Mon Boudoir

This is was created as a modern version of the 1919 perfume worn by Queen Marie of Romania. I believe great perfumes, like great paintings, great music and great art, in general, are timeless. And this is a timeless one. From the very beginning I felt this embracing warmth, in an ancenstral, archetypal, almost like from a time before even time itself way. It smells comforting in an alluring way, protective in a delightful, charming way, in a perfectly exquisite, witchy, mythical manner. It smells like wearing a long, deep red dress made from the most elegant fabrics, like color red itself worn in the most alluring, faultless flower garden there could be. It smells like flowers, the most beautiful ones, resting just after sunset, when they give off the most of their fragrance. It’s a hot summer night, just right before it will get a little chilly in the most comforting way. It smells like a faint whiff of chocolate embraced by flowery, rounded, deep vanilla. It smells like an ambery, classic boudoir that extends well outside its walls, right into the dimly lighted garden outside. The flowers tell the story of everything life was and everything it will be, leaving just the right amount of mistery to be written and discovered. The day is over and it was a glorious one.

To my nose, Mon Boudoir shares similarities with two modern creations - Nishane Ani and Grand soir. I haven’t compared them side by side, but in the opening and during the first hour it is definitely very similar to Ani. They even share quite a lot of notes in common. You can feel the zesty bergamot, spicy freshness coming from the ginger and pink pepper + a warm, sweet base whose stars are the vanilla and benzoin. I like it better than Ani, it feels less casual and not as loud. As time goes by, it starts to remind me more of Grand Soir, a more feminine and brighter version. I do not find it vintage, it is definitely more modern that the latest version of Shalimar, for example, which is part of a similar olfactory group, but I do not think they smell alike. Maybe if you layer Mon Boudoir with something incensy, you would, but I like it on its own. On my skin, it presents itself as a unisex fragrance, but more feminine leaning. Good longevity >6 hours, moderate projection. Very interesting and worth sampling. I am considering a full bottle.

I could just try today this perfume and i am imoressed. I am not a houbigant fan. The perfumes i have tried are too classical for me and, although i can feel the quality, i cant imaginé myself wearing dime of their perfumes. However this perfume has fascinated me. It isdelicated and very elegant. A flowery & sweet scent which is for me delicious. Totally unisex and versatile. Classical but full weareable nowadays. A must un my collection and one of my Next buying when It Will begin to be sold here un Spain LOVE! Scent: 10 Longevity: 8 Sillage: 7 Versatility: 10 Quality/price: 5 (185€/100ml, not cheap but fair according to the brand and the quality) Global: 8.5

I tried it, loved it, waited for the dry down impatiently, still loved it, and bought it with a big smile on my face. This does not happen often. To me it is not really a floral. It is more of a lightly sweet amber with some light woody note, incense or sandalwood maybe, at the base that makes it sensual and interesting. It also has a creamy vanilla that is rounding it all out really nicely. I can't stop smelling myself. It is beautiful. It sits close to the skin and is very warm. A perfect fall scent to cozy up with your lover.

Romantic velvety glamour. A delicious sweet balsamic opening that quickly dries to a linear powdery vanilla patchouli. A bit dusty. Smells like luxurious musk sticks (Australian candy). Absolutely nothing like Shalimar/Grand Soir - this is much more feminine and soft. Average longevity but I'm happy to respray and re-live that opening. I was unsure at first but now I'm addicted to the stuff!

Thankfully this doesn't smell like Shalimar to me. This is a gorgeous balsamic, ambery vanilla. It smells Regal in an old money kind of way. Expensive smelling for sure. Grand Soir vibes without smelling just like it... also reminds me of Tauer L'air too, but I much prefer this. This is probably the best ambery vanilla I've tried. It's a keeper.

sultry and lovely vanilla (including in the drydown). I thought this was most often compared to some of the older editions of shalimar, but that seems to have been down voted. Has a glamorous feel / vibe like atelier des ors lune feline, but without the animalic. Definitely one to try, classic and definitely not dated. Good longevity.

To the one above who said that it is a copy of Shalimar, hope you realise Mon Boudoir was created in 1919 whereas Shalimar was created in 1921. However, it's a spectacular fragrance!

This is chic, elegant and sexy at the same time. Luca is my favourite perfumer, everything he creates is always a work of art. ♥️

I feel Mon Boudoir is considered nice as a reformulation, with the most misleading name ever. Nothing boudoir. Nothing ambery about it. This is 100% vanilla, patchouli, and a powdery benzoin bed. You'll like it if you want a tinge of classic scent; if you love vanilla-centric type (not my style); and if you like some heady floral integration, Mon Boudoir is for you. The comment below compares it with Grand Soir and Ani when they have nothing alike. This one doesn't have that kind of spices. Opens with a tad bit of citrusy spices, then it turns full-formed into Shalimar's DNA but airier, more powdery, more floral, no leather/animalic or smokiness, and less sticky. Ylang-ylang and heliotrope overshadow other florals. Very linear, and I find it rather bland and boring. Dries down vanilla. Projection around arm's length or less.

Mon Boudoir is a classic amber fragrance from yesteryear. In the same class as Normandie by Patou. This is a fragrance that would have been worn by women of style, taste and class in the early and mid 20th century. It smells very vintage and if I didn't know better, I would swear I was smelling a vintage perfume. This opens bright and alive w/ crisp bergamot and zesty ginger. As the fragrance develops it becomes a warming spice and amber fragrance w/ subtle floral nuances that come in and out. A honey like vanilla sweetness comes through in the heart and all the way to the very end of the scent. Long lasting. If you love vintage ambers this is one you should check out.

I like this offer better than Essence Rare, and I would love to know how this wears as a spray (versus being dabbed on from a 1ml tester vile). My problem with this (and Essence Rare) is that some note(s) are really loud and jarring. It's a floral note. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, the effect keeps drawing me away from 'living in the moment' to 'living in awareness that this scent is too strong'. I would prefer the vintage version, i suspect.

So initially 4 months ago when I got this, even though it was beautiful- it was almost too powdery for me to wear. I almost sold it but instead just left it alone. Tonight when I sprayed it it has a LOT more complexity. So now I’ll need to do a full wear test to see how it actually wears because now it’s intriguing and sexy

For me the projection could be better. However it is an absolutely delicious scent that smells like confidence and wealth. Not a bad price point too.

Beautiful straight out of the box. This was a blind buy and I am happy I decided on it. Will update once I've done a wear test

For the love of what is all pretty and nicesmelling I'm almost anosmic to this scent. I get sort of like a faint drydown of vintage poison with something fizzy or sour added. But as for example molecule 01 sometimes comes and i smell it, then goes again, this stays just out of view (smell in this case). I can sort of sense it but very abstractly. What i get is very pleasant so im jealous of whoever can smell this. Tried it in different weathers, different times of day different times of the month... it stays elusive.

And yet another composition that is entirely being killed by an aromachemical trying in vain to emulate some woody note. Like one of those terrible artificial ingredients used for Tom Ford's Métallique it actually makes me nauseous. Is this the future of niche perfumery?

Day six of trying out the miniature set of Collection Privée to see whether I’d be tempted to buy a full bottle of any of these fragrances. Not this one, sadly. Mon Boudoir is pleasant enough, but I find it overly sweet in the same way as Quelques Fleurs Royale. Mon Boudoir is like opening a box of sugared almonds and calls to mind the nougats, candy floss and other sweets of my childhood. Where did the bergamot and other top notes go? I do wonder whether these miniature bottles with their tiny plastic stoppers are properly airtight and in any way representative of the more robustly manufactured full bottles. Of the six, the only one I’d buy a full bottle of is the Quelques Fleurs Jardin Secret, although I have succumbed to a heavily discounted Essence Rare that was missing its box on eBay. The one I found totally repulsive was La Belle Saison, and there again, I wonder if it has something to do with the way the bottles are capped. Given that out of all these fragrances I would only be tempted to use one, especially in view of their very fiddly stoppers and the difficulty of applying them when we are so used to atomiser sprays these days, I thought I’d have nothing to lose by experimentation. I decanted them all (except for La Belle Saison) into an empty atomiser bottle. The resulting blend was quite acceptable and much better as a sum than as its constituent parts.

Mon boudoir .. Let's start with the name if you have smelled the fragrance. Is it photorealistic as to how a boudoir, typically an oriental one would smell ? Polished Wood, linens, powders and creams, garments, shoes, bags. To me it is very vanillic sweet and woody. The patchouli was very noticeable in the middle alongwith a modest powdery aspect. The reviewer below who mentioned this is very linear and a bit boring is quite accurate as I tried it for the first time with very high expectations. I was looking for a more complex, rich with a little indolic touch sadly lacking here. To those who enjoy minimalistic approach like Histoire des Parfums Ambre114 this will be good. There's no point owning both. This is not just a reformulation but something altogether different of the og 1918/1919 creation only alike in name. I do not remember reading that Shalimar as we know her today is nothing at all like her past self. Indeed Shalimar is even today the benchmark for loads. If Jo Malone came out with sth like this I can understand the hype but for Houbigant the bar is set higher. My suggestion would be to give Ambre Cashmere by Patricia Nicolai a try, similar but better

Wow I LOVE this almost masterpiece!!! Its tragically let down by 2 hour longevity and arms length sillage- what a waste! I agree with a previous review- mix of Grand Soir and Ani minus the citrus. It smells opulent regal old money: elegant understated vanilla, middle notes of earthy cakey patchouli (similarity of gourmand notes of Ani) and base of warm rich amber. Its delicious but earthy and smells of gold all at the same time. I really love it!! But not worth the money given the quality