Athénaïs

Stunning start to finish. Bold and intense, Athénaïs opens with the glow of orange blossom, like golden hour unfurling on the skin. Bergamot and yuzu give it a flirty citrus sparkle, though rich vanillic amber in the base already peaks through, lending the composition a voluptuous, and a touch moody, depth. This is what strikes me about Athénaïs first—this scent is unexpectedly full of contrasts, juxtaposing the glow of citruses with the creamy florals and darker, resinous tones. I’m seeing polarized opinions online, and I get why some might find Athénaïs challenging. The orange blossom presents a boozy, almost animalic facet—think Calvados note in Amouage’s Overture—giving the scent a sultry boudoir vibe. Amber wreathes everything in its dark, moody shadows, while yuzu and neroli illuminate Athénaïs’ floral heart, making for a chiaroscuro-like effect. Personally, I love this brooding yet simultaneously alluring opening and only wish it lasted further into the scent. Gradually, the shadows lift, drawing us into the heart of balmy jasmine that cushions orange blossom, layering in a velvety plushness. This rests on a foundation of tonka bean and vanilla—elegant, smooth, with a gourmand richness dramatized by glittering spiced inclusions. On my skin, Athénaïs takes several hours to unfurl, settling into a gorgeous candied floral—spiced and steeped in a creamy, albeit not edible, vanilla. There’s the same candied motif threaded throughout that I love in Stellar Times and Safanad, almost like spun sugar wrapping the blooms and giving them a subtly gourmand aura. So if you enjoy bold and intentional florals dressed in elegance but not overly sweet, this one’s so worth a sniff. @mytopnotes on IG

After finishing a 5ml sample from Scent Split, I knew I needed Athénaïs in my collection. I’m naturally drawn to orange blossom fragrances, and this one is easily among the most beautifully crafted I’ve tried. While many orange blossom fragrances lose their citrus sparkle within minutes, Athénaïs does the opposite. The citrus notes take center stage and stay there for hours. The opening is a bright, sparkling burst of citrus that feels like summer on the skin. It’s uplifting, elegant, and surprisingly long‐lasting. As it settles, the citrus is accompanied by smooth, creamy blend of vanilla, jasmine, orange blossom and tonka. What I appreciate most is that the base never becomes too sweet or heavy. Instead, it stays airy, fresh, and feminine from start to finish. Athénaïs has great projection and last about six hours on the skin. It is a huge compliment getter. I believe this is a safe blind buy.

I’m loving this! I’m puzzled by all the negative reviews this has received on social media. This is anything, but boring and generic to my nose. This opens with a fresh, bright citrus. In the mid I get a translucent neroli with a slight sweetness of orange blossom. The orange blossom is not heavy, I believe it’s the neroli that balances it and makes it soft, clean and airy. The base is soft and warm with PDM DNA. In my opinion this doesn’t remind me of any of the fragrances listed below, to me it stands on its own. If you like the two Valaya’s, I would be shocked if you didn’t like this. This is perfectly blended, great for spring and summer and has great longevity. This is sunshine bottled up🌼Fragrance is so subjective, but if you love PDM perfumes, I would defiantly recommend trying this one out!

Am I tripping or does this smell like Memo Sintra? As soon as I sprayed it, it instantly reminded me of Sintra. I don’t know why these companies keep making dupes. It’s becoming annoying like I’m not paying a niche price for copycat syndrome. It’s like none of these companies have their own mind. Got me wanting to make a fragrance, although I did before and it was fire, but yeah, this fragrance is super overhyped. But It does smells good, but it’s not worth the price tag. It kind of smells like Oriana and Love Don’t Be Shy mixed together. That’s the same exact thing as Memo Sintra. 🙄 Maybe in six months it will change, so I’m gonna let it sit for six months to a year. Oh yeah it’s very feminine. I don’t see no man wearing this at all so don’t listen to those votes.

To my nose, this smells nothing like Paradoxe (I smelled side by side today). This is much more citrusy and fizzy; I get SO much citrus. Super bright vibrant citrus. It's a completely different category from Safanad (relieved... was so worried this was a replacement). This doesn't have the same smooth sweet roundness. This is fizzy, light, zesty, with a TOUCH of the orange blossom sweetness. I barely get any tonka. This is almost like a jasmine-infused aperol spritz to my nose. Do not understand how people think this is a Paradoxe dupe, but that's what makes fragrance cool :) super subjective.

I was expecting a safand take this is not thankgod so safand is still very valid in the line and I love safand. I prefer safand. This is lovely it’s neroli forward I like this note so image but you need to like neroli. And orange blosso, In the mid and dry down you get more creamy vanilla and powdery notes. And a warmth from the amber it’s a lovely scent. Unfortunately I’m someone like many that tink they should lower the price to meet the male prices other wise there just extorting the female market. I’m glad I have it in my collection though don’t get me wrong.

I tried Athenias many times before I purchased a bottle! I even bought a travel spray of Prada Paradox because so many people said they smelled similar. I did not enjoy Prada Paradox. I had to scrub it off. I do recognize the shared notes, however, Athenias is not nearly as sharp. I encourage you to truly wear this beautiful perfume before rushing to conclusions or comparisons. I find it to be refreshing, smooth, and sweet- but not tooth achingly so. Athenias sits beautifully in the PDM lineup, and would layer well with many of her sisters!

I absolutely adore this perfume! I ordered a discovery set from the PDM website and chose Athenais as a free sample since it wasn't included in the discovery set. I hated all of them (Delina rosee was okay) except for Athenais, which I fell in love with from first spritz! The opening is sparkling and fruity and the drydown is softly sweet, very slightly powdery. It feels fun but sophisticated. Literally lasts all day if I spray over body oil/body cream. Highly compared to Prada Paradox (intense), but they smell completely different on me.

I adore this fragrance. I recognize the similarities with Prada Paradoxe but such designer frags have that commercialized, hotel-like designer DNA that niche brands are able to circumvent entirely. On my skin, Athénaïs is like summer in the south of France. Neroli essential oils, sun kissed, bouillabaisse by the water, gelato and promenade en soirée. Completely evolves into a vacation. My only gripe is that it doesn't last very long, and turns into a skin scent after 2-3 hrs.

It’s been a while since I’ve smelled Paradoxe, but I do remember not liking it at all. It’s the smell that hangs around in a Douglas store. Strong and screechy headache inducing mish mash of white florals. This fragrance is a lot more refined and gentle. Lovely wafts as you go about your day, not intrusive at all. Just a beautiful presence. Summer in a bottle. Golden hour at the beach. Top of my wish list.

I absolutely fell in love with this when I smelled it at the mall, BUT I refused to pay full price. The only other PDM that I have is Althair, which I love. I just am not a fan of the others, they are too sweet. This though, it is so beautiful and the bottle is amazing. I was lucky enough to purchase this for 48% off plus I had some coupons so I paid under $150...I can't wait for it to arrive !

Ican't stop sniffing my wrist since yesterday, when I bought this bautifule perfune. Since Valaya I did'nt like or love enything from this brand but Atheneis is an instant love for me. It is my summery orange blossdom pefune, not too heavy but still vannilla and very feminin and lingers around all day wit a beautifle white floral scent. Sillage is medium but lasts all day.

Test it out today at Nieman Marcus. What a beautiful, warm dry down! A little Mon Boudoir vibe. the dry down reminds me of that from Ormand Jayne's Levant but Athenais is more assertive and stronger. It is interesting to pair the innocence of neroli with the voluptuousness of vanilla and amber.... I think I might go for the full bottle... Cries my wallet LOL

I tryed it in a niche store and this is a must have for me. Thanks God it'ts nothing to do with Prada Paradoxe! Yes, it has orange blossom and vanilla but in the very sofisticated way of Marly with lots of high quality ingredients. The sillage is medium to big and longevity is at least 7-8 hours on me. Tomorrow I go back to buy a whole bottle.

This is a beautiful scent and one of my favorite non-gourmand scents in my collection at the moment. Scents fade fast on my skin, but I was still catching lil bits of this scent on me at night! Can't wait to wear this in warm weather and see how I feel about it. As someone who owns this and Paradoxe, I don't think this is the same as Paradoxe.

This has become my favorite PDM perfume, especially for spring and summer. A lot say it smells exactly like Prada Paradox intense. I do think there’s similarities but the orange blossom is the difference for me. I think when you initially spray you immediately get the neroli and bergamot but the dry down is different. Love it.

This is not my usual kind of scent, but I tried a sample and it is beautiful. I imagine this would be stunning on a summer evening. The orange blossom, jasmine and vanilla are lovely together. It’s not the most complex or original scent, but I love it. I won’t be buying it though. £270 for 75ml is outright extortion.

Love this! Super light, fresh and feminine. Bought a full size after a decant. Super safe for office wear. Not quite a skin scent but not a big projector etiher... which i like bc i feel like this frag hits a sweet spot. This could easily be a spring/summer signature scent.

This first time I tried this I did not like it. I must not have waited for the dry down. The next 2 times I smelled it I absolutely loved it. Both stores were sold out. This perfumes beauty is in the dry down, absolutely beautiful! I highly recommend.

This image beautifully captures a feminine and realistic scene of stepping into a garden bursting with neroli and jasmine sambac. It evokes memories of my mother’s garden. The dry down reveals mahonial, leaving a subtle Blanche Bête shadow.

Gorgeous fragrance. Pretty bottle. Pretty Pricey.... I’m hoping this performs with my body chemistry like Delina Exclusif....will this rank in my eyes like D. Exclusif or not.... Only time will tell.

when I'm wearing this airy orange blossom (white flowers) that drays down to a creme vanilla and lasts forever. I see my self dancing on a cloud withe a beautiful airy white dress. is heavenly

This is Prada Paradoxe with slightly more amber. Finally got to smell this at Nordstrom and was immediately familiar. Not sure I would go for this since I own Paradoxe already.

Very pleasant orange blossom perfume. Reminds me a lot Prada Paradoxe and Pink Eclipse. Not sure if I should buy the full bottle though. Too overpriced for what it offers.

Beautiful and eternal. This is a pretty scent. If you want to smell pretty this is it. The price is terrible however and Prada Paradox is very similar.

I love this scent so much, no doubt sexiest womens perfume in my opinion.

Not at all like Prada , it’s great !! Love it and want it :)

She is mike a shiny orange blossom lollipop. 🍭 love it 🥰

Welcome to ten Abercrombie store. I am loving it.

Smelled it at Saks. Was underwhelmed.

I'm a dude and I love this fragrance.

First I want to say Parfums de Marly Athénaïs smells nothing like Prada Paradoxe, not my favorite. The quality difference is very apparent. Paradoxe is sort of sweet jasmine, similar to the bubblegum vibe in GA My Way, but way fresher from lots of neroli and white scratchy musk. Although in the neroli family, Athénaïs sets herself apart. Idky but I've been loving orange blossom and its note relatives for a while, to the point I don't mind having multiples that offer different things. I know how boring. Athénaïs is a true all-year sweet orange blossom that blooms in warmth still due to the balanced amount of neroli citrus freshness and slight zest spice to match. The neroli in here is never sharp because the orange blossom is sweet and feels like light whipped syrup cream if that makes sense lol. It smells a tinge like Kilian orange blossom, but not syrupy nor powdery since there's no caramel or marshmallow respectively. Not soapy either. The freshness and sweetness is perfectly balanced with the scale tipping more sweet. The airy musk is also very addicting and smooth, preventing the formula from being dense. Probably why the strength consistently simmers down by hour 2...every time. Ends up as the chewing air of a vanilla-sweetened neroli bubblegum that creates orange blossom. I have to smell close to get the thicker opening. It does last about 6-7 hours before it's gone but that addictive air sticks on fabric. If anything, Athénaïs Intense smells more like Paradoxe intense which has sweetness too. Both have an addicting musk, that is different from each other or at least behaves differently. Paradoxe is a little synthetic and not as smooth. At times their scents are nearly identical, while other times diverging into their own thing sometimes in the opening or dry-down. Ultimately chose Prada Paradoxe intense since it still projects well after 2 hours. If craving more of that sweet orange blossom tinge, I just spritz my Kilian LDBS Extreme over the Intense. The bottle and refill would still be less than what Athénaïs is on sale, the biggest discount now being maybe 15% off. If gifted with Athénaïs though, I won't complain. Compared to the two big orange blossoms in the PDM range, they are all quite different. Safanad has more of a creamy sandalwood lotion vibe mixed with thick sweet orange blossom. Oriana is actually similar to Kilian LDBS Extreme more than LDBS but less powdery. Also similar to BTSO Candy Dust which at least lasts for 4 hours, unlike Oriana that is intimate under an hour and fully disappears at 2. The raspberry in Oriana has a similar effect to the marshmallow rose in the Extreme and the candy milk in Candy Dust. Oriana differs from them all with its orange soapy freshness.

I really like this one so far! I have a love & hate relationship with PdM because I hate how expensive their perfumes are but they are one of the few houses that doesn't trigger headaches for me. This is an orange blossom forward fragrance. The opening is very bright, slightly fizzy with hints of the the citrus notes. The base is a slightly powdery vanilla amber that balances the orange blossom without overshadowing it. It's not nauseatingly sweet nor is it too heavy. This is what I imagine an orange saltwater taffy in a glass of sparkling water would smell. It's quite versatile and I feel like it could be worn during warm weather and in cooler weather without feeling out of place. I haven't smelled Safanad in awhile but from my memory I would say Athenais is like the younger & preppier sister. It has some Oriana vibes but I would say this has less of the orange smarties vibe. If you like Sundazed or Oyedo but want something with an amber vanilla base then you might like this one.

Deleted my previous review. After 7 hours I could still smell this, and the next day I missed it and went back to test it a second time The opening of this strikes me as a tad mature and heavy for some reason, I'm not practiced enough to be able to say what it is, maybe the amber? But after an hour or so it settles into something fruity and jasmine, very similar to 'Jasmine Freak' to me. The opening vs the dry down are two different perfumes to me! I find the opening a little too heavy and stinky and would probably not wear it in the summer. But after that, the neroli starts to shine and it becomes this soft clean fruity floral, a little like laundry soap. I wouldn't spend $400 on it, but as someone who doesn't own ANY $400 perfumes that's not saying much. I do see myself maybe buying a dupe when they come out. I actually like this one a lot more than Valaya, which I originally tried because I saw people calling Valaya the 'clean' scent from PDM.

Don’t understand the Prada Paradoxe associations to be honest. Sure it’s an orange blossom and neroli sweet scent - but I don’t think they smell remotely the same. This is much heavier on the citrus and it has a thicker almost chewy orange blossom - think the type of orange blossom you smell in Love don’t be shy . This also has a peppery/spicy undertone that reveals itself after the initial spray. There’s also something incredibly GREEN in this composition, almost leafy/earthy I suspect it might be the Mahonial. This bounces off my skin so well and truly projects, longevity is however more moderate. I like it - it’s a dumb reach kinda fragrance, it’s pretty nothing particularly exciting but you just know it’s the type of scent that will whip up compliments and perfect for the office. Seems to be some coordinated influencer led hate campaign on this fragrance - lol did pdm refuse to give out free bottles this launch or what??

I had the chance to smell this fragrance at Neiman Marcus last weekend. To my nose, it smells very good. It's sweet, but not overly sweet. There’s a slightly playful, almost bubblegum-like vibe, but it still feels refined and wearable. My wife actually preferred this over Delina and Valaya. She tested it on her skin, and performance wasn’t great—around 4–5 hours with low to moderate projection. However, as mentioned in other reviews, her skin chemistry tends to kill fragrances quickly, so this may perform better on others. Definitely test it on your own skin. Overall, it’s a great scent and very likable. I’ve heard comparisons to Prada Paradoxe, but I didn’t personally find them that similar. Given the price, I wouldn’t recommend a blind buy, but it’s absolutely worth sampling.

It seems like a lot of the negative reviews are from people trying samples and focusing more on the price than the fragrance itself. Just because it’s not within your budget doesn’t mean it isn’t for others. Parfums de Marly has always been on the expensive side, and if that’s not your range, there are plenty of other brands to explore and enjoy. Personally, I really like Athenais. It’s an easy reach for me and feels well made. I can see myself wearing it a lot this summer. It’s sweet and feminine, and to my nose it feels like a softer, fruitier take on Valaya, with that same clean, fresh feeling coming through during the day.

A very pretty scent. Fairly light and extremely feminine. Wearing this will absolutely make you feel like a dainty miss, draped in flowing chiffons, twirling, probably with flowers in your hair. However, there are loads of other scents that invoke all of this as well, and at a much more reasonable price. Just like everything else from this house, I think it is incredibly overpriced, but it would be an excellent spring/summer wedding scent for a bride willing to splurge. The bottle is beautiful, but I feel like having the PDM bottles on your vanity is just a status symbol. This house just doesn’t wow me.

I believe this perfume gets very mixed reviews because of its scent profile and its price tag. Now, it is for sure that this was created more to the mainstream. It has a very likeable fruity floral DNA, but in niche packaging. Yes, we have seen this scent profile, but it is very well made. I really like the citrusy opening, the sweet white florals and the warm vanilla - slightly powdery base. It sits rather close to the skin - it is not loud or obnoxious at all. The longevity is there, but it will not announce you before you enter the room. fragrance reviews on YouTube every week @dianasfragrancecloset

Opens with a strong sweet fruitiness. I didn't know what yuzi smelled like. So now I do and I love that. This is a brighyer lighter perfume with a vanilla thats not real strong. I got small flowers. Citrus . The yuzi was the best part. I like the vanilla and the amount was just right. It doesn't last long for me? 😔 I got a sample. I like it but I don't love it. I'm into more warm fragrances but the yuzi is soooo good. I'd maybe get it . A little amount? It's too expensive for me and it didn't keave me with " I got to have it!' Feeling . It is nice though.

Update: Went to Nordstrom and tried it again. I think this has graduated into a like. Not sure if FBW yet but I’m surprised by how different I feel about this now. I think I would still prefer La Rosée over this. This is much better than Palatine but smells very generic. Every pink-taxed PDM after Valaya has been quite a let down in terms of uniqueness. I miss the older styles. They are safe for niche but they were interesting. I am crazy about these new colorful clear bottles, though.

The perfume opens with a rich bouquet of white flowers, with orange blossom being the most prominent. There is also a touch of citrus freshness. It develops nicely toward the drydown, where tonka becomes more pronounced. This perfume, in its overall vibe, reminds me of Athalia. I would gladly wear it in daytime situations, in sunny and warmer weather. It’s unobtrusive, appealing, and office-safe.

Smelled it at the airport on skin and paper. I loved it! It's a juicy, bright, summery mandarin scent. The opening was much more appealing to me. Creamier like a sweet mandarin Popsicle with neroli and some sweetness. The drydown is more mandarin, so it's a bit disappointing to me given the price tag. Girly, feminine, fun, uplifting! 8.5/10 🍊🧡💛

To me this is definitely more in the Kilian LDBS territory, just without the marshmallow. And even so, it's still sweet. It's lovely, bottle is gorgeous, but it smells identical (maybe softer) to the Dossier Floral Marshmallow dupe in the dry down for me. Not really worth the price when there's so many others with this exact scent profile.

Im very happy to say that I got a sample for this one. I might save it for special occasions. First of all! Very citrusy. It also is very sweet, Vanilla sweet. I can smell the florals also. It actually kind of smells like when you smell a flower and you're like "wow this flower smells nice".

I see the similarities with Paradox but I find Athenais to be better. It's less bubblegum-y and has more of a subtle green nuance. Fresh, citrus-y, elegant. If the price is too much (as is usual with PDM) you can probably find something close elsewhere. But, still very pretty.

This smells like Valentino Donna Born In Roma, just a little sweeter. I think it's a nice scent but it's not a perfume that stands out with any uniqueness. Therefore, in my opinion, not worth the price point. I think you can find similar at a more reasonable cost.

Get Prada Paradoxe or Phlur Golden Rule. They are similar but smell better, better lasting and less expensive. This is an ok neroli and orange blossom scent, it is however warmer than those too. It has a golden undertone if you can even say that about scents.

This is the lightest PDM fragrance that I have ever tested. Unfortunately. I can smell it on me 3 hours max. Its very nice, light version of paradoxe according to me.this is softer fragrance. Too expensive.

Deliciously fresh, I liked that the fragrance wasn’t overpowered by the citrus and neroli notes. I find it very bright and balanced. Incredibly feminine without leaning too sweet.