Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Perfumes

One of my favorite jasmines out there.
I find it has more depth, more warmth and more oomph than A La Nuit, which I like a lot.
Think of it as A La Nuit's more troublesome room mate:

MPG Jasmin is dirtier, more animalic and very, VERY suggestive.
I might consider wearing A La Nuit to meet his parents, but I would never dare wear MPG Jasmin to make a good first impression.

It's the perfect scent to choose if you want a little jasmine with your indoles, blush inducing memories and compromising position. Hehe. ;)

Or Des Indes by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier opens with a puff of aldehydes and powdery notes and immediately reminds me of Ombre Rose L'Original by Jean Charles Brosseau. Like OR, ODI has a vintage makeup bag vibe and eventually evolves into powdery resins and soft honeyed woods. Touches of lavender, iris, and rose serve to round out this composition. I definitely categorize ODI as a fragrance that smells like vintage makeup and powdered resins; for example, Drole de Rose, L'Heure Bleue, and Chantilly can be considered as sister fragrances. Did I mention that ODI is powdery? :)

Eau des Iles by Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier really makes me smile. It opens up with a huge eye-watering dose of smoke and coffee while a timid, yet pretty yellow floral note is trapped inside. Actually, I just read Alfarom’s review and that is basically how I perceive Eau des Iles. Also, there is something reminiscent of the late 80s hippy revival in the fragrance, yet it feels completely plausible that Eau des Iles could have been released in 2013. This is a must try for all fragrance collectors, especially incense fans. I’m very impressed, although I’m not sure how much I would reach for Eau des Iles if I owned a full bottle.

I also am surprised by the low rating. My husband bought me this for Valentines Day saying that it could be my fresh day time fragrance. I think it's modern but not boring, long lasting but not overwhelming and different to other "pretty" fragrances out there. It's very well done.

Secrete Datura is a fragrance that I love dearly. To me, it is best when it is subdued so I use it modestly and prefer dabbing it. When dabbed, it is not an obvious compliment getter like some yummy vanillas, and neither is it blatanly sultry like its bigger and headier sisters based on white flowers. Yet, it creates a precious feeling of calm in me, slows down the hustle and bustle of the city and helps me sustain an inner balance throughout the day. I feel so good and serene wearing it.

I had no idea what a datura was when I sampled it for the first time and I hadn’t checked the internet. However, after a couple of deep breaths during top notes, I was hit by a pleasant surprise. I knew this smell. My mother used to have this plant in her garden years ago. The way I saw it then, it wasn’t in the precious flowers category like her variety of roses. Maybe, thinking about it now, datura was of lower importance than her pots of unabashed geraniums that grew everywhere. She had loads of these huge plants with trumpet-like flowers in one corner of the garden where she was trying to cover a wall she did not like. They grew easily, didn’t need much attention and neither did we talk about them much whereas the scent of her jasmines, say, was a topic of chat during our dinners in the summer.

So, to my nose, MPG’s Secrete Datura is a rather realistic representation of these low-maintenance flowers that were somehow subjected to discrimination in my family. Still, each time I smell Secrete Datura, I cannot stop thinking what an unexpected beauty it is. When I use it modestly I can notice its nuances and contradictions better. It’s slightly sour, lemony and green with both bitter and sweet undertones. It’s balmy but somehow transparent at the same time. It is subdued but can turn heady and even cloying if you overdose it . Sometimes, I notice a slight gassiness that I associate with jasmine. The drydown is sweet on my skin.

Altogether, for me, this is a whimsical perfume that speaks of both fragility and inner strength. I associate it with creative activities and it always reminds me of things I’d like to do more… like reading more, sparing more time for cozy chats with my friends, writing more to my friends who live abroad.

Compared to this, Sege Lutens's Datura is a gourmand on my skin with lots of cream, vanilla and coconut. Delicious, but hardly datura to me. BPAL's single note datura is also realistic and pleasant. I don't think I've smellt any other daturas. I think that one fragrance that is close to Secrete Datura in mood - but not in the way it smells- is L'artisan's Mimosa pour moi.

Medium-low sillage in my skin and the lasting power is not particularly impressive on me.