Muguet des Bois

This is one of my most complimented perfumes (but I'll get to that in a moment). Muguet des Bois is (to me) hands-down the best, most realistic lily of the valley soliflore ever made. I've tried Diorissimo, Yardley, and a host of others, as I'm *always* looking for a good LOTV. This one fulfills all my expectations. While the notes list may say otherwise, I experience this as lily of the valley and nothing but lily of the valley, from the green stems and glossy, deep green leaves in the opening to the petite blossoms in the mid-phase. Soft whiffs of the fragrance of those delicate, bell-shaped flowers linger throughout the remainder of the (admittedly brief -- this is an EdC, after all) experience. There is a hint of something spicy towards the drydown, but it's only that -- a hint -- and it's accompanied by gentle wafts of fresh, faint LOTV all the way. Applying a spritz to clothing helps to boost longevity and sillage, but only slightly. Don't expect this perfume to fill up an enclosed space, as that's not likely to happen under any circumstances. Once it settles down, it seems to dart in and out of view. If it were something you could see, it would be picked up by your peripheral vision. It hangs around, but confines itself to the edges of perception most of the time. It's a gentle, comforting presence which never overwhelms. To be fair, I do have a personal history with this perfume, which may bias me towards it; my grandmother wore it, and it was one of the first perfumes she ever gave me. (I still have the little glass bottle she presented to me decades ago, even though I used every drop of the perfume; my current bottle of MdB is from the late 1960s/early 1970s, I believe.) As such, I treasure the scent -- it conjures up memories of a time when everything was bright and hopeful, and any given day could turn out to be perfect. As for the compliments... I once wore this while minding the cash register at a rummage sale. It was unbearably hot, but the fragrance held up well, even in humid, stagnant air. Roughly every third or fourth person who visited said something to the effect of, "Wow, you smell amazing!" No one identified it outright (which isn't terribly surprising, as it's discontinued), but it certainly got its fair share of attention and garnered compliments from total strangers. It's a shame they don't make this one anymore... I'd use it more often if I had a larger supply!

Before I developed advanced enough skills as a perfumer in synthetics I set out to find a lily of the valley perfume that actually smelled like the live flower. In my search I found so many the beard no resemblance to the actual flower at all. I just happen to love the smell and while I pay no attention as to what is for men and what is for women, I do find this to be the only flower that is more feminine, whereas all the rest are to me, very unisex. Still, I wear this perfume, as well as my own lily of the valley perfume, both of which, I believe really do smell quite identically to the living flower as I have compared the both side by side with freshly picked lily of the valley. Perhaps some of you know that lily of the valley along with lilac just do not yield any sort of usable absolute or pomade, so all lilac and lily of the valley notes have to be built using either a combination of naturals and synthetics or purely synthetics. Using only naturals it cannot yet be done. I remember the first primary lily of the valley perfume I came across was Diorissimo, that at first really smelled like lily of the valley to me but then after a while it started to smell less and less like lily of the valley and more and more like other things. As you all know, this is a very inexpensive drug store perfume but when it comes to lily of the valley it is all synthetic anyway, so no matter who makes it we are all going to be composing it using the same chemicals. Like I said, Coty is right on the money here, it is a dead ringer for the live flower. It goes on smelling fresh, sweet, powdery and green, just like the fresh flower and that is how it smells until you wake up the next morning. It is a perfume that does tend to hover quite close to your skin so you and anyone in your close proximity will smell it but not someone across the table or on the other side of your desk. And if you put it on the in the morning, or before going out in the evening, it will not need to be applied again. It seems to last 4-5 hours but it is so inexpensive, if you want to touch it up with a couple more sprays, most of us can afford it. So if you are out for a great lily of the valley just go to the drug store and get this, forget about the expensive ones because this one is perfect for what it is.

This review is for the current formulation. I love the scent. It's a true to life lily of the valley. It smells just like the flowers we had in our yard, and at my grandma's house, when I was growing up. It reminds me of a sunny spring day in my childhood backyard with lilacs in the air, too. But it has almost no staying power. I smell a faint scent of it on my wrist a few hours after spraying. But I have to smell my wrist and clothes up close to detect it, after only about 30 minutes after spraying. It is very weak. This is one of my favorite colognes because it doesn't have any chemical or synthetic smell. It's as close to a real flower as I've found in a perfume. The lovely scent just doesn't last and isn't strong enough. I was lucky to get two bottles before the price started going up. One of my bottles fell and the lid cracked, but I didn't lose any of the liquid. Last I checked, it was discontinued and getting harder to find. The site I bought mine from charged $11, and someone is now selling it for $120. I saw it on eBay for about $40.

What a pretty, feminine perfume! I found a vintage formula and it's refreshing, soft, a little bit soapy, with a light crisp green touch. It doesn't smell vintage. It smells exactly like fresh lilies of the valley blooming! It's the truest lily of the valley scent ever ! Great to use in warm or hot weather, as a fresh uplifting, cooling floral. Stays close to skin, it's subtle, but a light breeze will cause it to waft into the air around you. Perfect to wear in an office, since it's ladylike and not offensive at all. Lasting power isn't good, but if I first use a tiny thin layer of Vaseline on skin, then spray this perfume over it, this beautiful scent lasts about 6 hours on my skin. Also great for spraying linens to create a crisp clean fresh natural lily of the valley scent in any room. It really does smell like natural fresh cut real flowers, not synthetic room spray. Coty Muguet Bois in vintage form is truly a beautiful natural floral breath of fresh air.

I just bought a vintage bottle of this - smells just as I remember it, fresh, green, and spring flowers. Lily of the Valley is my favorite flower, and it predominates this fragrance, but I can also find the lilac after a moment (lilac is a close 2nd favorite) with a bit of citrus (orange?) and green notes which keep it fresh, sweet but never cloying. I agree with everyone who says it doesn't last long though, doesn't stay with me either, but I still love it! I just read in a review for another muguet perfume that the legendary Edmond Roudnitska considered Muguet de Bois to be the 'truest' L.O.V. scent - proves once again that the best does not have to be the most expensive.