Myrrhe & Merveilles

Like bel.gravia below, I too am mesmerized by Myrrhe & Merveilles. It took me some time to write a review and to determine whether I liked or loved it. If hasty, it could be very easy to write this off as No. 5 dupe - or let's say an homage to be more diplomatic. I don't know how Keiko manages to evoke the smell and feel of aldehydes without actually using any, but I will chalk it up to the magic of the craft. Having the opportunity to smell something that conjures up the No. 5 of my youth - the perfume specifically - is a treat in itself, but Keiko brings us beyond that initial impression. It's a bit of a cliche to say that a fragrance is so well blended that it's hard to pick out individual notes, but in this instance its true. It's almost as if the intention isn't to highlight any one or two particular notes with the others lending support, but rather to combine the notes in such a way as to create entirely new accords. I don't smell myrrhe specifically, or jasmine. What I smell instead is some type of entirely new resin, with orange adding a slight sweetness and aromatic quality, and musk rounding it all out. As for the almond, I can't really say much. As I've already said, it's just another note to me contributing to the creation of something. M&M is that rare thing - something both new and familiar at the same time. Is M&M a masterpiece? I am sure that many more people than not would say "No way!", and perhaps they would be right. But does it deserve more love and respect in the fragrance community than it has generated? In my opinion, that would be a resounding yes. There's no doubt that this is a serious love for me.

(A review originally posted on MakeupAlley in 2005, I wanted to re-post it here now because I do not use MakeupAlley anymore [but have many fond memories of using it] and I am trying to get back into writing reviews, using old 'work' as inspiration...): I love this fragrance. I cannot recall exactly the La Myrrhe from Lutens, except that I remember it being sweeter somehow with a different drydown. This Keiko Mecheri M&M is redolent of dry, sweet (bitter) roasted almonds to me, it is a musty masterpiece, all I smell is almonds and myrrhe. I have just written a review for Etro's Messe di Minuit en these two seem to compliment each other nicely. My husband finds it almost irritatingly plastic and again musty (not his favorite), but this is exactly what I love about it. It has a fascinating quality that keeps me sniffing my wrists or back of my hand where I often spray perfumes to test them--waiting for it to develop further, a mystery to puzzle. I think my favorite components are the way almonds are captured in this, like an insect in amber (there is a hint of orange in this concoction too...). It's a very vivid perfume and strangely calls to mind open fields under blue sky for me, as it is full of promise and comfort somehow, as all my favorite perfumes are. Sweet, exquisite, delectable...regal. Cannot wait to get a full bottle.

Absolutely huge scent. I have the black bottle and was lucky to buy a near full older bottle from a trusted local seller. To my nose this is more like No.22 more so than No.5....the resins are very intense and slowly swim up and emerge through the crunchy and powdery aldehydes like golden pinecones being revealed through a dusting of snow (odd imagery but that’s what I get) - white, amber and shiny gold. This moves from cool to warm always holding a crispness about the shoulders. Clean and elegant I find it unisex with a slight lean femme on my skin. Eternal and very strong I wear this with some caution. I have decided I don’t need to buy No.22 while I have this baby and have weeded out several other beauties in the same vein. Amouage Gold Woman remains :) (edit 04/2026 vintage Gold Woman departs but vintage Dia Woman remains)

This is one of the most extraordinary fragrances I own, and I love it dearly. For me this is aromatherapy in a bottle, it's almost like an anti-depressant. The first minute the smell is VERY strong with acrid and sparkling aldehydes; so strong that it actually stings my nose. But it settles very quickly into the clean-sweet and fresh aroma of tangerines surrounded by wonderfully sweet myrrh and light resins. The longer I wear it, the more I notice some aromatic spices come to the foreground. They give the fragrance depth and make this a very warm and aromatic smell which lasts nearly all day on my skin. I do understand the negative reviews as well. This perfume has such a unique personality that you either hate or love it. I think there's no middle way.

Even though the note pyramid seems completely different, this smells identical to my mum's vintage bottle of Chanel No.22 ! Think of No.22 with the top notes dulled down /deteriorated and the floral aspects more towards the background and blended in rather than on the foreground, and this is what Myhhre & Mervilles smell like. Long lasting and great silage, very comforting and opulent in a old school glam sort of way. If you're into aldehydic, powdery, make-up style powdery boudoir sort of scent, this is recommended.

Truly beautiful,a sweet and hypnotic myrrh with other resins .. I love almond and mandarin that give softness to the parfum. It is mystical and powerful, from the piercing and unforgettable scent this scent I like and I think it will be part of my collection! I love the scents Keiko Mecheri, and I like that! The sillage is strong, the longevity is very good!! Sillage: 8.5/10 Longevity: 9/10 Scent: 9/10 Overall: 9./10

Wow, this really, really reminds me of Chanel #5 but it is a lot more wearable. The aldehyde here doesn't bother me like Chanel's aldehydes or maybe I am becoming an aldehyde lover because let me tell you I have been craving aldehydes like mad as of late and I may have to revisit Chanel #5 at some point. When you first spray Myrrh and Merveilles there is a huge blast of mandarin orange combined w/ aldehydes and it gives an almost creamsicle champagne like smell. Turning it into a high-end feminine perfume. Deep resins and sweet myrrh become very pronounced as the fragrance goes along. A powdery jasmine that is very much like the jasmine in all of Chanel perfumes that use a lot of jasmine is here as well. Personally, I think this perfume is an homage to Chanel #5 but created for a new audience. It is sweeter than Chanel #5 and less antiseptic and a lot more approachable. There is almost a wedding cake kind of sweetness here, like wedding cake w/ a fluffy orange w/ a hint of almond butter cream frosting, but in a perfume way. To me this is what a good gourmand perfume should be like. This perfume makes a woman smell very approachable and almost edible in a sensual way, but she doesn't smell like actual food. The dry down becomes more of a sensual myrrh and jasmine boudoir dusting powder found on a rich woman's vanity. This is a rich and classy amber perfume that for me has a gourmand feel to it. Quite yummy. I should have rated this a love; this is the type of perfume I gravitate towards. Classic style done in a new way. Edit: 1/21/23 I must be lucky while some of the reviewers below found poor longevity I was blown away by the powerful longevity of this perfume. The person I met here who gifted me very generous samples from her collection from this one sample she sent me that I would judge was about 3-4mls I will be able to have at least 3 wears from this one sample and I am an over sprayer. Longevity and sillage were beast mode for me. I just love this perfume. Such a shame this is no longer in production and nowhere to be found. I would buy a bottle if I could find one. Edit:2/18/23 This perfume is kind of like Chanel no 5 eau de Premiere and Jean Patou's L'Heure Attendue Heritage Collection had a baby. And even though I own and LOVE both of them I still wish I could get a bottle of Myrrhe and Merveilles also. I hope a pallet of these are found somewhere and then sold to Fragrancenet so I can buy one.

It may be my own fault but personally: Myrrh Merveilles misses the mark. It's powerful, distinctive and vintage-classy ... but falls into the quadrant of Things I Don't Like because of its strongly soapy-aldehyde feel at the top. It smells of 'perfume' rather than any really specific things or places. And the images it conjures are sort of the stifling burdens of 40s-50s femininity - corsets and girdles and department-store "ladies' fragrances" counters - rather than kitschy retro fun. With all those resins (wow!) and orange (oh yes!) it looked so promising, but somehow it turns out not chewy and delicious, but acrid and gaseous on my skin. Yes, it does seem kindred to more old-fashioned femme Chanels, with that same sort of slightly hard-edged, chemical-alcohol aura, and that's a hard no for me. HOWEVER. Don't be put off. There is very definitely myrrh in there and it's an intriguingly clean, airy, citric/soapy take, so if you love this note in all its forms you'll still be good. (For myself, it's gotta be dry and warm and spicy and ideally slapped into shape by some frankincense, and that's not happening here.) It's put together with the usual Keiko Mecheri good taste and restraint. Performance is impressive and it definitely makes an impression. It would never be WRONG. You could wear it anywhere without any embarrassment. But somehow, for me: more mediocre than marvellous. Myrrhomaniacs must definitely apply, though.

Like Archivist, I have an older bottle of this. My reaction is very similar to hers. I expected deep and resinous, but what I got was soap. It was very off putting at first. Much like taking a taste of something you expected to be sweet, but it turns out to be tart. The indie scents section has a myrrhe theme week going on, and after reading thru the introduction, I learned that there are different kinds of myrrhe in perfume, ones that smell on the sweeter side and others that fall under a medicinal category. This perfume falls under the latter. With that knowledge, I decided to dig my bottle out again, and try it. After a couple wearings, I am now in love with this perfume. Everyone needs one of those warm clean scents in their wardrobe, and I had never been able to find one that suited me. This fills that role perfectly. I'm very happy I decided to give it another go. Being that this is an older formulation, I'm really not sure how it compares to the newer one. If you can find this older version though, snatch it up.

Great Chanel 5 variation. Somewhere between original C5 and C5 Eau Premier and a bit creamier. It is also similar to Serge Lutens La Myrrhe. I am surprised that Ylang and Aldehydes are not mentioned in the notes. I have a old version in the clear brick shape bottle. I would say it is not super modern, but not too vintage vibe either.

La soapy Myrrhe Finally a perfume from this brand with a decent intensity and who doesn't smell an insipid pastel musk after 30min on skin. A good but really not as good as La Myrrhe de Lutens, soapy aldehidic myrhh. There is less details and a fresh/bubbly almond milk soap smell at the end. This nice simplified version of Lutens just plays around the waxy and clean sheet note of aldehide with the mineral waxy and minty note of myrhh like a hot iron hiss on a white starched shirt, but it's plenty. Moderate longevity and sillage.

This is another perfume which reminds me of Chanel 5. Also YSL's Opium. When I first smelt this I instantly thought of my mum, who wears the Chanel. The myrrh, jasmine and citrus blend together to give a slightly aldehydic effect. I can only just pick out the almond, but it is there, smoothing the fragrance a little and adding a slight nutty sweetness that I always associate with almonds. As I said about another fragrance that reminds of Chanel 5 - If you've tried Chanel 5 but weren't too sure about it, try this. It's quite similar but has a slight variation on the theme that might appeal to you.

I had high hopes for this one.. myrrhe being one of my top notes - but like some others the first impression is of a very unpleasant soapy mess that is not dissipating and makes me want to scrub it off. I don't smell the myrrhe at all.

This is very strong, I can compare it to the original Opium. It's quite deep and complex, very balmy. It's good if you're into that kind of fragrances where you want to smell like spices, but I'll pass, I'd rather smell like flowers.

I love Myrrhe Ardente, but Myrrhe & Merveilles is disgusting and cheap smelling. I will give my sample away. ETA: Everybody hated the sample...

Now here's a musk perfume for true musk aficionados (which I'm not, by the way). Keiko Mecheri MYRRHE & MERVEILLES is in fact so musky that it reminds me of Frédéric Malle MUSC RAVAGEUR, of which I was unable even to finish a single sample vial! Okay, it's true: the Malle sample vials are huge, but still... I was surprised to find that reviewers have been comparing MYRRHE & MERVEILLES to ... drum roll ... CHANEL NO 5! What???????? Not an aldehyde anywhere here to be sniffed. What could this possibly mean? Perhaps those people have no idea what CHANEL NO 5 actually smells like and are simply guessing from the recent Brad Pitt ad campaign. col (CACKLE OUT LOUD!!!!!!) In all seriousness, I wonder whether the dominant myrrhe tears in this composition may be playing out very differently before different people's nostrils. What *I* am smelling is big, big, big unambiguous, "come hither" musk! Why this is a veritable musk bomb to me! Not, therefore, on my wish list. The choice for Cary Grant may have been "leg or breast?" but for many of us perfumistas, the far more basic choice is: "ambergris or musk". I'm an ambergris woman myself.

Myrrhe & Merveilles is the full of suprises, really good ones. It's more a beautiful flora than an oriental to me. It starts off really sweet, well-blended nectar sweetness with a light optimistic spirit just bursts out the second it touches your skin. It has to be the combination of mainly citruses and jasmine according to the notes I can read here, but it's so well-done, so refined and I cannot smell any stand-out jasmine or orange. When the happy and light spirited sweetness goes away, I smell slightly powdery notes, deliciously luxury. It reminds me really nice ivory-colored soap. The dry-down is like a much refined and wearable version of Floral by Kenzo and Baby by Harajuku Lovers; it's quite comfy, powdery, clean sweet with a really really tiny nutty hint, slightly cold, which is a really nice way to express myrrhe and really merveilles.

Just received this in the mail two days ago . My initial impression is that the perfume is STUNNING . This composition is incredibly beautiful and complex and extremely elegant , that is for the ONE HOUR I can detect it before it literally disappears . If you read reviews you will see complaints about longevity . Take them seriously and spare yourself . Buy a sample before you order a bottle because it is a gorgeous but fleeting vapor . I can honestly say it is one of the most impressive perfumes my nose has had the pleasure of sniffing. The creator is definitely genius, but the product is seriously flawed because it vanishes quickly . I have another friend who also purchased this one and she is having the same results with the scent vanishing quickly .

Myrrh & Merveilles is reminiscent of those rebellious '80's aldehydic powerhouses, but with a strong nod to the modern sensibility. This is a very dry and balsamic resin perfume. The Ivory soap comparison is valid... until about 20 minutes in, when the jasmine strengthens to soften and sweeten the notes, and the resin develops. Worth the wait, but it's not for everyone. Heavy on the musk. This contemplative perfume will appeal to vintage lovers, non-gourmandises (despite the nut note), and out-of-the-box sprayers. M&M has moderate silage. Longevity - 6 hours and counting.

I have a large decant of many years ago. I like Keiko perfumes,despite the prices.But they have all a nuance of refined spirituality,beauty and grace that I adore.Despite the name,I smell in the top Almond and Jasmine,very relaxating marriage.The balsamic vibe is very balanced with mandarine in the middle and a subtle musk,like Muskiris.At the same time I catch a little spark of Chanel n.5,but more voluptous and brilliant. Very good work,and in the niche perfumery it is very difficult now to say this. Japanese mood,I like it.

I do believe indeed someone find similarity with Chanel n5. This smell a lot of aldehydes and old fashioned fragrances like Sortilege, le dix, smell opoponax and light jasmine, beeswax, hairspray, something of the 70s. It is a nice fragrance a sort of oriental fragrance filtered by a french view. Actually make me think more to an very old chic woman than an orient voyage. Very old school perfume, but interesting.

Really chanelesque. Lanvin Arpege, Amouage Dia, Chanel No. 5, Myrrhe and Merveilles are all in the same category. This perfume is very grounded, not heavy but... assertive, confident, stable. Beautiful aldehydic perfume. It is an airy sparkly aldehydes scent matched with spiritual creamy sandalwood, ceremonial myrrh and hints of magical white flowers. I am one of these people who got absolutely mesmerized!

This scent reminds me of vintage Je Reviens. I found it rather disappointing. Felt that something with myrrhe in the name should be more mysterious. OK, but a very vintage scent and I would not buy a whole bottle.

Very pretty aldehydic carnation, but it's very very similar to Chanel #5 in the cream form (NOT in the liquid form) and Camay soap. Lovely, but not what I expected.

I can see why some would draw the comparison with Chanel No.5. Not that they are similar but M&M has an aldehyde accord/effect at the opening.

Wow!! This fragrance just hypnotizes me!! It’s absolutely wonderful!! So warm, oriental, wrapping..... Extraordinary!!!