Mon Paris Secret

This encompasses the dusty sweetness of Coromandel, Guerlain tonka and vanilla and the clean vintage touch of Reminiscence laundry. The pearl of the house. Pleasant and very feminine 70s. Not being surrounded by women, I gladly exterminated the ampoule between the linen drawers in the bedroom....secured dreams. In a word: serene.

Absolutely crazy how this perfume is almost a twin to Shalimar !! But there is no wonder when we know that Jean--Michel Duriez actually was part of the Guerlain team. From the very beginning, the resemblance to Shalimar is absolutely knocking-off : hadn't I known it was "Mon Paris Secret" in the sample so kidnly sent to me by my perfume friend, I would have thiught I was testing Shalimar. The fragrance remains linear (which is not a defect, as I always say) : the beginning is bergamot,patchouli and opoponax, very Shalimaresque. I guess the mango, which is not detectable in its typical juicy yummy note, gives roundness to the composition and makes it softer than Shalimar, where the bergamot is more pronounced. It then remains like this, bergamot tamed town by the roundness of the mango along with a soft subdued iris note lying on a bed of patchouli, opoponax and Tolu balsam. I can't detect the vanilla per se but I guess it is part of the oriental base notes and participates to the Shalimar effect. Still there is no comparison with the (hopefully) way more obvious vanilla (vanillin) in Shalimar. Actually, the two fragrances set them part in the very far base notes : where "Mon Paris Secret" becomes fancier due to the roundness of the mango, Shalimar remains opulent, strictly oriental and enveloping. Longevity is excellent : I sprayed it four times on my wrist yesterday around 9.30 AM and today at 10.30 AM, while I am writing this review, I still can smell it without having to stick my nose to my wrist. It distinctly remained with me all day long yesterday and I got whiffs of it even during the night. Sillage is a bit more than arm-length from my experience, but I guess it could be stronger if sprayed in the neck. Very good quality perfume, haute parfumerie. Could I wear it ? No, because it is too similar to my Shalimar, which I prefer to this still nice creation. Actually,testing it, I just feel like buying a new bottle of Shalimar EDP, which is and remains the Empress.

Hmm.. a powdery soft sweet blend with soft patchouli, opoponax, and tolu balsam. It has iris like powder note with coriander, lapdanum, and hints of cinnamon powder that leans bits towards the light creamy texture. This has sort of vintage channel stamp! i mean Channel brand vibes in general and not a certain fragrance, it just gives that romantic Parisian love story vibes that took place in the 60s or early 70s. It's not sexy but romantic, very tender, soft, and skin like blend with good silage. "Mon Paris Secret" does fit Brigitte Bardot in the 60s.