Balmain de Balmain

Have you ever gone poking around in your wardrobe looking for something "different" and found something wonderful that you'd forgotten you had? This what happened to me this morning. Cold weather reignited my love of spices, leathers and gourmand sweets and I've been indulging myself lavishly over the last few weeks. But this morning's sudden drop in temps to below zero coupled with bright, blinding sunshine on a few inches accumulation of fine, dry snow and suddenly I found my nose positively itching for something clear, fresh, biting and green but not sour. What to do? Enter Balmain de Balmain. I've had a bottle & a back-up seemingly forever and was gifted another bottle recently but had ignored it in favor of my thicker/richer cold weather favorites. Mistake! BdB is simply perfect today - a hint of springtime's sparkling clarity on a very cold day. Balmain de Balmain is a friendly chypre with a comfortable warmth that's absent in most other chypres I own & have sniffed. I'll compare this fragrance to a party, one hosted by the very down-to-earth and amiable Mr. Patchouli, who really knows the art of inviting guests who complement one another. There's just enough powdery sweetness from lovely Miss Rose and charming Miss Violet to temper the bite of Mr. Galbanum, Mr. Oakmoss and Mr. Vetiver, who can be rather cold and formal gentlemen when not in mixed company. Miss Jasmine and Miss Iris are wallflowers - we're glad they were invited but they're not really adding much to the conversation. But this is one grand and lively party! The main players move about and keep the conversation stimulating and going for hours and hours. I don't remember noticing Balmain de Balmain's warmth or sweetness when I've worn it in warm & hot weather - those temps seemed to bring out more of a green chill and I found it refreshing. But I'm telling you, cold temps bring out an almost cozy sensation that's hitting all the right buttons today. Here's to rediscovering the neglected beauties in our wardrobes!

Light black pepper bondage and a bracing bite of galbanum open up Balmain de Balmain as if Grace Jones all dressed in angular purple came just a short of grabbing you by the dumplings with steely eyes and a flash of a grin. This, ladies and gentlemen and everyone else on the spectrum, the culmination of the green chypre as it meets its match: the duo of violet and cassis. Just a tad bitter, somewhat sour, grassy, wildflowers, stems, leaves and all, this has a vibrance and lilt that hovers over its edges and hedges. Violets are underlined by iris in the heart, and the floral quality isn't heady but rather glimmering. Glow little glow worm, glimmer glimmer, along those leaves and tendrils while your shield bug companions much on berries. Balmain de Balmain is vivacious but not necessarily feminine in its heart: it could be sensible pumps or handsome loafers with a striking color. It is simultaneously old-fashioned and modern, treading between reverie and being very much right in the moment. As it continues to dry down, it is reminiscent of the fabled Givenchy Insensé, albeit more violet-hued and with a backdrop of a dry glade surrounded by sun-warmed trees. The body of Balmain de Balmain speaks my language, but it speaks in a cadence that has me lost within its words. It's impeccable. Manly men, you would love it, don't be afraid of taking a dip in the fragrance lady pond.

پس از اینکه 2 شیشه از این عطر را مصرف کردم تازه متوجه شدم این عطر یک عطر زنانه است. البته برای نخستین بار آقای فروشنده آنرا بعنوان یک عطر مردانه بمن معرفی کرد و بوی آن آنچنان مرا تحت تاثیر قرار دادکه بلافاصله آنرا خریدم. بر روی شیشه هیچگونه علامتی مبنی بر زنانه بودن این عطر وجود ندارد. یکروز به یک فروشگاه معتبر عطر رفتم و این عطر را سفارش دادم و در کمال تعجب فروشنده بمن گفت که این عطر زنانه می باشد. بنظر من کاملا میتوان از آن بعنوان یک عطر یونیسکس نام برد. یادم می آید پسرم را زمانیکه 5 ساله بود برای معالجه دندانهایش نزد یک خانم دندانپزشک میبردم. پس از دو سه باری که به مطب رفتیم آن خانم بمن گفت ببخشید میتوانم بپرسم از چه عطری استفاده میکنید؟ هر موقع که به مطب من می آئید بوی خوب آن مرا سرمست میکند البته خیلی برایم دشوار بود که این سوال را بپرسم ولی بالاخره امروز آنرا مطرح کردم. یک عطر معرکه که از 10 به آن نمره 10 میدهم

This is one of my very favorite perfumes and is one of my two "Get on with it!" scents. When the errand list is long or I just don't want to go to work, I can always rely on it. Somewhere I read that it "opens with a crack of the whip of black pepper".Yes indeed and I always rely on galbanum to work its energizing magic. My other necessary scent in the magical duo of invigorating frags is vintage Aliage. I have lots of favorites in various categories, but today I needed a big push and so I knew it was one of these two. And as a woman I really like mixing it up with unisex to masculine scents one day and then feminine ones the next. Keeps the co-workers confused - my own personalized benefits package.

I loved this perfume from start to end. Instant adoration for me, but I simply can't get enough of Balmain perfumes. Thanks once again to the gorgeous Diamonds! This opens with a dry, crisp lemon blast which comes from the bergamot and the bitterness of the galbarnum . It then settles into a heavenly heart of flowers, which then dries down to a sweet woodsy mossy patchouli. This perfume runs along the same lines as Diorella and Cristalle Chanel and even has a shade or two of Chanel 19. Balmain de Balmain is a sharp, cool, green, bone dry fragrance, which is utterly ravishing, stunningly classy, beautifully crafted, has great longevity and good silage. A classic masterpiece!

It starts with handful of greens, leaves and stems of nettle, dandelion, and various others you can find on a field, with noticeable sourness of black currant leaves. Very fresh, very green, natural and pleasant. Then vetiver and oakmoss get noticeable, maybe soft iris as well. What I love is that Balmain de Balmain still keeps that green grassy sharp notes within all development - it doesn't get soapy, or flowery, or sweet. Unlike Vent vert, for example, which goes into that flower soap direction... It's a modern, young and very wearable for green chypres lovers, great for spring and summer. And definitely not even close to Sisley Eau du Soir, absolutely different vibe.

Balmain de Balmain is not so much a forgotten masterpiece as a triumph never known to the crowd at all. In Parfum form, this brave latter day chypre, immediately errects an expansive architecture of oakmoss, vetiver, blackcurrant leaf and black pepper. Between these great steal vaults of scent creep slow swathes of green glass galbanum: filtering the sun's light and lending a slight bitter hue to fleshy iris, feint rose and just visible jasmine. It is a structure built to last. The overall effect at once luxurious and imperiously restrained. A youthful, mournful, beautiful dowager lamenting her dead and gone beloved. The King is dead. Long live the lost Queen.

This is very positive, elegant and beautiful. I first bought a 5 ml mini bottle and thought first that it was absolutely too green and sharp for me. Usually I`m not into chypres and at first I hated this too. After several times of using it I got hooked. This is like a crisp autumn or spring day. The sun is shining and birds are singing. yes, it`s green, but I can feel the powdery iris note there on the background too. Extremely feminine and rare. Truly a signature, because you won`t find anyone else using this.I often end up using this on special occasions. Lasting power is marvellous, you just need a tiny spritz and it last all day.

I love this stuff, it's the best new Balmain among their chypres, since they have ruined Miss Balmain and dumbed down Jolie Madame with reformulation; it is also a wonderful green scent to replace what they have done to Vent Vert. The question is why not just keep Vent Vert, once one of the world's great Green Florals, instead of changing it so drastically and then coming out with something really nice like Balmain de Balmain? I would love to be a fly on the wall at the PB Marketing and Product Development department meetings.

I cant imagine how this one could pass for a unisex fragrance, it is thoroughly feminine. I get strong bergamot and rose, dont know about currant buds, havent smelled those. Overall, a very high quality fragrance. 9/10 Update: Now, after having this on my arm for about six hours, I can say that this smells as good as any Chanel, it is really incredible. The price is ridiculous, so I agree with sherapop that there is a major discrepancy in the cost/performance relation in the case of BdB. This smells way more than it costs.

Very beautiful dry chypre. Not linear at the least,a complicated, and perfectly orchestrated symphony of notes. I get a visual in my mind of the mediterranean countryside during a dry spell in summer, down to what's left of the dry meadow flowers. On me there is a very soft projection. I am very sad that this gentle beauty is detectable for but a half hour on my skin. I would love to find something just like this that lasts!!

You are so right Kterhark! Price does not indicate quality or complexity of perfumes! I do see an indication of price and higher concentration of natural oils, but it is no guarantee for a complex creation. The nose behind the fragrance most of the time does give a good indication of the quality however. For example, The Elizabeth Taylor line is all or mostly all Grosjman and that you can smell totally! Good luck! Action

This one is a true stunner. Much has been made of the "masculine" touch to this one but I assure you it is woman all the way. I tried it on my husband and it turned floral on him. On me, it feels very womanly in a no nonsense way. The pepper is delicious and the other elements blend in such a wonderful way. From what I understand Balmain for women has been discontinued. Happy Perfuming! ♥

Balmain perfumes btw are masterpieces, starting from Vent Vert to Ambre Gris. Ivoire, Jolie Madame and Miss Balmain are obligatory perfumes for expert collectors like ourselfs here. Ambre Gris is sheer heaven, it hurts too much to actually use that one. This perfume, Balmain de Balmain, is a masterpiece too. So, in terms of quality, Balmain is a cannot go wrong.

EDT - Don't really get 'chypre' from this: there's a certain density that's missing. This has a more citrus cologne vibe. Wears for me like a woody green almost fougere but with black pepper instead of lavender. The vetiver goes a bit dank as it fades. Bought several backups tho - it's an elegant alternative to floral, especially in summer.

I agree it's not unisex but deeply feminine. I love it, love it a lot. It's chypre but green, flowery but not sweet with a strong personality. I would compare it to YSL Rive Gauche not for the composition but for the character. It's perfect everyday and even more perfect in autumn. Lovely, elegant; a must indeed.

Gorgeous cool, green chypre that reminds me of Caron's Troisième Homme. Could easily be worn by a man, as it's not very floral. Smooth, not sharp, and very long lasting. Thank heavens, I don't get the blackcurrant note, as I hate this in fragrance. I only have a mini and would definitely consider a FB.

We bought this for my mother around 10 years ago after lot of deliberation. This one edged out Dolce Vita (YSL). It has a very fresh smell, unlike the usual floral perfumes, that stays in your memory long after it has got over and you switched to another fragrance. Its one of our favorites.

Absolutely love it and will now have to go and buy myself a bigger bottle. The perfect perfume for a late autumn Canberra day - cool, crisp, and sunny. A very elegant scent which has lasted well on my skin and attracted a lot of very favourable comments.

I'd like to say: it's elegant, green chypre. First time I bought it in 2001 and it became my favorit so far.