Mantes La Jolie

I love herbs in fragrance, and Mantes La Jolie immediately grew on me, evoking an array of aromatic foliage under the summer sun. Here, perfumer Sylvie Fischer does not shy away from the bite and vigor of these plants, with the tartness of lemon and sparkle of bergamot tempering their sharp tang as it opens. Those who follow me on my various platforms have learned that I love exploring gardens, whether they be botanic or community, and I am endlessly dazzled by the energy of plants. Mantes La Jolie is reminiscent of these visits, particularly in a location where the herb, vegetable, and berry gardens intersect, and this constellation creates the most exhilarating aroma in the hot air. I get the sensation of fresh mint and basil leaves, blackcurrant and blackberry, even impressions of tomato leaf, chervil, and calendula. Further in, a floral feel develops, and I am reminded of the smell of water lilies that I would smell when canoeing, mingling with fig leaves and distant spicebush. I get a similar weeds and wildflowers sensation that I find in my beloved Mal-Aimé, as its soft, watery verdant nature slowly transforms to a sweet woodiness. I detect occasional echoes of the lushness that precedes this woody phase. Its tenacity on my skin also belies its seemingly delicate nature. If you enjoy getting lost in gardens as much as I do, I would say this is a must smell for you.

I couldn't wait to try this one after hearing Steve from Luckyscent's review as I value his opinion and love a great freshie - and this one having a maté note made me extra excited! When I finally had the chance to test this - it was absolute, immediate love - zero disappointment - just: "Yay! I love it as much as I'd hoped to!!" But there was something SO familiar about it - a strong reminder of something I'd worn many years ago, and trying to figure it out was driving me mad! Thankfully, it finally occurred to me after hours of obsessive sniffing: a now discontinued cologne from Korres: Mint Tea, I believe? Or lemon basil?? I have tried and tried to search for what it was but can't quite find the image of the bottle I'd had, but I know it was one of these, both of which share notes with Mantes La Jolie. Mantes La Jolie is SO fresh, green, minty and beautiful. I'll reach for this constantly once the weather heats up - this is as refreshing as a big glass of iced yerba mate with basil on a hot summer day! I may try layering this with Debaser one of these days as they share fig notes- I think that will be a star pairing!

Mantes-la-Jolie is almost shockingly minty at first: it's an ultra-refreshing wintergreen blast of eucalyptus-mint-basil-bergamot that you might expect to come across as artificial or toothpaste-y, but it's amazingly natural. That lovely, invigorating opening quickly develops through the other notes in a tidy sequence, growing sweeter with green currant leaf and warm fig before the cedar wood creeps in and it starts to mellow into mild notes of mate, honeyed jasmine, and faint ginger that somehow combine to create the effect of a complex but subtle woody vanilla. Normally, both mint and vanilla would be a "no" from me but the presentation of every facet of this scent is so original and interesting, it's got me hooked. The initial notes do fade fast, but the delicious drydown sticks around at a low level for a solid 6+ hours, periodically surprising me with how good I smell. I love this one, a truly unique aromatic take on a green fig. Pricey, but I appreciate that Astier de Villatte gives you varied size options at different price points: 100, 30, and 10 ml. I'd like to try more from this house.

What sorcery is this? This is the first fragrance I want to gatekeep. I need to smell like this for the rest of my life and noone else can have it. It's an aromatic aria, elevating, with a fresh, green, clean, grounded, so sexy (sensual, actually) vibe, and I can't for the life of me pinpoint what flower is the opera singer in this. Yes, I can smell all the notes here but it's something from my childhood home's garden. Argh, it's driving me insane. Mint is, of course, there but it's a loving hug not a distant handshake. It's the fig, green notes and jasmine in the heart, along with the mysterious flower mentioned above) that make this soar. It lifts your mood in a second. The ultimate compliment getter, right smack in the middle of unisex. Poor longevity, two hours. I don't care because it's a masterpiece.

When I am empress, I shall invite courtiers to walk ahead of me misting the air with this juicy green brilliance. I could dive into the opening, stay there for days. Swimming in lush bright greenery - mint, basil, bergamot, eucalyptus. A clear pool in a bright green mythic forest. Just the best ever. Though (cue tears) this lasts only about 30 minutes. After this it becomes a simple, generic but gentlemanly cologne. After a few hours some of the citrus brightness returns (lovely suprise!), until it fades entirely a few hours after this. So beautiful. .... Edit... having worn this many many days, I rescind my judgement on the generic gentlemanly cologne. Hours later I still appreciate the freshness. It's quickly becoming a love and one of my most worn fragrances.