Up At Dawn

I am in LOVE! I don't usually blind buy fragrances anymore, but I risked it for this one and it paid off. This matches the description perfectly and it transports you to a beautiful English countryside garden. Think early morning dew, freshly cut stems, and roses swaying in the wind. It isn't a heavy, overpowering rose scent at all; it's quite light and fresh. It's like the roses are in the garden, but they're in the distance and their scent is being carried by the breeze. There's also an earthiness to it. Honestly, It smells exactly like when you cut the stem of the rose more so than sniffing the head of a rose. The fresh greenness of the stem comes through quite strongly and is incredibly realistic. I do also get some pink pepper, but it's not overpowering and I couldn't smell it past the initial spray. This fragrance makes me want to wake up at dawn, spray this on and have a slow morning tending my garden.🌺🪷 Oh & I read a review saying this smells like an "old lady rose" and I completely disagree. To me this is quite a youthful take on rose and it's also hyper realistic of freshly cut rose stems. The earthy tones make it feel more modern and to me this is a slightly "clean girl," slightly sweet, vintage-meets-modern green floral. Tbf I can't imagine teenagers wearing it, but as a mid 30's woman who loves cottagecore, tending her garden and wearing pretty vintage skirts, this fits my vibe perfectly.

I’m usually not a fan of rose fragrances, it's rarely a scent profile I gravitate toward, yet this one has me completely addicted. The opening is sharp and captivating, striking a balance between vibrant Pink Pepper and a green, cassis-like nuance. It’s damp and airy, possessing a vibrant quality that makes the rose feel alive, as if still covered in morning dew. This subtle tartness adds a soft sharpness, making the entire fragrance feel beautifully elusive. The rose itself is sophisticated, dewy, and sexy. It unfolds slowly, remaining clean and modern—a far cry from your typical powdery or old-fashioned rose. Everything feels controlled and understated. What truly sets it apart is the dry down: a little dirty, mossy, and earthy. There’s a quiet sensuality here, a mysterious animalic undertone that gives the scent incredible dept, like a rose garden at dawn in a mischievous, intimate atmosphere. I would agree it project kind of a british « Downtown Abbey » charm: impeccably polite on the surface, yet maintaining a gaze that lingers just a bit too long. It’s a refined nobility hiding a very deliberate, seductive intent. For a Replica scent, this is a masterclass in memory and mood. It’s the rose for people who don't like rose, and it completely shifted my perception.

Think garden soil still cool from the morning, soft and dark-brown and still holding onto the ground before the day has risen. Not dirty, none rooty, simply the damp ground behaving itself beneath your garden boots. It's quiet. The air is pale. It's still outside—you're awake before everyone else. The roses you tend to are more dampened by the atmosphere than drenched in dew, which is nicer somehow. Less picturesque. More real. Like the flowers, you sit out in that bluish early light, single stalk in your hand. There is just enough softness all around, and for a moment you almost find the ross edible—not really, obviously not, that'll be silly—but oh there is just that faintly delectable plushness to those petals. Mixing with cool air, your breath blurs at the edges, intimate against the bloom. The flower fragrance, albeit close, is lit from underneath by musky warm skin even while the untouched bench and moist peat exhale cool dawn. You inhale. The petals drink. Neither the birds, the wind nor the sun have left dreamland yet. And neither have you.

I’m not usually a big fan of rose-forward scents, but this one hit so differently. The best comparison I have is Heretic Nosferatu, because they both smell like graveyards. On my skin, the earthy and green notes are VERY prominent. One co-worker actually said it smells like dirt on me [she’s not wrong, I just happen to like smelling like dirt apparently]. The main difference is the flower at the center of the fragrance. Nosferatu is a wild lilac bush growing in a dreary northeastern graveyard that you snuck into to do witchcraft in the middle of the night. Up At Dawn is a carefully placed vase of fresh cut pink roses on the headstone of a fresh grave, just as the sun is about to pop up over the horizon. It has a quiet, almost serious sophistication to it. It’s definitely not for everyone; the earthy petrichor notes are powerful in the beginning. But if it’s for you, you won’t regret checking it out.

Initial spray is pink pepper but only for a second or two. Next comes an extreme rose bomb. Sweet, jammy and tart. Let it settle for 15 minutes or so and you are left with the most beautiful and realistic rose in morning dew. It makes me think of the roses I have smelled with dewdrops on the petals. It is not the mature rose scent or old lady rose. It is far more the youthful kind with a naturelike clean scent that still lingers hours after. The earthyness I get is a dewy, mossy, clean type of profile that comes later on when the rose has settled even more after a few hours. A scent made for the mystique that a foggy morning brings. Surrounded by the roses of pink and white. And a breath of moist air with mossy treestems in the distance. I adore this, it is so lovely and such an everyday scent.

I must admit, I think this is one of my favourite releases from the Margiela Replica line. It takes a much more naturalistic approach to the entirety of a rose garden, rather than focussing solely on the petal or bud. Earthy depth, green, mossy nuances and a touch of fresh spice in the most beautiful balance. It is very much a unisex rose, I have smelled this on a number of both men and women and it is beautiful on both, so don't be fooled by the 'rose is a feminine note' because here it most definitely is not. I would go as far as to say I actually prefer it to On A Date, which is very much feminine, sweeter more blushed florals, whereas here there's more of a mystical depth to it. Full review and in depth talk through of Maison Margiela on @thfragrancevault on Instagram

This does smell very similar to Stella by Stella McCartney, specially in the dry down. I would say it also shares some similarities to The Coveted Duchess Rose by Penhaligon. It does NOT give Diptyque Eau Rose, Diptyque Eau Rose has a strong lychee note and it’s way lighter. If I had to describe Up At Dawn to someone it’s like Stella and Duchess Rose has a baby but leans more towards Stella. It’s very nostalgic but at the same time, modern, with the moss note. It would have fit perfectly as a Stella or Duchess Rose flanker and lives in that universe of sent DNA. This is a fantastic, high quality release from Maison Martin Margiela. Fellas, don’t be afraid to try this one, it may lean slightly feminine but men could definitely pull this one off. 10/10.

Tried this scent in Sephora and IMMEDIATELY fell in love with it, it has a sort of complexity that stood out to me. With rose, I often find it overpowers the other notes and smells flat and almost juvenile, but this scent has very clear musky, earthy, herbal notes that give it a darker, sexier edge. This perfume is not pretty, it's hauntingly beautiful. It's nostalgic, melancholic, ethereal, confident, even provocative in a way. Up at dawn to me seems a fitting name for this perfume less as the feel of a simple, sweet early morning and more like watching the sun rise alone after an incredible night out. I would highly recommend this to someone looking for an unconventional floral perfume that has something mysterious and dark about it.

Oh this is GOOD. Opens with a huge blast of pepper before blooming into the "photorealistic, green" brand of rose (think Delina). All of this is over a sight musk (I can barely pick it up) and clean dirt smell. I keep getting a vague soapiness too, but I don't see ambroxans anywhere on the note list, so maybe I'm crazy, lmao. Smells like sneaking out of bed, still in your pajamas, and wandering barefoot through a rose garden with the sleep still in your eyes. The dirt sinks into your toes, and it feels like it's a dream made just for you, a secret kept from the slumbering world. I think a petrichor/dew note would be incredible here for that reason, but as it stands this is YUMMY and a big contender for my next purchase.

It’s Stella! it’s her. She’s back, after all this time. Like she’s climbed out of the grave, a little rougher, slightly damp covered in soil, but still completely, unmistakably Stella. That same soft rose is there, just with this new hint of dirt, like she’s been sleeping buried underground all this time. Different, but not really. You’d know her anywhere. UPDATE: I finally got a full bottle and gave it a proper wear and it’s probably the best rose perfume ever. Very dreamy, light gothic, very Nosferatu. It feels like night dissolving into dawn in a forgotten cemetery, a single white rose wilting on the soil. It’s still very much Stella, but a vampire version. It’s a delicate gothic masterpiece

finally replica!! a new release i really like and it’s not smoke! or full of weird citrus! or a synthetic mess! (afternoon delight exempt) the melancholy cousin of Eau rose by diptyque. an earthy rose garden in wet soil with the morning fog on the horizon. okay longevity and projection for this brand. i dislike on a date and flower market, so really happy with this one and I recommend not ignoring it just because you don’t like thier other offerings if you are like me. smells like being lovelorn. great one for a break-up. i really want a small bottle for sad days.

its 4 am, the sky’s emerging dark blue light shines onto the first roses of spring. its march, but the general atmosphere makes you feel like its still january. you are all alone, but at least you will get to take a few glances at your crush once you arrive at school. the scent of early dew on roses and spiced tea makes you feel more nostalgic yet hopeful, but your skins musk and the cashmere of your jacket makes it feel like youre the only one left in the world. maybe you should just appreciate this sublime hour instead of getting caught up in your loneliness.

got this for my birthday back in april, & it holds up very nicely in hot weather! it's so fresh & i can smell it on me after hours of putting it on. it reminds me of sleeping beauty—yes the movie—with the musky rose, earthy & woody notes, as well as the powdery accord it takes when it dries down on the skin. it's slightly spicy too. it feels very lived in, almost atmospheric. romantic, dewy, misty & refreshing. i've been trying to find a rose scent that doesn't smell like soap & i'm quite pleased with this!

Another great release from Maison Margiela, to my nose this is a better, stronger, and more mature version of On A Date, imagine On A Date stripped of it’s wine accord, add musk, cashmere, and patchouli and you get Up At Dawn. To me Up At Dawn leans more unisex than On A Date, on my skin I get around 5 hours skin scent for 8, with a moderate projection for the first 2-3 hours. I’m personally going to wait until it’s on discounters at I do think there is better alternatives on the market. Overall 8/10

The wet soil opening to this reminds me so much of coffea by Jill Sander! A really beautiful melancholy scent, reminds me of Arwens journey through the forest towards the Valinor boats. Mud trodden petals after a fresh mist of early rainfall. It’s really intimate for me, being an edt. So I enjoy this as a 10ml vial of delicate sorrow, that weeps for me when I cannot. Really beautiful💕

As a die hard fan of Lazy Sunday Morning, I am slowly falling in love with Up At Dawn. It is a softer, milder rose fragrance that is more relaxed. I detect florals other than the rose, and the cashmeran is what blurs the otherwise harsh patchouli. This one is more of a skin scent that you can spray all over your skin and clothes, and not feel like it is too much.

This scent won me over badly. The vibe is very much wet, humid, rosewater steam room. I definitely get soil, but it does not smell dirty. It is primarily a dewy petrichor rose. Lovely from the initial spray to the dry down 6 hours later, which was a surprisingly long performance from a Replica perfume. Also very much a compliment getter.

This smells SO good! It smells very nostalgic, like this is how life used to smell back in the day. Probably the best "replica" of Maison Margiela, it is mastercrafted. If I were a girl, I would definitely wear this fragrance. I might just gift it to my sister or mother, as this would smell wonderful on a woman.

Oh so real, beautifully melancholic..💕🩵 This is an art for my soul. It feels like me. It feels somehow familiar. I am there; in a blue, misty, foggy, dewy rosegarden, surrounded by the sad song of a one single little bird, in the twilight of the early morning. Inhale.... Exhale.... 🌬️🌿🥀🍀🌷🎶🩵🎶🐦🌹🌸🌹💧💙🌱🥀

This is an airyer version of on a date. Take the sweetness out of on a date and add musk, you get up at dawn. It reminds me of Fugazzi's angel dust, but with an additional note of rose. It doesn't last very long on my skin, but performs very well on fabric. It's a very decent clean floral scent