Renee Carmine

Beautiful bottle, beautiful name (hey, I'm biased), with a very pretty jasmine-plus-yellow-florals juice. This is my first day of a full wear, but I already know that it lasts a very long time on paper and fabric from an earlier test. There is something about Renee Carmine that reminds me of Tharwah ever so slightly (the jasmine and woody aromachemicals and musks in the base), which means that it might remind some people of YSL Libre Intense, but Renee Carmine isn't a dupe for Tharwah the way that Tharwah is a dupe for Libre Intense. It's just in the same family--perhaps she's the shy and elegant cousin of Tharwah, the one whose appeal isn't as immediately obvious but whose lovely features and graceful manner shine through. The jasmine sambac note in Renee is very much in the "grape soda" territory at first, but it calms down quickly. I do think this might account for all the Alien upvotes in the "reminds me of" section. Renee is nowhere near as aggressive as Alien, which is a perfume I have struggled to enjoy even as I admire it. In fact, most of the time that I put on Alien these days, I regret it--I might feel differently if I had another formulation, but all I have is the sad L'Oréal iteration, not the original Mugler, so don't fight me, Alien fans. I would love to try Tilia someday to see whether Renee Carmine is an impression of or even an improvement on that perfume, which has long intriguted me anyway because I'm a huge linden fan. I have a little-leaf linden in my front yard, and in that brief period every spring when it blossoms, you'll find me huffing the branches like Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet. I noticed, of course, that the notes breakdown for Renee seem to lack the linden note, which disappointed me, but damned if I don't smell it anyway. I'm wondering if Maison Alhambra just omitted the note from the official list to ward off a lawsuit or something, or if they actually didn't include the note. I think I smell it, but this could be the perfume version of the placebo effect, the power of suggestion. It seems as if linden SHOULD be in the beautiful yellow haze of yellow florals, and lo!, it is. I know the bottle matters less than almost any other aspect of a fragrance, but man oh man is this a good one. Not only is it highly functional, of obvious quality and weight, it is just so PRETTY and not in the campy, over-the-top way of some of my other beloved Middle Eastern darlings (I'm looking at youuuuuuuuu, Lattafa!). This is a perfume with which I am very happy to share a name--it's almost like having a monogrammed bottle ready made. I have to admit that I blind bought this perfume on the basis of good reviews and THAT NAME, so you can imagine my relief that I like it. And now I can go back to my no-buy in 2026 plans and hope that Maison Alhambra doesn't put out a perfume called Saller in the interim.

Renee Carmine is super close to Tilia. I tested a 10 ml sample of Tilia for a few days before ordering Renee Carmine to compare, and for me, the resemblance is so strong that I can’t justify paying full niche price for the original. At this price point, I can spray generously and enjoy it without holding back. It captures that same clean-laundry-meets-floral feel -fresh, bright, happy 😊 . The heliotrope adds a soft, powdery ness and there’s a creaminess to the dry-down that feels balanced on my skin, it keeps drawing me in and making me want to keep sniffing. Performance is impressive: strong, long-lasting, especially on clothes, where it lingers. In hot weather, it’s been my effortless daily choice and easy to wear. I’ve already got a back-up bottle .

I have not try Tilia yet, but it feels good to know that it is considered a dupe to a niche one. Renee perfume is a great scent by itself. Super soft, musky, kind of soapy, very gentle on the flowers. It does not project big time, more of a skin scent for sure. Nothing grunny, nothing cheap, though. On the contrary, I feel posh by wearing this and it suits better younger women and girls. Office scent and people pleasing. Buy by all means, very good deal, safe blind buy. I LOVE it, I want to gatekeep this, I mean I love it that much... Update: compliment getter alert 🚨

Woooow! I never smelled ”Tilia” before so I cant compare them to each other but this is a top notch, superb and unique scent! I was so surprised by how a 20€ perfume could be so PERFECT! This is feminine class in a bottle. It’s mature, modern, ”airy” and fresh. A very safe blind buy. Maison Alhambras best production this far (I have over 30 of MAH scents). The only ”bad” thing about it, is that It doesnt last so long on the skin as I would love to. I will not complain though, the price compensate for that 😆. I’ll give ”Renée Carmine” a STRONG 9,5/10!

I'm surprised. I'm testing Tilia on one hand and Renee on the other. There's definitely differences in the opening. Initial spray from renee is a lot of alcohol, after a minute it settles in to a sweet yellow floral with a hint of metallic note. Tilia however it's more airy and opens with yellow florals and a green scent. Renee is beautiful and if you enjoy yellow florals and sweet scents you'll enjoy this one. Tilia is more airy and nuanced, while Renee is sharp and sweet. They are very similar in the dry down.