Jolie Madame

I hope to wear it in the wind of the late autumn sunset. What a delicate violet leather! Germaine cellier fragrances are hard to come by. This perfectly balanced piece is rare and I love it so much. Everything about Jolie Madame is so incredible. Its appearance is more than just beautiful. Jolie Madame has the most beautiful soul. Its coldness is indifference, and a look that "has nothing to do with me" is still moving. Emerald-green eyes, light-brown long hair that resembles golden hair, made into an exaggerated wavy shape. She loves to wear an iris pin. Black floor-length dress, black wide-brimmed hat. A hanging veil, clasped with purple gems. "Her black web-like veil is attached to an emerald spider, and when the sun shines, it flickers on and off, like a tear that is about to fall when it is bright, and like a blue mole on her face when it is dark." Unpredictable, sexy and restrained lady. Balmain's clothing and jewelry series, Jolie Madame, is a derivative of the perfume's best-selling products. From a clothing point of view, I have always liked Mr. Balmain's design style very much, and Jolie Madame was very attractive to me. Also, I would like to know about germaine cellier, Jolie Madame is relatively easy to buy. Sharp green bitters, metallic sheen, jagged violet leaves, and then... methyl ionone, remember several variants, I think Jolie Madame did a mix. At least the methyl ionone and violet-themed perfumes I have smelled are not the same. Powdered orris root and violet contrast dry, smooth, aged leather. Jolie Madame has a matte finish for a more prominent texture. Herbal spice elements - coriander, as a garnish, narcissus solitary, soft and feminine tuberose. Orange blossoms and roses, both here, on a base of isobutylquinoline and moss (Mousse de Saxe?) In the dark, these elements operate in an orderly manner, arranged in order. It changes quietly and is peaceful. Patchouli root is a blend of animal ingredients (civet), slightly salty and slightly medicinal. The filthy nature of musk doesn't take away from Jolie Madame's charm. Odors such as falling soot are short-lived. In modern perfumes, you may still find a scent similar to Jolie Madame (I don't currently have one), but in terms of complexity, it is impossible to surpass Jolie Madame, in other words, irreplaceable. It has a wonderful connection with Cabochard and N°19. Cabochard is dyed the color of N°19, what will happen? Its structure is chypre wood (leather), bergamot-floral-leather oakmoss. I'm pretty sure the most beautiful work germaine cellier has ever done, it's not shocking in itself. But it can make me think again and again and taste it carefully. I guess Jolie Madame will not be Germaine cellier most satisfying work, compared with other Balmain fragrances, it is relatively regular. Jolie Madame is my ideal fragrance, understated and elegant. Purple, green, brown... cool leather. It's probably just that, lacking the potency unique to Germaine cellier. People don't always think of Jolie as Cellier's best creation (they often answer Bandit, but not Miss Balmain), most likely because Jolie isn't bold enough to be wild and too gentle. They admire pioneers like Fracas and Bandit, and they are impressed, but Jolie is very skilled.

I've got the new formula, will get the original vintage when I find at a decent price. I do think this is a lovely fragrance that would be nice in a more humid climate to bring out some of the notes I can't quite catch. Will try next time I'm visiting Houston, hometown. Colorado is very dry and doesn't do justice for some perfumes. Jolie Madame reminds me a bit of a couple of other perfumes I have. At beginning, Chanel N°19 without the Iris, also Madame Rocha's. Maybe it's just the era but they all 3 seem a bit similar. Love them all. Not great at picking out all of the notes in any perfume. I can smell somsomething dominant in opening, thinking it's the bergamot. I can usually smell that one. The notes seem to be fleeting and down to base within 20-30 minutes tops. In the base I can definitely smell the leather, a pleasant leather not burnt rubber. Then there's something else, thinking it's the musk and a tiny bit of cedar, another one I can usually detect. The dry down is beautiful, lasts maybe 3 hours on me. Definitely a skin scent. This formula is clear so you can spray onto your clothing and will last longer. Also, spray your hair a few time that really helps hold the fragrance and provide better sillage. When you turn head or catch a breeze you'll get a pretty whiff of this. I do like this very much and look forward to Spring and a bit more humidity and see how this works then. Regardless, it's beautiful. Learned a little tip years ago, apply a tiny bit of petroleum jelly onto areas you'll be wearing perfume, i.e., wrists, behind ears, etc. this will help the scent last longer. One more "tip" if not already known, never rub wrists together after applying perfume, it will mess with the integrity of the composition, order of notes. Heard the term will "bruise" the scent as well. Lastly, this does NOT resemble Fracas in the least bit, just my opinion. I've worn Fracas for over 30 years as my signature so if you purchase expecting Fracas, try to get a sample first. I wouldn't want anyone to shell out the money and be so disappointed.

I love the image of a surly Cellier with a gauloises hanging out of her mouth muttering French swears at an industry dominated by men. It’s through the interaction with Cellierphiles that I have this impression of her, could be inaccurate though. I mean I’m not the biggest fan of Bandit but I can appreciate it, I love another she did for Balmain Vent Vert and have a reasonably old 60’s vintage which is still fantastic and twangs with greenery. So I was told I should try this and was very kindly supplied with another pretty ancient vintage to try and boy oh boy this a brilliant perfume. It smells like the wafted beauty of violet, kindly powdery but definitely has colder qualities of violet leaf, which is a really strange smell in truth. A complex green, dry mixture of irone and ionone. This is all against a completely not pretty, not buttery and totally not elegant leather. It’s almost modern in a weird way and yet this perfume proabably smelled as dated today as it does when it came out. I mean dated in a good way, aged but not lacking a certain vibrancy. Yeah it’s a kind of powdery, enigmatic statement, warm, and just the right amount of everything going on for me, musks and all of a sudden all that dryness is some how epically punctuated by lush, floral Narcissus or more a purple feel, maybe bluebells or nearly to the point of hyacinth. I’m completely smitten with it. The topnotes which I could tell were citrus had lost a little of their lustre but when you’re in your twilight years you don’t expect everything to work perfectly right? Another thing that really prompted me to try this classic perfume was Miguel Matos and his tribute to Cellier, Germaine. Which I have to say smells very different to this. I still enjoyed Germaine and you could say Citrus, violet, violet leaf, leather how different could it be? Well quite different is the answer but a jolly good nod in the direction of this perfume. I completely adore Jolie Madame and it’s about as suitable for a man you could hope for, especially as a perfume with Madame in the title.

After falling in love with the original 1940s Vent Vert, I was keen to discover more creations by the genius that was Germaine Cellier, especially when I learned that she was the nose behind the legendary Fracas. Jolie Madame was my next port of call, and I wasn't disappointed - it is an excellent green-violet-leather scent; favourite notes of mine. I have a very old vintage miniature EDT from the 1960s, and it is just excellent. Jolie Madame opens with a violet note - green, powdery perfection. It is bolstered by aromatic, herbal green notes, notably green petitgrain and bittersweet artemisia. Some soft citrus notes, led by neroli, provide a counterpoint, while some peppery spice gives it a lift. A retro-style floral heart develops, powdery and rich, yet soft and well-rounded. Powdery rose blooms on my skin, while orris root enhances the powdery violet. A soft white floral accord emerges, powdery and sweet. Polleny lilac is also present, and narcissus rounds it out, adding floral smokiness. The floral heart is somehow mysterious and dark, despite being a bouquet made up of typical floral notes. Such was the wizardry of Mme. Cellier. As it dries down, the fabled leather accord emerges, intertwined with the floral notes. The violet gives way to a suede-like leather note, enhanced to perfection by a smoky animalic accord. Mossy, woody and earthy, it becomes a beautiful leather chypre, thanks to the oakmoss and patchouli notes. It fades to a musky, slightly animalic suede accord. Sillage and longevity are moderate. A complex and cohesive scent, JM is a exceptional leather scent, while managing to be unusual. Different to the likes of Cabochard (of which I am a fan), JM marries florals and leather perfectly, almost in a classic-meets-modern manner. Unisex despite the name, this one is a work of art that must be worn with confidence. I must compare it to Bandit. More than just jolie - this is exceptional. 5/5.

OMG the extrait is divine! A beautiful airy springtime in a bottle of clear powdery florals, soft kid leather and a touch of herbs and spices. There is something about this that makes it so svelte and sophisticated, and though I still haven't determined what that is, I swear I feel 2" taller and stand up straighter when wearing it. And wow, that violet! I'm surprised it states violet leaf in the notes because I am not getting that. Violet flowers are what I smell and even though I normally don’t care for that note, they are just beautiful here. The more I wear this the more Chanel’s Misia comes to mind. If you told me that O. Polge was influenced by this fragrance I wouldn't be a bit surprised, because I think they share more than a passing resemblance. But there is something about this, maybe that slight vintage feel, or maybe that earthy, delectable oak moss, or maybe just how well rounded, smooth, and beautifully crafted this is, that makes me love it more. I adore Misia, but if I was forced to choose, it would be no contest – Jolie Madame would win hands down. I love it so much I even purchased a vintage edt so I can wear it with the extrait. I'm ecstatic to find the edt is just as wonderful as the extrait with fantastic silage and longevity whereas the parfum is more intimate, but deeper and much more floral. I can't praise this fragrance enough. All the positive adjectives used by reviewers here to describe this fragrance are true for me too. It really is a fabulous perfume.

The first time I breathed in Jolie Madame was from dark 1960's perfume. I inhaled it from the neck of the bottle (a splash) and it inflamed my sinuses so much it took 3 weeks of careful treatment before I could resume my perfume habit. But that one, glorious inhalation is the most exquisite perfume I've ever inhaled. It's beauty moved me as much as the pain it caused. I now have another full bottle ~ this time an EDT from the 1990's ~ which is hugely powerful but isn't scorching my innards. I wish I could find a way of taming the violent Djin which wafted up from my vintage bottle, but I daren't release it ever again. Whichever version I smell, this perfume is everything I desire in a scent. It's so potent one little spray radiates upwards and surrounds me in it's molecular net, creating an aura I don't have to seek. The scent is complex. There must be Galbanum rocket-fuel (although it's not listed in the notes) in the opening, carrying Artemisia, Coriander and Petitgrain along with a heady floral which turns out to be a Violet-Jasmine hybrid - a glam, self-assured, strutting sex bomb of a siren leaving behind a trail of lilac-infused powder. The dry-down reveals an animalic woodiness which gives character and depth to the powdery florals, accentuating the green notes until the end. Even the end is not really the end; this is a perfume I think about often. It's a wonder and a masterpiece. Distillation: glamorous perfume green-violet and jasmine fused leather-clad siren

Why on earth was this gutsy little number given the name Jolie Madame (Pretty Lady)? It's more like Femme Torride (Raunchy Woman)! The vintage parfum version is taunting me, stopping me doing my work because I just have to keep lowering my head to the crook of my arm to get yet another olfactory fix of this seductive beauty. On my skin this opens with a short-lived - almost blink-of-an-eye - mustiness which very soon develops into a distinct violet note. Unmistakable. I'm not one who normally thinks in colour, but when I detect Jolie Madame's top notes all I 'see' is purple. For me there are no white flowers in this floral arrangement. After about an hour the violets shrink to almost non-existence and, in their place, come the ... what is that?? Animal? Civet? Barnyard? I can't quite place it but to me the violets are replaced by a slightly dirty yet pleasant odour. Finally, the leather and smoke. Warm, enveloping and blissfully satisfying. Maybe this 'Madame' is a particular type. The perfectly made-up one who's been around the block quite a few times, who watches her 'girls' and takes men's money. First impression is all-woman and floral, then the animal takes over, and finally the smoking of the traditional cigarette. Let's not think about where the leather comes in ... Femme Torride indeed!

My review is for the vintage EDT. This is the most joyful violet I have ever smelled! This one doesn’t have a lick of melancholy or introspection — let Apres L’Ondee wallow in her gauzy sentimental dreams. Jolie Madame is the fast-paced click of heels on wet pavement after a sun-shower, impatient to get to wherever she is going, breathless to be doing something exciting. The leather is extremely smooth, and melds so beautifully with the violet that you wonder why this combination doesn’t appear together more often. The violet is green, and makes the leather glisten and shine -- the leather cracks its whip to keep the violet dirty enough to keep from becoming dowdily Victorian. The dry-down is slightly sweet and powery but has a bit of spice to add a sultry violet sheen to the skin. A delicately framed girl with sparkling eyes and nerves of steel, Jolie Madame is a very urban violet. The vintage ad from the 50s with the laughing woman with a shock of black hair really epitomizes this fragrance! The young women of the fifties must have been gloriously fierce!

Jolie Madame (Review on August 31, 2025) I have been riding a wild ride lately. Is it old or is it new, doesn't really matter to me. But as I visit the perfume captured in old time. All I can say is fragrance never really age. Form adapts from one to another. But man-made product remains. As a trace of behavior as aroma. I never found a person who create Fragrance dynamic like Germaine Cellier. She's strong almost condense. But in a same time, Gentle and warping. A cut between bitter IBQ with white floral. And those earthy damp note. Harmonize. Fulfilling. I wish your guy, a venturer. Discover this, live with this. Day or Night. And you perhaps Crystalize. There is no Niche, no Vintage, no Indy. It's just a perfume. And my friend, go for 15cc. bottle. I insist. ==== (4ml, parfum) I have nothing much to say. But in every single way, every single how possible. If you have the nose, you must sniff Jolie Madame. Parfum please, Parfum. P.S. go for 15cc. bottle.

I just got my bottle of Jolie Madame the other day and have been wearing it several times. It is not quite what I expected, very soft and feminine and yet complex. It starts out very fresh and energizing. Are there no violets in this? I could swear I smell violets. I think I like the beginning the best, so beautiful and unusual. In a few minutes I can smell the leather and flowers,the gardenia is soft and sweet and the others compliment it well. It smells like an expensive kid leather glove with a floral perfume spilled on it. Sometimes I smell something sour on my skin,maybe the coriander, but it does't last very long and some days I don't smell it at all. The dry down is soft and powdery yet a little soapy. It smells like some expensive french milled soap that I bought for my guest bath,which I love. I do wish it lasted longer. I can't smell it after about 3 hours, but the price is so affordable I can and will buy it often.

I love this fragrance as my Mother introduced me to it in the 1980s. I bought the pure perfume and loved it so much. I now savour the EDT as it has the same notes, but not the depth and opulence of the Parfum. I wonder if Jolie Madame is discontinued as it is not so available now ? What with the demise of Rochas perfumes being dumped forever by Proctor and Gamble, I am getting the feeling that something tragic has also happened to Balmain Fragrances. My Mother died in 1999 and this fragrance is a comfort as I wear it when I am hurting and longing for just one more day with her. I also agree that the trend for gourmand fragrances has killed many classic works of Art. If Balmain fragrances are discontinued, I hope and pray that they can be rescued as I still hope and pray that someone will realise what a treasure Rochas fragrances are and save them from extinction.

Candied violets and the impression of leather. What could be more fun? This perfume lifts me to another level. The older bottles with rounded edges (of cap) have perfect projection and strength and lasting power. Truly perfect. I have the angular bottle pictured above as well and that one has a strong green note in the top (galbanum? edit: artemisia? i don't see galbanum listed). I find the green note in this version detracts from the effortless elegance of the older version. I feel like every Hollywood glamour myth surrounds me when wearing this...with the carnal, "decaying" aspect of the leather alluding to the construction of mystery. The powdery candied violets aspect is life affirming, somehow natural and edible at the same time. There is a white flowers aspect to the older version which seems to lift and enhance the rest.

Sadly, it seems, Jolie Madame has been totally discontinued by the powers that be who own the licence to Parfums Balmain. I am so devastated to learn of this as Jolie Madame was introduced to me by my dear Mother in the 1980s. I had the pure parfum (pre reformulation) and adored it. I followed trends in fragrance, moving on to the new fruity florals and forgot about my dear JM and by the time i came to my senses and wanted JM in pure parfum, she had already been pared down to EDT. I wish perfume houses had not disbanded and sold licences to big corporations etc. Nothing is sacred anymore. My dear mother passed away 2nd February 1999, along with my heart and soul; now i have to say goodbye to another part of me... RIP Jolie Madame, along with another love, Rochas Femme :(

I got today from discount shop Jolie Madame and also fund in the same shop CABOCHARD! What a find! It was the only 2 perfumes sold in this shop and as I knew before that both this perfumes are leather scents I only wanted to buy Jolie Madame, I thought that this two are similar, but NO not at all, nothing even close! If you like leather you have to own BOTH!!! I bought both and I'm in love with this to perfumes!!! Jolie Madame appear to be much lighter and more wearable then I thought it would be when I was reading reviews, although someone mentioned that it can be a unisex scent, I would say it is VERY FEMININE!!! Starts very powdery Violet plus Orris root on me. It becomes leathery in 30 minutes and last a long time. What a GORGEOUS scent! In my top 10!!!

I couldn't agree with Bandit more. Yes, feminine today most of the time means smelling like fruit, candies, cookies. I am extremely puzzled when I read that Jolie Madame, Cabochard, Balmain de Balmain are masculine. I could not think of more feminine scents than these. And Piguet's Bandit of course :-) I have been wearing and loving them through the years and the years have not faded my love for them. Never ever would I wear Mugler's Angel or other gourmand scents. They make me feel dizzy. There are so many scents today that one can certainly find what he or she likes. And I am happy to like and continue liking Jolie Madame. Yes, I am on my way to my first 50, that's why maybe.

My Mother introduced me to Jolie Madame and I have been in love with JM ever since. Why oh Why is it discontinued. It is a stand alone, outrageously unique perfume and deserves to be reinstated. I have found nothing to replace it. I have Bandit, Cabochard, Ciara, Shalimar, but there is nothing even remotely similar for me. It makes me so sad as my Mum died in 1999 and it seems that JM followed soon after. Surely I am not in the minority as a lover of this classic beauty ? We should bombard whichever corporation handles Balmain Fragrances as culling JM was a bad decision as it deserves its place to stand alongside Rochas Femme, and Chanel No 5 and Guerlain Shalimar.

I don’t know how old my bottle is, it has a cute bow, name is in handwritten font (unlike the one pictured here), liquid is dark amber, and the scent is ...well...stuff of legends. I get an overdose of iris and tuberose, in a warm, herbal and woody chypre context, with violets floating above it all. But it’s during its later phase when things become the stuff of legends for adults. When the Madame turns Jolie for totally different reasons (than her floral and beautiful looks) When she is all carnal and creamy, wild and wet. It’s irresistible, and is one of the best leather/animalic perfumes I have smelled. It’s a search-no-more type of a scent. A legend. *****

If I had to choose a perfume to wear every day of my life, and on into oblivion, it would be Jolie Madame. If I were wealthy again, or homeless, as I was after I left Sudan, I would beg for a bottle or even a sniff, just for that green-deep purple vision I see when my nose and brain are in the presence of this masterpiece. First wore it as a teenager and knew it was the one. Now that I'm nearly a crone, it still is. Others have intrigued me over the years and I long for them, when I'm in a covetous mood. Patou and vintage Guerlain are happy distractions. But Jolie Madame is like a Fortuny dress I'd wear forever in the Elysian fields.

Balmain's best. Bitchy smoky flowery leather. Only the vintage, but that's no news for you, I suppose. Vintage in a bottle. Some reviewed it as "masculine" and found themselves confused by it. Let me say: Don't be! That's the vintage point of view on femininty. Habanita, No.5, No.22, Cabochard, Tabac Blond, Nuit de Noel, Arpege etc. are all meant to be worn by women! Jolie Madame is one of the most masculine of them, only outplayed by vintage Cabochard, imho. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind, if todays women think they should smell like a dessert. To each their own, but the smell of a dessert doesn't define me as a woman.

Balmain Jolie Madame (1953) - Leather Violets - #germainecellier starts the perfume mixing spices, citrus notes and herbal accords. Then, it transitions to a triumph of florals - not light, but deep and dark. Tobacco-like Narcissus, dry and powdery Iris, indolic Jasmine & Tuberose and lightened up with cucumber-like Violet leaf. The mixture reminds me of #bandit and #azurée where the florals are intertwined with suede-like Leather. The drydown retains most of the tobacco-leather accord combined with Civet musk, Oakmoss, and woods. Get over it’s called “madame”, find a bottle and enjoy this work of perfume art.