Ideal One

I had vouchers to spare and wanted to get By the Fireplace, but got this instead on a whim (it was a very intriguing scent in the store). I am not a fragrance reviewer by any means. I live in a climate where its summer all year long with maybe a few monsoon months, so I don't 'get' the concept behind seasonal scents. But in any case, the box art for this fragrance somehow makes sense. It definitely feels like some cosmic dance and all the notes just align and give each other the right amount of space or overlap and layer themselves perfectly. From the first spritz it opens as something fresh enveloped in something amber-y and lightly herb-y? And as it dries down the herbs get smokier and the amber becomes more lavender and suddenly there's vanilla and wood and it all comes together so well. I really really don't know how they concocted this to have everything hit just right for me. It can easily last up to 10+ hours on me, and the sillage at that point becomes very woody and somehow the herbs are back (still a really really good smell). Yeah this definitely lives up to its name (for me)

i was a little scared to smell this just purely looking at the reviews but i actually think this is a really sexy fragrance :) i get where someone might say it smells a bit metallic or like a garage (lmao) but it's a lot more woody than that in my opinion. if i smelled this on a man you would actually have to physically rip me off of him. this is so sophisticated and manly and the perrrfect amount of maturity. as someone who really hates lavender too i don't get much of that from this scent, mostly just a woody musky blend that pleasantly surprised me! love this, but i do agree this is not a safe blind buy. way too much hate in the reviews for this, i think that it may have to do with the name being a bit misleading. i had this 1.5 ml sample sitting around for a while and if i had tried to spray it before seeing the notes and scanning through the reviews i'm honestly not sure how much i would've liked it. a few hours after putting this on the vanilla reallllllyyy starts to come out. great fragrance.

IDEAL ONE – The Perfect One @maisonmargielafragrances This fragrance has a strong, distinctive scent with clear leathery and medicinal notes, balanced by a soft smoky touch. The opening reminds me of Gucci Guilty Absolute, then it shifts into a more medicinal vibe with a layer of luxurious vanilla. As it dries down, it reveals elegant woody tones with rubbery and resinous sides almost like the subtle scent of a car garage. The scent doesn’t really match the listed notes there’s an unmentioned leather and rubber accord that divides opinions. Some find it bold, elegant, and intriguing, while others think it feels too synthetic or heavy. Despite the mixed views, everyone agrees it’s a fascinating and unique fragrance one that truly stands out. A scent with its own charm perfectly living up to its name.

Smelled this in a store a few weeks ago and knew it would be a full buy. Smoky balsamic smoothness. Leathery and sweet. Its a fragrance I associate with wealthy women in expensive department stores. Theres more of a vanilla here than I expect but its in the background of the fragrance. Might be a top 10 fragrance for me. Soft herbal leather with a sweet smokiness to it. Vanilla base. The leather and wood is the most present. Guaiac wood is key. Pray they dont discontinue it like they did whispers in the library. All my favourite perfumes are getting binned.

I really like this! Was a bit afraid since I blind bought it and so many talk about gasoline notes in their reviews. Although I do like the smell of gasoline 😅 I don't get gasoline from this, just something warm and spicy with the lavender in the background. It is in the same neighborhood as liquid brun although I haven't compared them side to side yet. I find this truly unisex and will be wearing mine in days when the weather isn't too hot. Will update when I compare it to liquid brun but so far I'm happy 😁

Wow, how amazing this fragrance is. It has such a cosmic and truly beautiful genius scent, unlike anything familiar. That smoky, therapeutic aroma blends musky notes with majestic lavender and a deeply dignified character, giving it a dark, almost sinister aura. The fragrance feels intriguing and unusual, with a medicinal vanilla taste—fragile, dry, sweet, and bitter at once. Its performance is moderate, but this fragrance is truly a new icon and will undoubtedly become a signature in their collection.

my going-out fragrance of the year; you gotta like smoky with this one but personally i love it. i see people describing it as bbq or gasoline like and i can see it but i guess i find these scents addictive. its polarizing at first but then you can't get enough. i've gotten a lot of compliments on this one, impact is definitely there. I love it on me (female) but on my boyfriend is is SO sexy, the woody notes are super powerful on him

Absolutely adore this. It smells like the scent I always get from mixing tom ford mhyrre mystre with jazz club or my luca by tsu lang yor. So so so yummy & sultry & organic. Interesting to me that everyone is talking about it smelling super artificial, maybe just different reactions on skin. Genuinely so delicious & woody - dont smell the lavender at all. Honestly i'm so obsessed so it surprises me how much people hate it.

This is an absolutely gorgeous fragrance. I think the poor ratings stem from the fact that the fragrance doesn't really tie into the name, like the other MM Replica ones do. It's deep, complex, powerful. Tons of character to it. Smells powerful from the get go and then dries down to a mix of Ombre Leather and a middle Eastern spicy, resinous vibe. Overall, a lovely fragrance. Not blind buy safe, though.

This goes through gucci guilty absolute, pauses at loewe 7 anonimo in a balsamic sense and then dries down into a fragrance that I associate with wealthy women, I think ive only ever smelled this particular woody smell on wealthy women in department stores in London. Will be a full buy

Amazing fragrance, but the bottle leaked during a flight. I didn’t want to find out the hard way. 😅 Even taping the sprayer didn’t help. I really hope Maison Margiela improves this.

I’m usually not keen on orange blossom and lavender but this is something else, wow.

Testing Ideal One from a 1.5 Maison Margiela official sample. I don’t know if for everyone the ideal perfume would be something super smoky, bitter, oudy, intense resinous, spicy and dark, because the opening of Ideal One is that and nothing else! Personally I doubt this scent would be a mass appealing one and many people would prefer it over something less smoky. But this aside, as the guaiac wood, styrax and elemi gets tamed by an almost equal amount of vanilla, orange blossom, lavender and musk, the scent gets way more balanced and more likeable. It’s something that I could enjoy, but only after the first half an hour and not enough to spend my money on it... For me personally, this scent is a bit too far from my ideal one and I am happy to pas on it. I like smoky and woody, but not at this extent! By the Fireplace is for me the maximum of smoke I can enjoy in a fragrance, that for me, as a woman, still feels perfumey but slightly edgy. Maybe Ideal One is ideal scent for some men, because this is masculine to the core. And cold weather appropriate only!

I asked for a sample of this at Nordstrom and the lady helping me said "ew". I get it. This is not going to work for most people, but I like it. If you like it, just find someone else that like this, especially because this is such a musky fragrance and this is kind of what I imagine raw-love-skin should smell like (Oh just realized Ideal One is the title. Maybe I'm influenced). If that sounds disgusting, smell "Night by Akro" because THAT is disgusting, and that is what they modeled that fragrance after (dirty hot sweaty sex). This is like what Akro Night should have been. But anyways this IS REALLY GOOD

Very nostalgic, almost like your grandmas house or a vintage store, which is a unique scent profile I’ve realised I really like. If you like Volutes by Diptyque, you’ll enjoy this. leather with a hint of lavender and a spicy sweet vanilla that’s reminiscent of Eau delle (which doesn’t suit me but I like it on others.) very tempted to get a full bottle though but I can’t tell you where I’d wear it! The citrus is there but very much an undercurrent. A winter / autumn signature, just wish it had more versatility. This lasts really well too.

In REPLICA’s view, the ideal man must smell like he’s been working in a car shop all day - the smell of solvents, oil and leather emanating from his skin. He comes home after being a grease monkey all day and bathes himself before attempting to mask the workshop scent with a spritz of fougère cologne. He sighs. The smell of cars and solvents is a part of him now, and he has learned to embrace it.

More musky and more woody Althair. A cross of woody and gourmand fragrance. I appreciate it and i like it, but i wouldn't wear it. It smells very french, if that makes any sense

I have a bottle I would like to swap or sell. Message me if interested 😁 UPDATE: claimed!

Smells exactly the same as tom ford eau d’ombre leather

Edt but strong Margiela powerhouse Period