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

Secret Melange is for clove lovers, and I mean loverrrrrrrrs, like if you were me and you'd peruse your grandmother's spice rack as a lad and inhaled the whole cloves, stirred by their tingling, narcotic effect on your little, underdeveloped brain. If you are the only one in your crew that will eat the purple clove Necco wafers, will willingly purchase and enjoy clove sweets in general, Secret Melange is your treat. Say you have no fear or anxiety of the dentist and cloves have zero negative association, or a whole clove gets stuck in your tooth whilst dining on a Christmas ham and you are in no rush to remove it, well I have a suggestion for you. This handsome, spicy number opens with lemons and oranges, but then dries into full on clove bliss, ever so slightly tinted with florals and slowly simmering down to woods and musks. It is by no means modern and the connotations may vary depending on the person, but I for one experience as a proper accoutrement for one with discriminating taste and a mild, thoughtful temperament. It's a town-and-country sensibility, a fresh-from-the-barber cleanness gussied up by a clove conflagration, a weird and wonderful creation for weird and wonderful people.

Maybe I'm not a fan of clove, but this clove seems a little harsh to me. I agree with anyone who says it smells like a public restroom because it smells almost EXACTLY like the restrooms in my old office building immediately after they were cleaned. But I give honest reviews, and although I like it, I can't get past that association with janitorial service. But I don't plan to give up on Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier, just Secret Melange. SURPRISE DISCOVERY: I sprayed a spritz of Bvlgari's Eau Parfumee au The Rouge to cover the scent, and they seem to blend well together. That red tea and clove actually smell quite good. (The clove in SM cuts the cloying sweetness of The Rouge, actually enhancing the scent.) So in my opinion, Secret Melange should never be worn by itself, alone, unless you want to smell like a clean restroom. Layering required.

I suggest that all Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier releases from 1988 should be considered to be listed under Unesco immaterial world heritage. In their original 90 ml formulation. Who on earth, released in a single year, in the 80's such utterly particular, fantastic and equally weird fragrances ?! I have to see Secret Melange amongst these, when Jean Laporte let his creations loose on humanity, yes, it has the bathroom connotation, but hey this is not so bad, given we're living in times of 'creative perfumery' - personally I love the cloves feast from the beginning to the end, and suggest, do try it first if you get a chance ... wonder if they even keep this one in the programme with the new ownership !

Aw sherapop - it ain't all THAT bad. To me the top is a rather interesting clovey lavender and then it goes to that soapy urinal cake smell. In the base it is uncannily similar to a plain bar of cheap white soap. Okay, it's pretty bad. Not a scrubber for me but I don't think I'll give it another try either. We may speculate that the creator kept it a secret because she kept trying to improve it and finally gave up and decided to sell it. What a disappointment from a house that makes some outstanding perfumes - don't be discouraged from trying their others, for example Iris Bleu Gris, which will make you think you climbed right into a chilled metal coffin filled with violets.