Max Mara

An afternoon corporate party wearing nude-coloured dress feeling fabulous, champagne flowing: that's my mental image of this scent translating into life. Being, in my view, a warm season scent, it is unlike thousands of other fresh scents - it has that special wood note, that made it immeiately stand out for me and upped it to the "higher society" shelf, so to speak. I cannot possibly imagine a bimbo wearing this: it so obviously dictates intelligence, confidence, wit, humour, and a well-polished ability to use all of the above to flirt for your life - AND get away with it! - in business circles. It doesn't come across as agressive at all, despite being quite complex, especially at the initial stage, so women are not threatened by it, and it has just the right amount of playfullness that a businesswoman needs to make men fall for her feminine charm yet not feeling too invited to cross the line. My skin seems to absorb it a lot, so the staying power was not so marvellous, but I would wear this exclusively for the above described occasions, so it lasts just enough to get me through a few fun hours with colleagues. It would also be ideal for brunches with the girls downtown or weddings: the bubbly note in it brings to a wearer ( or t least me :)) a feeling of daytime festiveness. Sunny, woody, sparkling, smart and a little bit enigmatic: I recommend it to all who know, how to carry a briefcase in a very tight pencilskirt, on very high heels and with more than one clever idea in the head. :)

This used to be my signature fragrance for the longest time. It somehow always evokes comfort and safety. It's not a loud fragrance in an obvious way, but I have to say, I don't think I have ever been asked as many times about any other fragrance I've worn. It opens with a citrus that I believe to be grapefruit or lime, rather than bergamot, lemon or orange. It's more of a green, fresh note rather than sweet or juicy. It brings to mind the inside of a citrus peel, or the process of peeling a pomelo. The ginger is right there from the beginning as well, contributing a sparkling sweetness. Right as it begins to dry down the magnolia comes through. I have a really hard time distinguishing the lily from the orchid accord, but there is a spicy white floral note in the background. The musk in this is to me a very clean and light one. Not really independent, but more like a veil draped over the sugarcane. Much more present than the user votes would suggest, but not a note that stands out on its own. I was actually surprised to learn there is no cashmeran note in this. I have treasured it for a long time. It is beautiful, elegant and nostalgic. But I still don't believe what people are asking for it on eBay is justified in any way. They're just capitalizing on your nostalgia and anxiety around being without something you treasure because of the way we associate fragrance with memories. This is why I think it's really valuable voting and reporting on similar fragrances as accurately as possible.

Max Mara is Boucheron Trouble's prettier, more interesting and far more elegant older sister. The citronella candle with sugar emulsion of Trouble is transformed into a sweet lemon ginger tea served on a table under the blooming magnolia trees, by a fragrant lily garden. Whatever musk is present, is, thankfully, not "muscone", the kind that smells like deer glands, but one of the other molecules that are termed "musk". (I am exceptionally sensitive, and not in a good way, to the odor of traditional musk). What the orchid in the notes represents I don't know, although I suspect its the vanilla. All in all, Max Mara is a pretty spring and summer composition, fresh and sweet but totally not cloying and best of all, very affordable chez the e-tailer of your choice. For my tastes, Max Mara rates a 6.5 for sillage, a 6.5 for lasting power (about 5 hours), and a 6.5 out of 10 for fragrance. Alas - "better" than Boucheron Trouble does not mean "great", and Max Mara may be just a little too well behaved to be special - wish it had some spice kick or even some ambery warmth.

I bought this perfume more than a decade ago.I remember I loved it on paper and I bought it right away.However,on my skin the ginger and the lemony notes where too prominent making it sharp, headachy and unbalanced with the white florals.In the end,I gave it to my sister.A few years later,she practically returned it as well. So,after more than a decade,this perfume just sat on my desk.Today,I sniffed it from the bottle to check if it has gone bad and whether I should throw it away...and ..wow!it smelled so nice!creamy,beautiful white florals and also 'gourmandish'... I tested it on me and yes,we have a winner!!!The sharp notes mellowed over time,the perfume matured and became a beautiful balanced,white floral gourmandish.Creamy and amazing!Love it! I can't believe this perfume not only didn't go bad,but became better! PS:my bottle is practically full!yeay!!! :D

Good Lord in Heaven where has this been all my life? I found a cheap bottle and decided to try it. I can't tell you how glad I am that I did. As the reviewer below stated, there is nothing else out there like it. This is so soft yet powerful at the very same time. Why on earth they would have discontinued such a beauty is beyond me. Honestly I just don't get it. This one can be worn of women of all ages it's non discriminatory. If I had to try and think of another fragrance it shares similarities with I might say the vintage original version of Lacoste Pour Femme but this one has ginger in it which Lacoste does not. But it's soft and gentle like that is. This has been sitting on my wrist for about 10 minutes - it's glorious and one spray has scented up the entire upstairs of my house.

Max Mara is not a perfume I ever would have selected myself, but my brother worked for Sephora, and sometimes he brought home full bottles of perfume for me (lucky me!), and this was one of them. A very interesting fragrance, one that I simply adore! This is one of my favorite casual daytime perfumes. Citrus is sweet rather than sour. The drydown is sweet, but not vanilla, which is very rare because so many fragrances wear down to vanilla. Each time I smell this, I vividly recall my trip to the Philippines, where I relished in drinking fresh sugarcane juice. Max Mara is fun and flirty. It's youthful, but not for little girls. It's one of my staples as it's very different from my typical heavier fragrances, yet it can measure up to them in complexity. A modern, understated beauty.

Wow! What an amazing scent! I had no idea that Max Mara even had perfumes in their collection, so when I visited their store and saw the bottle I felt like I just had to buy it. And I am so happy I did! When I first smelled MM in the store, I was not sure. The opening to me is very zesty and quite sparkling. Then it evolves to a very nice musky fragrance. To me, MM is exactly that: A musky fragrance with a fresh opening and later on some sweetness. Very elegant and office friendly. Definitely a day time fragrance. However I LOVE wearing this one to bed! My boyfriend loves it to. What a great fragrance! Sillage is not huge, but I like that about this fragrance. Sometimes you just want to wear a casual fresh perfume! The longevity could however be better. Overall: 8,5/10

WOW WOW. I just bought a bottle on Ebay and have to say, this is gorgeous. I usually wear vintage Chypre or floral chypres. Occasionally something more fruity like Femme. And I have a few modern Byredo frags. But have been reading Fragrantica reviews to branch out a bit in the vintage department. This Max Mara eau de parfum is driving me crazy because it's so pretty. I'm not sure I got much of the citrus but do smell a bit of ginger. Then mostly creamy white florals on top of some sweet. But not so sweet to make you have a toothache. I'm simply blown away. I better keep an eye out for a back-up bottle. Yeah, I love Prada Candy to help go to sleep. But this will definitely be another bed time wrist lullaby. It's Addictive.

MMMM This is so jummy. I wasent so shure if i even wanted to try this . But got it in a blind swapp:) Thank Heaven for that;) This is so fresh , citrus,ginger fizzy, sligthly spicy. This reminds me a bit off Hermes Apres la Mousoon,Not very close , but there is a similarity . I like the whit lily and magnolia that put in some warmth and also brightness to this Gem. It is sweet , but not cloying sweet . ealy lovely, if you like a different take on a citus perfume try this . lovely . thanks smellMe for swapping this to me :)

I've owned a vial for some years now, and sprayed some on yesterday. This is LOOOOOVELY! 😍 Too bad it's discontinued😩 Definitely a cold/cool weather scent. You have to use this with a light hand. If you have the bottle sprayer—2 sprays tops! The ingredients, as they read on a carded vial are: Sap, ginger, Sicily Lemon, magnolia, orchid, white lily, sugar, exotic woods and musk. EDIT: Screw "2 sprays tops!" 😆 I'll do 4 or 5. It's strong though, just keep that in mind. This makes me feel EXTRA confident😃

Update : I just got a coment from my youngest daughter on this one . she sayed , mm you smells just like lilac. And i took a closer sniff on my arm and there it was . I knew there was somthing that i could not put my finger one and there it was. It just like the real Lilac.. not like lilac perfume that often get a harsh feal to it aswell. But like Honey dripping sweet fresh lilac in early summer times . so so lovely.. I realy enjoy this scent only thing i wish it was stronger and longer lasting

The 2nd sweetest frag in my wardrobe. I’m sampling it again tonight. It is CREAMY! I don’t usually do sweet unless it has some intensive florals and fruits. THIS right here is definitely unique, and I like that! The Silk Touch version smells nothing like this, in my opinion. I will smell this for the rest of my night and give more detail when I get the chance. If my nose keeps bringing me back to where I dabbed it, then I MAY purchase a bottle. 😉 I will have to get back to ya’ll on that.

This is a really lovely sweet nice fragrance, easy to wear for any occasion really. It starts citrusy but the cirtus is soft and tempered witht he ginger and smells more like orange juice, for me the sugar cane note is there from the beginning, which I really like. It starts to get pretty seet quite soon, which I alos like. This isnt necessarily an amazingly original fragrance, it reminds me a bit of Dior Star for some reason for the fizzy sweetness, but I really like having it around.

Sugar bomb, warm with a crispness from the ginger,and a slight waxiness from the magnolia,simple but rich,cant explain much about it except it's very cuddly and a bit warm but its still versatile enough to wear anytime probably except winter Bottle:4.5 Packaging:3 Scent:8.5 Sillage:5.5 Longevity:3 Unique:5 Repurchase? Maybe, i like the idea of it but i feel like its a bit imbalanced? The backing notes dont show up that much, or i might just find another alternative,but love it tho

Words can't describe how pretty this fragrance is. It is so well combined- the spices, the ginger, the sugar, the flowers and the lime. The whole aroma has this gold and expensive aura. It is really underrated and I am not sure why. it is not too sweet, not too overpowering and has a freshy vibe. perfect for sunny days. The only con I can find is the lasting power which is not more than 4-5 hours which after all is ok. I also really love the bottle, I don't find it weird at all.

This one reminds me of custo by barcelona and guess with the curacao note it is very sweet and syrupy but in an adult way so anyone could wear it. Even a tween or teenager could like it because there is no heavy old fashioned musk or anything like that in it. As other reviewers have commented it does have a slight citrus smell which is why it reminds me of custo. My husband got this for me and I find it lasts all day but that is just me.

Max Mara was recommended to me by one of the friendliest shop assistants I know, so I couldn't say no. A pleasant surprise. Floral and sweet, I found it quite lovely, but perhaps too gentle & short-lasting on my skin. On subsequent tries in different weather the same has happenned. It's reasonably pricey here in Australia so I'll have to say no for now. Worth trying because it is beautiful. It might last longer on you.

Oh man i used to love love love this. It is feminine, pure and a realy mature ladylike scent. Deffinitly not a blind buy . Floral and sweet. I usually do not like sweet scents because i get a headache from them but thisone is so well done and blended is just addictive. Very fresh, extremely elegant and sexy.feels like warm sexy summer in Greek. I do not smell the citrus and the ginger. To bad it is dicontinued.

Beautiful, sweet, slightly spicy fragrance that can be worn any season, any time of day or night. Average sillage and longevity but that's what makes it so versatile. You do need a sweet tooth to enjoy this and, like sugar, it is addictive. Unfortunately, it has been discontinued for a while now and it is impossible to find. The closest replacement in my experience is the Gaultier Classique Eau Fraiche line.

I found a bottle of MaxMara at my local drug store on sale for $20. Not expecting much (as typical of your usual drug store frags) I was pleasantly surprised. The ginger and lemon notes are refreshing, not so much tart as bright, and the sugary base tones give the impression of warm lemon custard pie. Often I'm not fond of gourmands, but this one is an exception, with a mature, chic presence.