Marquise de Merteuil

[sthenno]

Stately, bold, aristocratic and cruel. Opulent galbanum and amber, glistening peach, and a bouquet of French florals, with a merciless undertone of jonquil and heartless vetiver.

 

Sweet peach all the way through. It mellows a bit after drydown, but it's still peachy. I'm disappointed. I was hoping for something more "stately, bold, aristocratic and cruel."

Edited February 15, 2006 by clover

[grrrlennyl]

at first: lots of peach and some flowers.

on: all peach.

1.5 hours later: a hint of peach, but mostly a soft floral. luckily, i'm not getting any vetiver.

3 hours later: softer and almost woodsy.

overall: this was pretty at first (i love peach.), but i didn't like the drydown.

[PirateMaggie]

I was in the mood for an amber scent today. I'd been wearing Tamora all week and needed a change. I tried Spellbound which was a stunning failure. Then I found my imp of Marquise de Merteuil (a gift from the Lab) and decided to give her a try.

 

From the description, I expected a vanilla-free version of my much-loved Tamora. I was wrong. The amber-peach blend is every bit as beautiful, but there the similarity ends. Tamora is sweet and warm and glows golden while La Marquise is an ice queen through and through. She glows, but it's a pale, cold shine, like moonlight on icicles--I had no idea that summery peach and sunny amber could smell so aloof and chilly. That must be the influence of the jonquil and vetivert. She very much reminds me of a feminine Hades (a rather unisex blend). Feminine, mind you, not girlie--there is absolutely nothing soft, unsure, or yielding about this scent. It sneers "You know you want me, but you'll never have me. If you're very lucky, I might decide it's amusing to watch you try to win me over, though of course you'll fail." She's a cruel flirt who leaves a trail of broken hearts in her wake and a calculating, fiercely independent mistress strategist, and she's always the consummate sophisticate. Femmes fatale of all types would do well to get themselves a 10ml bottle or several.

 

In the imp, this smelled rather mainstream-perfumey for BPAL, similar to Rapture. Wet, it was a bit cloying with really strong throw, so much so that I nearly washed it off. After about twenty minutes, though, it backed off and became coy. La Marquise might have a pronounced mean streak, but she also has a gentler side that she'll show you if she has time to get to know you. The florals come out and the amber and vetivert warm up enough to smell woodsy and resiny while the peach, though far more tart than in other BPAL peach blends, give the scent a lift.

 

Big bottle. Definitely.

[slave1]

In Bottle: Peach

 

On Skin: An elegant peach! So very noble and strong! Other peach scents have turned so girly and innocent, this one holds it’s own ground and is a very strong and independent scent. The florals are a nice compliment and stay mostly in the background. The peach owns this scent, without a doubt, and while it is a fruity scent, I don’t feel like I’m eating a fruit salad which is nice. The galbanum and amber give a sweet sticky resin base which helps blend all the notes together perfectly. Vetiver usually goes haywire on me, but here it is tamed by the sweeter and deeper scents. The peach mellows out a bit as the scent dries down and we’re left with a more perfumey scent which I adore. A beautiful scent that I will keep, I love the mood it evokes. It has a nice throw and medium staying power.

[GemmaCat]

In the imp: sharp fruit and heady florals.

 

On my skin, initial: Ahh, now I get the peach and it's very bright, but there's something musky lurking in the background.

 

Drydown: the peach is completely drowned out by heady florals.

 

I'm not a floral fan, so this isn't for me, alas.

[Meg]

In the bottle: Very pleasant jonquil with amber in the background.

 

Wet: the jonquil fades to the back and amber takes over, with a very dark vetiver coming through and making a really weird mix.

 

Drydown: Amber and an aquatic scent, probably the glistening peach, which smells more like water than like peach. There's a dark, bitter undertone from the vetiver and jonquil that doesn't go with the rest at all. It ends up a very sweet yet bitter powdery mix that smells ladylike and haughty.

 

Overall: It does represent the Marquise de Merteuil very well, it smells regal because of the amber and fruit, and very dark and sneaky because of the vetiver and jonquil. It's a yellowy-green scent. However, it really doesn't suit me. It smells oppressive and powerful, and it's just not my personality. Interesting, but not my thing.

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

A Lab frimp; thank you, Labbies!

 

I'm a little wary of the vetiver, but I like peach and some florals, so here goes:

 

La Marquise is a whew strong peach! There's just a hint of amber, but the other notes mainly manifest as a startlingly cold quality; a chilly, bitchy peach.

 

I love how original and evocative this is, but Titania remains my fruit blend standard, and I can't wear this one nearly so well. Off to swap!

[filigree_shadow]

I agree with slave1's review -- I found Marquise de Merteuil to be just as she described it. Definitely peach, but the florals and vetiver make it sophisticated instead of girlie. Plus I think peach and amber is a fantastic combination.

 

I already have a 10mL of Tamora, and a 10mL of Marquise de Merteuil is currently on its way. I just love the Lab's peach scents, and I think Tamora is the perfect daytime peach and Marquise is the perfect evening peach.

[storme]

In the imp: peach, over florals and ... chewing gum? Must be the amber.

 

On me, wet: Ew, this smells like a chemical mess that someone threw peaches on top of. There's a powderiness to this, too. Yargh, I don't even want to keep this on long enough to dry down on me.

 

On me, dry: No, this is rotten peach with bleach and nail varnish remover on top. Wargh, time to scrub my wrists.

 

Verdict: Absolutely not one I want to keep at all, which is probably just as well considering how I keep having to check the spelling.

[ariesathena]

Oh wow, I adore this scent. My first thought is that it smells very much like something you would find at a department store counter, but without that alcoholic edge. It's definitely a stately floral as advertised. There's a sharpness to it, that fades as it dries. I can't really pick out any specific notes (I'm still new to this) but there's an almost musky undertone to the floral top. Really I just want to completely cover myself in it from head to toe.

[Caltha]

Marquise de Merteuil

I didn't expect to like this but I like the name, she was my idol in the film Valmont. I got it for a friend who thought the same when we saw the film at the age of 15 or something like that.

Anyway, it's a generic vintage style ladies perfume to me, floral and in the beginning quite chokingly so, an almost decaying floral note. It dries to a little floral, a little soapy, a little woody and warm...

[WidgetAlley]

In the Imp: Ooooh. Mmmmmm. Oooooooooh. Wow. This is.... incredibly rich and complex and delicious and frigidly lush, the very picture of an ice queen. I can smell distant peach and florals, layered over cool golden resins that give this a very stately air. The jonquil is, I think, what's adding the biting, brittle edge to the flowers, and the vetiver gives it the same dangerous-water feel as Hurricane. It's a bit like Titania in its fruit-and-florals aspect, but oh-so-much less girly and more threatening. It's soft but present, powdery but sharp. I'm in love. I hope it stays so amazing on my skin.

 

Wet: Womanly, expensive amber and very slightly spicy galbanum, with a tinge of unripe peach, looming vetiver and a bouquet of frozen flowers-- jonquil, stargazer lily, something that could be a very faint white rose, and maybe just a tiny touch of green jasmine. It's like Bearded Lady in its powdery-sweet-floral aspect, but less lemon-sugar and much more, "I am so much better than you." It doesn't come across as resiny, in particular, nor fruity, nor floral, just a carefully made-up, perfectly layered concotion of untouchable feminine power.

 

I know when to talk... and I know when to touch... No one ever died from wanting too much....

 

Dry: Clean, sweet, fruity, resiny, powdery and floral with spice and vetiver lurking underneath, waiting to suck you in. Decorous on the surface, feral and totally calculated underneath, and utterly regal in conduct. Objective: seduce, dominate, and destroy. Perhaps it's because I just saw it for the first time, but I can't help thinking of the Bond music video, "The World is Not Enough" (If we can't have it all, then nobody will...), and Shirley Manson's flawless hair, dress, and ruthless gorgeousness. And that's never a bad thing.

 

Verdict: Oh, am I keeping this one for special occasions. It does too many dangerous things to my mood to wear on a daily basis, but there are some places and affairs where this would be the perfect accomplice.

Edited March 28, 2006 by WidgetAlley

[brownbear]

At first it is a very fruity floral. Light and sweet. Then once it's dry it gets a sort of rooty and dark. hmmmm Then it kind of sinks into my skin and gets a little bit lost. I know I just won't wear this enough to keep. oh well

[juniperus]

Bottle: Sharp. Immediate sharpness with a sweet after-taste.

Wet: The sharp is taking shape as floral, and the sweet is the peach. Complex.

Dry: Floral is heady, the peach sweet is almost overwhelming with the two seemingly fighting for dominance..bitter sophistication. My headache is returning.

Later: Amber emerges, but the floral has lost none of its sharpness. The peach is faded slightly, but still there is that headachy-sweet level that isn't agreeing with me at all.

[Eunice]

This is all boozy peach in the imp. This will make you drunk just sniffing it! On my skin, it is totally different. Once this hits my skin, it becomes floral and warm and light. The peachy booze is mostly hidden but it is still there. After an hour this fades to nothing. Not a hint of this on my skin at all. *sigh* It smelled nice while it lasted.

[mimulus]

.

Edited March 1, 2014 by mimulus

[ajcj213499]

I really like MdM. It's a really unique peach blend- and amazingly the vetiver doesn't ruin it for me (as vetiver usually does-it must only have a drop to give it some depth).

 

I think this would be really good for summer- a beautiful light fruity blend!

[PilotKitten]

PEACHY FLORAL!!! OMG... I'm in love.

 

This reminds me so much of Fredericksburg, TX with the Wildflower Farm and the peach groves lining the roadsides.... < le sigh >.

 

Anything that reminds me of TX right now is fantastic!!!

 

Amber is coming out baby powder but that's ok because I like baby powder... lol... and it fades away quickly into a delicate floral mix anyhow. < swoons > I so need multiple bottles of this!

[The Perfumed Ferret]

This scent is not floral on me at all. It's dark red, spicy and leering. It's everything I wanted Red Lantern to be.

[audesapere]

In Imp- sweet, high florals.

 

Wet- peach and slight floral backround.

 

Dry-At first quite floral, with strong peach. Then more peach with a light floral backround.

 

Finally-sweet, fairly fruity floral. I couldn't descern the individual florals, just the ripe, juciy peach with a backround I woul describe as 'expensive smelling'. Fairly strong. It's been nearly three hours, and it's still apparent, which is supprising.

 

Very nice.

[TrailerTrashPrincess]

sniffed from the imp: initial reaction is "yergh"

 

i try it on the top of a finger (i'm not feeling very brave with this one)

and... it makes me sneeze.

smells rather like generic perfume.

 

maybe i'll try this one again some other time. after i've had a few drinks and feel like letting it age on my skin some. as is, this is about to go get scrubbbbbed off.

[Summerpixy]

Pure peach and soft musk. She's lovely, but not as cruel and twisted as she is made out to be. I always wondered what the soft heart or the youthful Marquise would be like, I think this is it, scheming, but not to hurt anyone. This is her surrendered dream of herself and Valmont, and kind of sad for that reason.

[luna65]

Thanks to clover for the imp.

 

Imp: A very stately and elegant floral. I get a recollection of the Marquise in her yellow dress (when she goes to counsel Cecile) in Dangerous Liaisons.

 

Skin: The peach is floating on top of the florals, I'm guessing that this type is lighter than the accords used in other blends.

 

Drydown: The vetiver gives it a sort of green undertone, and the galbanum makes this very Continental, like others have said, this is incredibly reminiscent of classic French perfumes; I suddenly feel like I need to don a dressing gown and write letters to all my admirers.

[yellowrose]

Imp circulating as part of the General Catalogue Swap.

 

To be fair, I'm behind on testing, so I'm sniffing to see which imps get applied to skin. The Marquise is sadly not one of them.

 

In the bottle: Jasmine, heavy and floral with a pungent hint of fruit. By now anyone who's read any reviews of mine regarding scents with jasmine notes or read my profile knows what happens to any blend containing jasmine. Class? Anybody? Yup, my body chemistry amps jasmine such that it trumps anything else in the blend. Beats the other notes into submission actually.

 

Happy travels wandering imp!

[indicolite]

Hmm, this is interesting. At first Marquise was dark florals, and I thought "This is like Morgause." But now she is pulling out her, indeed glistening, peach, and a hint of amber, and the Marquise has more tricks up her sleeve. Indeed she is stately and aristocratic, with a hint of scent that I suppose, by process of elimination, is galbanum.

 

I am quite uncertain about this Marquise. She is appealing in a way. Maybe she is me in a few years. Not quite now, but perhaps I will hold on to the imp of her.