Montaigne

I tested this when buying Narcisse Noir - and while walking through one of the few German department stores to sell Caron could not decide which one to buy - it has a unique glow to it, which I find characterizes all Caron creations. There is simply nothing comparable on the market. They are a very classy and elegant and decidedly opulent understatement - if that makes sense... the timing of these perfumes is immaculate and they need the body's warmth to really project their intricacies (unlike other BIG perfumes or synthetic compositions). Montaigne from the first spray is edgy, Coriander, Jasmine - and Caron's favourite: Narcissus are a bit of a challenge, a steep assent - glorious, majestic but lacking a mediator leading up to the base....Sandalwood and Vanilla come in after only a few minutes and stay. Excellent lasting power and great sillage. However, in my opinion this fragrance's base is overly dominant with sweet vanilla overwriting the other accords after 10 mins and the heart is lacking, altogether .... I felt bereft, as if an ensemble had decided to leave out a movement from a symphony. But still, I consider this an ideal companion through the cold season, it is unique and certainly will entice all men and women of the mind, it is edgy and yet comforting and warm. Contradictory, androgynous in a very unrivalled way!

An abstract review based upon the brilliant words already written, here. Montaigne is, to me, a fantastic unisex creation from the timeless house of Caron... Engulfed in the sublime creation of Caron Montaigne (EdP, 2007), I descended and "landed" on the mystifying mind of PlanetX. Her landscape of words below lit aglow by her beautiful revolving satellite...Mooniq. The poetry cast in thoughts within their vivid words leaves one feeling the entrancing aromas that swirl around one another. To feel the chills that Icekat did and then awaiting the assured renewal with the light Montaigne casts upon my skin that will Soonflower - the rich, lush yellow florals that blossom. Suhaesa smells this, vividly...and is enchanted, like myself. Am I dreaming? Am I in space? Impossible...for without oxygen, we could never know what beauty this is to behold. I am with my fellow contributors' noses Henriette, Roseau, Mad-Lainey, SuzanneS....and, copy that, Trueblue19. We have to return to Earth, but let us drift here in the magical realm of Caron for a while more. For Montaigne is a scent that allows you to warp back in the time-space continuum. A piece of art, decadent & rich, one SO rarely finds in today's perfume. It is to be adorned... Chapeau, Monsieur Fraysse!!!

to me this is heaven in a bottle ..amazing.. long lasting ..sensual..oriental.. floral.. it almost smells like walking in an arabian princess from the royal family of najd weddings ..the perfume has that strange mix ..that we have.. by layering some oriental perfumes.. and french.. its almost like sweet almond mixed with precious roses.. and ambers.. and has that "mukhalt" vibe to it ..mukhalat means a mix of 3 or 5 accords usually amber.. musk.. sandelwood.. rose.. and maybe woods ..and genneraly oud.. but not in montaigue..but a very refined mukhalat .. its powdery ..a bit citrucy.. and definitely.. aromatic.. but not green.. its a classic.. with a twist..something takes me back to my mother land.. and to authentic.. natural ..bridal.. perfumery..that serene..warm.. almost enveloping sensation.. its like getting in to a cocoon..its a smokey.. deep.. myrthy resenious..benzoink..clean.. soapy mysterious..brown....unique..refined..elegant..true.. medely of accords ..all on it own ..in a class of it s own ..a seductive sensuale night perfume.. fit for a princess.. edp 100 ml perfume ratting 4.67 out of 5 bottle ratting 4.4 out 5 my own personal liking ratting of the perfume4.4 out 5 bought from Harrods knightsbridge london

I purchased a 1.7 oz EDT blindly, just for the hell of it. I was buying Forbidden Flower by Lolita Lempicka and the seller combined the shipping for just $ 1, so i couldn't resist the steal. Wow, one of my best blind purchases! To my nose, it has absolutely nothing to do with Sublime, but this is a very rich, sophisticated fragrance: warm, dark, mysterious. Someone wearing this would be an epitome of a classy, highly refined lady. Must to be used with caution though...no more that 2-3 sprays. I have an EDT, and the sillage and lasting power are deadly! I have been wearing it for a few hours already, and actually, the opening reminds me more of Opium flanker,Orchidee de Chine, which i love so much. But in a couple of hours it turns into something along the lines of Le Baisier du Dragon by Cartier. I am sooooo head over heels with this fragrance. I can only imagine how gorgeous the EDP is going to be!

This is good stuff. I like a yellow floral (Volupte is a favourite) and this provides just that kind of ambience, but much more softly than the de la Renta. In fact it is a gentle fragrance altogether, but rich and fairly sweet at the same time. It does have a very classic tone, so likely to be a hit with vintage-lovers and to seem strange to modernists. There's certainly a slight cake vibe, with marzipan in the middle and something like pineapple towards the end. It's all very yummy - a good winter scent. It puts me in mind of sitting by the fire on a cold winter afternoon with a slice of cake and a small glass of some sweet tipple - madeira perhaps. Sillage and longevity are both decent. Right now 30ml of EdP can be yours for £10 in the UK (presumably it is discontinued) which strikes me as the most amazing bargain. I'm stocking up for Christmas presents, though maybe not for the under-30s.

My first Caron. Stunning bottle, golden-yellow-bright juice and probably the best reformulation ever been made - you simply can not beleive that this fragrance was re-done in 2007 so vintagy it smells. And how vintage smells - of real life and of quality) Its rich beautiful scent, would be safe buy for amateurs of Van Cleef Van Cleef and Azzaro 9 to my nose. To me its pretty much Scottish spring - lots of wild narcissus across the country roads, a bit of dust dancing in a wind, mimosa from the garden of neighbours, zesty orange - you step out of the house - swallow this sunny beauty and breath!.. I Am sooo happy its NOT over-powered by vanilla like in a modern fragrances,not over-powered by sandal, its all about the balance and sensuality. I wish the springs would last for half of the year..and wish at least few women that I meet during day, would wear Montaigne...

Oh my World! This is some extremely potent stuff and while I usually stay clear from rather heavy orientals, Montaigne surprised me and made me gagging for more :-) I agree with the reviewers; it has to be applied sparingly, otherwise, we are risking to kill any wildlife and people within a mile radius, so to speak. It is extremely powerful juice best suited for special occasions, banquets or big wedding (evening) parties. Orange, jasmine along with coriander and woody notes make this fragrance absolutely unforgettable. Perfect for cold weather with more than noticeable silage; it is is simply a head turner. Lasting power is outstanding; good 8 hours and counting :-) If your heart beats to Samsara or Shalimar rhythm, you will most likely appreciate Montaigne. I will only dare to mention that as an added bonus - Montaigne is more than affordable :-)

If Laurelin had a smell, it would be this. Lovely and magic fragrance reminding me of Silmarillon. Montaigne is an intense fragrance, so spray it wisely; it is also long lasting and at times reminds me very much of the luxurious Sublime (Patou), but in a more cheerful way. Montaigne has notes of jasmine, bitter orange, mandarin, mimosa, blackcurrant, coriander, vanilla and that fabulous Mysore sandalwood which anchors many Guerlain masterpieces such as Samsara or Shalimar. There is a whiff of an exotic sharpness to Montaigne (probably due to the coriander in the top notes) which brightly plays around the edges but never blusters. Very wearable, after all, very luscious and exotic, very womanly, Montaigne is a modern day classic.

I wore this today and used a light hand, I think I could have gone a bit heavier. But, I had lightly lovely scent all day long! I did not notice transformations, I got narcissus, amber and the creaminess of vanilla pretty much the whole time. I got no smokiness at all, maybe that is a chemistry thing. No wood (alas). Glimpses of sweetness, but always countered and held in check. Classy, elegant, beautiful, formal are all true and I would add perfectly-blended. I think this would be a wonderful signature scent, not so popular as to be overdone and always exquisite. This is not one of my OMG scents, it is an ahhh.... scent. (Unfortunately for some reason, my OMG scents usually last 5 minutes to an hour on me!)

After falling in love with an earlier version of EDT, i finally got a large bottle of EDP! OMG, I adore this scent so much....it is so dark. mysterious and sexy. Sillage and lasting power are excellent: 5-6 hours at least. I am definitely going to explore Caron fragrances more. I finally realized something...the drydown of Montagne smells very much like Jasmine Noir by Blvgari...but Caron quality is way better.

review is for Extrait - pure parfum - interesting mix of elegance and oriental notes - jasmin, narciss, vanilla. A bit spicy, incense, but nevertheless very european and very french. I LOVE all Caron perfumes, they are simply genious. One of their kind.

Fantastic winter scent; heavy and sweet but refined and warm. This concert notes of jasmine, vanilla and sandalwood produce the greatest of symphonies for hours... An absolute treasure for a scent lover...big thumbs up...!

I smell yellow flowers, spice and a backet of oranges. Sunny yellow , juice, sweetie oranges. Its a little of sunshine on a bottle. Just gorgeous! a pick me up essence for those horrible grey winter days.

Very feminine, refined yellow flower that's clearly of vintage style, when perfume was strong, sharp and has its own character. Wearing it makes me feel a rich boss woman who enjoys being who she is.

What I like about this composition is its complexity, quality and how the scent unravels when interacting with my skin. On the other hand this is not an easy to wear composition for me as I do not have strong affection for vintage-style composition. And this one certainly smells vintage to me even though it was created in 2007. Those who love modern gentle fruity floral scents with a clean feeling of just-out-of-the-shower run away from this scent. But those, who appreciate complex and classy compositions, come close and give it a try, but not from the bottle, for this scent needs warmth of the skin to unveil its lovely composition. There is something about this scent that I find timeless and classy, like finding an elegant piece in an antique shop. It seems to be out of place in a modern chaotic world, and yet it is something that I am drawn to and want to take time to experience. The initial blast to my nose is a bit strong with sharp loads of coriander, aldehydes and bitter orange. The jasmine note gives it a bit of indolic quality. Not my cup of tea. But then the scent goes through number of transformations on my skin, which is true with most of Caron scents I have tried so far. The coriander is still going strong but then the bouquet of narcissus and mimosa comes to light. The narcissus note is green and cool while mimosa is sweet and powdery. Nice counter-balance of two floral notes. As the time progresses the scent becomes softer and warmer. It seems to radiate from the skin in a pleasant and comforting way. The woody notes in the dry down are mixing well with the light vanilla mist. Overall score is 7/10. Decent sillage and longevity. My sample is EDP concentration.

Rarely do I agree with Victoria @ boisdejasmin about a fragrance but it's a rare case here. I understand that the consensus here about this scent is that it's deep, rich and complex oriental floral. I agree that it's a strong perfume but I disagree that it's a complicated one. The main theme of this fragrance is brightness since start. This is done by a large dose of benzyl salycylate. It gives an atmosphere of bright & sunny day. This scent starts off with juicy, sweet tangerine but quickly switches to bitter orange to tone down the sweetness. There are also some spicy, minty, medicinal notes. Later comes the narcissus which is very creamy. I love narcissus but in this scent, this note is too prominent thus making this fragrance one dimension. Narcissus plays strong for 1-2 hours and subsides, give place for a generic vanilla note melt with synthetic sandalwood show off. Although the narcissus is very creamy, the whole composition is not really well-blended. The spicy notes are a little bit sharp and over the top; whereas the base notes are low key. I expected to smell a choral of orange, narcissus, sandalwood, vanilla and amber all at once but this never happens to me. This is a so-so scent imho.

This is a no-nonsense floriental to my nose. The opening is heady because of the jasmine but soon you get beautiful, beautiful yellow flowers in full bloom. This is heaven for people who have limited tolerance with white floral notes like me. My nose is especially good at picking mimosa and I totally enjoy it here in Montaigne, though it's modest and only comes at the last second if you take a sniff. I was a bit worried about the narcissus as I hate it in Narcisse Chloe. Thanks to the amber which makes a steady base for yellow flowers to flourish on, avoiding Montaigne to become a top-heavy floral scent. I'm surprised that rose is not listed here as I do get it. I think it's even more dominent than narcissus, which is rather vague. Amber is more distinct than sandalwood in the dry down and gosh it's so natural: warm, woodsy and almost a tiny bit salty. I don't get much fruit throughout though. I'm happy enough if this the only frag I can wear for this winter. The price for EDP is unbeatable. Thumb up, again, for glorious Caron. Add: It doesn't smell very aldehydic on me but I get clear aldehydes when I sniff the bottle cap.

OMG! I love it!!! And I love my decision not to hear to the comment of TS and LT (I heard more on other fragranticans here in this case). They have said, this scent is a confused woody floral, which is not. It is not woody, its floral fruity. No oriental for me. The aldehydic opening of this beautiful cold scent (with cold I mean for summer and winter types women) reminds me really on Fleur de Rocailles and Organza. But there is not so much aldehydes, much more balmy fruitiness with jasmine. If marzipan would not have sugar in it, but mimosa, it would smell like this. After five minutes comes bitter orange and bit citrus, rounded with sweet mimosa. This stage holds for 30 minutes. After 30 min the dry down comes, which reminds me strong on the pink marshmallows tinged with sugary vanilla, which is so present in Love by Kilian. All in all, a rich, deep, sweet head turner for a day and evening with lovely fruity base. I am really jumping around to found a new hidden gem. Edit: After sniffing Cinema EdP YSL I have Montaigne for swap. Anyone interested?

Just too complex to be described, so I'll talk about the sensations it conveys. The opening is rich with so many flowers, spices and agrumes that you may even get dizzy. Then little by little the various characters make a step behind in a quiet dance where the initial turmoil takes shape and order. Like a diamond with facets: first you are stunned with the beauty of the stone and then you admire the colours from the light cast on and reflected by the facets. And as you distinguish red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet, indigo you also distinguish and love the rainbow of ingredients. Jasmine, tangerine, sandalwood, vanilla ... all to compose a magical simphony that you will enjoy in your most elegant moments. I would not recommend this in an office unless you are sure your co-workers appreciate strong perfumed melodies.

Caron leaves the darkened melancholy of their famous mousse de saxe base and steps into modern times with Montaigne. A rich woven tapestry of notes that is warm and sunny, rich and thick with the spicy tangerine and a sophisticated cassis, jasmine and mimosa hugged by the ever present sandalwood and amber. This is a mimosa lovers dream. Its full, thick mimosa and narcissus. Little bit of jasmine, sandalwood and amber to round this one out. Its vintage grand style, doesnt change all that much. Over two sprays youd find yourself covered in its thick syrup and much too much for anyone. Decadent and rich. No thin synthetics here. A yellow floral lovers dream. This is sunny and approachable, yet, protective and impenetrable.If you love First,CoCo or Bal V..this should work for you. A unique floriental gem. 1.7 edp reviewed.