En Tendre

Thank goodness I located the crate in which my Matriarch samples were stowed during my historic move. I just chose at random En Tendre to don today and was delighted to discover a very assertive rose. This smells so natural and beautiful and basically the antithesis of the Sephora-sourced abstract swill I've been testing of late. The pyramid lists only rose and sandalwood as notes, but there is also an animalic quality to this composition--perhaps some mystery ingredients are in here as well? Musk? Ambergris? I find En Tendre much richer than the simple epithet "woody rose" would suggest... Nice work once again, Christi! (a double entendre, too!)

I just got my sample today, this is soft, sensual and yet there is something bright and carnal about these few notes. I got a beautiful fresh rose, not the synthetic or 'grandma' type ;) This is bright, juicy and freshly opened rose after the rain. It fades shortly and you are left with sandalwood, like, the best sandalwood I have smelled, so soft and smooth and has a depth to it. There must be something else here? It is gorgeous, sexy, feminine and wraps you in a light yet warm sensual aura

Wow. This is such a lovely, realistic sandalwood coupled with a sweet soft kiss of rose dusting powder. Equal parts of soft warm spiciness, gentle woody facets, and just a touch of that fine-milled soap aura. Smells just like a real sandalwood fan my mom once brought me as a souvenir. My only complaint is that after a HUGE opening burst it calms to a whisper on my skin; only with my nose <1inch from my skin can I smell much of it. It does last upwards of 6hrs at skinscent level for me though. Gorgeous, subtle, and oh so feminine chic.

Sorry in advance for being long winded!!! First, let me talk about this line. GORGEOUS scents using only the BEST ingredients available to man and then somehow I think the perfumer has a connection with The Man himself because her perfumes are like nothing else you have tried. She has taken what I thought I knew and completely flipped me upside down. Where am I going with this? These bottles, the offerings available from the House of Matriarch, are beautiful works of art. I know the samples may seem expensive but the ingredients are so pure and beautiful that one afternoon wearing one of her scents will be more than worth the price you paid!!! Ok...so on to En Tendre. I bought a sample of this because I love rose and I love sandalwood. Is that what you get??? Nope!!! This little beauty takes you on a ride in a totally different direction. From the HoM website...Rose is the sole heart note in this composition,1/3 of the total formula. Normally that proportion of rose oil would completely dominate a blend, but the top and base notes work their magic here to reveal a more transparent side of this treasured flower. It defies belief, you must smell this perfume for yourself. Most noses do not even detect rose as a salient note when wearing this fragrance, but everyone loves it. This is not the heady, rich and dominant fully bloomed rose that you know. I have had to sample this 5 different days just to confirm what I think I am smelling because I found myself totally perplexed with this one. Picking out the notes has been really tricky and I will never do this justice but here goes. Right out of the bottle I think I smell honeysuckle. Beautiful, bright and very vivid. After 20 minutes the honeysuckle is joined by some other white flowers...jasmine, tuberose. An hour in and finally smell the faintest rose peeking out. This perfume is lush and and dries down to THE MOST GORGEOUS sandalwood!!! I thought I knew sandalwood and was just about to buy a bottle of Santal Majuscule but wanted to try this one first as the notes appeared similar. This IS sandalwood. This puts all other sandalwood scents to shame!!! When they talk about the beauty of endangered sandalwood forests and the beauty of Mysore, this is without a shadow of a doubt the gorgeous, soft & creamy sandalwood that they are talking about. HoM scents are a journey not a destination. Be prepared to be amazed and get ready for one hell of a ride!!! The longevity and silage are better than most mainstream frags out there using aroma chemicals which is amazing to me b/c this line is natural. Beautiful lovely works of art!!!

This starts with a stunning rose. It's brightness is fleeting though as it lulls you into a warm blanket of and incredibly high quality creamy sandalwood. What you have here is an incredible houdini of the most brilliant and tender rose to a creamy sandalwood with depth, just beautiful. A true heart and soul scent. 5 hours of bliss.