Balmain • Jolie Madame • Fragrances

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hesperia on 1/15/2011 10:48:00 PM more reviews by hesperia

Age: 56 & Over   Skin: Oily, Fair-Medium, Neutral   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Brown    

This was one of my mother's signature perfumes, way back in the early 60s (the other was Fille d'Eve, also by Balmain). I have always loved it. My mother wore the perfum (the heaviest formulation), which is not available any more. I got a bottle of this some years ago. It so reminded me of my mum, dressed to the nines, kissing me goodnight before she and dad went out to dinner. Ah, the memories! It's a beautiful scent.

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*TOP REVIEWER* msm4slm on 1/15/2011 9:45:00 PM more reviews by msm4slm

Age: 44-55   Skin: Oily, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

This is for the vintage EDT. This is a gorgeous chypre, with violet and leather accents. I am very cautious buying vintage perfumes unsniffed on ebay. This one was a $15 bargain worth every penny and then some. This is one of the most elegant perfumes I've ever tried. Though they are very different note-wise, the relationship to Vent Vert is also evident (both done by the great Germaine Cellier).

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*TOP REVIEWER* BigEars on 11/21/2010 11:55:00 AM more reviews by BigEars

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

One would not believe that it was possible to make a predominantly violet scent edgy. After all violets are all pink cheeked innocence right? But Mdme Cellier manged to do just that by adding a whole whallop of leather, oakmoss and bergamot - classic leather chypre notes. The new re-formulation is lacking in substance due to the regulations on the amounts of oakmoss used. Oakmoss is a known allergen in certain quantities, and don't get me started on the unfairness of penalising everyone because a few people are allergic. I am allergic to penicillin but I don't expect everyone else not to get the benefit. Anyhow, oakmoss apart, the new JM is not bad, still green violets, leather and a chypre base. There is just nothing out there like it. If you love it as I do, you will pray they keep making it.

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Taylorbryn on 6/21/2010 5:47:00 PM more reviews by Taylorbryn

Age: 19-24   Skin: Dry, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Medium   Eyes: Brown    

I researched Jolie Madame for a couple days before I thought it was absolutely beyond necessary to have it in my life. I dropped 25 bucks on Amazon and almost barreled through my front door with the package when UPS dropped it off. I tore open the package, smelled the cap, and immediately my heart fell a little bit.
Some background: violets are my HG anything. However, they have to be sweet. The greenest range of my violet comfort zone is maybe Borsari's or the violet in Daisy. I know i'm generally alone in my candied powdery corner over here, but i've found a few violets I really love. And Jolie Madame seemed so PERFECT. Leather? Chypre? Violets? I saw references to Insolence and candied violets all over the place, and maybe I set my sights waaay too high.
What I wanted was candied violets in a soft leather handbag (I believe i'm pulling this description from another MUAer, here), but what I got was alot more bitter. Granted, this is the reformulation. I've never smelled the original. But this was just too green and too sharp. The violets are very, very dry and green and the leather never smooths out on my skin. I keep hoping it'll grow on me, but it just stays so tight-lipped and sour.
I'd love a younger sister to this. Something alot more fun, sweeter, less green. Maybe one day i'll smell a vintage bottle and fall head over heels, but for now i'm just glad I only spent 25 dollars on something that won't work for me. The moral is to stop buying sight unsniffed!

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chrystelica on 3/26/2010 1:18:00 PM more reviews by chrystelica

Age: 25-29   Skin: Dry, Fair, Warm   Hair: Brown, Straight, Fine   Eyes: Blue    

This is for the original vintage parfum. Without reading reviews of this product, but somewhere hearing the name and that people loved it, I decided to try it. The smell in the bottle was spicer than on my skin.

On me, it pretty much smelled vintage in a bad way: very cologney, rank, too mature. Mature in a soured way... like it was better off left in some bygone era that I dare not tamper with anymore... memories of some forgotten passed-away ancestor that deserves this perfume, who smelled glorious in it.....
I do sort of like these kinds of smells, however. The mid-notes are faintly reminiscent of the heaviness of YSL's Opium, an old favorite of mine. The aroma of leather is heavy, and it is a bit musty/cologney throughout. It is strong and has good sillage. (It is a parfum, so obviously it would be....) I did not get *any* violet notes, probably those top notes have been long gone..... which is probably a good thing, seeing as how violet and I despise one another mutually...
I do "turn" perfumes, and especially certain notes in them, and after about four hours, this starts calming down to something barely acceptable... but still too "cologney" and perfumey, and that old, antique leather couch smell.

My DH hates it and complained "why do you have to try things that smell so bad?" My daughter had a sneezing fit a few minutes after I put it on....
I didn't expect this one to be as rank as it turned out to be on me...

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Moyra on 4/24/2009 3:48:00 PM more reviews by Moyra

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Green    

Once again, I wonder if all the reviews are referring to the selfsame, apparently reformulated, gruesomely bitter Jolie Madame I recently purchased unsniffed in its current incarnation.
I remember this perfume wafting deliciously around me at adult gatherings when I was a child. It was a beautiful, feminine and sophisticated floral, and I used to beg for a little spray of it from my mother's perfume collection, and felt terribly grown up and special when I wore it.
Fast forward to my recently Internet perfume buying spree...I tore open the package and liberally anointed myself with Jolie Madame, only to be assaulted by a strange, bitter smell vaguely enveloped in flowers.
I know skin chemistry changes with time, however, I do not "turn" perfumes, they smell pretty much true on me. Could it be that I "turned" the Jolie Madame of my childhood and of all the glowing reviews here into a bitter shrew? Could it be that Jolie Madame underwent a gruesome reformulation recently?
In any case, it was not a pleasant olfactory experience, and Jolie Madame is definitely not a "repurchase".

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elaborate on 1/9/2009 7:01:00 PM more reviews by elaborate

Age: Unknown   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

TBC, notes from Parfums Balmain website:
Family: Floral Oriental, Notes: Petitgrain, Clove, Neroli // Jasmin, Orange Blossom, Violet Leaf, Tuberose, Lilac // Oakmoss, Patchouli, Tobacco, Ceder

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Kit20 on 1/9/2009 5:16:00 PM more reviews by Kit20

Age: 44-55   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Brown    

A sweet yet beautiful combination of violet and greenery which dries down to a leather chypre. Don't expect a Cabochard clone though, IMO this scent is more akin to l'Insolence by Guerlain. In other words if you don't like violet - don't apply! I found it had great sillage and do not understand the comparison to hay at all, moss maybe, but then it is basically a chypre. i really like this one and it is ver affordable too - lovely

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*TOP REVIEWER* KelseyP on 9/28/2008 10:55:00 PM more reviews by KelseyP

Age: 30-35   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Blond, Straight, Medium   Eyes: Blue    

I wish I had the opportunity to spray this, because dabbing on a sample I find is sometimes a different experience than spraying. My sample, however, produced a strong, sweet violet scent with a dry leathery undercurrent that didn't last as long as I hoped it would. It took too long to get to the leather, and the leather stage was short - and then I was left with a hay/floral whisper light drydown that I just found to be bland. It's a shame the violet/leather stage didn't last longer. I might purchase this if I found it for $5 as one of the other reviewers did to see if the spray action made for a better wearability.

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murtomaki on 9/12/2008 3:33:00 PM more reviews by murtomaki

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Other    

The most lovely chypre fragrance! Very clean and fresh! Never overpowing! I love leather in Jolie, it reminds me about Bandit , but is more gentle and sophisticated. I have gave this fragrance to my good friend and mother, because it is something so special I want to share...It is one of the best I have ever smelld and I have many great scents in my closet:Mitsouko, Jicky, Nahema, Vol de Nuit, L`heureBleu, Parure, Chamade, Ivoire de Balmain, Miss Balmain, Y, Femme de Rochas,my great love Bandit(that dry, green version), Cabochard, Ma Griffe, Chanel19, etc.... And great value!!! Here in Finland very rare!

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*TOP REVIEWER* Draper on 6/15/2008 10:48:00 AM more reviews by Draper

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Olive   Hair: Brown   Eyes: Blue    

Me: a lover of classic perfumes (Chanel 19, Mitsouko, 24 Faubourg). Paid $5 for this at TJ Maxx- was looking for unusual scents that I don't see at Macy's. On me, I get a blast of violets, some fresh greens, and an undernote of leather/musk. The drydown is much more pleasant on me than Hermes Kelly Caleche- there's more floral and less leather (I adore Caleche but KC isn't for me). Lasting power is very good (edt)- probably about 5 hours and I can still smell a single spray. Good for warm weather if you like big/spicy perfumes like I do. This also comes off a lot like the Gap's The Artist- but in a much more sophisticated/special way. A fun find!

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*TOP REVIEWER* MizLiz211 on 6/7/2008 4:44:00 PM more reviews by MizLiz211

Age: 19-24   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Hazel    

Jolie Madame cost me less than $15 at Marshall's, and what a wonderful bargain it turned out to be! This is such a chic chypre: A late 1940s New Look fashion model, clad in blue-gray tweed, carrying a bouquet of violets and a fine leather handbag. I wear it when I want to feel particularly proper, efficient, and businesslike.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* Shadow_Witch on 6/7/2008 12:19:00 AM more reviews by Shadow_Witch

Age: 36-43   Skin: Normal, Fair-Medium, Cool   Hair: Brown, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Hazel    

I didn't mean to fall in love with this mossy, candied violet, and leather mistress. I had swapped for a half bottle months ago and forgot about it. It all began with a sample of vintage Miss Dior believe it or not. I used up the last drop of Miss Dior and was craving that mossy powderiness in a bad way. I went into my perfume drawer and pulled out Jolie Madame. Wore it once, meh. Twice. The third time was the charm. Just like vintage Miss Dior smells like pink leather ballet slippers, Jolie Madame smells like a black patent-leather pocketbook with a silver kiss lock and a lavender satin lining. I have recently paired down my perfume collection to bare bones. It appears from my collection that I have always been and will always be a chypre girl.

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

ocpunk1 on 5/30/2008 6:31:00 PM more reviews by ocpunk1

Age: 44-55   Skin: Dry, Fair   Hair: Red   Eyes: Brown    

I got a vintage bottle from a fellow MUA-er who has been my fragrance mentor since I joined up. I loved it immediately, especially the tobacco notes, which jumped out at me. I usually cannot wear white florals, especially jasmine, but somehow this works on me. I DO have to agree with one reviewer here who wrote that the sweet top notes reminded her of bananas. I am not a big Bandit fan, although I see the resemblence, with Bandit being the darker fragrance. I feel very sophisticated wearing this and also agree with the many reviewers who wrote that it seems like something a Hitchcock movie heroine would wear, especailly Kim Novak, in my mind. Thanks again, LISA!!!!

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JaleR on 5/22/2008 12:57:00 PM more reviews by JaleR

Age: 36-43   Skin: Oily, Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

Jolie Madame, what a sophisticated, seducing smell. I see it in he tradition of Bourjois' Soir de Paris - a parfum made for the "grand soir" - brilliant.

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*TOP REVIEWER* susand on 5/14/2008 5:35:00 PM more reviews by susand

Age: 44-55   Skin: Combination, Fair   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Green    

I found this today at TJMaxx on clearance! $5.00 for a 3.4 oz. bottle!
I am always on the lookout for vintage-y or different perfumes, so I snatched it up!
First whiff was familiar.....hmmm....something I like.... Oh yeah!...BANDIT!
So, this is Bandit light....but wait.....Violets! Leather! No, No,...
This is something really nice.
This is an old-timey perfume like women in the 50's and 60's wore. Refined women going out to the club for dinner in their Dior dresses.
A bit manly, even.
I am not a frilly-girl, so I find this extremely wearable.
Think Patricia Neal in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Lauren Bacall.
A nice addition to my collection.

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CTCOAST on 5/1/2008 11:02:00 AM more reviews by CTCOAST

Age: 44-55   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I found Jolie Madame in a little shop in Bermuda when I was 14. It smelled wonderful on me and my dad bought me a tiny bottle of the perfume. Every time I wore it I received numerous complements from males and females. Each Christmas after that it was on the top of my list. When in college quite a few of my friends tried it and it did not smell the same on any of them. This seems to be a chronic complaint in perfume reviews. This is a high quality perfume which does what it is supposed to do, smell different on each and every woman. It becomes each woman's unique fragrance. One close friend tried to wear it repeatedly, but always complained that it never smelled the way it did on me. Fine perfumes interact with body chemistry. As each woman goes through different eras in her life, her body chemistry changes so as a teen if something smelled terrible on you, it may smell wonderful on you in your 30's. No, not everyone can wear every perfume, no matter what the companies say. I've been wearing Jolie Madame for over 40 years, and my friends and family can identify if I am around by the scent just before I enter a room. My uncle, a very classy and popular man, once told me that a woman should find a fragrance she loves in her teens and stick to it. Every man she meets in her life will remember her many years after the fact if he smells that scent again. It works ladies.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.     Was this review helpful to you? Yes   No

*TOP REVIEWER* proximitythe53rd on 4/27/2008 8:21:00 PM more reviews by proximitythe53rd

Age: 25-29   Skin: Acne-prone, Fair, Neutral   Hair: Brunette, Wavy, Fine   Eyes: Green    

I may come back and edit this review once I've tried this perfume a few more times.



This is a slightly sharp chypre. My favorite notes that I could pick out of it were just a touch of leather (mostly hidden under other things) and a bit of a green/grassy kind of smell. When I initially applied the perfume, I was pretty non-impressed because all I really smelled was "slightly sharp chypre" and beyond that it was unremarkable, "perfumy" and possibly a bit harsh on the nose. It didn't have any characteristics at that point to distinguish it from lots and lots of similar things that I've smelled before.



After it had some time to dry down a bit, however, I was able to pick out that grass note, as well as the leather note, and I enjoyed it more. Though I still didn't appreciate it much if I actually sniffed my wrist, I did enjoy the occasional whiffs that I got as I wore the perfume.
I think in the dry-down the leather got slightly stronger, and the sharpness all eventually faded out.



Overall, I think that Jolie Madam is a good fragrance, I enjoyed wearing it, and I plan to continue to sample it, and certainly finish my decant. If I fall in love with it and decide it's full-bottle-worthy, I'll update my review.



Update: Though I still haven't really fallen in love with Jolie Madam, I have discovered the violet note, which was mysteriously absent in my first tries of this fragrance. This, and my new determination to discover and understand chypres has made me enjoy Jolie Madam more than I used to. I'd like to give it a 3.5, but since that's just not possible, and since I don't love it as much as fragrances that I rate a 4, it will remain a 3 in my book, at least.

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*TOP REVIEWER* tessture on 4/16/2008 7:51:00 PM more reviews by tessture

Age: 36-43   Skin: Combination, Fair-Medium   Hair: Brunette   Eyes: Brown    

I'd been wanting to try this and was ecstatic to get this as an extra from a very generous lady. It's lovely on first application, but dries down to old-style powdery that I just can't like. It doesn’t wear remotely well on me and I ended up having to scrub it.

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jemimagold on 4/8/2008 11:14:00 AM more reviews by jemimagold

Age: 36-43   Skin: Other   Hair: Other   Eyes: Other    

I found Jolie Madame's strong oakmoss-chypre-leather top note off putting and thought here we go again, another Bandit or Chypre de Coty tiger. After an hour it calmed down and I could detect the famous "violet notes" but Jolie Madame is not something that I personally would ever want to wear.

Jolie Madame was created in 1953. While sniffing it, I got to thinking that no wonder the 1960’s and 1970’s came along and there was such a dramatic sea change in fashion, style and tastes from that of the 1950’s. Give me a snappy Eau de Courreges or Calandre any day. Rive Gauche would also fit the bill for something sophisticated yet wearable. Jolie Madame just seems old-fashioned, fussy and annoyingly “proper”. I just have to wonder, did women back in 1953 really want to smell like this?

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