I love the smell of mimosa flowers (Acacia pravissima is blooming in my garden now). For me, the “perfume” that best captures the floral scent most of us associate with “mimosa” (Acacia dealbata) is Diptyque Mimosa room spray. I’ve loved many of the Annick Goutal floral fragrances, and I hoped Le Mimosa would provide a mimosa scent I could wear on my skin, not simply spray into the air.
Le Mimosa, developed by perfumer Isabelle Doyen, lists fragrance notes of peach, anise, iris, mimosa, sandalwood and white musk. Le Mimosa opens with a dry, flat note that smells like a combination of pencil shavings, cumin powder, and ‘hairy’ leather. This slightly “dirty” aroma marches thru the entire composition…only soap will remove it from skin. As Le Mimosa develops, I smell artificial “peach” and I detect, for a split second, a puff of iris, a speck of anise, and some vague “citrus.”
There’s plenty of white musk and the aforementioned “peach” in Le Mimosa’s base, but none of Le Mimosa’s notes produces a scent with the aroma of fresh mimosa blossoms (if that’s what you are looking for or expecting). What mimosa there is in Le Mimosa is faint — hard to detect under the stronger, cheaper-smelling notes that surround it.
As I wore Le Mimosa I was suffocated by its dry, bitter “powder;” it was as if my nostrils had been packed with pollen. Overall, Le Mimosa smells inexpensive, and its mish-mash of jarring elements produces faux ‘flowers’ having little to do with the perfume's namesake.
Years ago, I concocted, and wore, a perfume resembling (a better) Le Mimosa: I would spray one part Eau d’Hermès to three parts Diptyque Mimosa room spray: that combo was refreshing, a tad “abstract” (no attempt at duplicating a perfect bouquet of mimosa thanks to Eau d’Hermès’ leather and cumin) and more refined than you’d expect from a perfume-room spray mix. (This layered scent was not a total success; as often happens, the room spray element quickly turned flat on skin.)
Annick Goutal Le Mimosa is a limited edition fragrance, and as you’ve probably guessed, I won’t be sad to see it vanish. I hope its disappearance makes room for a more interesting Annick Goutal perfume. Le Mimosa is available in 50 and 100 ml Eau de Toilette ($80-115); it lasts forever on skin and has sillage galore. Please comment if you have a favorite mimosa-scented perfume (or two) you can recommend.
Note: top images of mimosa [altered] via Wikimedia Commons.
Thank you for mentioning the cumin, Kevin!!!! The reviews I’ve read so far make no mention of this, and I was stumped…as cumin is definitely what I get, and I’m in total agreement of your assessment. Scrubber on me. Too bad. I used to own a bottle of L’Artisan’s Mimosa Pour Moi – a bit too “pretty” for me, but I admired it. I’m curious about Nicolai’s Mimosaique…
Mimosaique is a very pretty fragrance, though it only smells like mimosa for a short time on me – mimosa appears to be a short-lived note. The violets, fruity notes (almost like apple?) and anise are prominent to my nose. I used to think it was the sort of thing I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy (it is available at The Perfume Shoppe – I believe Nicolai makes it still for them, at Nazrin’s request), but it is really, really cheerful, and one of the scents I get the most compliments on.
It is good to know that The Perfume Shoppe (Vancouver/Scottsdale) is still able to get Mimosaique.
Erin: I’ll give it a sniff up in B.C. then.
Glad to see someone else mention the cumin. Arghhh …
Karin, you and I have discussed that we both get that out of this, and it’s definitely a deal-breaker for me. But the polka-dot bow is pretty darned cute!
Cumin is really hard for me in fragrances. Bad news for me. Money saved? How disappointing.
AnnS: if you’re like me I never mourn limited editions since they’ll be gone soon enough and I HATE the idea of “rationing” one if I like it.
But Kevin, LEs are perfect Buddhist training!
Ann: very SPRINGy!
JOE: TRUE…must “let go” of everything.
Karen: I have tried the L’Artisan and I think Angie here at NST will be reviewing PdN’s Mimosaique shortly.
Have you tried DSH’s Mimosa? I like it, but then again I like AG’s. DSH doesn’t have the peachy thing going on. It’s pretty and/but linear.
Jenmeade: nope, I have not tried that one, thanks.
Thanks for the review – I was looking forward to this (love the cute polka-dot bow) but think I won’t go out of my way to sniff.
I really enjoy L’Artisan’s Mimosa Pour Moi. It’s very light and fresh although relatively short-lived. I layer with Dzing for a bit more depth. This combo is a favorite at bedtime!
CM: that DOES sound good.
Wow! This sounds like a hot mess! Thanks for taking one for the team, Kevin. I think I’ll stick to my (vintage) Guerlain Champs Elysees.
Rapple – “vintage” Champs Elysees – do you mean the one in the pink and gold box? I think it’s really pretty, that “mimosa” note. In fact, I was thinking about it yesterday, maybe wear this weekend after the rain goes away…
That’s exactly the one I mean!
Oh yes, I think I remember it now. It was indeed lovely.
yep –I agree, Champs Elysees is lovely….something I discovered on Rapple’s recommendation! **virtual shiny for Rapple’s enabler pin….isn’t that thing getting a little heavy yet?**
Heeheeeheee….. yes! It’s more like the bejeweled breastplate referred to in the bible!
and yet, it is so becoming on you!
Rappleyea: well, it’s a mess on me…I do see we have one fan so far in the comments…
I get a ton of mimosa from FM L’eau d’Hiver. I find its mimosa note realistic without being simplistic or cheap or boring or any of those things that seem to commonly haunt soliflores.
I will forever associate mimosa with early spring because of my childhood and, to me, L’Eau d’Hiver is like the month of March in a bottle.
Agree on L’d H! Love the way you describe it.
Oh, thanks!
Abyss: thanks…I’ll go to Barneys tomorrow and sniff it.
Give yourself a good spritz and see how you find it throughout the day, Kevin. It’s a quiet little thing and might not make much of an instant impression but it comes out of its shell with time.
Oh, is that mimosa? I’m still struggling to identify floral notes, and I was trying out Eau d’Hiver just last week. (*thank you perfume fairy!*) I really like it, although as stated, it is a very gentle sort of fragrance. I will have to put some on and walk over to Laurelhurst park, where there is a mimosa tree near the pond. Anyone know if it’s a spring or summer flower?
Just double checked for you – the official FM website mentions heliotrope, iris and honey but, well, we all know that lists of notes are hardly a consistently reliable guide of how something will actually smell. In The Guide, LT says mentions “the mimosa note of heliotropine” and – to my nose at least – this is more accurate since it smells just like the yellow fuzzy flowers of Acacia dealbata which Kevin mentions in his review. As far as I know it flowers around this time of the year although I guess it would also depend on the climate.
Katie Puckrick recommended this “dirty mimosa” to her San Diego viewers last week. I had a sample and tried it – the cumin with the floral sadly is a “no go” for me. I’m just starting to wear cumin and I can do when combined with incense. Hope others will enjoy it. In the meantime, if you are in the DC area and you have scrubbers, the National Zoo is looking for perfumes to scent certain animal habitats. The perfumes are supposed to give the animals scents to track & find. I’ve donated some and hope you can too.
scents,that is. not animals…
Kitty: a good idea…better than my usual ploy of setting out bottles in public spaces with a “FREE” stick-em attached. HA!
OUCH! Hi, Kevin.
I’m curious to smell this one, even after reading all that. Having my nostrils packed with pollen doesn’t always sound like a bad thing from a perfume. Really. We’ll see.
I’m planning at least one or two mimosa purchases in the coming months, though I’ve never smelled the real mimosa known in southern France. My likes are as follows:
– Santa Maria Novella Gaggia: this will definitely be a purchase by summer.
– L’Occitane Mimosa: I was surprised how much I liked this on a sampling spree last month. Very enjoyable.
Note: it’s always worth mentioning that what we commonly know as “mimosa” in the US is really the silk tree (Albizia julibrissin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albizia_julibrissin) and not a member of the Acacia family. It’s quite confusing. I was curious to try that Kenzo Silk Flower fragrance last year. I’d love to smell real Acacia blossoms on the Mediterranean coast!
Joe,
The Guerlain Champs Elysees has the same mimosa note as the L’Occitane mimosa – based on my recollection.
a:)
That’s good to know since Champs-Elysees is all over evilbay for next to nothing; I gather it was not a Guerlain Success Story.
It was released around ’98, so perhaps an early LVMH attempt to create a mainstream fragrance to attract a younger clientel to the brand. I wonder if they were aiming to compete with Estee Lauder’s Beautiful with that pink box….
Joe: yes, but I wish silk tree scent were available too…it’s wonderful, isn’t it. I’ll try your recommendations, esp. the SMN perfume. I’m still contemplating your desire for a pollen-packed nose though…you must be a mouth-breather!!!!! HA!
Kevin: I read your review with interest and extreme disappointment. Maybe it was that awful black and yellow bow that was an early warning sign for me. Normally Goutals are a dream to my nose, but this one doesn’t sound so good, even if it’s supposed to be abstract. And cumin I only love in huge quantities in my food – it almost never works for me in fragrances (except LL Rose 31).
When I was in high school a million years ago, I was very fortunate that I got to go on a study abroad trip to UK and France. In Paris we got to visit the Fragonard museum and shop – an early cherished fragrance memory. At that time I nearly died with love over the “essences” collection they used to sell in lovely gold colored aluminum bottles. I bought a “Mimosa” which was just heavenly (the “Broom” was amazing too). Fragonard’s Mimosa essence was truly a complete ringer for real live blossoming mimosa. I still have a few dribbles in the aluminum bottle. It was gorgeous and it set the bar pretty high for me as my expectations of mimosa go. Nothing has ever come close since. Cool, powdery, lightly sweet and fresh – just perfectly lovely. It’s a real shame they don’t make it anymore.
AnnS: Ah, that sounds so wonderful…and I’d almost KILL for a real broom essence, one of my favorite smells.
I just remember it smelled so wonderful, and I was a little confused at 16 about what broom was, and too embarrassed to ask the lovely French shop gals. I just kept thinking of an actual broom for sweeping. I always wish I had bought some, but I had little money to spend then.
Kevin, why do you have a picture of the ‘wrong’ mimosa up there? You know it’s Acacia dealbata that is used in French perfumery, i.e. the one with the little yellow puffballs and frilly leaves. It’s very confusing.
The only true mimosa fragrance I have smelled is the Diptyque room spray. All the others are bleh. And so is the new AG, I’m afraid. I didn’t think it smelled of mimosa at all.
Bela: I liked the design of the top variety best for the post image. I did include links to all three varieties mentioned/shown in the post. For what it’s worth: I’ve smelled all three types and they differ very little in aroma…though the a. dealbata is much stronger due to the abundance of blossoms.
OK, but…. I know (from years of discussions on MUA) that most Americans don’t have a clue what the mimosa that is used in perfumery looks like and this was an opportunity to show them.
I myself think there’s nothing more adorable than those little fluffy yellow thingies. And those delicate leaves that shrink when you touch them.
I spent my youth on the Côte d’Azur, so mimosa is in my soul, as it were. Bet you I’d be able to tell the difference. LOL!
My two mimosas, I’d say, quite similar to each other (I have a mini of one and decant of the other and I still cannot decide between the two) are L’Occitane Mimosa Estrel and L’Artisan Mimosa pour Moi.
I hear more and more disappointed reviews of AG Le Mimosa, so the urgency to try it wanes. I wish I could try it though, some day.
Warum: try it sooner than later….
Oh, I’m really disappointed reading this review
I was looking forward to trying it because I love the scent of mimoses.
There are lots of mimose trees in the housing development where I live, and I love the soft, honeyed, green scent they bring to the air.
I’ll have to keep on searching for a perfume which captures that smell.
Isa: well, we got some good ideas from commenters on mimosa perfumes. I’m really in the mood for a mimosa scent now.
My disappointment reading your review was minimal, really, because AG seldom works for me anyhow! Mangragore= yes, Rose Splendide= yes….everything else= no thank you. My over all impression of AG is “cheap-smelling” and “artificial ….fill in the blank”
I used to think I didn’t like mimosa at all….then I found L’Artisan Mimosa pour Moi and then Boojum turned me on to Givenchy Recolte Harvest 2007 Amarige Mimosa (imagine that , a Givenchy that I like!! that makes 2 !) and then Rapple introduced me to Champs Elysees. That’s about it for me and mimosa…although Joe has tempted me greatly with SMN Gaggia and L’Occitane….hmmm…okay see y’all later, I’ve got investigating to do.
D: Joe has tempted me as well…
You sing, Sister, and I’ll turn the page! Goutals are more often a miss than a hit for me too.
I’m embarrassed to admit that I have NO idea what mimosa smells like (unless it’s of the brunch cocktail variety). Looks like I have some sniffing to do.
Yeah, I admit that until rather recently, I assumed folks were discussing a fizzy citrus scent as well!
Thanna/MarjRose: DO try and find some acacias to smell this spring/summer. They are often planted in arboretums and the scent is delicious.
Daisy, I just snagged some of that 2007 Amarige. It IS nice. Stronger than I usually wear, but I don’t care!
Way stronger than I usually wear, as well. A teeny spritz from afar, once in a rare while, is about all I can manage. But since I was still thinking about it a year after I smelled it (and could *remember* the smell, which is a rarity for me unless I’ve worn something many times), I knew I had to have it anyway. That should be my new buying guideline, actually. If a year later, I’m still thinking of it… it gets an add.
Nice review! But what a disappointment. I’m still tempted to try it, though. Goutal is a house that I tend to click with.
J: you may click with this too!
One of the first perfumes I ever wore was Crabtree and Evelyn’s Sonoma Valley. To my (admittedly 16 year old) nose it had a lovely mimosa note. I loved it because it reminded me of the beautiful hazy golden smell of acacia dealbata (which is called silver wattle here in Australia) which grew all over our farm. Lol ‘wattle’ is much less evocative sounding. I’d love to find a good mimosa perfume!! I keep meaning to try Oesel by XerJoff based on Angela’s review last year.
Lizzie: Crabtree used to have some great things in their heyday.
What does mimosa by itself smell like?
Huh, I completely forgot that I also had a sample of Czech and Speake Mimosa, I just stumbled across it while looking for something else. I don’t think I’ve ever tried it and even if I did then I’ve no recollection of what it was like at all. I know what I’ll be testing tomorrow! I wasn’t particularly impressed with the more floral/feminine C&S offerings in the past but who knows. I’ll report back.
Abyss, that one made me say outloud: “Where is my mimosa and who put all that jasmine in my sample?” Let’s see what they put in yours.
Ha! Yes, jasmine and ylang. Surprisingly indolic and, nope, not a trace of mimosa in this.
Thank you for the cumin warning Kevin. “Hairy leather” – yuck! I’m going over to TPC to delete that sample from my cart right now…
PekeFan: HA!
Anybody try Une Fleur de Cassie? The Perfume Guide is enthusiastic about it, so I got a sample as I love perfumes like Caron Farnesiana, or even YSL Cinema which has a nice mimosa facet with a comfortable, warm drydown.
It’s a very nice mimosa to begin with, seeming to be fairly true-to-life. However, on me it rises to this place of being quite powdery/piercing, like a sound that is just inside of my range of hearing and it stays there nearly forever, not fading.
It’s like department store alarms over the jewelry counters – I can always hear those things, eek.
Agree, Krizani. I like UFdC very much for an hour or so, but after a while it verges on too much. I find the FMs in general very dense. It’s very odd, because I love rich perfumes. Your description is very apt. It’s something felt more than sniffed, almost subliminal.
Thanks for this public service message, Kevin! I don’t need a “hairy leather” – unless it turns out to be Burt Reynolds, I suppose
I should really try that Diptyque room spray, though.
Noz: Burt’s not looking very leathery these days..I will say no more.
Kevin, what do you think about Rochas Man and New Haarlem(Bond Nº 9)?
Moore: I’m not in a “coffee” mood when it comes to scents lately (must be spring); The Bond No. 9 N.H. is OK, but I never tried the Rochas after I read the description as: raspberrry, capuccino and fougere!
That’s so funny! I was actually testing this today! There’s nothing in it that says mimosas to me, and I do find the pencil shavings and a teensy bit of very old cumin powder, but I think it mostly smells like a sweet powdery musk. Not unpleasant, but not that interesting either. I actually rather liked the opening where there was the green watery peach or what essentially smells like a freshly cut bowl of not-very-ripe honeydew but it didn’t last at all.
As much as i wanted to like this fragrance, once it was on my skin, it smelled like fake cheap peach scented soap. It lasted so long that I ended up washing it off.
Disappointment.
I bought this perfume recently. The bottle is beautiful but the perfume isn’t very nice. At first it smells very fresh and uplifting then there is an unpleasant smell a little like body odour. I didn’t expect to get this when I spent so much on it. It was very expensive. I love the other Anick Goutal perfumes though.