Muse de Rochas

I find this scent to be beautiful. It's the first and only one I've tried from this perfume house. For me it has a bit of a split personality in that it begins slightly fruity, slightly green but mostly clean and soapy with a powder/dusty,salty sweetness as in Lolita Lempicka, like ChypreAnn mentioned. As it dries down, the sandalwood becomes extremely apparent on my skin. I wonder if that's why one of the reviews likened it to Samsara. The sandalwood in this reminds me of Estee Lauder Sensuous but Muse de Rochas is much sweeter and more feminine..while Sensuous takes on a more sappy, resinous vibe.Muse de Rochas manages to pull off sweet-fresh-clean and sultry-woody at the same time.Sure....I also found it at a bargain price at TJMaxx....but I wouldn't discredit it because of that....it's very nice and worth the money in my opinion. Initially I bought a bottle for myself and then went back to buy a bottle for my 20 year old step-daughter for Christmas. I'm hoping it will be just what she craves...as she is trying to transition into wearing more "grown-up" fragrances. I think this one might satisfy that requirement as it retains the sweetness of youth yet also offers a certain edginess found in the bizarre combo of notes and the spicy-woody-musky base. I can't say that the banana leaf ever really stood out but then again I can't say that I have ever smelled a banana leaf to know what one smells like. I'm guessing it lends to that fresh, green (slightly bitter) quality. I'm looking forward to smelling more from Rochas!

There's Rochas DNA here. I got a waft of Femme when I wore this yesterday and started to sweat while doing housework (is that the bergamot, peach and cinnamon?) This is nice. Low sillage, decent longevity. Banana is more noticeable if you spray with gusto. Smells artistic, I think the name Muse is befitting. As is the purple bottle. Kinda lets you know you're about to smell something weird but appealing. Note: I sampled Perry Ellis 360 Purple and did not think it was very similar. 360 Purple was much less tropical smelling, much more floral and musky. Update: Upgraded from "like" to "love." The more I wear Muse, the more I adore it! The banana leaf note weaves in and out, and the tropical notes play so nicely with the musk and amber. It has so much of what I love in a fragrance--green notes, orange flower, peach, and amber-- and is really perfect for hot weather. I appreciate how it's tropical without coconut, so it smells beachy but not like tanning oil. I'd love more sillage, but because it doesn't scream loudly, it's a perfect scent for work. It lifts my mood but won't disturb my coworkers (who seem to get migraines from EVERYTHING.) For the price, I don't mind having to spray a lot, those sprays DO last all day, although I get sad every time I see the fill line getting lower and lower...

I am so thrilled to have found this beauty blind at Marshalls for $14.99 per 1.6 oz. Just gorgeous! It is a fruity floral but divine and sophisticated, not Kool-Aid or cheap body spray. I can smell each of the listed notes and I can also detect violet like some other reviewers, although it is not listed. It smells like the fanciest candy or perhaps a delicious fruity cocktail made with fresh juices and top shelf liqour. I didn't really know what to expect, but Rochas rang a bell, it is an EDP, and made in France. I'm starting to notice that french manufacture at least gives an indication of quality, like french wine, cosmetics or lingerie. Those French know a thing or two about the feminine arts. The bottle is really gorgeous, with smokey purple glass and an almost heart shape. The cap is well crafted and snaps into place firmly. The outside of the box is basic but it is lined in violet lace print on a white background. It says "Une Muse sommeille en chaque Femme" just inside the box top, which google translates to "a muse lives inside every woman." Isn't that lovely? I'm starting to feel quite talented at blind buys, but I could never do it without Fragrantica! It's quite a thrill to pick a gem out of a cluster of celeb frags and outdated fashion house throwaways. I'm a happy lady!

Sometimes we blame a house for not performing to our standards. We expect every perfume they produce to be at some invisible standard we have set for them and if their newest creation has not towed this line, all hell breaks loose. I have read negativity posed at Muse and I don't know why. It's a delightful little oriental floral that sits close to the skin after it drys down. It eventually becomes a woody vanilla with a light musk dancing with swirls of resin. It's a surprise perfume because its beginning is nothing like its ending and I like that. It sits close to the skin making it perfect for a variety of uses, the office, close encounters, small spaces...you can figure this one out. There is a definitive powdery finish which is quite nice when the florals come back out to announce themselves. Sometimes I just want a perfume that's demure, dainty, coy and exquisite in its presentation and Muse fits this bill. It lasts quite a few hours happily for me and the bottle fits heftily in my hand. It's a beautiful dark lilac color with a metallic cap, no plastic and gold lettering on the front. Yes, sometimes I do want a feminine perfume that speaks of gentleness, not weakness. Muse de Rochas sustains a number of these qualities.

Lightly, delicately, perfectly divine. I usually favor the dark, spicy, mysterious, smoky orientals and powerhouse vintage fragrances, but this blend is a rare and special exception. It is poetry. Rochas is a true master. Gently sweet and soft but mesmerizingly gorgeous, it smells more expensive that it is. I smell the most beautiful florals mixed with rain and fine sandalwood blended with a lovely musk. This is a wedding day scent; a naked honeymoon smell. Of all the "nudes" going on right now, I choose Rochas Muse as The Perfect Nude. Other than a wedding, this scent brings the imagery of a lovely nude woman in repose while her artist lover paints her laying across their passion bed with a window of rainy rivulets as the background. The perfect light sweetness with a hint of peachy tart, sheer, perfectly blended, nothing too sharp, sour or sticking out, no fruit punch or candied pralines (Thank you, Rochas!) I think of fine ivory satin and French lace in a not-so-innocent way when I smell this. I usually do novels for reviews. I won't bore you to tears with this one because it is just simply beautiful, purely classic yet unique... and the name is perfectly fitting. Muse. Yes, Muse! :)