Monyette Paris

I adore this and have worn it for many years -- this review is for the perfume oil, as pictured above. It has the most remarkable hard-to-place fragrance that is at once tantalisingly exotic but deliciously comfortable. I think the formulation has changed slightly from when it was first released, as I now find the sillage quite reduced. I also don't get the scent of white tropical flowers quite as strongly as I did from that first bottle. However it is still a beautiful subtle scent that gets me compliments on a regular basis from people who lean in for a hug. I don't get any coconut (and never have done even with previous bottles). I also don't get nag champa strongly. I also don't clearly differentiate the gardenia and lily of the valley that others seem to get here; I smell a more general tropical blossom smell, more like honeysuckle than anything else -- in fact, my attempts to find a replacement for this beautiful scent have led me to conclude that it's definitely not a 'typical' gardenia or lily of the valley that I'm lusting for... What is it then? Tahitian gardenia - the source of monoi oil. The sweetness of blossoms warmed in the sunshine. The sharpness of verdant greenery in the first morning sun, fresh from the dew. A creamy smoothness that isn't exactly vanilla, to my mind, but isn't a million miles away. Btw, although it's similar to the Yves Rocher Monoi de Tahiti because they both have some Tahitian gardenia, that's definitely not a dupe for it. That has a sort of heavy, coconutty, overly sweet vibe. It doesn't replicate the light, blossomy, and more nuanced tropical fragrance I find here.

I'm back with a P.S. to my first review. Prone to impulsiveness as I can be, I purchased the perfume oil when a gift certificate came my way, even though I originally tested the EDP. The oil was cheaper and I didn't have an oil in my collection yet, so I went for it. Testing them side by side, here's what I found... EDP: Lighter and creamier, as to be expected from a lower concentration of oil. I have a much harder time detecting lily-of-the-valley in this. It lasts about 5-6 hours on me, not projecting much if at all towards the end. Oil: This is greener than the EDP, with a more prominent lily-of-the-valley note. At first that disappointed me a bit, but it fades into the drydown. When the EDP is winding down, this is just getting started. It's not as pleasant to sniff up close as the EDP, but it wafts a gorgeous, creamy gardenia for a good foot even 6 hours into wear. Both of these seem to come alive in the heat. Wearing them outdoors in nearly 90 degree weather is a very different experience than wearing them indoors. Not to sound cheesy, but that's when they bloom into something beautiful. Now, if we could just get two separate entries for the database...

This is just gorgeous! I feel as though I am surrounded by gardenia bushes. A bit heady at first, but it soon softens into a wonderful gardenia, tinged with lily of the valley and I get a hint of incensey nag champa combining to make this fragrance the lovely thing that it is. And that thing is a totally gorgeous, lush and creamy gardenia. It doesn't smell like coconut or suntan oil to me, though it does smell hot summer night sexy...I barely made it half-way through the sample before I'd ordered the full 1/8oz roll-on from Luckyscent! I find this quite similar to Kai, which I also have a sample of. Kai is lovely, though too green for me to begin with. Though it ends up smelling very similar to Monyette, except not as creamy and doesn’t last anywhere near as long on me. PS: Discovered that a tiny dab of Dragonfly Blue Nag Champa underneath Monyette makes it last much longer on me! At first the Nag Champa overpowers the Monyette, but soon the gardenia comes into full bloom and it’s just lovely!

this is so elegant! lily of the valley can be very screechy for me, but here its beauty is captured perfectly, mixed so well. On me this was also extremely long-lasting, and was as captivating hours later as it was right away, with very little of the impact lost. I had that wonderful feeling with a perfume where you keep getting whiffs and thinking, "that smells so good!" before happily remembering it's you and your new discovery! i have a sample and I love how long it's going to last- this oil really does go a long way. I am definitely buying myself a bottle of this. I've been looking for a white floral that doesn't break the bank, doesn't disappear too quickly, is elegant but also just a little unique- and this fits the bill for me!

Creamy, white floral that radiates simplicity and elegance. The gardenia is beautiful, strong, long lasting and reminiscent of perfumes that are much more expensive. The lily of the valley and the vanilla are also wonderful additions. This perfume layers wonderfully with others friends: + Kayali Vanilla for a fall, cozy vibe, + any coconut, beachy fragrance for a fun summer twist (I get so many compliments with this and Creed Virgin Island Water), or + another soft floral fragrance (eg lanvin eclat) for a "welcome to spring" stunner. Either layered or by itself, this is a great office friendly, softie, for days when you want to feel extra feminine.

Hi Monyette! I love you! But why do your flowers last only a single hour on me? :-( If you are wealthy enough to douse yourself with this every hour on the clock, I encourage you to try it. It has an almost kitschy vibe to it, perfect for a tropical vacation or lounging on a boat in the summer, I imagine. Because sometimes, a girl just wants to wear bright colors that will pulse happily in the hot sun, big tacky sunglasses, bronzed skin, and super-white teeth gleaming with a smile.

This is a sexy, creamy gardenia. Intoxicating... It lasts at least 8 hours on me, and I catch whiffs of it on myself throughout the day. So on me at least, it has great lasting power. I don't get coconut in this at all, the whole tropical theme to the fragrance makes me think of coconuts in passing maybe, but I don't get the smell of them in it- though I adore coconut. This is not pure or fresh gardenia though, if you want that go to Kai (which is a bit too straightforward for me).

A stunning creamy floral coconutty perfume. I really love this. It is very well constructed. I wore a sample today and lots of people said they loved it. I have ordered a full bottle :) edit 2021: I don’t actually find it coconutty now that I’ve tried so many more fragrances. It’s incredibly unique. It reminds me a bit of the smell of bath beads. This, Child and Kai are three of the most popular fragrances of female celebs that you hear a lot about.

Monyette Paris is a creamy, sweet gardenia. "Moon Over Miami" comes to mind when I sniff this. It triggers scenes of exotic, breezy and romantic nights looking out over the ocean in my mind. There are well-tailored women walking about wearing red lipstick and gardenias in their hair. Thankfully, I don't get any coconut from this on my skin. I agree with the review below that it has a suntan lotion vibe, but it smells luscious and retro, not cheap.

I think this would be a lovely "summery" fragrance for a gray winter day. . . the coconut suntan lotion note is really evocative while the powdery gardenia keeps it from going to piña colada body lotion. The monster sillage makes it a bit much for hot weather, but I can definitely see reaching for this when I'm tired of wood and spice this Christmas and just want to be in the tropics for a bit.

This is a creamy Gardenia with just a touch of vanilla and lily-of-the-valley. Unlike many other reviewers I didn't get any coconut from this. It does definitely have a tropical, beachy air to it that would make it perfect for hot weather The scent remained the same from start to finish which lasted only about an hour unfortunately .Sillage was low which is to be expected for a oil.

Right off the bat-gardenia. As it wears-gardenia and vanilla. This smells very much like an actual gardenia flower. It’s very pretty. I like this very much, it has nice sillage and longevity for such a delicate floral. If you like gardenia this is def fb worthy.

I tried the oil and it smelled like a pleasant baby wipe or suntan lotion. Just a subtle creamy gardenia. A toiletry you would want to use but nothing special enough to use a perfume. Try Kai, bigger gardenia scent and longer lasting. This left me underwhelmed.

a can’t-live-without-it fragrance. top 3 for life. love both the oil and the EDP. on my 5th bottle and counting!

Beautiful soft, creamy, slightly sweet gardenia-floral. Reminds me a lot of Lush Silky Underwear scent!

One of my true favorites. Creamy, lucious, perfection in a bottle.

I received a sample of the EDP (NOT the oil) from Luckyscent. Normally, I have a personal rule of waiting 5-10 seconds before smelling a fragrance to let the alcohol get out of the way first but the blast of nail polish remover-like odor hurt the insides of my nose even when my wrist was as far away from my face as it could be! Luckily that initial blast lasted less than 10 seconds and completely vanished and I was quickly left with a very soliflore gardenia without any vanilla, lily-of-the-valley or vanilla orchid in sight. It is a good gardenia in my opinion because it is quiet. I've been shrieked at by very loud gardenias in many other perfumes and beauty products so I appreciate the modesty and calmness. It is a bit soapy as well. (Not soapy as in it smells like plain normal soap but soapy as in I can see a gardenia scented soap smelling exactly like this.) After a few minutes, the fragrance softens and becomes creamier and (very slightly) sweeter and you can smell the muguet(less so)/orchid(more so) tiptoe in and join the gardenia. About 20-30 minutes later, I notice my wrist smelling sweeter and the orchid becoming more prominent. I feel like maybe it was a bad idea to try this one out for the first time on a cold November day, it would probably be much more enjoyable to wear when it's hot and humid. ETA - 4/16/15 I can't believe I'm doig this but here we go: It's a warm and sunny day and as I was trying to figure out which perfume to wear today, I sorted through my box filled with samples and pulled this out and decided to give it another go. I applied generously with intent to hurry up and finish the vial soon so I can get rid of it so let's estimate that between both wrists and both back-of-hands theres about 10-12 droplets on me. I was able to feel a suntan-lotiony scent with my wrists very far from me which grew into a warmer and more luxurious tropical beach gardenia feeling. It evokes imagery of dark tanned skin, a white sundress billowing in the wind, a wide brimmed hat, a lazy day spent relaxing or possibly bicycling to take in the beautiful scenery, a cool breeze to break the heat. Sugarless iced tea (not the scent of it but the idea of it.) The soapy thing and the nail polish thing from my last review aren't here this time. Today this is suntan lotion + gardenia and I like it! I could ALMOST compare it to Elle L'aime (Lolita Lempicka.) Just goes to show how important it is to test perfumes multiple times and under different weather conditions.

Not knowing anything about this EdP, I was surprised to find that it has an intense coconut smell at first, a lot like a floral-scented suntan oil or lotion. Then I smell indolic and slightly camphorous white flowers, maybe tuberose, maybe a plastic gardenia. Then it dries down to smell just like the functional scent in one of the many “coconut”-based lotions that are out there in the form of skin care products. All of these lotions have a similar mix of generic white florals, buttery vanilla, a synthetic plastic-oily almost rancid smell, and coconut. To me there is nothing original or compelling about Monyette. In fact, it’s a little off-putting with its strong, very synthetic, lotion-like sillage. Longevity is moderate, about 5-6 hours. There are far better coconut scents out there, there are far better gardenia scents out there, so I don’t get what all the hype is about.

This is a beautiful breath of balmy air... When I tested this fragrance, it was in frigid January, and imagine my delight when gardenia, tuberose, and a creamy whiff of coconut hit me! After a few minuites it settled down, and I was given a steady sense of a white orchid, warm air, and old school suntan lotion...? I do not like the faint, sharp, almost oily/metallic hint I'm getting, but it's not enough to spoil this lovely fragrance. Lasting power was about average on me, I used the oil. It's a sunny temporary get away to fresh coconut milk with an orchid in the glass! And I'm definitely going to have to try it in the summer!

This is a fun little perfume oil, almost cliche in its sarong-adorned, margarita-sipping charm. On my skin it is 100% suntan lotion from the '80s with no other notes: no coconut, incense, or florals. It's a perfect mood perfume for when you want to feel like you are on a tropical vacation. It's the olfactory equivalent of The Love Boat with a dose of Gilligan's Island thrown in. *Note: it's very pleasant and natural-smelling when applied lightly, but if you put on too much, it will take on a headache-inducing synthetic quality.