Madame Gres

I didn't have high hopes for liking madame Gres as I usually dislike cardamom,also pine apple and sandalwood as main notes.it was the only Gres perfume that I saw but never was willing to try it.lately I received a free sample of it and when I saw it discounted in a site I usually order my perfumes from,I decided to try it(a 3.4oz is 45$ when discounted.it seems Gres perfumes are cheaper in other countries) Madame Gres was a love at first sniff!I can see comparisons to miss dior edp.it has what I like in miss dior but strangely I find Madame Gres more interesting and appealing,Miss Dior(2012) is a lot similar in the opening part though it lacks this vibrant,mouth watering pineapple,they both calm down to much softer scents in less than an hour.Miss Dior goes to a musky path while Madame Gres developes to this warm,creamy-woodsy-vanilla base which I prefer eventhough I'm a musk lover it opens sweet and sort of boozy.sandalwood appears adorable here,blended with vanilla it creates a warm and sweet,rich and subtle creamy base to round soft powdery flowers and fizzy fruity pineapple sparke(it's pine apple reminds me pine apple in Givenchy live irresistible which I love).it's spicy but not strong in cardamom as I was worried.after half an hour sharp,sweet,spicy fruitchouli of the opening calms down and flower notes come out from the shadow to fill it with a feminine floral softness and refinement.flowers are light still detectable.I can pickup a pretty magnolia and a touch of peony and I'm glad to see flowers in madame Gres aren't abstract,non descript generic floral notes I agree with reviews calling it classy and playful at the same time.it develops from a loud and lively opening to a more serious and sophisticated drydown like growing from a vibrant mademoiselle to an elegant madam. I'd love to see a better pronaunced leather in it's base notes though it's quite satisfying as it it.don't look forward for a strong leathery base here since it's gentle and shows up faintly after an hour or two. Eventhough I dabbed a little longevity and sillage were satisfying and made my decision to order a bottle more firm.the fact that it can be a very versatile perfume is another plus.now I have to just wait and see wether dear hubby buys it for me now or during other Gres sale Edit: it also reminds me of Oriflame Possess

I started with Gres just 2 months or so ago. With Cabotine green, then Gres Gold which I love! Then the third purchase was gourmondy Rosalie. They are all very different but all offer something special. I'm a Gres evangelist now. They are right up my alley. It helps that they all cost me 15 Euro. So I thought I'd take a step up and try Madame Gres which was on a special for under 50. So it arrived 2 weeks ago. This beautiful apricot glass bottle and the elegant packaging so reminicient of Chanel No 5, which I have had a vintage bottle of for 30 years treasured in its box. Straight away this is quite rich fruity and floral on first spray.. Sweet... Creme caramel... I had doubts.. Maybe buying blind had worked with 3 cabotines and my Gres luck was out. I can't do sweet and cloying. I let it sit about an hour the dry down is soft and gourmondy, pineapple settles in and more softly, there's a warm toffee, Amber. I'm pleased it's not sweet on the dry down but classy and enveloping... Then the nicely balanced patchouli glides in softly to linger. It reminds me in moments of Allure.. I've had compliments. It smells French and expensive. I don't think it throws out that much, the sillage on me seems modest but It stays around morning to night softly stealing your heart. And then turns into an intimate. Addictive wrist glued to nose habit. This morning I decided to spritz some Gres Cabotine Gold on top of it to freshen things up. The vetiver of Gres Gold enlivened it and it was gorgeous after an hour. This perfume is beautifully crafted its not niche as I get Channel vibes from it, but comparitvely it can stand with perfumes costing 200-300 Euros. Gres can do no wrong in my eyes. Now I'm trying to get my hands on the Gres Lumiere Black, and Rose. Anyone got some to swap? I love it. I may have to update after a few months wearing. See how it performs as summer comes in.

A perfume of two halves. This goes on young, bright, SWEET, zingy and effervescent with a fairly heavy sillage. The juicy, bouncing entrance lasts for about 30 minutes maximum on my skin and then subsides to a slightly less than moderate throw. I don't pick up on grapefruit at all; this is all fresh pineapple and cardamom on me, when first sprayed. I'm not getting any flowers, either. The drydown is in complete and surprising contrast to that extrovert entrance, as Madame Gres makes a 180 degree turn and matures into a sexy, just-above-the-skin scent. The patchouli, sandalwood and leather take over - the pineapple has gone completely, although some residual sweetness remains. Spraying on clothing prolongs that exuberant opening whilst the drydown is reached far more rapidly on skin. The structure of the perfume reminds me of Hermes La Panthere, which has a similarly fruity opening and dry leathery base (although I am not suggesting MG is a dupe in any way at all). La Panthere is four times the price of Madame Gres, though; the difference in class is evident, LP having greater depth and heft to it and the ingredients simply smell better quality. Having said that, MG is a great and inexpensive (not cheap!) alternative (I bought 100ml for under £20 from UK eBay and I would have been happy with this for twice the price). I can't comment on any similarities to the 2012 version of Miss Dior, as I have never (knowingly) smelled it. I went to sleep liking Madame Gres and woke up loving it: another successful blind buy thanks to the reviews of lovely Fragranticans. ETA: Longevity is excellent - although a skin scent after 4 hours, I can still smell it on my arms 12 hours later (which is outstanding on my dry skin).

Madam Gres edp By Gres: Firstly I've Yet To Find A Gres Perfume That I Don't Really Like,& The Quality Of Gres Perfumes Really Amazes Me & Madam Gres Is Yet Another That I Really Do Like/Love!! This Really Is Such A Beautiful Classy French Perfume,That's Blended Extremely Well,Wear's Absolutely Beautiful On Your Skin & Really Lasts On Your Skin From Morning Till Last Thing At Night!! I Was Bought This For Christmas & Have Now Wore This Quite A Good Few Times & I've Always Received The Nicest Compliments Even From Stranger's Saying "Gosh What Is That Stunning Perfume Your Wearing"!! To Me Anyway,This Is A Very Mature,Classy Type Perfume More Suited To A Mature Lady/Woman,& As Someone Else Has Said "The Wise French Auntie"!! Wore When You Need That Extra Boost Of Confidence,Or You Simply Want To Be Refined & Elegant etc!! This Perfume Is All Those Thing's!! The Perfume Starts With The Most Beautiful Fruity Aroma Of Grapefruit & Then Pineapple Joins In!! It Does Kinda Reminds Me A Bit Of Diors "Miss Dior" In The Beginning But I Find Madam Gres To Be More Nicer & A Lot Cheaper Than Dior!! Yes This Perfume Starts Of Sweet But Certainly Not Headache Cloying In Anyway,+ The Longer It's Actually On Your Skin The Nicer & Nicer It Gets!! The Woodyness Is So Well Blended With The Stunning Patchouli It Just Makes Me Smile & Deffo Feel Good Factor!! The Minimalistic Design Of The Bottle "1940s Gres Style" To The Beautiful Apricot Colour Juice Contained Inside It!! & The Best Feature Is The Price It's Sold For On "Allbeauty.com"!! I Deffo Will Be Buying Another Bottle To Leave Away As It Really Is That Good!! Pure Class In A Bottle Without A Doubt!!

Lovely! Long lasting with impressive sillage, this pleasantly sweet, rich, smooth & powdery blend is a "must buy" for all Gres fans and lovers of oriental fragrances. Cardamom is seldom given top billing in a fragrance mix but here it's centered in the spotlight and I find myself wondering why it's not featured more often because it adds an unexpected pizzazz to what otherwise might have been "just another" oriental. Anyone unfamiliar with cardamom would be forgiven for mistaking its presence here for patchouli (also detectable in all its dark, chewy splendor) but as a baker who knows it well, I assure you it's here. And it is dazzling! Sandalwood is clearly identifiable as the source of Madame Gres' soft and slightly resinous, woody aspect. A drop of vanilla adds a spoonful of sugar that tempers patchouli's tart bite. The powdery floral aura is apparently provided by magnolia and peony but without the list of notes I'd have guessed pale pink roses instead. My nose detects no freesia, no pineapple nor the slightest hint of grapefruit. And despite the thumbnail of the black leather glove I really detect no leather except perhaps the tiniest bit of soft, pale, honey-colored suede but if I hadn't seen leather in the list of notes I'd never have guessed it was in themix either.. My initial impression was one of powdery/woody sweetness that held the promise of homey comfort and coziness. The hours passed however and Madame Gres took me by surprise as I realized she'd morphed into something both sophisticated and very "French" in the manner of "old money" elegance. She is most definitely Madame, not Mademoiselle. I am enormously impressed!