Mélilot

ETA: Here is where the discrepancy with this fragrance seems to lie: If one is used to florals, this will likely lean gourmand (especially in the drydown), and if one is used to sweet gourmands, this will likely lean floral (especially in the heart). I appear to have been downvoted, if that's what the star balloon indicates, for my honest review that I hoped would be helpful to anyone interested in purchasing the fragrance outside of Europe, which is hilarious to me. And also, that star balloon is very pretty, so I'll wear it with pride as someone who can actually still write well on my own in the age of AI-generated and AI-assisted everything. After some time with Mélilot, I will say I do get a small impression of hazelnut within the first few seconds, but it is still very much a yellow floral over the course of its duration (as advertised). I now, after more experience with fragrances, note the slight similarity to other yellow floral fragrances, like Bee by Zoologist, but this is softer and less honeyed. Again, there is none of the fresh green sweetness that is the actual sweet clover my papaw loved so much and used to cajole me into smelling on our nature walks, but she does resemble sweet clover in the powdery yellow floral way. And nothing like red blossom clover, as one expect, but adding some of the green clover would have been inspired. I will try layering it with Oriza L Legrand's Déjà le Printemps in order to invoke those memories more fully. ★Update!★ Layering this with Déjà le Printemps DOES work and gives more of that meadow vibe, though the blend concentrates more into a mélange of florals at times. Still, the pairing is precious to me as a scent that brings back memories of my mamaw and papaw and the time we spent in prairies, parks, and fields 🥰 Original Review: As a note to North Americans, Mélilot is currently a European-only L'Occitane offering and it seems that even European beauty merchants who ship overseas do not carry this and one will need to muck about with mail-forwarding services or buy from a private individual. I did the latter, choosing a popular reseller on eBay. This is my first day with Mélilot, and it is not exactly what I had envisioned from the description, the alleged notes, and the reviews, but it is very pleasant nonetheless. And I say this as a person who typically cannot stand floral perfumes. It is definitely a floral, make no mistake, but it is powdery, clean, and sweet— in that order. A bit too flowery for my tastes during the first hour or so, but it settles into something warmer and sweeter later. I have smelled fresh sweet clover often when it is in bloom and it is a gorgeous fresh sweet green scent. This is much less green. Possibly not green at all. It is still sweet, but think soapier, potpourri sweet as compared to the actual fresh flowers. And as for the hazelnut? None that I detect. I have Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa '62, and that is very hazelnut-forward. Mélilot, though, is all about wildflowers. After it dries down for a few hours, I do detect a tiny bit of bran or wheat, maybe, but it has been over 3 hours with it so far and it's still mostly flowers. That being said, it does achieve what I find nearly impossible— a beautiful, likeable, unique floral. As a floral, I would rate it a 9/10 or perfect 10/10. As for fragrances overall in all categories, I would say it merits an 8.5/10. I rate it as "love" here and I look forward to experimenting with layering, maturation, and rotation.

Melilot, also known as sweet clover, is a plant often referred to as boreal vanilla, sweetly nutty and reminiscent of newly mown grass. L'Occitane's Mélilot curiously lists extract of Melilotus officinalis, yellow melilot, among its ingredients, and while I am familiar with the dark, viscous melilot absolute (which I acquired from the now sadly shuttered White Lotus Aromatics), I have little knowledge of this extract. I can imagine that it does serve a purpose here in creating the accord, but beyond its more obvious coumarin core, Mélilot pleases me with its prominent cereal and bran biscuit characteristics. This convergence of grassland nuttiness and warm digestives with Wheatabix is as comforting as a belly rub in the meadow at sunset. Its dry down is what I can best describe as a blonde musk, toothsome and soft, with lingering traces of nut and grain and sweet clover whispers. If I were forced to categorize Mélilot it would be countryside gourmand: nothing too sweet or savory, only slightly green, enjoyed amongst wildflowers. I do want to give my regards to the reviewer below who simply states: "if you want to smell like a muesli bar, this is the one." Yes, that too.

It is rare to find a scent this unique. Mélilot smells exactly like a rustic kitchen making a loaf of bran or wheat bread with roasted hazelnuts. Alternatively, it smells like a simple breakfast of wheats or bran (many cereals have them) with a little honey and vanilla extract to sweeten things up. I think it can be a little challenging to noses. It's gourmand in a way that's more savory and grounded than many people who enjoy the genre would prefer.It is also a little more earthy and green than some floral lovers might enjoy. For me personally, I think it's a work of art that could easily become a signature scent if it speaks to you. This is a scent for the person who has no desire to yell their presence, but wear something entirely themselves. I've heard rumors of discontinuation (L'Occatine did not make gift sets of it this year, which is usually a omen of discontinuation or a scent that does not sell well), which doesn't surprise me. Get a smell while you can! It's currently on sale, and I must admitt a temptation to double dip!

Somehow warm and fresh simultaneously. Like a bakery or freshly chopped harvest. Its familiar. I don’t usually deviate from fruity, fresh tart scents but this is so beautiful and smooth. Sweet in a really natural, subtle and chronic way. Like if I harvested wheat and bran from my field and baked it into digestives from scratch the same day, then this would be the scent that would be wafting out my windows among all my other grain crops. Loosely biscuity. Gourmand but not rich? I think the greenness really balances the gourmand resulting in something very natural. Also delightfully nutty. Comforting, early autumn vibe. I love this.

This is the most unique scent I’ve smelled in a long while. The combination of hazelnut, hay, and bran is so comforting and addictive. It is a gourmand but does not cross over to the overly sweet territory. I wish it was a little stronger and lasted longer, but it is still a beautiful skin scent. If you like musky skin scents with a hint of nutty sweetness, this is it. It might be my new favourite perfume. EDIT : this is the best buy of 2024 to date. I love it.