Blue Madeleine

Expect the unexpected. Between the name and the ad images, I think they had us all fooled into believing this would be an easy to love, crowd-pleasing, full-on gourmand. And in what in my opinion is their prettiest bottle yet, it promised to become their top best seller. What we forgot is that this is Atelier des Ors. People want vanilla ? Sure, they'll give us vanilla ! But with one hell of a twist, a la Lune feline. And the same goes for most of their creations. They all have a magical touch and distinctive twist that makes them truly special. It starts off as a very smoky, spicy scent. And to my nose, it does lean a bit masculine for the first 30-60 minutes. After that, it mellows out and goes into completely neutral and unisex territory. Then, the tea shows itself fully, a beautiful smoky oolong tea. A little milk softens it a bit further and a slight sweetness comes into play. Never too sweet, just the perfect touch. Do I smell a Madeleine? Yes ! Well, kinda. The thing is, this Madeleine is not on your plate or your hand, and it is nowhere near your mouth. You're at a beautiful terrace cafe, sipping your divine tea with a splash of milk and the perfect touch of sweetness. And someone passed you by enjoying that delicious Madeleine. Oh, you can smell it, but you can't have it ! The perfect name for this would have been Tea-sing Madeleine. Anyway, although I didn't get the Madeleine I thought I would get, I did get a beautiful tea fragrance. In a World where many tea fragrances, both expensive and inexpensive, smell about the same, Atelier des Ors managed to give it their magical twist and turn it into something not just beautiful and captivating, but incredibly unique. Bravo, Atelier des Ors ! Bravo ! 👏 I get about 6 hours with moderate performance before it becomes a skin scent. Not a beast, but certainly a beauty. Cozy, comforting, calming, stunning. And a must-try for anyone who loves tea fragrances. 👌

Atelier des Ors have some amazing smelling perfumes that’s a fact that nobody can deny it! But some of them are simply overpriced for the performance. Case in point with Blue Madeleine. Gorgeous black chai tea scent with an aromatic, spicy, smoky undertones. Instant love but lacks strength and costs almost 250 euros! That besides the controversy regarding the slightly misleading name that makes most of think of something cakey, gourmand. This ain’t that, let’s be honest! But as a tea perfume Blue Madeleine is beautiful! I would consider adding it to my collection because I am starting to appreciate more and more a tea perfume but not for this price. I’m not saying that it’s a cheap smelling fragrance, on the contrary, I think it smells refined and elegant, but somewhere around 150 euros is where I feel it should be priced taking in consideration the way it performs. To get noticed wearing Blue Madeleine, you need to shower in it so you’ll go through a bottle of Blue Madeleine in no time. In less than 10 minutes it’s a skin scent, which is not acceptable for that price. Scent wise and bottle/presentation it gets a thumbs up, performance/price point one thumbs down. I expect more for that amount of money! The only ones that worth Atelier des Ors prices for me are some from the Black collection and White collection, meaning the original ones, released a few years ago. I am sampling next one from the Riviera collection, so I’ll see if that line performs any better... Update: one hour later I can’t smell this at all on skin, it disappeared completely. Will update the performance when wear it on clothing, it might be better..

Blue Madeleine is not the warmth of a golden, sugar-dusted madeleine fresh from the oven—contrary to the expectations of many—it is the echo of one, the scent that clings to the wooden table long after the last crumb has been swept away. The last breath of a patisserie at closing time, when the ovens have cooled and the air is thick with the ghosts of butter and flour, cinnamon and milk, all dissolving into nothingness. A scent not of presence, but of what was left behind. The madeleine is here, but stripped bare—an impression of soft, pillowy crumb without the richness, a whisper of aromatic cinnamon without the fiery bite. The vanilla is pale and wan, barely exhaled, and the sweetness is almost illusory, as if caster sugar had been sprinkled into the air only to vanish before it could land. There is no caramelization, no molten, oozing core—only a wisp of something stretching thin over the composition like a memory of something richer, fuller. No body ever takes shape. Instead, a vaguely nutty note drifts in like ground flour, powdery and muted, blending into a whisper of woods, almost sandalwood-like in its creamy softness but without its usual weight. The composition is like air spun with scent rather than something tangible, and that gourmand promise—it is there, but distant—less a confection and more a trace of something that once was, floating somewhere between nostalgia and absence. One stripped of indulgence, like a pastry turned to air. A scent hovering just at the edge of perception.

Blue Madeleine is unlike anything I have so far, which makes me really happy! As a notorious blind buyer I was really intrigued by the notes and couldn’t wait to try it. At first sniff, what hits me most is the pepper note. That spiciness moves in the background as the scent develops, revealing a woodiness that is a litlle smoky from the black tea. The milk note also comes through rendering the fragrance creamy with a subtle floral sweetness from the rose and praline. I really enjoy the fragrance the more I smell it. It is a very cosy, comforting fragrance that sits fairly close to my skin. It is cocooning and nostalgic and I think the name and story are well-portrayed in the scent. As to longevity, I don’t know yet, as I’ve only just received it. It’s a very non-generic scent that I think is best worn during colder days. Edit: I have been waiting for the appropriate weather, and as the temperatures are getting colder and the leaves are turning, I have put this on. Longevity is pretty good, I still smelled wafts of it after many hours of weating it. I like the smoky tea and creamy sweetness, there’s just something I can’t put my finger on, that smells a little dusty. Still a great autumn scent, with moderate sillage and good longevity. Not for everyone, quite different to most scents, not blind-buy safe, but a beautiful and, imto my nose, unique composition.

Since the launch I have tried to remind myself that a beautiful bottle does not a beautiful perfume make (and it IS beautiful), but when I found out this is the same perfumer as DVN Soie Malaquais and MM Beach Walk I knew my days were numbered. Having succumbed to my impulses, I can say that this perfume is for a specific kind of person but thankfully that person is me. In a nutshell: this perfume is evocative of sticking your nose into big tins of loose leaf black tea at a specialty tea shop. The smokiness is less fireplace or jazz club and more the bold roasted toasted earthy spicy quality of that experience. Those facets are blended beautifully with a lightly sweet rose milk and praline that give the fragrance a feminine softness. To me, the contrast is beautiful. I think you might have to be more into actual tea than tea fragrances to truly “get” this one, but I love buying loose leaf tea so this was a big hit for me. It is beautifully unique and I think it will be an easy reach in the fall and winter. Until then I’m happy just to stare at the bottle.