Flux

I recently ordered a decant of Andrea Maack’s Flux after being intrigued by its note breakdown. Last year, I fell in love with Coven for its atmospheric depth, but I found it too avant-garde to wear more than a few days a year. Flux surprised me in the best way. It opens with an unexpectedly bright burst of blueberry—juicy and slightly tart—before unfurling into something far darker and more mysterious. It captures that same hauntingly atmospheric quality I loved in Coven but feels more wearable day-to-day. Imagine a coastal witch living in the misty forests of the Pacific Northwest: cool breeze, moss-covered trees, and a whisper of salt and smoke in the air. The two scents are completely different, yet they share a similar ability to transport you somewhere else entirely. I’m absolutely captivated and know I need a full bottle—but I’ll have to wait until summer ends. There’s no way I could pull this off in 100° heat. For now, I’ll be savoring every last drop of my decant and counting down the days until fall.

Absolutely stunning scent. It smells like a forest after the first frost. The blueberry and the woods just work together to provide a very natural, woody, aromatic scent with a fresh, cooling quality that is relaxing and perfect for the late summer, early fall. Celine Barel has created a masterpiece with this scent. HOWEVER. On my skin, it all but disappears after a few hours and has almost no projection beyond an intimate skin scent. I don't want it to be a beast mode room filler, but I would like the people around me to smell it on me without having to bury their noses in my skin to catch a hint of it. For the price, and for an Extrait De Parfum, I expect at least a little longevity to it. Others from Maack have great longevity, so I know it can be done. Maybe the sample atomizer is letting me down, but at $245 for the 50 mL presentation, it's a costly gamble to see if the bottle atomizer provides a different experience. This is an S-Tier fragrance hobbled by its poor performance and longevity.

Flux is such a gorgeous, unique, and high quality fragrance. I love the fruitiness of the blueberry at the top- it almost has a juicy, sunny, coconut water quality about it. It adds sunlight to the fragrance; not sunny warm but an icy cold, crystalline, almost prismatic bright light. In combination with herbs such as mint the blueberry takes on a juniper, Sapphire gin out-of-the-freezer quality. As the fragrance develops it's mostly a fresh, blue woody fragrance type. The first true woody blue fragrance I've ever experienced. Artful. One of kind. Long lasting. Two sprays will go all day. Which makes it worth the price tag. Layers very well with my spa-like, lavender verbena Oak Essentials body butter and/or oil. Honestly, Flux is more masculine leaning, but with a candy-sweet trail typically associated with feminine smells; however a confident woman will certainly stand out and rocking this. One of my top 10 favorite fragrance experiences in the last 5 years. 💙🧊🌲🌬️🫐🍸🩵

When I first sprayed this I could really only pick up on the woody notes with a strong menthol effect. It smelled like standing in the middle of a forest surrounded by huge trees with a howling cold wind running through. Once it dries down the blueberry note really comes through and mixes beautifully with the woody notes. The blueberry note is actually quite sweet but it is the perfect amount of sweetness. The sweet blueberry note mixed with the menthol effect does create a slight blueberry mint gum smell but I really enjoy how that mingles with the woody notes. Overall this is a really interesting and unique fragrance. 8/10

This one is really nice and one I’ll be likely purchasing in the coming weeks. The opening is very fresh and zingy. While in theory this should be very wood-dominant, for whatever the wood never really came out on my skin. It stayed somewhat fresh with the hint of eucalyptus emerging after a few minutes. I also didn’t get a heavy blueberry, but almost just a fresh citrusy opening. I walked out of the perfume store with a different perfume that day but I’m definitely heading back to purchase this one in the next few weeks.

Coworkers loved this one today. ^_^ Distinct blueberry without being overly sweet, blends in very well with the woody accord. I get why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but for me, it suits the atmosphere of the store I work in perfectly, so much so that I’m currently wearing it despite it not being the most suited to summer. Similar vibe to Maack’s Coven, but the blueberry, cashmere, and cardamom make it distinctly sweeter and spicier. Possible 5ml contender?

A real stunner. Rich, saturated fruitiness with considerable supporting texture from vivid forest-inspired notes. A fantasy fairy forest of towering redwoods, replete with enormous, luscious blueberries. Instant want; doesn't lose its magic after multiple skin tests.

obsessed. sugary and slutty at first, so delicious. sweetness is natural on the skin, smelled like i was sweating sugar water. dry down nice and woody.

Beautiful blueberry and forrest scent. Wore it today out for the first time - got many compliments.

Opens with fruity chewing gum with traces of pine forest

I live close to Muir Woods and if you have been there you will know both the distinctive smell of the redwood groves and the fact that there is a small coffee shop on premises. This coffee shop has much better baked goods than one might expect from a national park café and Andrea Maack Flux perfectly captures the vibes of enjoying one of their delicious blueberry muffins on a foggy morning surrounded by fragrant redwoods. I’ll leave more discerning noses to describe the scent more thoroughly, but as an evocative olfactory artifact it’s a win for me.

I want to like wearing this as much as I like smelling it, but try as I might? I just can’t picture the occasion. Too niche and far-projecting for work, too safe for play, too risky for leisure. It verges on masculine territory but that synthetic blueberry anchors it squarely in the unisex category. One day I may spring for a 5 ml decant but I won’t be buying a full bottle anytime soon. Blueberry coulis on a cold ceramic plate garnished with fir needles. Reminds me of that one guy on social media who makes ice cream out of trees.

Accurate notes of blueberry, juniper, fir, a brush of cold air. On the dry down, I was surprised to experience a phantom smokiness accompanying the woody aspects while the blueberry is softened and tamed. Gorgeously suitable in cool weather. I can't say I've ever smelled another fragrance like this one, but it dredges up a memory I haven't quite placed yet. It's a treat of an addition to Maack's line. If this scent were a character it paints an image of a highbrow designer-clad NYC goth; edgy, a tad playful, effortlessly cool.

I detected mint, a fruity quality, a forest with hints of evergreen, and a camphoraceous character. The cedarwood base reminds me of the supporting notes in "Pavilion," but it's much more understated. The decant is enough; this is not a must-have for me, or FB worthy. Perhaps it will become even more captivating with time. The comparison to a forest after the first frost is spot-on; it perfectly encapsulates my experience with this scent.

Rich, slightly syrupy blueberries and blackberries in the woods. Opens with a tingly, slightly camphorous quality that made me think of gin at first sniff. It lasts forever on clothes. Really fun and different, but maybe a tad sweet for my taste. Debating on this one--maybe a travel size or decant will do?

I don't know why agarwood isn't in the notes list. This dries down to a spicy, smoky Ooooud. It paints a beautiful blueberry out of oud and for the first three hours it's amazing. But I'm not an oud lover or liker, so the drydown isn't for me.

So special. The opening is almost candy like and then it turns into a very watery atmospheric scent I love it

Smells like a beautiful hike in the Pacific Northwest.

Starts out smelling like fruit stripe gum or a jolly rancher, dries down to some generic fruity-woody almost designer-ish thing. It’s...fine.

Blueberry, sugar, smoke, and coniferous woods is what I'm getting. I liked the idea of the fragrance but the conception falls short. A horribly synthetic blueberry (think vape cloud) drowns out the rest of the notes which I otherwise find pretty pleasant. It somewhat reminds me of Cape Heartache by Imaginary Authors with its wood base and a top fruit note.

to me this smells like a heavily cologned man chewing excel blueberry gum. i was hoping it’d give eating blueberries on a snowy forest walk. but it’s mostly giving the feeling you get when you take a sip of cold water after chewing gum: frostbitten and weird

kinda smells like fruity gum and car air freshener mixed into two. i dont like it. little sour to it too idk 4/10

Smells like a blueberry mint car freshener or a vape juice. Super synthetic. Not horrible just not for me.

smells like fruit gum, not what i was expecting at all

Flux was an instant buy for me. The first time I sprayed it on a tester strip, it stopped me in my tracks. The combination of a sharp blueberry punch against a redwood backdrop felt deeply nostalgic and memorable. As a Bay Area native, the description of a moonlit walk through Big Sur resonates perfectly. Between my time in California public schools and my hobby as a mushroom forager, I have spent a lifetime surrounded by sequoias, redwoods, and eucalyptus. Flux captures that beautiful damp overcast morning you wake up to in 6th grade science camp. The top notes are frosted blueberries—fruity, cold, and beautiful. While I cannot always isolate the cardamom on my own, I can definitely sense its spicy cooling effect once I see it listed. The heart and base notes blend together a bit. The eucalyptus is a brilliant touch that makes the fragrance feel personal. Even though it is an invasive species in California, it is a scent you encounter everywhere here. It’s cool and crisp yet very distinct. The sequoia note is particularly impressive because it feels smoky and distinct from the more common woods found in perfumery. This fragrance has significant sillage. While I tend to go nose-blind to it after a while, I still receive compliments long after I have stopped detecting it myself. Even on a paper tester, the magical smell of the sequoias remains prominent for days. It truly feels like this fragrance was composed specifically for me. While it wasn’t, I love it and I am excited to explore more from Andrea Maack. This had such a vision from her own life in Iceland yet it resonated so hard with me over here in California.

Flux is a deeper scent than I anticipated when I first glanced at the notes list. The woods are prominent and slightly smoky. The initial is a crisp and camphorous aroma paired with a sort of sweet berry note. It definitely has a medicinal quality to it which pulls the wrong way on me, personally. However, I think everything works together in the most unusual of ways, which is testament to the creativity of Andrea Maack's brand. In her impressive and pretty vast selection of fragrances, I truly believe there is something for every niche perfume lover. I've found myself challenged by her offerings, though this is not to say Flux is as daring as something like Craft of Coven. There is definitely an approachable nature to this scent, but it remains deeply specific and never boring.

Meant to invoke a moonlight walk among the great trees in the seaside spiritual haven of Big Sur... Off the top, the blueberry in Flux is tart and sweet, but once it dries down the emphasis remains on the freshness of the berry and the sweetness softens. In the middle, the fir is cool and crisp, and the base is woody and dry with sequoia as the star. Like freshly chopped redwood recently tossed into a blueberry bush. It’s fresh, comforting and unique.

Top notes read chewy rasberry candy. Reads quite cold, no warmth. Evolves into some kind of berry jam. Looking at the notes I’m surprised because I smell no aromatics. I think the aromatics mix with the blueberry to read as a different, more tarte red berry to my nose. Not my jam (pun intended), but if you love fruity fragrances that aren’t too sweet, this could be for you.

Flux is an enchanting fragrance that has me picturing that first breath you take of cold fresh air after a winter’s frost. Cool mint, eucalyptus, and blueberry open the scent, while fir, cypress, and sequoia add depth and warmth, evoking frozen boughs in the fresh air. It’s a refreshing and serene experience, perfect for those who love the tranquility of winter.

Andrea Maack rarely misses for me. This is another one of her fragrances that has made the wishlist, but Flux is definitely my all time favorite. It’s blueberries that fade into a gloomy forest atmosphere with the softness of cashmeran. How am I supposed to be a minimalist when she keeps dropping bangers like this?

it’s like picking blueberries in a dark forest. it’s really beautiful but very intense, the blueberry is a little synthetic/syrupy instead of juicy and fresh so it’s a little much on the nose at times. i think it would be better as a candle, but the scent is pleasant nevertheless.

smells like fruit loops to me???