Lys Mediterranee

The loveliest (green) lily of them all: green, crisp, refreshing yet rich, dense with glorious gingery zing and the tang of sea salt. Only just enough vanilla, blossom and musk to keep it alive, rather than to over-sweeten the whole effect. Searching for my platonic ideal of a lily scent, the closest I've ever come is Lutens' amazing Un Lys, but that is a much warmer, spicier, and more feminine species than this one. Yet Lys Mediterranee seems a bit more manageable and wearable, less of a total lily-diva like Un Lys. Moreover, it is beautifully balanced and smells of real nature, not a perfumers' shop; despite the lily-of-the-valley and the angelica, it never ends up reminding you of soap. (Some people pointed me at Cartier Baiser Vole when I mentioned I was hot on the trail of lilies, but they were wrong: the absolute overdose of sweetness and vanilla in that one turned me right off.) It's perhaps closer to Tom Ford Lys Fume, but with a much more outdoorsy and botanical feel, without the sweet spiciness of LF. In visual flower terms - aptly enough - Un Lys would be a giant theatre-presentation bouquet of overpoweringly heady Oriental lilies, congratulating you on a big public achievement; Lys Fume would be a smaller, intimate bunch of really sexy stargazers, presented just for you by someone who cares; and Lys Mediterranee would be three or four stalks of the most perfect, immaculate, white Madonna or Easter lilies, perfuming the calmest, cleanest bit of your home space with their glorious aroma. The set-up that makes you feel cool, calm and collected. Lys Med is quieter, but simply has all I need: beauty of both hot and almost-icy kinds, a bouncily assertive sillage and well-rooted longevity (up to 7-8h even on skin, beyond on clothes, which counts as an entire season on my skin which drinks perfume), and most important of all - it just makes me sigh with pleasure whenever I put it on. One to keep smelling yourself for, chasing the after-shudders of beauty which will keep unfolding all day. I'm unlikely to end up on a millionaire's yacht on the Med in summer any time this lifetime, or probably in any other - but if it ever happened, I'd always hope that I managed to be scented with Lys Mediterranee. Just absolutely beautiful.

I had a small sample of this a while back, tried it on and thought 'nice lily, a bit clean, elegant' and wasn't particularly wowed. But, the second time I tried it I sprayed more on and wore it out for the evening with what I call my 'Breakfast at Tiffany's dress'(black, with ivory cotton lace-trim) which changed my perception completely! I'd already felt this was an Audrey Hepburn-esque sort of floral, but I hadn't noticed the dry down before as I'd not worn a generous enough spray. After a proper wearing I'm now convinced this is my absolute favourite from the FM perfumes. I really 'get' the Medittareanean feel of it now. It's not just the subtle hint of salt, it actually smells like Mediterannean skin - there's a hint of olive oil and muskiness, overlayed with this slightly clean yet creamy lily which almost reminds me of lily of the valley but nowhere near as 'guesthouse soap as that tends to be. It also reminds me for some reason of my childhood friend's mum, who was from Rome, stunningly good looking - almost Loren-like (she always smelled of olive oil and soap)she had a kind of beehive hairdo well into the 80s! A bit naff, but nice. Anyway, this sort of Dolce Vita feel is in Lys M I feel. I think ginger gives this perfume the peppery edge that lily perfumes need, without it becoming too carnation-like. As usual I'm havering on about notes and places, but to cut a long story short, this is a sexy, pretty yet elegant and timeless perfume, I feel. I was complimented on it twice the evening I wore a more generous spray, first by a female friend, then by a handsome Japanese cellist who kept sniffing my neck. We had a kiss while dancing, but he was too young for me. (Not that I'm complaining!) Maybe it was that last fact which swayed me to buy a bottle! But really it's the beautiful drydown, and the fact I find it difficult to find good perfumes for evening. My other favourite for evenings is Lumiere Noire, but for spring/summer Lys Mediterranee is perfection. Gorgeous. Sillage and longevity moderate to strong depending on application

This is such a beautiful and naturalistic perfume that does exactly what it says on the box! It's a lovely and light as well as slightly aquatic ginger lily perfume that is a bit green and salty and makes one think of the beach. The seagulls pass by and you sniff these lillies on the beach while the salty air also wafts through your nostrils while you're wearing a white bikini and a white linen dress. It's so naturalistic smelling, which is what I like in fragrances. It's a very feminine and white floral perfume too that is very calming and serene and also isn't indolic smelling. It smells like a summer vacation! I could imagine being in Rhode Island in the United States, Greece or Cyprus during the summer wearing this. I can smell the sea salt and the slightly spicy ginger at the top, which gives this perfume a light and fresh character that goes through the whole life of this fragrance. I can then smell all of the notes listed here in the heart notes, but the lily note is the strongest of course, followed by the orange blossom. I can then smell hints of the green and rooty angelica and the aquatic lotus. Finally, I can smell some musk at the base. I can't really smell the vanilla in the base though. Both sillage and projection are moderate on me, with this fragrance lasting 6 hours in total on my skin before dissipating completely. It's a perfume that's unusually both inoffensive and unique smelling, so you can definitely both wear this at work and not smell like everyone else with their La Vie Est Belle, My Way and Coco Mademoiselle's. I think that you could wear this during the evening too, making it a very versatile fragrance. I adore this perfume and I would give it an 8/10 in total for how good I think it is. Two thumbs up from me! 👍👍

I LOVE the ginger note in this, it works so beautifully with the white lily! I just wish the "sea water" didn't become as pronounced as quickly as it does. The notes pyramid lists sea water in the top notes, but the pyramid has to be reversed or something. As it is first sprayed it's full on, powerful white lilies with a warm touch of spicy ginger and clementine. However, to soon for my liking, the lotus and sea water start to dominate. It starts off as a warm spring evening with the last rays of sun casting everything in a red glow, but then transforms into a pink waterlily on a rainy summer lake. It still smells lovely later on, just not as divine and gorgeous as that warm lily + ginger combo from the beginning. If you know what the plant Stephanotis floribunda/waxflower smells like it smells very similar to this perfumes top notes. This is probably my favorite from Malle at the moment, at least as long as the top notes stay around. It's a shame that it has to change so dramatically in the dry down though, as is the same with at least some others from this line too, unfortunately. En passant for example, starts off as the most gorgeous, photorealistic lilac, bordering on indolic, but then quickly starts smelling like a sharp, watery hairspray thanks to the water notes and cucumber. Later on it even starts smelling like a rotting wase of lilacs, due to the cucumber + yeasty notes... Similar story with Une Rose/Rose Tonnerre as well. Starts off as a perfect and magical, dark red rose, but to soon it turns into a thin, and weirdly synthetic, musky mess. Such a shame, and a huge let down when a fragrance that starts off as a clear 10, devolves into a 5 or a 4 by the time it hits the middle notes. And this brand isn't exactly cheap either...

The most overtly solar soliflore Malle has ever given us, in my opinion. I'm not sure I understand the Mediterranean reference as this doesn't strike me as Mediterranean coastal at all. There are a humidity and saltiness to this that makes me think of a lily in the South Pacific. Thankfully the sea water notes in this are not huge doses of screaming calones like it is in so many marine-note perfumes; it's a lot more tasteful than that. The bright and salty hesperidics at the top string down to a green heart of angelica, and, of course, lily. But there is quite a bit more besides. Orange blossom is well-accounted for in the heart, and I also want to say there is some neroli and ylang-ylang as well. White floral, but with a strong citrusy and tropical bent that does not quite lend itself strictly to lily. It's a bit too green, a bit too citrusy, and a bit too fresh and bright to really be a sumptuous and sweet lily accord. It comes across as botanical and very natural, but at the same time it's abstract because it's clear Flechier wanted to string the various notes of lily together without actually using much actual lily material. The final dry down to the base is a very pleasant sweet and soapy musk accord that, to me, is the most overtly "lily" note so far in the perfume. As a whole, I thoroughly enjoy Lys. It's breathtakingly pretty, and, a unlike the majority of Malle perfumes, it is remarkably simple and straightforward; no tricks, no need to heavily interpret anything, the abstraction is easy and never distracts from the mission, and it is incredibly easy to wear. A simple and lovely perfume made with excellent care and materials; you can't get an easier win than this.

This is a beautiful composition. Photorealistic lily, the lily that is so authentic you feel the spice of it, it has a taste to it that sits on your tongue. I don't know how this fragrance always ends up in my mouth but every time I spray it on, even down to my knee caps, I can taste the sweetness of the lily like I'm eating it. The sharpness of the sweet lily is there, and it's hot and even bitter at times. Not a fresh smell by any means but more salty and sweet. I love Lys simply for how transporting it is. It is EVOCATIVE. I immediately see myself walking along the precipitous coastline of the Mediterranean, where I've never been, under the hot sun. And around me are bushes of flowers, their petals fluttering in the wind and the scent wafting through the heat carried by the salty breeze of the ocean. The coastline is dry otherwise, almost desert-like. I get this feeling because there is no greenery to this fragrance like I find with so many other FM scents. It's hot and exquisite and balmy, and that's where I think people find it cloying. It isn't cut with anything-- there is nothing fresh to fight off the balminess except for the instinctive feeling that it SHOULD be fresh because you start to think it's a real lily, blossoming for you, and at some point it will come around and you'll forget you're wearing it until it wafts in again. This scent requires courage. I have to let it overtake me, otherwise I am fighting it. You have to become the lily almost-- like I'm drawn to wear a white wide-brimmed hat and a white dress and go out looking like a million bucks to be fit for this perfume. It is far too pretty to just wear however.

I'm panicking a little because I just received my bottle and I'm having a hard time smelling anything. Granted, I may have some nose fatigue because I have been on a lily spree lately, and I also need to give it time to settle, but I purchased it on eBay from a verified sender. Still, who knows if it's a fake? It looks genuine, but I suppose I will have to see what it's like in a week or so, maybe longer. I have very high hopes that this will be the lily of my dreams. I will do a proper review after it has rested. Fingers crossed! EDIT - 5/22/23. Two days later and I'm happy to report that it's starting to show signs of life!! I am getting the lily above all else right now, no watery or saltiness, though as it continues to macerate, I am certain that other notes will assert themselves. Or maybe not. Maybe it's just so well blended that it comes together to form one, intoxicating lily. I could swear that there is some ylang in here, just a drop, that adds a smoothness to what can frequently be a shrill note. Whatever it is, it prevents the lily from becoming piercing or soapy. The odd thing about this is that while I can definitely smell it around me, it's a different story when I sniff my wrist. What surrounds me is ethereal and gorgeous. I get a similar effect with Malle's Lipstick Rose. It's as if the require the air in order to fully develop. I think I can safely say that this is a love and one of the greatest lily perfumes ever created. The longevity isn't the greatest, but these days, that seems more like the rule than the exception.

Revisiting Malle and as always stuff like this, en passant and eau de magnolia have this sense too as well as some I don't like as much like the Angelique one and L'eau d'Hiver is just conceptually superior (although seemingly simple) and perfectly executed. There's something very present about these Malle's they don't feel like they are respecting tradition but nor are they future facing trying to break new ground, or be the next trend. They are more accurately a moment, simply captured, and to me there's something comforting and liberating about them. It's as if the perfumers were recreating the beautiful head-space of a flower, what I mean is that there's a sense of 'air' a feeling of atmosphere, space, whatever you want to call it. Lys Mediteranee is carried to you upon the breeze, it's lovely. Smells oceanic, the ginger listed here actually is just perceivable ever so slightly, as well as a green tint to the florals, which are both exotic and familiarly wafted from various summer blossoms. I bought a small 10ml just to test the water, I see this as a functional, hot weather fragrance, to cool me off. I'm always going on about how perfume should be complex and 'do' lots of stuff well these are the exceptions, they don't do much, they are not really multilayered experiences, but rather zen calm, aromatherapy which allows you to clear your head. In fact this scent would be ideal for meditation. Despite all the praise it's far from my favourite Malle, but if you like lilies and florals in general this is so nice and light as a feather.

When I tried competition grade Tie Guan Yin for the first time, I remember thinking it tastes and smells more like perfume than tea, even though it's not flavored in any way. I do NOT care about "tea" perfumes and not a single one I've tried has really come close to the smell of true tea. I also assume that tea notes in perfumes aren't meant to smell like real tea, but like an artistic impression of "green" tea, which is why there's no tea notes listed for this one anywhere. The reason why I'm so in love with it is because it has a REALISTIC OOLONG TEA SMELL. I'm talking unflavored chinese C. sinensis, gong-fu style, resteeped many times until the flavor disappears. The beauty of this particular style of consumption is that the flavor and aroma of tea develops with every successive steep, just like perfumes have their openings, heart and the drydown. Of course, there are many categories of tea, countless varieties and styles among those varieties. The body of this specific perfume, half an hour after spraying, smells exactly like wet leaves in a gaiwan after the third steep of a very high quality, modern style Tie Guan Yin. There's still the natural floral aroma (lilies, lilac, hyacinth) of the unoxidized (modern style!) TGY, but also the green, grassy and a little bit vegetal background of well....wet tea leaves. This lasts until 2-3 hours after application and just like the tea with every steep, develops into the musky, soft, creamy base.

I have to confess that when I first got the sample of this scent (along with Une Rose and POAL) I paid no mind to this scent at all—it seemed nice, but just that. However, having used the three scents for a couple of times, this definitely becomes the best of the three. While POAL is beautifully composed, I really have to be in the mood for how strong it is. But Lys M. not just works with essentially everything from a simple day to a date, it is also to my nose very unisex for a guy who likes floral scent. I didn’t expect much from it but then it lasts above decent on body and forever on clothes, it performs without screaming, and most most unexpectedly, my date just goes insane with the smell. Yes, in reality now I’ve come to find a huge sexiness of this one, especially in close encounter probably equal to Musc Ravageur! What sets it above Musc Ravageur (which I also really like) is that Musc Ravageur’s sexiness comes from spices, which is more common (like in Rose 31, whose sexiness I find ‘a bit too trying’) than one that effortlessly comes from light-scented flower like this bottle. An unexpected must-have for now. I recommend you not just smelling it but give it a couple of uses with tester!

Spending most of my summer vacations near the Méditerranée when I was young, I don't really get the name of that fragrance, BUT it's the absolute most beautiful lily I've ever smelled. It's incredible. Edouard Fléchier has already made my favorite rose perfume : Rose Tonnerre, and here he is with another masterpiece. The quality here is unmatched. I've had a few samples when buying another perfume, and it stays forever. Every white floral fragrance I've ever tried ends up soapy on me, not Lys Méditerranée; it stays a rich, cold, green lily from the first spray to me taking a shower. It smells like the lilies in my parents' garden after the rain. It's northern, cold, damp lilies for me, not Mediterranean ones. Anyway, I hate the warm lys scent and here I found my holy grail. As always with Frederic Malle, the main drawback is the price, but I can't really tell that it's too expensive. Lys Mediterranee speaks to me in a way that is so rare that I'm just moved that someone, another human, is able to create beauty like that.

I agree wholeheartedly with Xela_529's statement in that Lys Mediterranee is a cooler white floral whereas Carnal Flower is of a warmer variety. Lys Mediterranee has that crisp florist shop vibe. The salt and aquatic elements lend some spice and character, but in the end, this perfume is fairly linear. It's absolutely beautiful, feminine, and lavish. I love the ginger note, and the cedar grounds Lys Mediterranee, balancing the aforementioned extravagance. It's blue and green, splashing mediterranean imagery of sea nymphs or mermaids. At the same time, something about it makes me think of a Monet painting. The silage and longevity are moderate to strong; it is loud for the first few hours, but quiets down into a muskier floral after several hours. Its lifetime on skin spans approximately six to seven hours. I tend to associate it more with femininity, but any gender could confidently rock this, especially if the wearer flaunts a cool vintage style.

I think the way people react to the scent of lily is similar to how people react to the taste of cilantro- you either love it or you despise it, there’s no in between. I for one have always loved both and when I can get them keep arrangements of fresh lilies in my home. To me, the scent is heavenly. But both my children complain they smell of hot dog water. This perfume is a very faithful recreation of that lily scent, floated on a marine and salty background. It opens with a little spike of ginger that sets off the waxiness of the lilies perfectly. For about 3 hours it is intense and beautiful ( if you like lily), then it slowly fades away into a skin scent with a base of vanilla that doesn’t overpower the now lighter but still present lilies. This stage lasts a long time. I’m going to wear this in winter when nothing is blooming, I know it will take me instantly to a seaside cliff top surrounded by a field of blooming lilies.

Not sure about the beginning, but after a time it’s truly lovely. I was so surprised not to find tuberose in the perfume pyramid – among the middle or base notes. To me, this smells very much like a lighter tuberose than say Carnal Flower, also from Frederic Malle. Now, I’m no authority on tuberose, but I really thought it was not only there, but dominating the overall impression. Does anybody else get tuberose from this lovely fragrance? Edit: Well, the next time I tried it, it was all lily of the valley and only during the dry down did I detect a little whiff of tuberose, if at all. Maybe it had to do with the weather, but regardless of the reason, this variability appeals to me. I find this scent very natural smelling, happy and uplifting. I think it is a scent that will appeal to me I five or ten years time as well, so I got myself a full bottle and am very happy with it.

Got a 3.5 ml sample with my bottle of Portrait Of A Lady. I tested it on a strip of paper first and thought I would hate it. I hated Carnal Flower, didn't really like a jasmine essential oil I purchased in a set of essential oils, and was thinking maybe white floral fragrances aren't for me... although I adore the scent of gardenias in real life. Tested it on my skin today in honor of a peace lily I purchased, and I have to say I quite like it. It's not as offensive as Carnal Flower, while seeming just as realistic. You get the flower, the pollen, and the stem. With the other notes on my skin, it's softened. But lily remains the star of the show. I was thinking Eau De Magnolia would be my next buy but Lys Mediterranee is turning out to be a strong contender. EDIT: Great performance on this, for me. Lasts all day and projects for I believe 3-4 hours.

I can't say enough about this fragrance! Modern...chic...crisp...clean...INTERESTING! At the start, I'm always swept away in a dewy whirlwind of crashing salt water, ginger, citrus, musk, and lily of the valley all at once. I think it's a really versatile summer/spring scent and can be appreciated by just about anyone. But most of all... It inspires thoughts of what I think the single and modern city girl wears when she and a few girlfriends have packed their designer luggage and rented a weekend house in the Hamptons or other fancy beach destination. While sitting on the ocean front porch listening to the latest music, sipping on some nouveau alcohol-infused lemonade cocktail; they shift easily between dancing and conversation about work, boyfriends, and pop culture. The silage is moderate but longevity on my skin INCREDIBLE at upwards 6+ hours.

I've just added Lys Mediterrannee to my relatively small fragrance collection. I am not a collector, I only buy fragrances that I actually wear, and each new purchase has to be significantly different from what I already have. I chose Lys Mediterranee because it's exceptionally beautiful and original. The perfumer Edouard Flechier (the man who created Poison!) has wondefully captured the scent of the Mediterranean. The marine note is to die for - so fresh and salty; the flowers are ever so slightly damp, yet delicate and pretty, and the drydown is quite musky. Wonderful projection and longevity, as one would expect from the Frederic Malle line. I don't think of this as a summer scent - in fact I'm more than happy to wear it now, during the winter, and to revive the memories of the salty waves and the long sandy beaches.

@TheSniffer - I actually came here to update my review. As I had hoped, giving my nose a rest from lily, and waiting for it to settle down, has made a huge difference. Whereas before I was just barely getting the smallest whiff of lily, I can now smell it as it develops. People have described it as linear, but I notice the changes between notes and accords more easily now and the longevity is decent. I definitely get more green this time around, and I finally understand what "water" smells like! LOL! So at least in this instance, I'm 99.9% sure my bottle is legit. The fact that the 2 other Malle's I own behaved the same encouraged me to wait, and it was worth it. This is the type of perfume I know I will crave quite a bit throughout the year! Thank you for taking the time and sharing with we me what you've learned!

Lys Mediterranee evokes the heat of a summer afternoon, where the Mediterranean sea breeze mixed with the soft and spicy scent of lilies. Daylilies have always been some flowers prized by ancient Mediterranean civilizations and its history dates back to ancient Egypt. Elegant and majestic aroma of white flowers conveys a feature of purity, generosity and innocence. Flechier has given us this tribute to the aroma of this beautiful, opulent floral quite realistically and with an almost surround start to aquatic freshness, just a sweet spot and light vanilla with a vaporous cloud of soft musk, almost imperceptible, to extend a little longer lasting fragrance. If portrait of a Lady is the sumptuous Baroque Malle Lys Mediterranee is its counterpoint, is pure impressionism minimal. Both spectacular. Rating: 9

Gingery, salty lily. It seems delicate in the opening but it deceptively enveloping and intoxicating, sometimes cloying if oversprayed. This perfume is pure class, perhaps a but too classy for me, but I'm glad I have a bottle. Performance is relentless. Update: On a bad day, this smells like a screechy, synthetic chemical mess. In fact it's like Cologne Indélébile with added sharp spice. Not sure how I feel about it now. The first couple of hours are a bit much, although it is interesting. There's more than just Cologne Indélébile DNA here, the angelica reminds of French Lover too. All in all it's a simple perfume, and very linear, until hours and hours in when the musks take over (my favourite part). It doesn't really smell like lily when you pick it apart, but it's a good evocation of lily.