MEM Bogue

4.06 из 5
(18 отзывов)

MEM Bogue

Rated 4.06 out of 5 based on 18 customer ratings
(18 customer reviews)

MEM Bogue for women and men of Bogue

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Description

MEM by Bogue is a Oriental Fougere fragrance for women and men. This is a new fragrance. MEM was launched in 2017. The nose behind this fragrance is Antonio Gardoni. Top notes are petitgrain, mandarin orange, grapefruit, lavender, lavender extract, wild lavender and blue lavender; middle notes are ylang-ylang, champaca, damask rose, bourbon geranium, vanilla, mint, laurels and malt; base notes are siam benzoin, palisander rosewood, sandalwood, himalayan cedar, labdanum, ambergris, amber, musk, castoreum and civet.

18 reviews for MEM Bogue

  1. :

    4 out of 5

    Let’s analogize.
    Humankind’s first attempt at wearing scent might have been mashing flowers or herbs right into your skin, or wearing single distillations thereof; these could be thought of as the petroglyphs of perfume. The introduction of egg tempera to painting could be the equivalent of synthetic molecules arriving on the scent scene in the 19th century; now you can achieve complex, lush, vividly dimensional effects on a surface or in the air. And artistry evolves.
    MEM seems to me to be a Paul Klee in scent– specifically the more geometric paintings like Ancient Harmony, or May Picture, or even Castle and Sun. The scent’s notes are Klee’s coloured squares or rectangles. There are many of them, and not unfamiliar in themselves, but the way they are combined and juxtaposed makes for a breathtaking new reality.
    MEM is a very modern perfume. It is not romantic. It does not bring to mind boudoirs, or seraglios, or long walks in a forest. MEM seems to me a perfume that would appeal to philosophers, and reward them. This perfume seems not only to want to converse with you, but also be capable of a courteous intellectual argument.
    I believe that how you feel about MEM will be determined by how you feel about the other modern arts.
    Addendum at 30 September 2018: Another filter… if you enjoy Roger Penrose’s non-repeating tile patterns, you’ll probably enjoy this too.

  2. :

    5 out of 5

    Uplifting and evocative and fairly unique imo. It has a sort of tartness to it that I like a lot. I actually got this as part of the Lucky Scent sampler pack of frags Luca Turin gave 5 stars to.

  3. :

    5 out of 5

    Masterpiece

  4. :

    4 out of 5

    A very beautiful fragrance. Slightly sweet. Nothing off-putting or out of place. I’m reminded of Aeon as I smell this. A definite love for both.

  5. :

    3 out of 5

    What an incredibly interesting critique of chypres, lavender and decay MEM is. I think it is incorrect to associate this fragrance with vintage perfumery, for to me this fragrance exudes an approach that is nothing if not earnestly modern.
    When thinking about MEM, I am hard pressed to consider it except as an animallic chypre which has, interestingly enough, replaced it’s centerfold icon with that of lavender – the fougere’s classic note. What makes this even more interesting, is Antonio Gardoni’s focus and theoretical approach to decay, or the fine line which separates that of an over-ripe note, and it’s loss of pure character to the maniacal grip of rot.
    Gardoni uses a lot of contrasts to illustrate his treatise on lavender, and in ways through which those approaching this perfume won’t expect – even from having read the note breakdown. For instance, there is citrus for certain at work here – the sour elements of grapefruit (those that are occasionally called ‘body oder’ish) joins with the pretty, powdery and bitter petitgrain to create an unsettling accord straddling sour/bitter divide- yet simultaneously, the mandarin orange here is working very hard to unite as a middle term: fresh, juicy, and endlessly refined.
    More immediately, however, is the totalizing effect of the four different dimensions that the lavender takes on – this is the muscular organism surrounding the skeletal structure of animalics hard at work here – the civet and castoreum are putting in overtime – always there is a chewy, slightly urinous and infinitely musky tinge which unites the otherwise realistic and intense animallic accords with the herbal and truly heavy lavender that constantly draw the mind of the wearer to opposite ends of the fragrance spectrum.
    And yet – even the elements that seem the most straightforward are contrasted in ways designed to, like a lot of modern arthouse films, put you at peace with that which seems to be antagonistic to ‘haute’ taste itself, and yet simultaneously cause you to investigate the elements of fragrances that do genuinely draw the most ‘immediate’ loves throughout time – the floral top for instance which is joyously booming with bright and sweet notes of ylang-ylang, champaca and a wonderfully lush damask rose paired with a bourbon geranium that only enhances the lush and leafy character of the rose is contrasted with cool and crisp mint, a slightly fruity yet still densely herbal and spicy laurels and a flat beer accord coming from the malt. This of course is a reflection of the constant series of contrasts at the core of this fragrance – somewhere between decay, fermentation, and rot – in the notion of that which is stale and still, rather than necessarily aggressive and hostile (there is no notion of death present here.)
    Even as the fragrance dies down, with some of the custard, coffee and jammy elements coming from the top to meet with the chewy siam benzoin and smoky/creamy elements coming from the labdanum, amber,vanilla – the animallic notes come back out to play here, and are just as intense and interesting as they were during the start of this elaborate performance, only now they take on entirely different expressions – paired with these balsamic/sweet underpinnings, they now also have a strong woody character coming from the palisander rosewood and the himalayan cedar – although the transition doesn’t feel jarring at all – the creamy sandalwood pairs well here with the benzoin and the labdanum as a transitional series of notes that explode with just as much interesting character as one finds at the start of this fragrance.
    Overall, loving one fragrance from this house does not entail that you will love any other by necessity – this house is one which takes the core notion of theory and love of art in-and-for-itself as its highest virtue, and if you are ready and willing to continue down this road after smelling any of the other magnum opus fragrances from this house, MEM is certainly a wonderful place to progress towards.
    A very challenging fragrance to rate, but ultimately I have to give it a lower score due to the fact that I spend more time analyzing than I do enjoying this one – but don’t let that mislead you – MEM is absolutely astounding – my personal preference might not be at this point just yet, but I certainly could find myself absolutely needing a bottle of this genius work down the line.
    9/10.
    YT: Jess AndWesH

  6. :

    4 out of 5

    I’m not really sure how to review Mem. It’s interesting, and quite strong, but sort of all over the place. I’ll just post the notes I made while sniffing it the past few wears – I usually form those notes into a coherent review but that wouldn’t suit Mem.
    lavender (licorice??) MINT laurel champaca bubblegum geranium powder tomato, grapefruit?) malted white floral / piss, warmer more animalic base, slightly salty
    I loved the laurel and lavender and mint, and hated the tomato and urine notes.

  7. :

    5 out of 5

    MEM is a monster in many ways. It’s a whirlwind of notes across a really wide olfactory range: strong floral and musk elements are front and center, but there is a complex web of pine/cedar, herbal, and resin notes all playing against each other. It’s honestly quite hard to describe, because running down the notes can’t do justice to the entire experience. It’s heady, sweet, and complex. It has familiar elements, things you’ll recognize, but the combination is something unique and exciting.
    To try to put a slightly finer point on how this actually smells, as I’ve mentioned, the core from start to finish consists of a string of floral notes and a profound animalic strain. The floral is more than just lavender–there’s sweet white flower entangled in that mix, and you might catch a moment of rose as well. Likewise, the musk notes are more multi-faceted and thought-provoking than you’d often find them presented in their one-note synthetic forms elsewhere.
    MEM is also a monster in terms of performance. It wears big, with lots of projection, and longevity far beyond 12 hours. One challenge in wearing it is figuring out when you’re going to spend an entire day when you’d want to carry around something this uncompromising.

  8. :

    4 out of 5

    This one is quite difficult to pin down: the ad copy makes it seem all about lavender, but even a few seconds after the lavender top notes calm down there is all sorts of stuff going on.
    The biggest player in this fragrance after lavender is jasmine, and it’s the contrast between the bright Mediterranean herbal lavender accord and this dark, fruity, indolic jasmine that makes Mem interesting. There’s a resinous dusting over top that dries it out and gives a medicinal quality to the herbs.
    There’s something rustic and apothecary-esque here that’s familiar from many Italian lines. It’s hard to quantify in terms of notes, but it’s a recognizable aesthetic. While this doesn’t smell just like the other Bogues, there is a family resemblance between all of them, a kind of soupy complexity that makes them interesting and mildly dissonant.
    Once the herbs have burnt off the deep drydown is tropically floral and fruity, almost raisin-like, with some balsamic vanilla notes. Jasmine and vanilla sherry, maybe?
    A fun fragrance to explore, but because of its unusual juxtapositions and complexity, I’d recommend sampling first.

  9. :

    4 out of 5

    Lavender oil.
    Quite an oily lavender and-or essential oil of lavender. Like an antidote, or a remedy or something could be used as a cure!
    After 2 minutes, i started to smell something quite sharp like the roses, and oakmoss. Maybe a bit of basil and something woody and sour as well! and i believe it’s the petitgrain.
    This is quite complex & it’s on the same range as “Maai” with that vintage blend technique, but more close to “OE” with that sour effect.
    It is a good take on lavender, and it’s quite medicinal & very worm.
    After few minutes of applying (5 minutes) the lavender starts to weaken a bit but the oil effect remains still, and the animalic note begins to rise quite well with yellow floral and more of petitgrain sourness. This fragrance layers quite much and the colder it goes the more impressive it gets. I’m not into lavender but this could be an exceptional blend and so far it works quite well with my skin with that animalic lavender yellow floral blend. Quite strong i can’t deny and hides plenty of secrets as the dry down goes quite mild vanilla and sour dark (i believe coffee), so you need to wait a bit after applying it in order to witness the change.
    Edit (27th Aug 2017) This is very heavy, the lavender oily is hugely suffocating if you ably generously. I can’t denied that it is quite captivating, but this is overly heavy.

  10. :

    5 out of 5

    Horse getting a shampoo? … Seems pretty avant-garde.
    It’s not unpleasant-smelling but I would just never wear it.

  11. :

    4 out of 5

    I don’t post very often but MEM is absolutely challenging me.
    I ordered two samples because I read that this perfume is not “easy”. This is my second attempt to try to reveal all the ingredients. What I smell at first is honey and after that the civet comes along. No lavender (yet). Still some hours to go So I am curious what will be next.

  12. :

    4 out of 5

    MEM covers a lot of ground and it covers it quickly. When first sprayed it moves too fast for precise description and feels more like slam poetry than anything olfactory. It’s a ‘Tomato-Jasmine Waxed-Sultry-Jam Malted Milk-Tuned Rubber Gasoline-Flame, Drop-The-Mic-And-Howl’ sort of perfume. It’s a rush.
    MEM is Antonio Gardoni’s discourse on lavender and it is packed with lavender. Lavender is never hidden, but you might give a double-take on recognizing it. MEM combines identifiable clues and completely new shapes and never settles for one definition of lavender. It knocks lavender from its comfortable perch in the pantheon of perfume materials and makes it sing for its supper. Working with a material like lavender has two specific risks. The first is that it is one of the most well-known material in fragrance and is consequently predictable. Trying to make it say anything new is difficult. The second is that changing the rules will always threaten a percentage of people. Dismantling an olfactory ‘baseline’ is like pulling out the rug. MEM might very well find a good portion of its audience in a state of distress or disorientation.
    MEM is also something new for Gardoni. His previous perfumes for Bogue were an out-and-out interrogation of 20th century perfumery. (*) MEM doesn’t look to the past as these other perfumes did. It does however share their sense of provocation. These perfumes were conceptual and they were daring. Their success was made more meaningful in large part because they risked failure so unwaveringly. MEM’s risk of failure is just as great. The challenge is not just how to make a novel lavender perfume, it’s how to win people over to ‘The New Lavender.’ Anyone remember New Coke?
    As an olfactory object, lavender is weighted down by associations. It’s floral, herbal, medicinal, antiseptic. It’s grand-dad’s aftershave, it’s the grocery store wipes, it’s the pastry from the bakery. It’s everywhere. Gardoni confronts lavender’s dual tragic flaw: familiarity and predictability. Rather than try to ‘reinvent’ lavender per se, Gardoni’s trick is to make it unexpected.
    A set of almost tropical floral tones steers clear of typical depictions and frees lavender from associations with aromatherapy, cleaning products and the barbershop. The perfume sidesteps the top-heart-base pyramid without settling for a linear model and the progression of the perfume has a deceptively wandering feel. An expressive collection of woods braces the perfume and a pack of animalic notes come and go as if prowling through the perfume. MEM meticulously avoids lavender’s clichés and none of the old chestnuts (leafy greens, sudsy soap, chilly mothballs, shaving cream) find their way into the mix. By peeling away lavender’s expected characteristics and altering its momentum, Gardoni renders it abstract and bends it to his purposes.
    At times the perfume seems to create a broad olfactory milieu and has a striding, environmental scale. But even when it’s impressionistic (sap, soil, metal and sunlight—-oh, an afternoon working in a garden) it’s remarkably specific. The accords pass by steadily, giving the feeling of being taken on a guided tour of the objects in an imagined olfactory Cornell Box. A waxed grapefruit. Carmelized tomatoes. Flowers, champagne, cats and brackish water. A bizarre collection of images? Sure, but also elegant and logical. 
    The success of the perfume hangs on building new chains of association—-constructing a new lavender. I don’t get the impression that Gardoni is making an emotional appeal or trying to woo you. Rather, what he gives the audience is a richness, and more important, a clarity of ideas to play with as they care to. Whether or not the odd olfactory images—- coconut woods, grape-soda white flowers, doggedness, clay-rich soil, rubber citrus bark, dappled markings, orange jam, flat beer, leather-soled shoes—-speak to you or not, they have a precision that lets you string together the pieces to suit your own inclinations. I feel like I’ve been handed an extraordinary coloring-book and some crayons in gorgeous hues that I’ve never seen before. There’s no need to worry too much about creating an image—-the lines are drawn. I’m just having a blast discovering these new colors.
    The coloring-book analogy might sound ridiculous, but I’ve found a playful mindset is an effective line of approach to MEM. For all the specificity of the perfume, I’m reminded how scrupulously Gardoni avoided getting caught in a single definition of lavender. Lavender enters this discussion as possibly the most overdetermined note in perfumery and Gardoni’s role was to free it. There is an appealing modesty to the way Gardoni helps you find your own lavender rather than convince you of his.
    from scenthurdle.com

  13. :

    3 out of 5

    i’m really enjoying these reviews, esp ‘chocolate ice cream, ketchup and green mold’ 🙂 so, to somewhat balance these misplaced hysterics…..
    MEM is a bold, positive and necessary progression for Bogue. the billowing layers of lavender manage to sidestep fougere associations, which is no mean feat. MEM plunges into uncharted gourmand oriental while retaining a lurking civet card that only reveals itself in the long drydown, showing crucial restraint. this is an extremely complex and ever-shifting frag that will retain its interest for a long time. another home run but with a different bat from Signor Gardoni!

  14. :

    4 out of 5

    Yikes. To my mind this should never be worn by a man, ever. Incredibly strong right off the bat, with a punch in the face of ylang ylang and florals and a mound of oversweet honey. It was so bad it made me choke and almost gag immediately… and scrubbing it off didn’t help :/

  15. :

    3 out of 5

    This could be a polarizing fragrance. Definitely test first. I love lavender, mint, a nice malty beer, and all the notes here on their own, but… I have a strong stomach, and this is the first perfume that made me outright nauseous. It came across like chocolate ice cream topped with ketchup and green mold. It is NOT vintage in feel, nor is it enticingly avant-garde in a contemporary setting. I get the feeling this house is just doing something weird for the sake of weird, and I am not impressed.

  16. :

    4 out of 5

    What an interesting scent. I definitely get a load of malt, lavender, bay and ylang on the opening. It smells medicinal. On the dry down it becomes a herbal delight. I get lots of bay and mint but I dont know what happened to the animalic notes. I get plenty of kick from the champaca, rosewood and geranium. The whole is softened and swirled with the musk and amber.
    This has some sweetness but it comes from the flowers and amber so it is very natural and appropriate. Most definitely a unisex fragrance that would be perfect on a sunny autumn day.
    I really like it but Im not sure yet if I would go fb.

  17. :

    3 out of 5

    My bottle arrived fromBloom this morning, WELL…. This is beautiful! I feel like a sophisticated lady from yesteryear! To me it’s like a more refined, polished version of Zoologist’s Civet, more wearable, more enjoyable. This is the first scent that I’ve truly smelt the civet note, the longevity is fabulous, all vintage scent lovers MUST try this beauty!

  18. :

    5 out of 5

    We’ve heard about linear formulas, and the pyramidal olfactory evolution concept, but a circular formula? MEM has herbs, flowers, rensins and potent animalics slowly spinning around an imaginary axis. The civet in the background is the proper vintage civet, powdery, lasting for days with a coffee/honey drydown.

MEM Bogue

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