Minaudière

I am still getting to know this fragrance, so my review will be updated as it develops with longer experience, but as there are no other reviews, here are my initial impressions. Judith Leiber is not a top shelf selection house for me usually, although I do have several. I was hesitant with the release of Minaudiere that it would be yet another white floral, now featured with the popular candy and fruit notes. Like many of her fragrances, they can be a surprise and not what the notes would entirely indicate. The blossoms are the most notable to me, being lighter versions of otherwise sharp and/or overwhelming notes, including the cassis/black currant, which appears in Minaudiere as blossoms, rather than more potent forms. The musk grounds it but doesn't dominate, a relief for my skin that tends to amp up musk and civet. The apple is light and this not a fruity smelling potion but relies upon the blossoms to express some of the abundance of nature in full bloom with a light tartness, somewhat reminiscent of a Granny Smith. The sandalwood plays nicely off the tartness to allow the floral aspects to sweeten without overtaking it. This one is suitable for warm and hot days, picking up a bit of that creamy praline to make it feel a little different than the usual sheer florals, citruses and tropicals that tend to define warm season scents.