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Jul et Mad Stairway to Heaven ~ fragrance review

Posted by Jessica on 17 October 2019 6 Comments

Okay, just do it: sing a few lines of the Led Zeppelin song and get it out of your system. Despite what you may have expected (or hoped), Jul et Mad's Stairway to Heaven has nothing to do with a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold, etc. It was inspired instead by a trek into Nepal's Annapurna mountain range that turned out to be "a veritable inner quest, in search of the mysteries of life, of serenity, of absolute happiness on the Summits of the Gods..." (Then again, that does sound pretty Zeppelinesque...)

Stairway to Heaven was developed by perfumer Cécile Zarokian and promises to evoke a "dual whiteness: pure and immaculate, but warming and enveloping." That sounds almost like Stairway could be an "Eau Chaude," in the tradition of Jean-Claude Ellena's L'Eau d'Hiver for Frédéric Malle, but it has a very different feel than the cashmere-cloudy L'Eau d'Hiver. Its notes include aldehydes, bergamot, sweet orange, Bulgarian rose, orris butter, red berries, heliotrope, "eight white musks," vanilla, patchouli, Ambroxan, Cashmeran, olibanum, and Dynamon ("gunpowder note)". 

Stairway to Heaven starts off with piercing aldehydes that are only slightly cushioned by a gourmand accord, like a platinum knife dipped in honey butter. If this opening is meant to suggest the effect of the Himalayas' high altitude and snowy peaks, it works. Just as you instinctively put up your hand to shield your eyes from the glare of intense sunlight reflecting off certain surfaces, you might want to pull back your nose from your wrist just after you've spritzed it with this fragrance. 

The sharp, starchy aldehydes of Stairway to Heaven never really die out, but they do turn more translucent, allowing a core of sheer resin and sweet dried fruits to peep through. I don't know how to differentiate between the eight (!) white musks (I'm an original Body Shop White Musk gal at heart), but if you've been enjoying the recent white musk trend, you'll find more than enough to satisfy you in this composition. The dry down is a lightly gourmand skin-scent with hints of vanilla and citrus. It's tenacious but muted. I've been applying this scent in the morning, and although I'm a little nervous about its sillage for the first hour or so, by lunchtime it's office-friendly enough.

While trying out Stairway to Heaven for the third time, and bracing myself yet again for that initial slash of aldehydes, I was reminded of Angela's review of Estée Lauder White Linen. Both fragrances share a certain soapy-clean attitude (with a smile) and both feel contemporary for their own moments. If White Linen had a granddaughter who favored vacations to the Himalayas rather than the Hamptons, she could be Stairway to Heaven.

Jul et Mad Stairway to Heaven is available in Extrait de Parfum, either in a silver-plated 50 ml bottle plus a 7 ml travel atomizer ($364), or in a traditional glass 50 ml bottle ($170) through the Jul et Mad website, Jovoy Paris and Indigo Perfumery.

Possibly of interest

Jul et Mad Bella Donna, Fugit Amor & Mon Seul Desir ~ new perfumes
Jul et Mad Secrets du Paradis Rouge ~ new fragrance
Top 10 Fall Fragrances 2015

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: aldehydic, cecile zarokian, jul et mad

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6 Comments

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  1. austenfan says:
    18 October 2019 at 6:04 am

    I used not to like aldehydes although I loved aldehydic florals when the first notes would have evaporated. These days I love all stages of this kind of fragrance.
    Your review has got me interested in trying this, have never tried any Jul et Mads. I wonder why they chose to bring this out as an extrait, it seems an odd choice for such a small house.
    Anyway, anything that resembles White Linen has my attention, so thanks for your review!

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    • Jessica says:
      20 October 2019 at 8:59 pm

      Yes, they’ve always released their fragrances as extraits — I forget the reason! I still like Stilettos on Lex a lot.

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  2. lucasai says:
    18 October 2019 at 9:04 am

    I quite like this new release. Indeed it smells pure and clean, making me think of a fluffy white cloud. Fizzy aldehydes, powdered citrus, a whole white musk symphony.
    Doesn’t it remind you of 1957 by Chanel?

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    • Jessica says:
      20 October 2019 at 9:00 pm

      Simultaneously fizzy and powdery is a good way to describe it! I like it more than I expected to!

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  3. therabbitsflower says:
    19 October 2019 at 3:44 pm

    I used to be aldehyde-phobic, but my tastes have changed and now I love aldehydes in the right dose. I love them paired with incense, like in Tiger’s Nest and Reve d’Ossian. I haven’t really been interested in Jul et Mad, but I will definitely seek out a sample. I went right over to Indigo looking for one, but they’re already sold out. Hopefully, they will have samples back in stock soon.

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    • Jessica says:
      20 October 2019 at 9:00 pm

      I lurve Memo Tiger’s Nest!

      The aldehydes are the “star” here, but if you’re in the right mood, it’s a fabulous effect.

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