Mackie

An amber-warmed fruity number, garnished with a touch of spice, enriched with woods and sexed up by tuberose and ylang. Mackie is a delicious and complex early 90’s style fruity-floral; It’s full-bodied and has a flamboyant edge to it (it brings to mind eccentric ladies with personality and presence, eg., Cher, young Kate Bush, 90’s Fran Drescher). It smells expensive, but is simultaneously bohemian or ‘free-spirt’ In its vibe (as opposed to ‘bougie’ or stiff-lipped), joyful, cozy, and abit ‘Christmas-y’ even. Is it sweet? Not compared to modern fragrances. The sweetness here is ripe and boozy, not sugary or syrupy. This is probably my most complimented fall/winter perfume to date...I blind bought a bottle at a low price, and wore it almost every day last fall/winter. It’s always men though (20-30 somethings). One told me how much he loved the scent because it’s ‘unique’ and unlike anything he has smelled before (he’s young lol), another one told me I had good taste in fragrances and he’s so glad I’m not wearing the sweet, screechy stuff other millennials are wearing (his words...I do like the sweet stuff too). Another male colleague would actually ask me about Mackie if he caught me wearing another scent (‘Why aren’t you wearing that beautiful perfume? The one that smells ‘French’?’). When I told my female friends about how this scent has been catching men’s attention, they were shocked, and proceeded to give my bottle a cautious sniff, before complaining that it smells ‘harsh’, ‘old-lady’, ‘like an 80’s mom going out to dinner’. That last one made me double over in laughter. A dear friend actually leapt away while I was spraying it on myself out of fear that she’d get accidentally sprayed on, but later in the day admitted that I did smell pretty good (and ‘rich’ lol). Oh well, those girls can stick to their vanilla water and sugared fruitchollis, because I like to keep this one to myself. No one else smells like this anymore, even the mature ladies around me have hopped on the latest trend, fragrance-wise. So if you wear this, you’ll stand out in the best way possible, promise. Just give it 30 minutes to settle before you leave the house. Stellar longevity and sillage is just remarkable, I’ve never had complaints, only compliments. Which is funny, because I had a couple of complaints when I used to wear Armani Si (I got comments that it was too sharp and strong)...but this one is richer, bold, and retro, yet people like it! I’m so happy that I took a plunge and purchased it (I have always enjoyed retro scents anyway), I will definitely be replenishing my stock.

Wow, it’s so refreshing to find a fragrance that smells great upon first spray. This is lovely. It also reminds me of another recent scent I discovered thanks to Frangrantica – Bijan. But this doesn’t have the wild opening of Bijan. It goes right to the middle of Bijan, sans the spice, and it is also a little sweeter and seems more rounded and polished. I do get an immediate pine scent instantaneously on first spray, but it is gone so fast it had me wondering if I really smelled that note at all, but then I’ve already moved onto the fruit notes, especially the peach and pineapple. It's not in your face or fresh cut, nor dried or compote, but muted, as if this fruit salad had been sitting in a bowl for a while and the acidity had dissipated. There are no sharp edges here. The jasmine, ylang, and orange blossom are as clear as a bell and stands out from all the other florals, until the tuberose shows up and steals the show. It is soon joined by rose, honeysuckle and narcissus. I’m finding a creaminess to this scent (like I do in Bijan) and I don’t know what it is attributable to (amber, peaches?), that is making this fragrance so smooth and honey like. I also smell vanilla, though that is not listed in the notes. Just yummy! I’m not a fan of Patchouli, mainly because I have memories of everyone wearing Patchouli oil when I was growing up in the hippie era, but the Patchouli here, combined with the sandalwood, is giving this fragrance a delightful smell of earthiness and fresh cut wood in a forest. It's very, very subtle though. I’ve smelled that forestry scent in nature before when going to a Christmas tree farm when they were cutting trees for market. Just beautiful. While this fragrance has many tropical aspects, it doesn’t smell like a tropical to me, but rather a beautiful floral oriental. I love it. Just wanted to add that both Mackie and Bijan must use lots of essential oils because both fragrances leave a shimmer on your skin, which might be the reason for the terrific silage and longevity of both. Best yet, both are cheap and a lot better than many high end fragrances I’ve tried. This fragrance will definitely get a lot of use from me, not only now, but year round. I think it will work very well in all seasons, as opposed to Bijan, because it is light, though none the less rich. A very well made scent for the price and one I highly recommend. Also want to add that I'm using the vintage formula.

I became slightly panicked today when I finally sat down to review Mackie, and found only a teaspoon of ambery syrup remaining in my vintage bottle. I cried to the heavens in despair, for that bottle has had quite a journey with me, and I'm not exactly sure how reformulations have effected the inherent moodiness found inside. I have had a lot of fun with this perfume over the years, and every time I go to review it, she behaves a little differently. Mackie's natural shape-shifting has lent many enjoyable hours of contemplation, without any real concrete perception of the fragrance entire. I could oversimplify, by saying Mackie is the union of Poison and Alien. But only if you were to remove jasmine's manic grandiosity in Alien, and tuberose's over-the-top kettle drum, which Poison bangs with toddler-like enthusiasm. This lady is far more subtle. Beguiling fruity notes on top nearly topple over a straw-like earthy sweetness. Floral voices in the heart remain somber, as if they were lined on church pews singing hymns Sunday morning. Dirt has been scrubbed free from vetiver and patchouli, exposing an herbaceous, almost savory "green" quality. It is here in the base, where I find the most changes. Animalic undertones in search for elevation. Constantly pulled from either direction, we see the feigning motion between sullied indulgence, sweat still sweet from frolicking. Fingertips gliding in a caress; lips full, blush in unison with cheeks. Breathing eases rhythmically. Against the angelically hygienic powdering before southern revivals. Perspiration produced in the labor of devotion, captured under a sheet of talc. Spiced with aromas, danced free from the ground by bare feet. Hearts renewed with love and light, while laughing children, who seem forever full, glide between moving bodies, pushing upward soapy notes of musk. Their hands sticky from homemade jam and bread still warm from the morning's oven. Cheery affability that stirs a pleasant commotion; which in a world bent on chaos, offers its benevolent retreat.

Dear Mackie... I fell in love with you quite a while back and now I return to your vintage self and now cannot help but adore you. Mackie opens like an exotic drink fizzing with citrusy peach and raspberry nectar., sparkling with a dark velvety depth. Lushious, juicy, rich and potent, this one is not for a child but a confident,well dressed woman with flair. Do not let the affordable price mislead you: this smells expensive! And deserves an honest honorable mention in the sexy boss lady category , i digress. Full-bodied, potent and syrupy,while balanced out with fresh, spicy and woodsy notes, it shines! To me, it smells like a CLASSIC fragrance which is never outdated but sophisticated and deliciously decadent. As in style before fashion. Charm and beauty. As the florals set in, I detect a clean jasmine and a rich rosejam wrapped in creamy tuberose: the effect is stunningly sweet and rich. Sweet suave Ylang-Ylang renders it sensual, amping the honey to the 20th power. Orange blossom adds a freshness which I detect especially in warm wheather. It is a full-bodied fume with an 80's edge and a powerful allure. It settles down to a comforting and elegant peaches and cream luxurious floriental tinged with rich spicy vanilla. ( not listed). The resins warm it up with sweet amber and creamy sandalwood whereas the muskiness of this fume is tempered by fresh vetivier that freshens the senses and a delighfuly light patchouli . The drydown is a fruity honeyed spicy scent I cannot get enough of and which lingers in my room like a midsummer's dream. I have recieved numerous compliments on this lovely since I started to wear it again and now I know Mackie and I are made for each other. And the price... I am shocked that this rich bodacious beaut is soooo affordable yet smells like a fruity and rich Elie Saab. Looove! Sorry.. long winded

Late to this party - not to Mackie, though. My bottle is around 7-10 years old. Stored in a dark cupboard and used only a couple times a year, if that. Today is the day... but it's a bloody hot June day here in Canada, and I thought I may need to jump in the shower again to wash this off, thinking today was clearly NOT the day. What was I thinking?! Well, I went about my morning chores, getting distracted by this and that and now I'm ready to prep my skin for the day and head out to the garden, finding this has now softened to basically just the basenotes, with hints of white florals. It's so so beautiful in all its musky incense glory, I think I'll prep my skin and re-apply it, persevere through the initial WTF fruit stage to arrive back to this gorgeous incense stage again. I'm sure I hardly reach for this more than once per year because I'm so turned off by the initial face punch of the crazy 90s and it's what I think of most when I see and smell the bottle and lotion in the cupboard. But then the day comes where I feel like getting that punch in the face and reach for it. It's so beautiful on the dry down.. I can see this being someone's signature scent. I LOVE the woody smokiness I'm smelling right now. If only it smelled like this from the get go. I may try layering this with fancy nights lotion (I've got a part bottle to use up still) and perhaps some cocomadamoiselle intense to bring out that patchouli. Wish me luck! 🤞🤞 This starts off very 80s-90s feminine btw - loud, big hair, sequins, but when the basenotes show up, and it settles down, this could easily be worn by a man as well. Oriental incense. It's phenomenal. Give it a chance and wear it a few times. I've had mine for nearly 10 years and just now realized how much I absolutely love it LOL!