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ItetteGroky – :
This is old school in a good way. Puts you right back in the 70’s or 80’s, but not as the powerhouses of that era. Back then they made me cringe on applying, but this one is more manageable and I can wear it all day and be delighted by it.
AnnaBanks – :
MAAJ is one.
“tuberose, rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, civet, castoreum, hyraceum, dried fruits, sandalwood, oakmoss.” (Lucky Scent)
“Aldehydes Atlas Cedar Bay Benzoin Black Pepper Camphor Candied Fruit Castoreum Civet Cloves Cypress Damask Rose Eucalyptus Frankincense Geranium Hyraceum Indole Jasmine Labdanum Musk Myrrh Oakmoss Oud Petit Grain Rosewood Sandalwood Tolu Balm Tuberose Vetiver Ylang-Ylang” (Bloom)
.
despite the plethora on ingredients, which isn’t represented in the pyramid of notes above at Fragrantica, to me this perfume comes on as “a wall of” one heady, starkly spicey ambery perfume. Which isn’t bad. But any flower, (rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, tuberose) isn’t coming up out of this dense plume of smokiness. Whereas yet, these are strong flowers. So we see the behavior of strong scents each has its own machinistics. In Dusitas Oudh Infini there is definitely (first) the almost asphyxiating oudh (which I adore, as I do the whole perfume), then an unbelievably refined Rose de Mai definitely thorns its way up along with (of course) the civet, sandelwood, vanilla, neroli, benzoin. In Giorgio out of the unbelievable strong initial blast of acridity come successively all the flowers separately and together and this then also, alternatedly. It is ballistic. Tuberose, gardenia, neroli, jasmine, ylang-ylang, vanilla all come to pay their respect and this, for hours. With her sister Dior’s Poison instead of the facettuous onslaught in Giorgio we see this syrupy, thick, unbelievably heady unveiling of plum, rose, carnation, cinnamon, tuberose, honey, sandelwood, amber coming forward in a witches’ dance, perhaps more impenetrable than in Giorgio and more as in MAAJ, yet the flowers and spices are discernable and like the aforementioned perfumes all, the duration and impact are legendary. What I experience in MAAJ is the thick presentism of “all the notes together” and again, it doesn’t disappoint, nowhere. “Now this is perfume” I learned to say in the 80s. “Next to [Giorgio Beverly Hills] Red, everything else pales”. MAAJ of course has also another characteristic. To again use, so to speak “anti-IFRA”, all the ‘verbotene’ notes at once to stifle the uberhygienistic dietetary regulations of the IFRA (International Fragrance Association) in favor of allergic, eczemic, sinoidal, ecological, crowded airplane restaurant elevator phobes spacial protectors and against the long tradition of the heavy, heady, seedy, louche, whorey, disturbing Oriza L.Legrand’s ‘Chypre Mousse’ like dense smoky perfumes. And MAAJ succeeds in doing just that. It is a magisterial perfume.
oops. review # 2.
I am solly.
Kabarikon – :
There was so much buzz about this, I had to try a sample.
My impressions are: skunk juice and motor oil, menthol, gasoline, old books. Very strong and unpleasant.
RedCikeHier – :
Home Run.
It’s a cheap set of words, but it should retain its power in the case of Bogue’s mythical “Maai,” for experiencing this fragrance is exactly the occasion such words are reserved for.
When one thinks of the universal terms “vintage chypre” or “classical animalics,” one has in mind abstract principles which contemporary fragrances are critiqued by (and which may very well never have existed as particulars); however, in the case of Bogue Maai, they find themselves actualized within a concrete referent from which these critical thoughts congeal into a manifest potion whose magical charm will enchant any even semi-critical mind towards fragrance outside of cheap celebrity fragrances and designer campaigns.
As you would guess with the iconographic categories above, this fragrance has it’s fair share of bright, flawless and lush aldehydes, old-school, damp, green and slightly earthy oakmoss, musky and slightly urinous civet, and even further still musks from the castoreum and hyraceum which add a leathery and somewhat earthy aspect to the already lush set of musks roaming about this vast forest of ancient glory.
The florals used here are lovely in that, they make themselves known as a distinct floral quality without ever translating the overall effect towards that of a floral (be it rose, jasmine, or tuberose) centric fragrance. Instead occasionally pulling out affects from individual floral notes such as the indoles or green tinges, both of which find themselves accentuating different flowers, and yet flowing like the wind through them – gently dancing from one to the next thus creating the totalizing qualities which obviously come from the floral notes found herein, without fully focusing on any which one of them in particular, or in full.
Below all of this there are a few series of accords, some sweeter (perhaps just another phantom facet from the bouquet of florals) and others balsamic and resinous (a warmth which comes to the side of the already heated animallic floor to tone down some of it’s otherwise sharper qualities,) recall the full breadth of the forest’s reach, and some of the mysterious and foreign creatures residing there. They never fully play themselves out to me as anything the kingdoms of others at play under the divine council of Maai itself, but they are certainly there constantly reminding the wearer of just how wonderfully immense Bogue Maai is.
This is without a doubt the rubric by which all fragrances attempting to build a bridge to that universal and glorious past of classic animallics and vintage chypres should be judged.
10/10.
YT: Jess AndWesH
балаш – :
…. Aaaand this is why classic chypres are just not maai bag. Bitter in the open, fizzy aldehydes on the top, a bit urinous in the middle, and too sweet at the end for my taste. Overloaded with notes that to me are too busy fighting each other for dominance to please. Ends up making me feeling a little nauseous, even (and there *are* animalics I love – no issues with the equally reeky Salome or Musc Ravageur- so it’s not that I’m scared of the skank.) Weirdly for something which has obviously been made with great care out of fine ingredients, for me this seems like a really harsh artificial chemical fug.
I can certainly appreciate that it’s complex and original – and the evolution is certainly startling, from really sharp grassy green and herbal, through animalic funk and then to honeyed calm – but it’s just too much. On other skins it might well turn into a work of art and/or the essence of raw sex, but on mine it’s just a wrong ‘un. Just makes me want to nope on out of there. Sorry Bogue – I simply can’t get on board with this one. If however you want a really old-school-style chypre it may (maai?) be just what you’re seeking. Longevity and sillage both huge, so if you love it, it would be a fine investment.
kolyas.lord – :
First time I’m posting on here, but I was feeling brave and blind bought Maai. It arrived yesterday.
The only way I can describe Maai is as ‘Sex Panther’. I truly mean that in a good way as I am enjoying it a lot, but cor blimey this stuff is beastly! It brings to my mind the still from ‘Male and Female’ of Gloria Swanson lying down whilst a lion lies next to her with its paws on her back. Just add some creepy, dark, dank, wet forest to that image. And maybe Kate Bush singing ‘It’s coming for me through the trees!’
I do find it hard work to begin with as along with the skank there’s some weird menthol note I’m not sure about, but that is short lived for me and once the perfume settles it’s incredibly beautiful. I feel very glamourous and grown up wearing it.
Maai is strong and one spray goes a long, long way – I could still smell it clearly on my arm 16 hours later. Not one I’d wear for the office unless I really hated my colleagues.
ivanhohlov.don – :
This has a really pronounced vintage style spicy musk smell. It’s interesting but I don’t think it’s the best of this style of scent out there.
Nerrikkk – :
Ohhh, Maai! 😉
I was craving something particularly skanky/carnal smelling to wear (just for myself) tonight, and dug this out of the sample box, since last time I didn’t get to wear it for long before going to bed and it’s been months.
The opening reminds me of freshly steam cleaned, very old carpets. Like the shampoo they use to clean it plus that dusty, lived in smell coming out of it. Not a fan of this part, but it gives a hint of the delicious warm animalics to come.
15 mins or so later, it’s exactly what I wanted: a dirty, sensual blend of resinous warmth, a touch of cinnamon/cumin heat, and civet/labdanum warm muskiness for good measure (which is where most of the ‘vintage’ vibe comes from). Oh and an unmistakable incense note as well, very deep and sexy and rebellious in an I-don’t-care-that-my-cigarette-is-bothering-you kinda way, like a flapper girl with the cigarette extender transported to our era, haha.
Unapologetically done in vintage style, and I’m lovin’ every bit of it. Would I have the courage to wear this in public? Probably not. But I’m really enjoying the purr of this baby for myself!
P.S. Yes it smells like Amouage Jubilation in tone, but the fattiness of the aldehydes in that one turn my stomach; this one doesn’t have that sharp/rich combo, the aldehydes are very different.
P.P.S. I love huggie’s review so much <3
[11/17]
experking – :
A growling floral wood chypre with animalic notes, this is a very beautiful throwback to the vintage days of furs and minks and perfumes that used real animalic musks. The perfume contains notes of tuberose, rose, jasmine, woody resins, aldehydes, oakmoss, labdanum and synthetic animal notes of civet, musk and castoreum. The feeling that is created is of a grand vintage ballroom, like the famed 30 minute sequence in Luchino Visconti’s “The Leopard”. Perfectly unisex with moderate to strong sillage, this is a masterpiece of modern perfumery, because it takes you beautifully to a different place and time of royal noble grandeur. All the hype about this is warranted. What is amazing about this creation is that it takes modern synthetic elements and creates a very real old worldly charm, which is a true rarity these days. Bravo!
klim222111 – :
Straight floral skanky perfection. Use in moderation and TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. This will definitely not be for everyone.
ladov05 – :
MAAI has a lot more ingredients as stated above in Fragranticas ‘perfume pyramid’ and neither doesn’t it descend on you as the various phases out of which such developmental figurine would suggest but rather as THE pyramid itself in this thick, dense, smokey, animalic, floral, resinous, niche as with a longing back to the <60-70-80s chypre / powerperfumes for the inknifing annexationism of which signalboards were hung in airports, restaurants, airplanes: “no giorgio, no poison”.
BLOOM gathered the following ingredients:
“NOTES
ALDEHYDES ATLASCEDAR BAY BENZOIN BLACK PEPPER CAMPHOR CANDIED FRUIT CASTOREUM CIVET CLOVES CYPRESS DAMASK ROSE EUCALYPTUS FRANKINCENSE GERANIUM HYRACEUM INDOLE JASMINE LABDANUM MUSK MYRRH OAKMOSS OUD
PETIT GRAIN ROSEWOOD SANDALWOOD TOLUBALM TUBEROSE VETIVER YLANGYLANG”.
and at each moment of its sedate uncoiling one whiff of this and one whiff of that keeps resurfacing making it this wonderful ‘wall of sound’ (no we know where that brought us) but at least not far from it with an olphactory onslaught being capable also to place this very nice, soothening ok embalming scent. as Luca Turin States of Dusitas “Oudh Infini” (heavier still) that the ingredients disappear behind these outerworldly strong central notes of Laotian oudh palao, civet 22% of the extrait and a clearly discernable absolu of ‘rose de mai’, then that is also what is happening here, but to the detriment of neither perfumes. they are both exceptionally strong and make me reminesce to “Gale Hayman. Beverly Hills”, “Giorgio Beverly Hills. Red” and then of course those 80s monstres sacrées: giorgio-poison-obsession-coco- knowing-moschino parfum de toilette-boudoir (1990)-opium (1972)-youth dew (1952)-273 by Fred Hayman-Bob Mackie-Tiffany-oscar de la renta Ruffles-Marilyn Miglin Phéromone and the ones I never forgot Nahéma-creed Fleurs de Bulgarie-Van Cleef and Arpels. Gem-First-etc., etc.
MAAI and OUDH INFINI and EX IDOLO THIRTY THREE all but step in the footsteps of these unforgettables (Revlon).
Perfume is pure pleasure. (not that perfume….pleasures)
ykktntebssn – :
It’s like an animal rubbed itself over you whilst urinating. In a good way. Just.
I think every fumehead needs a good animalic and this is the one for me. It’s not got the sweaty armpit note I get with some others and is wonderfully deep and musky. For those of us newer to the world of perfume, wondering what on earth everyone was on about bemoaning the post-regulation state of perfumes, it gives you an insight into what they mean. This has sonic boom.
It’s a perfume with bad intentions in mind; a perfume of boudoirs and bustiers, of rumpled bed sheets and whisky. And all the better for it.
Оленька – :
The opening notes are surprisingly fresh and cool- darkly green and glamorous. Quickly fades into leathery animal musk.
Nincinvoignab – :
Luca Turin on MAAI ( Maai /Italian/ “nee-ver!”):
“I cannot overstate the joy that smelling something like this provides. It’s like sitting in the front row at the Vienna Philharmonic after listening to two months’ worth of ringtones: the sound is so glorious you don’t care if they play Die Fledermaus. And Maai is far better than that even, a big-boned, animalic woody chypre seemingly laden with every magnificent material we knew and loved before the End of History set in: musks, oakmoss, eucalyptus, cedar, bergamot, patchouli, sandalwood, jasmine, ylang, rose, tuberose, etc.”
garry – :
Maai was launched in June 2014 and features a vintage aspect of the strong and masculine colognes of yesteryear. If the bearded man of this decade learned to like sweet and oriental scents for nightclubs, the man of the 70’s and 80’s, proud of his mustache, really liked a good fougère or a more animalic and mossy chipre. And Maai brings back that kind of fragrance to the present day.
However, it is important to say that Maai was not made only for men, but for women as well. It is a unisex fragrance that, in my opinion, takes a long time to present its floral and feminine facets.
Maai has notes of tuberose, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, dried fruits, aldehydes, sandalwood, oak moss and hyraceum, which is the note responsible for the animalic accord. Hyraceum is the petrified excrement of Procavia Capensis (also known as Rock Hyrax), composed of feces and urine and whose aroma has elements that combine the scent of civet, castoreum, musk and even tobacco.
When reading the composition, it is not difficult to imagine a potent floral with a dense base. But make no mistake, because the output is resinous and strong. Right off the bat, it reminded me of colognes like Gentleman, Giorgio for Men and Bijan Men. And that impression has been maintained throughout its evolution.
The beauty of Maai lies in the indolic nuances of jasmine and in the green nuances of tuberose, which blend with a pungent smell of myrrh and rest on a beautiful mossy base. Its projection is high, its evolution is slow and its lasting is extreme. It takes time to notice the small changes, which show floral facets almost covered by honey and at the same time full of chypre aspect.
Undoubtedly, it is an intriguing and complex perfume, even more if we think that its creator has formation in architecture and little history in the universe of the perfumery. Maai is proof that a good classic will always have room at any time. Worth knowing!
alcomarkisn – :
Maai.
I appreciate something like this on the market. An animalic driven fragrance in todays market. The vintage enthusiast in me was excited to give Maai a fair shot at winning my heart. I discovered a crude, blunt fragrance that is Bogue Maai. Like other reviewers that are adept at wearing vintage animalic fragrances, Maai left me wanting.
A sharp salty abrasive castorum opens with the accompanying opening notes of Maai. It never recovers to the point to make it more interesting with moss, florals and idea of this perfume. Its almost a straight hit of high amounts of castorum, hyrax, and some civet but the civet isnt the offender here that many single out in the reviews. The civet tries to smooth out the animal onslaught, but its overcome on my skin. The castorum is the rugged offender and the tipped scale of the hyrax to a sharper tone in this construction. Hyrax can enhance many florals, yet there wasnt enough florals to let the hyrax do its magic. The counterpoint of the camphorus tuberose is left hanging without a sweeter side to play off of. (on me the resins were not enough)
The larger mystery or perceived cleverness is showing the base first in the order of things and deteriorating to a cleaner, less offensive drydown. (almost acting in reverse of a traditional scent)
I have worn disjointed or rougher animalics before but Maai is the attempt of a nouveau niche clever idea based on shock value rather than true artistry of old which handled these notes so much more adeptly.It seems the rest of the composition was suffocated by the unbalanced animalic roar and new moss composition. I can only imagine how glorious this could have been if the leather castorum was presented with more smoothness and the moss allowed the other notes to air out underneath them to shine. If you are interested in a castorum driven fragrance, vintage revlon intimate handles these things in a better way than a shock jock perfumer du jour. Perhaps that is the way it is now, and I am the cranky vintage curmudgeon that has seen better times than we find ourselves in “modern perfumary”
Its not even close to other famous animalics such as Bal V. because that was balanced and animalic growl was put together to be 3 parts of a whole (cologne pdt and parfum) presentation brought to you by a master perfumer (trained directly by Givaudan himself). Maai isnt anywhere near that league. Its like saying a new toyota is just as good as a rolls royce phantom because they share the same motor. (animalic ingredients)
Perhaps this is a strong review. I feel it should be given the high prices of Niche perfumery and how they present themselves to the market. I hope someone can wield these materials better into something spectacular in the future. I think the industry is starved for these kinds of scents and many feel this was the best thing in the dry sahara….but was it??
Note: this fragrance can change due to weather conditions. I found it much more agreeable in california than I did in the dry desert of Arizona.
avnikitaksanosar – :
Now here rests an animal chypre the likes of which is rarely seen in our day and age. A beautiful dark larger then life brew that comes out of the bottle and on to my skin with a confidence that is, to be honest, a tad unsettling. Tubersoe is the main player here but held up with labdanum, musk and civet. Oh prepare yourself as this heady mixture is simply wicked as it whips its glory upon your skin. Those who find olfactory pleasure in the timid aquatic wasteland of whatever the big houses deem clean and masculine will find the opening notes of Maai like getting hit over the head by a cast iron skillet. Deep animal funk, wrapped up loosely by a few select floral notes, will hammer away at your senses. I would agree with many who have observed that an individual does not wear Maai, as this supernatural juice wears you. If this scent reminds one of the past, or perhaps wears as an ‘old perfume’, then bring me my time machine. A glorious perfume full of distinct personality, focus, and reassuring purpose.
smelov – :
BOGUE Maai – is the modern chypre, with a strong civet note, aldehydes that last for hours, and a beautiful mature tuberose in the opening. The jasmine hides from me, but my nostrils get overwhelmed with a dusty rose accompanied with musk and resins. There is something very green about this scent and I can’t figure out what it might be. I don’t see anything in the notes but it smells like green leaves crushed with both hands, or branches freshly separated from the tree. It’s not my favorite one but I do appreciate the uniqueness of this amazing composition.
It is a different kind of fragrance, not for everyone and not to be bought blindly. Some reviewers generalized this unique scent as “old”. I disagree. It has a grand personality and it definitely makes an entrance. Longevity is great, about 6-8 on my skin (which is a lot!) and sillage is moderate.
шутер – :
aldehydes for an hour. then aldehydes and powder for another hour. Guess two hours is what others would tag as ‘old-school’ or ‘vintage’. Three hours into it tho…smells like something very inviting and sweet. May be the fact that the temperature increased/warmth skin increased. Patience pays. Always 🙂
m77ax – :
Well this one is a scrubber. Definitely not for me. It’s intense, probably long lasting, it just doesn’t smell good. Too musky and animalic for me! Some will like that of course. Agreed that it smells old.
I have 100+ niche samples for swap within Europe – get in touch! Updated spreadsheet of samples on my profile.
kst – :
عطر ماي من دار
ـــ(Bogue)ـــ
أتمنى يكون الاسم صحيح، هذه الدار تعود لمصمم ايطالي غريب الأطوار نوعاً ما يحب العمل في الليل وتحت الظلام ويحب التعامل مع المواد الطبيعية!!!
عطره ــ( Maai)ــ
عطر يجسد الغموض والجرأه في استخدام بعض المواد الطبيعية, عطر بالنسبة لي يستحضر جرأة وشخصية تلك الحقبة التي بزغت فيها عطور التشيبر والتي كان ايضا للمكونات المسكية ومسك الزباد تحديداً تواجد بل كان يصول ويجول في تلك الغابات التي كستها طحالب السنديان خضرةً.
ــ الوصف ـــ
العطر بدايته جريئة؛ رائحة مسكية قادمة من مسك الزباد المعروف برائحته الحيوانية أو الانيمالك ولكن في هذا العطر تم السيطرة على تلك الرائحة باضافة مكونات ذات طابع حمضي لاذع تميل في جوانبها لرائحة الكادي ورائحة الليمون الاسود مما يضفي على العطر جانب تابلي شرقي هذه البداية تشعر معها بتواجد واضح لرائحة اللبان ليس البخوري وانما المستكه ( تخيل علك باطوق: مسكته طبيعي 🙂 ) (البداية مستكه ومسك زباد وروائح حمضية لاذعه).
بالنسبة لي البداية هي اكثر شي احببته في العطر لاني احب تلك الرائحة الليمونية القريبه لليمون الاسود والتي احيانا اجدها في رائحة خشب الصندل الطبيعي واجدها في بعض العطور مثل عطر أوبار من أمواج.
بعد فترة اجد رائحة المستكه وتلك اللذوعة تخف لتبدأ تكتشف ان هناك جانب تشيبري في العطر يذكرك بعطور التشيبر التي استخدم فيها طحلب السنديان الطبيعي الذي يميل للرائحه الارضية الممزوجة ببعض الملوحة في هذه المرحلة طحلب السنديان بملامحه تلك يتناغم مع المكون المسكي ذا الطابع الانيماليك الرئيس وحينها ستجدد انك بين نوتات تتأرجح ب مسك الزباد والروائح الخضراء المالحة مع بقايا من تلك البداية الليمونية وربما يستمر طويلاً على هذا المرحلة .
من كان له سابق بعطور التشيبر التي جمعت التشيبر والزباد والمسك سيلمح تلك الجوانب. اجمل نقطة في العطر هي بدايته، وبعدها اجده عطر يتجه ليصبح عطر مبتذلاً ربما يصحب معه كثيراً عدو العطر : الممل السريع.
المكونات الاخرى الحقيقة لم تكن ملامحها المعتاده بذلك الوضوع وخاصة الازهار البيضاء وربما تكون واضحة بالنسبة لي في تجارب اخرى للعطر
اجواء العطر الاولية ذكرتني بعطر 001
تقييم العطر 7/10
هذا مالدي رطب لسانك بذكر الله دائما ولاتنس الصلاة على النبي.
Ajdar212 – :
It’s an olfactory paradox: Maai’s best quality is also its worst quality. It has a vintage vibe; and that’s just it–it smells old. Not old as in for the elderly. Old, as in this juice literally smells like it’s 40 years old. You can find perfumes like this on eBay for a fraction of the price if you want something that smells like it’s from a long time ago. I sought out Maai in the first place because of all the comparisons to vintage perfumes, and I had to see for myself. While I can understand that perspective, I also feel that Maai lacks the complex and full bouquets that much older perfumes offer. Having a big, genuine animalic note isn’t enough for me to liken it to a vintage perfume. A generous Fragrantica friend was kind enough to send me some decants of her vintage Occur! by Avon, just one of so many perfumes of that time with similar notes and feel, and Maai simply can not stand up to it, not to mention the likes of My Sin, etc. Is Maai beautiful? I guess so. I can appreciate it as a piece of art. Taking away any comparisons to vintages and just viewing it more objectively for exactly what it is, I don’t find it to be that unique. I smell an animalic note with heavy rose and aldehydes. Very simple; streamlined. Too flat of a scent with not enough development. I just don’t get the kind of complexity that I yearn for in a perfume with such captivating notes.
rom4eg – :
“A lush floral garden – one with beds of roses and jasmine, laced with creamy sparkling aldehydes – heavily guarded and surrounded by unchained wild black panthers; WARNING: Not for faint-hearted guests.”
“Oh my–” was the first thing I uttered when I smelled it for the first time. Just from the whiff of it, it smells a lot like MDCI Chypre Palatin because of the overload of oakmoss. I was wondering if they smell similar overall because both are of chypre group, but after putting it to the test, the difference became obvious.
Maai is a concoction of the Old World, a pure vintage scent that makes one say “they don’t make scents like this anymore these days”. It’s a contradictory “portion”, as how Mr. Gardoni calls it: clean yet dirty, bright yet dark. There’s a perfect balance of animalics and florals that don’t creepy into each other; rather, they sit side-by-side and gradually showcase themselves after some time.
On my skin, as exactly as the opening of my review, the heart is a purely clean heart made up of a trio of florals: rose, jasmine and tuberose, coupled with aldehydes. Around them though, is a blend of the major animalics: civet, musk, castoreum and hyraceum… basically, a black panther. It smells a lot like Chanel No.5 layered with Chypre Palatin and a dash of an animalic fragrance (Kouros, maybe?). Longevity is really good; on a cool day, it may last up to 12 hours. The sillage, surprisingly, is not as enormous as I thought it would be but it’s definitely noticeable from a distance.
Maai is definitely NOT for everyday use, and perhaps even for everyone. One has to really love animalic-florals (especially animalics), and very confident or comfortable in his/her own skin to pull it off. Occasion-wise, it’s best for special night events or if one just feels feral for the night.
A masterpiece of a perfume.
Kenvigepise – :
Seems like a wonderful, old-school kind of perfume. My knowledge is limited here but it definitely smells like it belongs in the same category as Muscs Koublai Khan and Salome. Personally, completely subjectively, it emphasizes certain notes I don’t care for (like labdanum) and it’s alot softer, less skanky than the other two. I may have overdosed on perfumes like this one for the time being. Might be time to try another category and revisit MAAI with a fresh nose later on.
Merviholes – :
Is this fragance in shops and stores nowadays?????
zOrloff – :
I got my hands on a sample of “Maai” by Bogue Profumo in the middle of last summer’s heatwave, so although I felt the urge to satisfy my curiosity right away, I concluded I needed to wait for the colder months in order to do this perfume justice.
“Maai” is a thoroughbred animalic chypre, no doubt about that. It begins with an aldehydic blast of massive proportions. I can well imagine some people wrinkling their noses or gasping for a lungful of fresh air following the perfume’s rough opening. Fear not, my dear perfumistas, for this pungent aldehydic overture only lasts for a tick and soon a tuberose note emerges. Now I’ve tested several tuberose-centred fragrances (e.g. Histoires de Parfums’ “Tuberose 3: Animale“, Masque Milano’s “Luci ed Ombre” or Anatole Lebreton’s “L’Eau Scandaleuse”), but Antonio Gardoni’s rendition of the flower resembles nothing I’ve experienced before. Forget your typical seductive, playfully naughty, creamy tuberose; what you get in “Maai” is an odour of a green and white, freshly crushed tuberose flower. The two notes complement each other perfectly and create a lovely blend of the synthetic and the natural. Finally, the animalic notes of musk and civet enter the scene. There is no need to panic, however, as they are treated light-handedly, with the effect of enveloping the wearer in the most sensual aroma.
A few reviewers have already noted that “Maai” can hardly be described as earthshattering. Perhaps that was not the purpose of its creation. Perhaps the perfumer’s intention was to demonstrate that today’s perfumery is far from dead, and that beautiful fragrances, be it those resolutely modern ones or those paying tribute to the classics, are still produced. From this point of view, I consider “Maai” to be quite an achievement.
СornickJaydaf – :
Colin Maillard and Greyspoole wrote my review. I’m an older lady. I love vintage chypres and animalics, find a large percentage of current fragrance offerings to be depressingly mediocre if not plain old bad. I like Maai, it’s an impressively vintage smelling modern niche. If I wasn’t familiar with any of the many vintage perfumes this brings to mind I’d think this was super exciting but as it stands there’s plenty of the originals available. Many are priced more reasonably (and all that I’m acquainted with have better longevity) so I just can’t see looking for a full bottle of this. But I do think it’s very nice for those who don’t have a closet full of vintages.
lex1 – :
Hum. If in short: too complex and too “depressive” if it makes any sense. Very interesting and definitely brainy, with all its stages of evolution, but not for a rainy day or winter blues. Stays ages long on a pullover. So worth an investment given the price, in this sense. But… I think I will go on without it, I just will not wear it, even if I find it to be an ultra respectable creation.
On a side note I have also tried O/E from Bogue, it is not yet on Fragrantica — this is much more wearable to me than Maai, a fantastic alternative to discontinued Sous Le Vent — the same vibe, but xx-times longevity. Looking forward to the whole bottle of O/E.
lijjjerras – :
Olive green, thick, pretty and definitely sexy, this is a very mossy rich floral that has fat to it. I get the tuberose but its so blended with the rose and jasmine that it just smells complex, abstract, distinct and dense. Maai wears like jewelry, hanging in the air where applied and lasting forever. There is a strong musky quality that blends well with the moss and has some spiciness to it. In the Los Angeles heat it doesn’t do as well, daytime here has a way of dispersing fragrances that don’t billow in warmth. It benefits from still air, coolness, and a bit of damp, which combine to allow its glittering, glimmering facets to show off beautifully. Almost ostentatiously. Really fun to wear in the evenings as it has a retro glamour that would suit both sexes.
Pavel1202 – :
WOW is this stuff beastly animalic and full of vintage beauty! I immediately pictured the days when women still wore real mink furs with pride and big real musk extracts were a (legal) thing.
I get a blast of fatty soap bubble aldeyhdes at the opening and oh-so civet muskiness. It smells of a bygone era of perfumery, rich and warm and unabashedly MUSKY. Seems to be a blend of civet, honey based, and jasmine’s indolic musks all rolled into one. The overall effect is warm, rich, super skanky, and vintage. Later my suspicion of honey based musks was confirmed when a slight ambery honeycomb note rose, mingling gloriously with the civet facet. It very vaguely reminded me of Krizia’s Teatro edp with that note specifically, hours into the drydown. Also it easily lasted 6 hours on me so I don’t understand the longevity ratings here, and that was just from a dab sample!
I’ll enjoy wearing it for the day but I don’t think I could wear it regularly as it reminds me of the smell of playing around my great grandma’s vanity and jewelry when I was young. (Literally. She wore