Fleur d’Oranger
YSL Rive Gauche
Yes, to so many of the above, I think people are on the right track.
Just wanted to chime in and say: in this very difficult, delicate matter of “replacing” a beloved fragrance, especially one as wonderful as yours, worn so long, so much a part of your life and personality, it is better, perhaps, not to think of replacing it at all. Which is to say–as in other matters of the heart, you are unlikely to fall in love if you have your former beloved constantly in mind.
No doubt you have many memories attached to Magie Noire, and those memories will stay intact, whole, attached to that fragrance. You don’t need to worry about them. This frees you up to think about–the future! Who you have become since you started wearing MN. Who you would like to be, and where you want to go next. I wish you courage, pleasure, and a touch of recklessness in your explorations! Do tell us how it went!
Just a bit of a straggler here… if no one above has already suggested it, you should try Dia by Amouage. I totally forgot about this one, but it is a very rich and elegant oriental along the lines of Magie Noir, Coco, Paloma, etc.