Ma Griffe

I meant to review something else today, but then I tried this on for the first time and I’m so in love I have to throw words at it! The opening is very mossy and my first associations went to both mitsouko and cabochard. It’s like they had a baby.. some of the lightness and cleanness of cabochard over mitsouko’s mossy warmth. Very very beautiful! This could easily be a lighter mitsouko flanker. One that is a bit more fresh and airy and less deep and spicy. I’m thinking of getting a vintage and layering it with this to get some more longevity and silage from the older version with the freshness of the new one. To my nose it’s not as powdery as people here say it is. The powdery and soapy notes are very very faint. Some of the ‘grandma’ associations probably come from the oakmoss i guess, which does smell a bit vintage-y, but also quite timeless. Ma Griffe has that gorgeous damp forest floor smell which gives you those delicious warm wafts of mossy foresty sun soaked autumn goodness that is so prevalent in mitsouko and to a lesser extent cabochard. To me that smell is so timeless and classy. It gives that air of mystery, like you’re a wood nymph or something. Truly ethereal. This is a 100% unisex fragrance. Since it’s not as heavy and deep as many vintage/older fragrances like mitsouko, and not as powdery as cabochard, I think this is one of the vintage scents that will appeal more to younger audiences. Compared to many other fragrances it’s a lot more fresh and light. It’s not overpowering so safe to wear at the office. It’s probably a pretty safe blind buy if you’re into vintage chypres. If you enjoy mitsouko and cabochard and would like a more subtle inoffensive flanker type fragrance, then you’ll probably adore this. It’s very different to both, but has enough similarities to appeal to the same audience. NB: I snagged my 50ml bottle up from Vinted for only €15. Checking the batch code told me my bottle is from 2014, so shortly after the formulation. I’m fairly certain it still smells the way it’s supposed to, but given that it’s almost 10 years old I’m sure it has matured, so it might not smell exactly the same as a new bottle. Oakmoss is listed in the ingredients.

After testing this a few times, I can now see how the original version of this would have been popular with young women in the 1940s. I can imagine them getting jobs and meeting new people while wearing this perfume. I find it smells 'smart', without smelling very formal. I can imagine this boosting the wearer's confidence as they step out into a war-scarred but exciting new world. It also smells like it is aimed at 'smart' as in intelligent women, just like its more arty niece, Rive Gauche. And like Rive Gauche, it's ageless and timeless in appeal, while also evoking the time and place it comes from. The opening has the loveliest gardenia-lemon combination. When the jasmine kicks in a bit later, it has a slight dirtiness to it that I'm not keen on. It's the same sweaty jasmine as the one used in other Carven women's perfumes. Luckily, here it doesn't overpower the rest of the scents. All the other notes in the heart blend to create a sophisticated scent. The dry down would be better if it was stronger. It's a very faint musky/balsamic/woody mix. The longevity is about 4 hours on me. Projection is about arm's length (or slightly further) for about 1.5 hours before rapidly becoming quite a faint skin scent. If you're looking for a powerhouse, this isn't it. I still love it, though. I feel like I would need to get a vintage bottle to do this justice, but for now there's this.

The original - meaning, to me, the 80s incarnation in the tall box and bottle - came into my bedroom and tucked me in every few months when my parents were off to a dinner party. It changed and was understandably ditched, less understandably for a sledgehammer bottle of Coco; knowing what I now know, I assume this was when real oakmoss got the bullet. The 80s version smelled posh, enfolding but angular, bold but delicate, surprisingly girlish - worn since long before I was born and introduced into the family in the 40s by a Carven importer; it must’ve continued to pass muster to satisfy that lineage. The 90s one lost something crucial. If only for the good of posterity and my own psychological needs, this version - bought in 2024 - is on the money to my and the original wearer’s noses. It’s weaker in terms of cling and projection but the smell is good. I’m generally unfussed about sexing in perfume, so this perhaps down to an individual discomfort with the Bates Motel: this would seem strange on a man in public.

I'm wearing it again today - I can't get enough of it. It's so gorgeous! I LOVE everything in it, especially the Vetiver! I just love it! It's the most amazing smell - I can smell that almost all the time, with strong and lingering wafts of every other beautiful scent that's in it. Oh my goodness....it is terribly mature and elegant and classy! I could still smell it on me when I got up, after having it on since 5am yesterday, and the bedroom still smells of it - so delicious!...and so, naturally I added more this morning!!, and am truly ecstatic in the gorgeous vapours!!! Incredible. I LOVE CARVEN MA GRIFFE!!! It's the best perfume I've ever had. SWOON!!

Oh my God! I absolutely agree with mmm777pisces! I absolutely LOVE this GORGEOUS ELEGANT perfume!!!! I think it's stunning! Oh gosh, I love the Vetiver too, so much! I'm only lately discovering the joy of perfumes, and, really - I have been missing out! And this one is SUPREME for me. The sophistication, the class! The smells are so divine, I have never experienced anything like it!! yang-ylang is such a yummy divine smell isn't it? Oh dear, and everything else in it - I can smell all the notes listed! And ALL day, to the next day! Fantastic! SUCH a divine smell!!! Aaaaahhhh!!! Sigh......