Maja

One of the top favourite fragrances of my small collection and possibly the cheapest too. This perfume does not even slightly, smell cheap, the opposite in fact, it is so unique and distinctive that it punches WAY above its price. It smells of carnation, clove and other warm baking spices. I also get Turkish Delight, the rosy pink one that is dusted in powdered sugar and exquisitely wrapped in waxy tissue in a box that is like a jewel box. The powdered sugar note introduces another powdery olfactory memory, that of granny's dressing table drawer, sweet, musky, grown-up, ladylike. I picture a beautiful elegant and mysterious Fado singer or Flamenco dancer at her dressing table before a show, dabbing Maja on her neck, and she would definitely have the beautiful Maja dusting powder on her dressing table too. This perfume has the magical chameleonic ability to be the fresh cologne you want in Summer but also the spicy, cosy aura you crave in Winter. I have pretty much the full scent suite; the perfume, the talcum powder, the deodorant and the body cream. There is also shower gel, liquid soap and tablet soap available. I can confirm that the complementary products smell exactly like the perfume which cannot always be said about body creams etc. The black and red packaging on the range is very classy and vintage style and makes them very giftable. Good gifts for lovers of all things vintage. My only complaint with Maja is that I would love the option of a more intense incarnation of the perfume which sadly wears off rather quickly. I would also favour a 30ml bottle that would be handbag friendly. I will have Maja in my collection and weekly rotation for as long as I can obtain it. Highly Recommended.

Lucky me! Groupon had a"deal" on Maja. I DID NOT buy it, but something tickled my memory. I remembered these fantastic soaps my grandmother and mother had. ...and then remembered the pretty much "nearly" empty bottle of Maja, sticky, resinous, and strong smelling just from the perfume's use, sitting for years on my mother's dresser, most likely handed down from my Grandmother from her travels in Europe. After closing the Groupon app, I went off in search of that bottle which has nestled in one drawer or another reminding me of my mother and grandmother both, and my "genes" for loving perfume. There it was, and now is in my hands. My bottler is simple with a label that says Spain and made in Mallorca, Barcelona with a street address. The cap is red, lettering red (actually brickish red), juice is amber brown red and thick with age, not green. It is heaven in a bottle, very thick, sticky and syrupy and after decades, going strong just from my touching the bottle where perfume has leaked. Merely by touch transfer of hand to bottle to my neck, I get a spicy amber, carnation, somewhat sweet scent like honey and tobacco, rose powder, even trace tuberose, incense!, sandal wood, touch of orange flower, very light patchouli, wood smells overall, and other florals my nose cannot identify. It is simultaneously spicy, soft, powdery, old fashioned in the best way. Longevity is'till the next day. The 80s went for this in perfume. But this is far grander. For those of you who remember Vallee Des Rois, this has an echo in the dry down only (not at all in beginning), or vice versa since VDR came much later in 90's. I'm so glad I found this gem again.

I don't know what the original Maja smelled like so I can't comment on that. However, the one I have, which I assume is the reformulated, is unlike any other fragrance I have. I've been wearing it for over a week so I could think about the scent because so many people say they do not care for it. It starts off really strong(at least the husband says so)so now I spray it into the lid and dab it on but once it calms down, it is really exceptional (after a couple of minutes). It doesn't fit neatly into any category. It's not flowery, not classically oriental, or musky. At once, it has a citrus-y masculine scent, then a burst of flowers comes from nowhere, then woody spicy incense. Even after several hours the different scents will reappear for a time. My husband really likes this one. I asked him what he thought of it and he said it is like from a different time but is not old-fashioned or "old-lady-ish" although I may comment here that one needs to remember that just because we smell certain scents on older women does not mean that these women were always old, know what I mean? I think that since Maja is hard to pin down, people may have trouble liking it because you don't know what to expect. I really, really like it for being so unusual and it is really pretty in all it's facets. This fragrance certainly has character, which is something I always look for in fragrances and is sorrowfully lacking in many newer fragrances. I feel bad that many of the women on this board miss the old Maja and I can certainly appreciate that. All I know is what I smell and this fragrance is interesting, pretty, and complex.

I have a recent bottle that now has macerated for 1.5 years. I haven’t worn it much, because the lasting power was so bad. I’m happy to say that it is so much stronger and better lasting now! This is a very beautiful fragrance. It’s surprisingly complex and elegant, especially given the price point. The version I own is light and airy and I think it’s most suitable for spring and summer, for its cologne like qualities. It has a soapy quality, without smelling like soap the way most other soapy scent do. I think I mainly recognise it as soapy, because it smells like Maja soap, and I probably subconsciously remember that from my childhood, perhaps from my grandmas house. It’s very addictive. It smells classy, clean and fresh, without ever smelling generic. The spices give it some depth and body, in an otherwise very translucent and delicate fragrance. I believe vintage versions may be a lot more spicy, and dark, and I’m interested in layering it with spicy fragrances (thinking of Kenzo Jungle l’Elephant and Mancera Red Tobacco for starters), to create a deeper version for autumn and winter. All in all this is a great choice and definitely worth the money, even the newer versions. For the humble price, you can’t really go wrong, and it’s such an inoffensive fragrance that it’s a pretty safe blind buy. I do recommend letting it macerate for a very long time (a year or so), because the lasting power on a new bottle is atrocious. Happy to say that the juice does get more potent the longer it sits.

Maja is one of the MOST deliciously musty, dusty, rosy, powdery, sharp, step-back-into-the-past scents around. I do not know what the current scent smells like, but if you can find a vintage bottle of the eau de cologne or eau de toilette, and you're someone like me who takes pleasure at such ancient scents, you'll adore this. This is one of the sharpest orientals out there. Although it's not listed in the notes, Maja has a very animalic quality as well - smelling it, I'm reminded of that strange but alluring smell of old lipsticks; a kind of rich and oily scent more akin to ambergris than anything. This is a scent that perfume historians could love, it has such an historic quality to it. I've always loved all scented things made by Myrurgia, which I trace back to my first trip to Spain when I was in college and bought some shaving soap from El Corte Ingles in Barcelona. The smell of that soap stayed with me for years. I notice that Myrurgia puts just a hint of sandalwood in everything they make, giving their scents that quality of the orient and north Africa that is distinct to them. Glorious old stuff!

This is unbelievably pleasant. I get mostly rose/geranium, carnations, and soapy lavender. A bright, but non-descript citrus is present as well. The spicy notes come off aromatic like black pepper yet somehow cold. There's also something dry and sophisticated like leather lingering in the background and a good hint of natural smelling, sweet, earthy tobacco (not the kind that smells like unlit cigarettes). There is absolutely a nostalgic quality to this fragrance, even for a Non-Latin, North-American person. That being said, it's totally still wearable. I actually don't find it to be similar to any other oriental. I get no cloying amber, thick resin or smokey incense from this at all. In fact, it smells a bit more like a peppery rose/carnation aquatic, or a lightweight, rose chypre. Imagine Diva without all that animalic skank, pissy honey and tuberose. I definitely would like to try the soap as well. My only complaint is that the current formulation could stand to be a bit stronger. Then again, I tend to go overboard with application so maybe it's for the best lol.

All of us bookish, nerdy college girls wore this stuff in the 1960's. Probably the best dime store/drug store fragrance ever. Absolutely adult, without being obvious. You don't wear this stuff to seduce someone; it isn't bait like Shalimar or the old Tabu. You wear this to feel wonderful about yourself when you're out. Or anywhere. Maja sort of projects that you know what you're doing. I haven't tried a bottle in the last 10 years; the newer stuff that came out in the late 1990's didn't smell the same as the stuff from the 1960's, and judging by the other comments the stuff sold now may be even worse. Sandalwood and a lot of other base notes were a lot cheaper in the 1960's. But lots of this stuff sold in the 1960's, and especially sets of it sold at Christmas. Not every woman liked it then, so there may be some of the older stuff hitting the estate sales now. Some of the bottles even came with those little rubber stoppers beneath the screw top. If a bottle from even the 1940's has one and no one displayed it near sunlight, the fragrance is still likely to be good.

Reading your reviews, I bought the original Maja spray. The original MAJA is a warm, soft spicy, subtle, very slighly dusty, beautiful floral scent. First spray seems strong, but quickly settles down and softens. Cloves, nutmeg and vetiver give it character and patchouli aids in longevity. The spices are well blended into the florals to create an overall mild softness. Maja isn't overpowering, and the spices don't scream or attack. Maja is soft, totally feminine, clinging close to skin. Perhaps layering it with the original soaps and body lotion would make it last longer on skin ? Sprayed in hair, it lasts about 6 to 8 hours. Compared to Cafe Cafe, Maja is not as sweet and fluffy flowery as Cafe. Maja seems to be a richer blend, more grownup, more womanly, not girly. Maybe some day I will try the new reformulated version of Maja, but ONLY if I can think of the new version as a completely different fragrance. Unfortunately, Reformulated classics are not at all like original classic fragrances.

I liked this perfume. I bought a bottle cheaply, about $11 for 1.7 oz. at a Latin drugstore. I love it! I was surprised because the soap was underwhelming. It smelled great on me as I walked around the store. It does not smell cheap, just unique. There's nothing I can compare this to so I didn't add anything above. It's spicy, yet has staying power, not cloying or overwhelming, with a slight citrusy base perhaps. It just blends well with my body chemistry. Which, when you think about it, is what it all comes down to, subjectivity and relative experience with scent. Also, just want to add, I loathe the term, 'old-ladyish,' to describe a scent. You do realize that in the grand scheme of things, one day these trendy fruity scents will seem 'old lady' to someone else and the old lady will be you! ('You' being the guilty, unimaginative souls who describe perfume in such a way.) Shame on you, my teenager could school you in how to appreciate all kinds of fragrance. And she wears Coty's L'Aimant.

I really dig this one! I was expecting it to smell way more dated than it does, if I knew nothing about it I would guess it launched around 30 years ago instead of 100. To me it smells like honey, rose and geranium with a beautiful hint of spice. It reminds me a lot of Lush's Rose Jam, particularly in how sweet it is. I'm not typically fond of geranium because I find it overwhelmingly sweet but the spice adds a touch that makes it tastefully sweet. ETA: My bottle has aged for almost 2 years now and it's taken on a soapier, less sweet quality than it had when I first got it. It definitely smells more unisex and more like the lotion. I got them both around the same time and I remember thinking they smelled nothing alike because the lotion was missing the sweeter notes, but while the EDT is still on the sweet side they're more similar now. I still get the geranium but it's toned way down.

I was looking for a Russian perfume and although this house is from Spain the box and bottle screamed Russian to me. I found this for around 15USD and blind bought it right away. I didn't know what to expect and thought if it didn't play well on my skin I would have a new air freshener. This is no air freshener! This is a perfume that is surprisingly luxe for the price point! This is the scent a beautiful lady would wear as she goes about her daily tasks, baking, weaving, harvesting flowers in the summer sun, and talking with the other women of her village as her lover notices her from a distance. She is wearing a chic Pavlovsky Posad shawl and this scent. She is sexy yet seems to be absorbed in her daily task to the point she is unassuming of her own magnetism. This scent is hidden luxury. It blends into the heady summer evening and turns heads! A quiet seduction in every bottle!

I love this perfume. I’ve never smelled it until today. Usually, this perfume reminds people of their childhoods back in Spain or Latin America. This perfume is quite old. It has a lot of history. It is not meant to be a young, hip, and fun perfume. Instead, it’s supposed to transcend you back in time. This perfume reminds me of being in Latin America while growing up and smelling a distinctive, powdery, dark floral perfume on my aunts back in the day. It smells like a powdery, tobacco, red rose bouquet. It can be cloying if you spray too much. It is so dark and beautiful. It’s meant to smell like the 1920s. Like a gorgeous, Spanish woman having a smoke outside. She’s wearing red lipstick, has long and silky, black curly hair. She owns a brown mink coat and enjoyed a black cup of coffee. It smells similar to Aromatic Elixir by Clinique. Same scent family. Meant to smell VINTAGE.

Maja, the EDT (made in Spain, and the current formulation) was a very lucky blind buy. If you enjoy Chanel Coco or Lanvin's My Sin, I think you will enjoy Maja. My Sin was created in the 1920's as well, however Maja is much milder than My Sin, with a softer clove and carnation combination than those two notes usually provide. Maja is elegant, but fleeting. Fortunately it costs very little so respraying isn't an issue. While Maja EDT is subtle, I am most definitely not renowned for that virtue, so I went ahead and purchased the body lotion, made in Mexico, and hand wash, made in Hell. At least I think that the Maja hand wash could be produced by the devil himself from the sulphurous stink of it. Unlike the lovely body lotion, the handwash reeks of sulphur and brimstone. I'm sure it kills germs in any case. Possibly even Super Bugs. Now this should have been called My Sin.

When I was a kid, I gifted this to my granny who was a very elegant lady. She laughed and told me Maja was one of those perfumes that ladies of the night wore the most. But still she loved it and wore it until the last drop. She said that despite being so cheap, it didn’t smell cheap and was a very well made perfume. It’s been a while since I gifted her Maja. Now I was curious to see if it was the same but no, it’s not the same. But to my surprise I loved it. It’s way more diluted and not as intense as it was, but that wonderful mix of tobacco, spices and roses is so comforting that I had to get one bottle for me. It’s perfectly unisex. Wearing it to bed makes me fall asleep in no time. Maja is great on cold rainy nights. Just like reading a book next to a spiced hot tea cup. This oldie is over 100 years and to be honest it made it in a very good shape!

SUZYSCHNABEL, i live in Mexico and i got a vintage version of this perfume and the new one (not reformulated) Maja body spray that is the Original Scent.... to me both the vintage version and the body spray (new) smell EXACTLY THE SAME WAY and both have very good longevity too. i also buy the soaps and the powder, very affordable products that i love to wear everyday, i keep other more expensive perfumes when i want to indulge myself but this Maja is a real comfort everyday fragrance to me. i had the petite robe noir (didn't repurchase it because the lasting power was very poor on my skin) but i liked the fragrance and Maja is very similar to it, i find the same sweetnes in the patchouli and orange flower composition. so if you have the chance to get the Maja Body Spray (comes in 200ml, plastic bottle) buy it instead of other vintage versions

I got a vintage version of this perfume and it's just lovely... at first spray I can smell sweet patchouli wrapped in a delicate veil of nutmeg and citruses (like mandarin and fresh cut oranges) the scent it's just so beautiful and the cloves in this composition is so subtle... longevity is good enough to last up to 6hrs. but I also reapply it when i want to keep it lasting more, the smell lasts also in my clothes until i do the laundry the next day.... so cheap too.... in the drydown it smells very similar to La petite robe noir ( I think it is very similar to it as i find the same smell of citruses, patchouli and spices) and it is as delicately sweet as LPRN... to me this is the cheap version of Guerlain's petite robe so if you like this perfume and don't want to spend all the money in this perfume this one is the best option

First off, I know NOTHING about the vintage version of this. I have (likely) a newer reformulation and just love it. It is everything I love. Warm, spicy, elegant, unique and not the least bit sweet. I think that as much as I like this formulation, I would have loved the vintage as I am a big fan of cinnamon fragrances. As it is, this is likely more wearable for daytime work situations as I imagine the vintage is more of a powerhouse for date night! But I love mine and plan to get a back up bottle. Longevity is good, I can get 7-9 hours and if I use it with the soaps and lotions, I can get a good 12+ hours and still kind of smell it the next day. While I can appreciate the loss of the old Maja, I feel this one is an elegant, classy lady. I don't find it the least bit old ladyish.

I got a quite vintage bottle in an estate lot and didn't realize it said Nueva above the Maja until I looked closely and the light hit the small gold lettering. It is light green and has no strength listed on the bottle. I applied several times and it was still light, so I'm thinking cologne. Still it lasted reasonably well, I reapplied at about 3 hours and it made it through the rest of the day. Marvelous, I thought it was quite musky, which I love. It reminded me of Vivre, a lot, at least in parts of the dry down. I put on some of both and found them similar. Of course, it is discontinued and the Maja has been changed, so both are finds to treasure.

Once in a while I m graving for maja .... and then suddenly it stops and I not only don t want it, but realy can t stand it anymore for a long time .... it must be the overwhelming soapiness of this scent that is a 100% love or hate. To me maja reminds me of the washed of opium 70 s.(I was very young back than and proudly owned the first edition opium of yves saint laurent, and washes it of so often by overspraying and also because I loved the washed of scent to, still very strong:)). Today I love love love the soapiness so much.... sunny warm day, did my laundry, watert and nursed my plants, a beautiful day off at home, a majaday.

Had the tiniest drop in a very old mini and bought a brand new 3.4 oz spray today. The reformulation is very nice for a modern blend. At the same time, in comparison to the real stuff, sadly, it is but a pale, anemic, echo. The vintage flings you back into your grandma's handbag and into another place and time. The old scent has edges and a rough sort of rawness that is intriguing. The new one is simple and shallow and linear. It is still nice and a fine daytime fragrance. I am now still smelling the vintage drydown, so nice. The modern one leaves a slightly sweet nice trace but the vintage takes me away.