Avant l’Orage

I really like this fragrance. I own a tester, and I’d definitely consider buying the full-size bottle if I can find it at a good price. To me, it’s not a literal interpretation of rain or a thunderstorm; (as When the Rain Stops by Replica might be); instead, it captures the feeling of being peacefully at home in your room, where you can still sense a bit of humidity and that electric tension in the air, all while remaining cozy. It has a very clean, comforting vibe. The longevity isn’t great, but that actually fits its intimate nature. I’m not someone who enjoys overly strong perfumes (migraine-prone here), so this kind of subtle, cozy scent works really well for me.

This is really lovely imo and for me it’s full bottle worthy. It’s a powdery vanilla with very creamy sandalwood and overall is really well balanced. It smells very creamy and milky. It’s so soft, feminine and comforting. Lasted for ages on my jumper and quite a few hours on my skin. Getting a full bottle of this asap - the bottle design is cute too. Update: I got this for Christmas ☺️ It’s gorgeous, so soft and feminine. It’s currently my favourite vanilla scent in my collection! The only problem is it doesn’t project well. I can definitely smell it on myself but those around me can’t really smell it, which is a shame. Not a powerhouse but a beauty nonetheless.

This is not my favorite fragrance I own but I absolutely do not regret buying it. The vanilla doesn't come through much, but the pink pepper top note makes the scent very interesting and intimate. You can't smell it much unless you're very close to someone. It's a much more subtle smell that a lot of people like. I wouldn't suggest blind buying this, it's very hit or miss for people. I got it for a friends birthday and we passed it around to everyone at the party, it was a 50/50 on whether or not people enjoyed it. If you like subtle more unisex scents I would recommend this one.

Delicious! Although not edible, this is a milkier sandalwood, warmer and less peppery than This is her (TIH). Sounds crazy, but if you've smelt the 'This is her' body lotion - Avant l'orage is a closer match than the actual (TIH) perfume. I've always loved the scent from the lotion and prefer if TIH was less sharp/cold. You could also get away with wearing this in warmer weather. The dry down is insane! There's a sweetness, the milkiness remains, a little jasmine and the vanilla shines through. However, very weak longevity and disappears within a few hours.

This is a gorgeous, soft, sweet woodsy scent. The vanilla isn't very prominent to me, which I prefer because I don't like vanilla-forward scents. I recently got a tester, and while this is gorgeous, the staying power leaves much to be desired. On my skin this is very similar to Glossier Doux! Doux has a slightly more sparkling almost wintry peppermint opening to it, while Avant L'Orage is soft all the way, and feels more suitable for any season. I may hold off on getting a bottle and go through the tester, since I already have Doux...

This is a really beautiful perfume in my opinion. It is pretty lactonic and vanillary without being excessively sweet. There is something very creamy but also airy and light about the perfume. I find it an extremely addictive scent and keep sniffing my wrists when wearing

Very comforting, it reminds me of a fresh and soft laundry. Somehow the vanilla note isn't that noticeable to me but i don't mind it. Lasts long and the bottle design is super cute!

This is such a beautiful scent. It’s a creamy vanilla wood I find suitable all year long. Any everyday, work friendly scent . No headaches !

This is a sweet, soft, creamy lactonic fragrance with a lot of vanilla, sticky tonka and a hint of white flowers. Pink pepper? I don’t know her. The tonka and vanilla blend makes this gourmand without actually knowing what kind of gourmand they are aiming for, but fortunately it does not get too cloying or heavy. The jasmine is giving a fresh flowery edge that this one really needs, I just wish it was a biiiit more freshness to it. With everything blended together, it is painting a picture of eating a thick vanilla ice cream with sweet whipping cream on top, whilst you are sitting in a shaded summer garden with white flowers blooming around. The drydown is good, and could remind me of a sweeter and slightly more cloying version of ‘Bois Doré’ from Van Cleef. It falls down into a quite common scent profile, and it gets a bit forgettable even though it really has the potential to be a quite good creamy vanilla lactonic musk.

The kind of vanilla I can get behind. Not cloyingly sweet, there's a touch of pepper in the opening that helps smooth it out a bit. I'm a sucker for jasmine and white florals so that wins me over pretty well and then having a smooth vanilla base note without having sweet cream and caramel and spun sugar is delightful - I think the wood notes balance the base out a lot which helps. Overall solid fragrance.

First blast is a salted caramel with a strong pink pepper kick. Then after few minutes, it turns into an absolutely divine, delicious, most realistic caramel. I love it, it is very good but unfortunately not projecting at all, and its killing me slowly.. If anyone knows a realistic caramel like this that you can actually smell on your own-self that would be amazing, maybe couleur vanille??

Love it, a softer and more aquatic This is Her. Quite spicy/green in the opening but dries down to a smooth vanilla. Can't stop smelling myself when I wear it. Safe blind buy in my opinion. Good scent for a good price and has an adorable bottle design. So far I've liked every scent from Maison Matine except Arashi no Umi. The only negative is the longevity, 4 hours at best.

A pretty, easy to wear vanilla scent, and a few sprays projected for several hours. Beside vanilla, benzoin is the next note I pull out. I would wear Avant l’Orage again, though it feels like a younger woman’s perfume...a pure, fresh and innocent kind of scent.

There must be orange or mandarin in the scent but I can't find it on the list. Quite a few people select the note of tonka bean of which I can barely catch. In general, this is a nice scent but nothing special.

I can smell sandalwood and vanilla. Perfectly unisex to my opinion. More for fall and winter, Netflix time... Cosy, at home... For the comments: I cannot smell salted caramel or white flowers or jasmine, here

A perfume for fall and winter. Creamy, for all sandalwood and vanilla lovers. Cocooning. If you like "This is Her!", you need to try this fragrance. not a dupe, it is just same vibes.

I definitely get a stormy vibe - wet flowers and grass, a cool breeze... But the drydown gets a bit too musky and animalic. I like the opening very much and wish it could last longer.

soft spicy powdery vanilla. very smooth and nondescript, like a skin scent but sweet and slightly floral. it makes you want to keep sniffing. would be a good everyday scent.

A simple, clean scent. The opening pink pepper note doesn't stick around for very long, but the vanilla base note fades it into a beautiful, lightly sweet skin scent.

Given i already own This is her and Noir Exquis i don't think i need it in my collection but its thoroughly enjoyable and once i finish them i might buy this.

Very creamy vanilla with Benzoine. Couldn't smell pink pepper on my skin... Perfect for a warm day in winter.

A nice fragrance that settles well on my skin, but not super memorable or unique. Bottle design is cute.

First breath? A ghost of Zadig & Voltaire’s This is Her, all familiar sandalwood and vanilla. But where This is Her sinks into a plush, milky sweetness, this one stays thinner, drier, like warmth seen through a rain-streaked window rather than felt on the skin. Something about it just feels... suspended. Like it could have leaned into that creamy, golden density but hesitated at the edge. Maybe it’s the lack of lactonic heft—the absence of those rich, buttery sandalwood lactones that make This is Her feel like cashmere and candlelight. Here, the woods are more structured, the sweetness more translucent, and lingers in the before, never tipping over. Not so much brilliant as its close sibling.

This is a laundry-fresh scent with a bit of powdery, creamy vanilla tucked in. The musk gives it an almost aromatic edge. There's even a touch of something damp and cool, as if you’re catching a whiff of condensation inside the washing machine mid-cycle. I can see why some people compare this to This is Her, but I think This is Her has much more of a vanilla punch, whereas this leans more towards a cosy/fresh/clean fabric softener. I prefer this on paper than on skin. It would work well as a fabric softener scent, and probably last longer, too. It's a cute little bottle, but I wouldn't buy it again.

Avant L'orage from Maison Matine smells just like Zadig and Voltaire's This is Her. The dry down is a bit muskier in comparison, but pretty much 99% same. However, TiH lasts longer (like 2-3 hrs longer o.o). The graphic design for each scent from this house is fantastic. So artsy, fun, and unique. I purchased their discovery set and the packaging is so fun. Each 2ml decant is candy wrapped with the scent's distinct graphic design. The packaging here is a treat. I'm gonna purchase a bottle just because of the bottle design. Marketing at its finest.

This is a decent vanilla musk with sandalwood. Like sipping a vanilla latte by a crackling fireplace. This would be an immediate love for me but the dry down is a little too heavy and animalic as another reviewer mentioned. I'd consider this totally unisex and doesn't lean traditionally masculine for feminine. Definitely a cozy scent that's great for the chillier months ahead! 7.5/10

A slightly warmer and sweeter version of This is Her! (I have owned both) but the longevity and projection of this is simply too weak when you consider This Is Her is half the cost. Shame.

For me, this one starts smelling earthy and spicy, then it settles to a light semi-sweet, creamy sandalwood. Low projection, but it lasts for several hours on my skin.

This is an uninspiring fragrance. White floral, spicy and musky - all watered down. Longevity is max 4h. Meh.

Creamy, Sweet, Vanilla Powdery Musk Sillage: 2/5 Projection: 2/5 Longevity: 2/5 Leans feminine

I like part of the scent but there's something metallic in here that I really don't like. It reminds me of Pegasus, a sweet metallic scent that lingers for far too long and singes your nostrils. My husband thinks this smells off and says he can't breathe when he inhales this in. From Maison Matine, please pick literally any of their other perfumes.

Big disappointment, I had to wash it, kind of smell like chalk on me ? My roommates like it, so just not my type of smell

pretty bland, smells almost exactly like Lataffa Quaed Al Fursan Unlimited except not as good! Just get that it's $12. I hate being a hater. But I hate this I am so sorry to say. AMAZING packaing though. Just the cutest

Make it make sense. Zadig & Voltaire came out in 2016, Avant l'orage in 2019. This fragrance is delicious BUT is literally the copy of Zadig & Voltaire This is Her to 99%. But it's more expensive and less powdery ( that being Zadig & Voltaire being better ! ) The packaging is beautiful, sure love the design in the back but bottle so small. But in my country 50ml of this cost almost like 100ml of the original. And has no longevity. While the bottle of This is Her is way better, like an iceberg in your hands... that then explodes in a powdery angelic saltiness...and it can be refilled at home, by easily buying the refill anywhere online. The title is great but has nothing to do with what the fragrance smells like ( avant l orage means " here comes the rainstorm" while the perfume smells like coconut clouds of vanilla and salt ?? ). I also prefer the DNA of THIS IS HER, it's truly salty vanilla coconut sex in the best possible way ! it's powdery , clean , magic. Sorry, but if you want this fragrance you either go for the Zadig....or i may say for those in economical choice= Fields at Nightfall Zara ( regular , not intense ). It has a horrible/strange opening that will confuse you. But let it dry and in 5-10 minutes you have it exactly 100% the same fragrance on your wrist. Please please try Zadig & Voltaire though, so you understand how the same fragrance can be built with love and layers and develops on you like a magic potion !

This is a perfect everyday amber fragrance that can be worn year round. The notes blend seamlessly, nothing too strong, not too much of anything. I don't think anybody could honestly dislike this. It's a skin scent, you but better-amber version. It's not too woody, not too sweet, not too spicy, it's actually very mellow and gives the impact that a body lotion and body spray would give. I can see this being very popular to amber/vanilla lovers in the summer heat. The muskiness and pink pepper give it some levity. I think if you were to wear this in the winter you would be needing something more because it doesn't project very well.

I have the EDP, gifted to me for Christmas, and I'm addicted to it!. On me it's musk, sandalwood and tonka bean/vanilla. I normally avoid fragrances with pink pepper as I think it's been overdone in the last few years, but in this perfume it's perfectly blended as it dosnt sting my nose, or put me off the perfume. I'm wearing this in winter, it's about 4°c, raining and windy. It drys down to a lovely cosy scent, and it lasts hours. A little amount is enough to keep me sniffing my wrist. It is heavy/heady at first but I'm happy with that as it keeps evolving.

This smells EXACTLY like Zadig & Voltaire This is her! Like, testing them at the same time in different arms, I can’t tell the difference. Which is not a bad thing since I love TIH but it’s way cheaper and on me, a beast of a fragrance with great projection and longevity. This is pretty but way too similar to something I already have in my collection. Now for the smell: creamy Tonka beans and sandalwood with some sweetness from vanilla. Milky. Comforting. An easy reach for me, if I owned it. As it is, I’m happy with my beloved This is Her!!

Serena van der Woodsen licking whipped cream off of Nate Archibold. The 2000’s girl everyone wants to be, rich, cool and doesn’t care. Milky vanilla but with a pop (pink pepper), luxurious and fake all at once. Exactly what every boy THINKS girls should smell like, sexy yet innocent, soft and fluffy but with a little kick. Smell (personal preference): 6/10 Feeling (when I wear): 8/10 (like I am Serena van der Woodsen) Longevity: 6/10 (starts off strong but soon becomes intimate but moderately long lasting)

Smelling the tester atomizers of the brand's 5 variants (Arashi, Bain de Midi, Lost in Translation, Poom Poom), all seemed rather feminine and safe/inoffensive. Male SA suggested this one as 'can be worn by men', so I sprayed on my elbow. OK, I can wear this one. It's jasmine with mild chocolate. Not dark at all. Poom Poom seems to be sweeter, not sure. Dunno how low they might be in other countries, but here at around $85 for EDP 50ml, they're just alright, not really compelling.

I have this in a discovery box of all the perfumes from this house and was really excited to try it as it sounded so lovely. The reality? It's quite pleasant. It's not very distinctive. The tonka bean is, for me, the strongest note from quite soon after spritzing and it stays to the fore although with a hefty dollop of sweet vanilla in the base notes. The full-size bottle looks cute and I love the name but overall it's just not that special. A shame.

A safe vanilla, tonka, and sandalwood combo that appeals to people with more designer than niche taste. Very cozy and a little woody, good for rainy days. Honestly the best feature of this one is that the the bottle is very cute. This would definitely be suitable for a younger girl in her teens.

From my sample set I liked this the most and then bain de midi. Maybe because it’s still summertime I’m getting a cocktail vibe but nothing trashy or cheap. It lasts a good length but doesn’t shout even in the beginning. For value I might go for Bain de midi after all.

Simple and clean, mega wearable scent. This is a no brainer grab for me when travelling. I love the red pepper note that tones down the vanilla volume. Conveniently this comes also in tiny practical 15ml and the packaging is irresistible. Well impressed!

I was pretty curious about Maison Matine, so I ordered their discovery kit. Sadly, and I'm not quite sure why, but there is something I find nauseating in all their fragrances. This is the first time I'm experiencing this with a house. Shame...

It's okay, super soft creamy vanilla, something synthetic and maybe a little plasticy in the beginning. Dries to an okay soft creamy wood. Absolutely nothing to write home about and not really memorable, I almost don't have an opinion on it.

A fairly unremarkable, sweet white floral. Reminds me of chalky tablet candies; like refreshers here in the UK or American smarties. Not very peppery on me or the blotter. Quite fresh and pleasant but nothing special.

For me all I can smell is the pink pepper and animalic notes. I wanted to love this but on my skin it is very green and smells like... ladybugs? Idk. Also not long lasting and no projection :(

It's a clone for This is Her Zadig et Voltaire. If you have the TiH you absolutely don't need this one. However the dry down is a little different, here it's muskier and more powdery than TiH.

I'm a little confused by the 'reminds me of' votes - I own Milky musk, noir exquis and dalal and these three are nothing alike at all. Difficult to get a sense of what this is like!

Lovely and quiet, creamy vanilla. Perhaps too quiet for me – don't know how else to say this, but I wish there was more of it. I can barely smell it on my skin.