Secret Melange

I love clove in perfume, and this is a nice, not overpowering, aromatic take on the spice. It doesn't smell like a spice candle or like the Holidays, just like the natural, brown, woody clove. It is not spicy-hot, it's more herbal/aromatic. It smells like clove soap as it dries down, so I find it very wearable, not gourmand at all. It's a dry scent, well-suited to men or women. I don't notice orange on my skin—just a creamy, woody clove soap. I totally disagree with any reference to urinal cakes. This is a woody aromatic on my skin, nothing sharp or unpleasant in the least. It smells very smooth. It reminds me of my beloved Or Noir by Pascal Morabito, another clove bomb that is more floral. Jasmine here doesn't stand out, so it's a nice alternative to Or Noir. Update 5/19/15: Finally pulled the trigger and purchased a full bottle. I LOVE this stuff. Best clove fragrance ever!

I love Secret Melange from beginning to end. The first spray is a soft clove with spices. Not a harsh clove like others I have tried. In the dry down the clove blends in with the citruses and flowers. I cannot stop smelling myself. It is different, that's for sure. That is what I like the most.

I had difficulty finding a fragrance with a clove profile that I really liked until I discovered Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Secret Melange. I blind bought it disregarding those reviewers who go about sniffing urinals. (Just think this one out: would you really take advice from someone who puts his face down into a urinal in a public bathroom?) I am far more inclined to agree with "sweetnspicey" regarding the pleasantness of this release. I would also add that it is unusual and well thought out and possibly capable of being mixed with certain other aromatic essential oils, if you choose very carefully, mostly because it is soft and unobtrusive. (I plan to experiment with this a bit later.) Moreover, I find the initial tingling sensation of MPGSM an unmistakable sign of authentic clove extract, giving it niche credibility. This may be compounded by the sharp citrus notes which seem to quietly recede after the opening. The bed of soapy talc the clove rests on is also like a lovely, creamy cloud of lather used for shaving, but not too dandified; the spice, floral and sandalwood accords are there as well but affect the final outcome in just such a way as to add a trace of the exotica of Victorian India. The longevity of MPGSM is exceptional and as I wear it I just want to smell it more and more. Its composition holds fast over time, making it an almost perfect aroma, in my opinion, if you care for the masculine “I just had an expensive shave” gilt edged banner it unfurls. Although this attar is not new and will not be seen on many profile shelves here in Fragrantica, I feel compelled, given some of the negative reviews I have read, to congratulate Jean-Paul Millet Lage for giving us gentlemen who love the smell of cloves a fine fragrance of our own to wear. I tip my hat to you, sir!

Help--it's a scrubber! My goodness, the strong clove/burnt orange peel opening of MPG SECRET MELANGE is swiftly overtaken (and overwhelmed) by some even stronger, unnamed note which must have a source in dead animals somewhere. Yikes! In an effort to identify the "secret" ingredient in SECRET MELANGE, I ran to basenotes to read the reviews there. One person maintains that SECRET MELANGE smells identical to the urinal tabs used in German bathrooms! I rest my case.

This is one of the very few fragrances from MPG that I resolutely don't like. Spicy soapy orange, clove, spicy, cannelle spicy, soapy, orange, cannelle, cannelle, spicy orange orange cannelle spicy soapy orange, what??, cannelle...messy isn't it?. It definitely smells like bathrooms. Bizarre, in a bad way! Rating: 3.5/10