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usp319Bessinepome – :
This is no ‘Miss’. For me, it is in the league of the original Miss Dior, similar to Vent Vert, but less green, and close to those which smell like Bandit, Cabochard and Jolie Madame, but less violetty.
These are perfumes for women. For women who enjoy the ‘vintage’ fragrances, which pretty much were flattened from the 1990’s and we were sold sweet nothings and watery words, which then enveloped many females.
I’m wearing the parfum version today but also have a very vintage edt. This is leathery and powdery. Slightly wooden, with beautiful green notes, tempered by powder.
Not for girls. I was born just after this was created. I was introduced into perfume as a teenager with Miss Dior (not that light non-related current version), Magie Noir, Jolie Madame (actually a little too sweet for me at the time, but I enjoyed the violets), Opium and others of a similar vein.
I loved the 80’s and early 90’s, with statement perfume and edgy styles I wore. Skin tight velvet jeggings (oh yes, we had them then), red tartan Jigsaw mini skirts, cropped tops and Doc Martin’s. My perfume went with my freedom as a woman and as a university student having a lot of fun. I didn’t have Miss Balmain in my skinny collection, which I coveted, but it would have fitted right in.
фермер – :
Grayspoole hit the nail on the head by comparing Miss Balmain to an Islay whiskey. Peat, leather, iodine, not necessarily in a bad way. I don’t really pick up the flowers. It seems odd to me that this was named Miss Balmain, perhaps a Miss like Jean Brodie. Nothing girlish about this fragrance.
While I am grateful to have had the chance to sample this vintage fragrance, she isn’t for me.
hrundel-1 – :
I love vintage Miss Balmain, which was launched in 1967. Some are surprised that it is a “Miss” in pink, but I think the contrast between the scent and the branding was intentional. Miss Balmain was meant for the cool girls, those who wore lots of black eyeliner, kitten heels, and miniskirts. A French original ad suggests Miss Balmain for those who are “young, beautiful, and bored” (bored with other perfumes, one assumes, not with life in general). There is also some confusion over Miss Balmain’s parentage. Fragrantica lists Germaine Cellier as the nose, but there are reputable sources that identify Harry Cutler (who went on to create Giorgio) and I think that is probably correct, although the influence of Cellier is undeniable.
From its smokey opening, which reminds me of a Islay single malt whiskey, Miss Balmain offers up a deep and full rose note, lily of the valley, castoreum, and a lovely dollop of isobutyl quinoline, a classic leather aromachemical. If you like this sort of thing, you probably already have vintage Miss Balmain. If you are debating about which vintage leather you should add to your collection, you probably should get Miss Balmain. It is slightly warmer and has more feminine florals than Azuree and Cabochard, and the leather note is not as bold, but all three are wonderful.
If Miss Balmain is what you want, shop carefully for the older vintage parfum and EDT. Miss Balmain was still being produced in the EDT formulation into the early 1990’s, and it seems clear that reformulation occurred although some say Miss Balmain has held up well. Also, please disregard the extremely prolific reviewer below who describes Miss Balmain as an “aldehydic floral” similar to Oh de London, YSL Y, No. 5, and No. 22.
Melrq206intitytek – :
God this is fabulous.
Miss Balmain is the kinda Miss that’s perfectly made up but wearing an edgy outfit and doesn’t care what you think, not a dainty little miss.
On me it’s powder but with beautiful flowers, leather and oakmoss guarding it’s back. Beautiful and feminine but strong and unapologetic. I have the newer version and the old round splash version and it’s only now with the new version I can really see it’s glory as the splash is pretty dark and lacks a spray but I’m so glad I own both, this is the kinda aspirational perfume I love and admire!
Duargehearo – :
This is definitely a blast from the not so distant past circa early 1970’s to mid 80’s, darkly animalic & quite leathery incl. innumerable complex base compounds still used at this time in haute perfumery, very unique and lush with Germaine Cellier’s signature all over it, they don’t make em’ like this anymore, practically contains everything including the kitchen sink 🙂 the eau de toilette is powerful enough although the parfum is absolutely divine, that’s if you can find the original deep ambery golden formula. Back in the day I could use a 100 ml. vapo bottle (cylindrical+pink bow with white cap) of edt. every couple of months, imagine a dense floral bouquet heavily fixed with carnation & marigold (tagetes & tobacco flower)+ civet? ,leather, oakmoss, vetyver, orris tincture & patchouli? “WoW”!!!
“Why” oh why do I keep tormenting myself remembering these htf. golden oldies ????
Vintage junkies with a hankering for exotic frags do grab this if you ever have the opportunity, very different to other Cellier greats like Jolie Madame, Fracas, Vent Vert, Coeur Joie & my fave made for Balenciaga, ‘La Fuite des Heures’ UTTERLY FAB!!!
edit: The reform is quite different and rather tame compared to the original..
olegsandr1 – :
Oh, how I long for times past when “miss” in a perfume’s name didn’t mean “smells like candy”, but sharp, strong leather, oakmoss and aldehydes. Nobody messes with this miss! I don’t normally like aldehydes but this perfume’s got character! After 3.5 h, it softens and smells exactly like Chypre Mousse Oriza L. Legrand, a big favorite of mine. (Reviewing a vintage mini.)
syv063speagoessenda – :
Has a 1960’s “wild girl” vibe… I picture Sharon Tate or Edie Sedgwick or Joanna Pettet or Tuesday Weld or Joey Heatherton or Katharine Ross or Faye Dunaway or Ann-Margret or even Lynn Anderson or Raquel Welch. Classy, but definitely 60’s au-go-go liberated. Definitely a big bouffanted 60’s hair fragrance. I love it.
An earlier post-er suggested Jessica Pare’ in her late-60’s MAD MEN look: Bingo.
I agree , the emballage is misleading… It doesn’t smell “pink” to me, somehow. Or at least not that demure pink. Maybe a 60’s Pucci pink.
r1k09 – :
Not one I reach for tons, but something that feels irreplaceable in my collection. Definitely a relic from when it was expected that perfume would smell like, drum…roll please, a perfume. If I had to choose a signature scent, I would *want* to choose Miss Balmain. She doesn’t really smell like me but she smells like a woman I’d like to be. Warm, bright, confident and though it doesn’t sound like many people pick up on it from the reviews, gentle.
vladimir58 – :
I was wearing this at work, and a friend asked me if I was wearing Old Spice or something. Uh, no bitch, I’m not wearing Old Spice. Then she thought it was the older male we work with, she described it as something old school barber shop. But when I put my wrist to her nose it was me. Regular lay people are so accustomed to sweet feminine perfumes they don’t know a “statement” perfume when they smell it.
I don’t care what anybody says, whenever I want to rock Miss Balmain I will, she is beautiful.
tus3779 – :
A must have for every vintage earthy leather lover. Woods, leather, flowers and aldehydes in a perfect balance of almost endless longevity. Coriander is quite prominent at the beginning, then the perfume is quite linear all the way to the dirty musty drydown. I’m in paradise when I wear it, this is the grounded paradise of living angels who fight for complex joy and amusement every single day. Another lost masterpiece.
Aerohopleneridb4 – :
I would give ANYTHING (well…. almost anything) to be able to stock up for life – on Miss Balmain here in South Africa. So sad that I cannot find it anymore, except by ordering from the UK or US when shipping will cost me more than the perfume itself. Heartbroken….
VJ BlackJokER – :
The smell of SUCCESS. A self-made entrepreneuress.
Well loved orphan. Much respected head of household.
She’s no heiress; so princesses, first wives, and gold-
diggers steer clear. Self assured, independence, even
sovereignity (from other mortals) will feel like home in
this. No femme fatale, vixen, diva, gothic types either.
This Miss is ALL FEMME & not a drop less. …Peace…
lisii21 – :
1967 Vintage Germaine Cellier’s Miss Balmain
Oh! De London or Y de Yves Saint Laurent with more elaborate detailing and with a warning sign: for women who aren’t sissies. This is a green garden where flower children congregate to smell each other just to get high on the fragrance. The 60’s was not really that innovative and experimental an era for fragrance as the subsequent 70’s. Some 60’s fragrances wore like 1950’s fragrances or even 30’s 40s, strong woods, heavy floral scents, and leather. This fragrance could easily pass for a perfume in the same family as Fracas Bandit Miss Dior and Jolie Madame. Miss Balmain introduces herself with strong aldehydes letting us know she is of the classic formula kind with aldehydes like Chanel No. 5, No. 22, and so forth. Mingling with the aldehydes are freshly squeezed lemons. Immediately, the gardenia, a screaming flower, is detectable. She is followed by green notes which are the leaves of the lily of the valley and bushes of white flowers. There is jasmine, carnation and narcissus. But this is not a simple floral fragrance. There’s more of course. A spiciness gets released with the other notes of culinary corinader, vetiver, some orris root and the smokiness of the patchouli. The fragrance lasts forever and dries down to woods, heavy oak and oak moss. There is also leather, musk. It’s like two fragrances in one: the aldehyde floral fruity, the day time, the green notes that feel like an herbal tea and then the strong leather outfit that is worn at night. During the day the women who have been smelling each other in the garden and at night are now doing something else LOL They’re smoking patchouli. They’re high and on the drugs of fragrances. I must say that nothing can create a vision to my nose like a vintage fragrance. I have also smelled and worn the reformulation which is ok, not a replica but not bad either. All they did was add a touch of tonka (which smells like vanilla, but in this case it’s very soft) and some coconut. The original of course was an assertive female. And yet at times this fragrance gave me the feeling that it was modest and few women wore it but it provided some influence. It seemed to have inspired scents like Balmain’s Ivoire de Balmain the vintage 1980 version, or scents like Aliage by Estee Lauder from 1971. At the time of Miss Balmain’s release, more women were probably wearing Y by Yves Saint Laurent Guy Laroche Fidji, Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles, Hermes Caleche and Dana perfumes. This one was an homage to aldehyde floral chypres of the Golden Age and it’s divine. I love to wear both the vintage and the new formula.
yac042speagoessenda – :
I came upon this classic at a thrift store this afternoon, with our first November rain and cold front. I started the morning with Mitsouko, a rainy cold day go to, and then showered in afternoon as temps were warmer. Then I shopped and found Miss Balmain. I had tried to order the Ivoire from a perfume kiosk in a mall earlier in the year, wondering where is perfume purgatory for these wonderful old fragrances. I grabbed Miss Balmain for under $20.00, while I still wait for news from the perfume people of the other one, and gave explicit promise to pay for the Ivoire whatever insane price it is now. So, color me happy when I found this.
It suits a cooler and wet day because of the oakmoss and leather. I could detect sweet notes of flowers in the second hour, but thankfully the base notes just went center stage quickly. I, too, have grown tired of some of the new frags because everyone wanted in the business, and too many new colognes are sweet and girly. Playful is one thing, but smelling like a Mars bar is not my idea of “deep woman,” This scent has a characteristic that matches a thinking woman.
This is a mature woman’s scent because of its complexity. Winter demands notes of leather, and homage to the oak god.
Hats off to House of Balmain.
nvs234Unlogrere – :
I have a lovely little miniature of vintage Miss Balmain, thanks to @yohji, thank you!
I knew this was vintage at first sniff – that unmistakable oakmoss chypre. From the bottle it smells weird at first, and on first application it’s odd for a few minutes, but give it a little time and it transforms into a lovely oakmossy, dried-twiggy smoky autumnal sensation!
I don’t think that’s going too far, sometimes I get a bit carried away with description, but I tested this on my mum who was round for lunch today, and she too was in love with this chypre classic of yesteryear.
I think the top notes might have disappeared as I get very little floral, but it’s the base that’s special anyway.
Intriguing, witchy yet elegant. It will indeed smell old fashioned or odd if you wear mostly contemporary styles, but as with many vintages, they knock spots off some of the unusual niche perfumes that aim for smoky chypre effects.
Wonderful stuff!
qmtswhpx – :
Its been a while but today I took out my vintage Miss Balmain and remembered how much I love this perfume. Compared with today’s candied, bubblegum scents this may seem old and very masculine but I find it a classy, feminine fragrance for a confident and independent woman.
To me it doesn’t really develop from one thing to another but the various notes are all put together, and stay together, from the beginning to the end. I smell lots of wood, leather, oak moss, carnation and coriander with a background of jasmine, rose, amber for a smooth sweetness, and aldehydes for a light powdery finish. You would think this to be loud and overpowering but it’s not. It has a medium silage that I can smell only when I hold up my wrists to my nose. Longevity is very good, today it lasted me a good 12 hours before it started to fade.
I haven’t smelled the new version, but I’m sad that the original has changed and will need to look around for deals to stock up.
arrilarne – :
I just found and bought a tiny 1 1/2″ mini in an antique store today! It’s full , and still beautiful! The liquid is very dark but seems to have not lost its beauty, the leather coming through just lovely! I don’t know how to describe it actually!
alexfire – :
Vintage, real Miss Balmain. Classy leathery chypre, a woman who can ride a horse, and next hour sit in a office winning the project of new building investment, come back home and make a great dinner for family, and invite friends forgetting how tired she was or is or should be, who can do all sort of things – from being a stockbroker till growing carrots and roses on her backyard, – effortlessly or so – it seems.
Yes, its an earthy fragrance, she lives a real life, grounded and strong, being very sincere and natural in all aspects of life, just like trees and their roots, she is proud of her ancestors and her descendant will be proud of her. And they will never forget the fragrance she loved most of others – Miss Balmain.
I actually wrote a review about a real woman, who died few years ago and who was very inspirational figure for many others.
seum – :
Such a rich, complex fragrance! Both classic and classy and very much a French creation.
For self-assured, powerful and supremely self-confident women. Should have been named Ms. or Madame Balmain, because no Miss or Mademoiselle has the maturity or gravitas needed to carry off this composition without seeming to be playing dress-up in her mother’s wardrobe.
Remove Jolie Madame’s powdery violets, punch up the oakmoss, change her soft suede to fine equestrian black leather and elevate her from cast member to the starring role in the bright spotlights with a generous infusion of aldehydes and Jolie Madame becomes Miss Balmain. Nonetheless, they are so very much related I can’t imagine anyone who likes/loves JM not liking/loving MB, and vice-versa.
Miss Balmain’s initially evident florals seem to greet me at the door and disappear as I walk in and become enveloped by the green, woodsy fragrances of an old country manor house filled with well-worn leather furniture. Yes, green, woodsy, leathery and “old money” aristocratic.
Long-lasting with intimate sillage and, in my opinion a definite “must have” for women who appreciate the finer things in life.
coffevarka – :
Miss B’s charm comes from a slapdash composition and that succeeds. It conveys an honestly straightforward approach, and the result is a charming perfume with character.
Forget any discussions of buttery Italian leather, sophisticated Russian leather, discrete French glove leather. Miss B is A stiff coat leather with a note of cheap compact-powder florals. Both ranges of notes, the leather and the compact, tell you to take it or leave it. There’s something wonderfully practical about this perfume. It doesn’t suggest that you contemplate it in search of meaning, intent or mood. It has that sort of checklist femininity: hair, makeup, purse, dress, shoes. Walk out the house, never give it another thought. For some people this approach could be a a pile-up of mismatches.
For the right person though this approach can read as Just Right, and demonstrate a strong sense of self possession. Miss Balmain is for a person who likes its dichotomy of notes and is smart enough to recognize it connotes an easy execution of gender more than a belabored performance of it. For the person wearing Miss Balmain, perfume isn’t a giveaway of your personality or desires, it’s merely a fragrance that s/he likes to wear. Try too read further into it and you’ll be barking up the wrong tree.
kuuum93 – :
1967… The new, rebellious age of liberation meets the sophisticated, well-dressed glamour of early 60th. The wind of new changes sweeps through all layers of society. The psychedelic, experimental music of the Beatles, the Doors, Pink Floyd and others take the pop-culture to the places where it has never been before. The fashion, style and of course perfumery is caught in this whirlwind of changes and that’s when Pierre Balmain releases Miss Balmain.
Recently I have become a huge fan of Mad Men show, which has its 5th season set in spring of 1967. And as soon as I tried Miss Balmain, I thought that’s what the new Mrs. Draper (portrayed by beautiful Jessica Paré) would wear. A bit rebellious but classy and sophisticated, just like Megan herself who managed to catch an eye of a man like Don Draper.
The scent captures the 1967 era perfectly, but yet it never goes out of style with its beautiful, complex and sophisticated composition. I was impressed by it from the first sniff. The beginning is very chic layer of aldehydes and green galbanum notes with this gorgeous leather scent. Just simply beautiful. The scent has long development arc as it gracefully transitions into the floral bouquet of lily of the valley, jasmine and ylang-ylang well balanced by the woods and leather. Nothing is out of place. I love that the floral bouquet is not overpowering or stinky, which could happen with jasmine, but rather soft and sophisticated mixed with creamy notes of rosewood and sandalwood. The scent becomes even more leathery as it develops towards the dry down, but in the same time, it remains feminine and alluring. The sillage and longevity are both great.
There are scents from the by-gone era that I like to try to travel in time and experience the past, but I would not consider wearing outside of my living room. But not with this one. I love wearing it. It is one of the best leather scents I have ever tried. Overall score 9.5/10
sarkis – :
Miss Balmain is a truly beautiful scent. Smoky, loved to bits, careworn leather, surrounded by a bouquet of florals so well blended no single note dominates. I love the sweetness the coconut gives to offset the smokiness. It is so completely different from modern fragrances and disappointingly so hard to find I could cry about it. It is so sad fragrances are not made like this anymore. I do smell the similarity with Azuree, but Azuree is very much a masculine leather, Miss Balmain is definitely all woman! I love all the vintage Balmain fragrances, they are simply exceptional.
nikishina – :
What has always made me smile are the girlish pink ribbon, pink box, simple bottle. As if it contained a girly scent!
THIS SCENT IS FOR A WOMAN-WOMAN, a grown up lady, very confident, very smart, very tough, but with a sweet heart, soft forms, warm embracing.
It’s one of the few scents I keep buying and buying bottle after bottle, using and using, year after year, and do continue loving despite the 100+ diffent scents I have in my drawer.
A spectacular creation from the past but still very up to date.
You can’t miss having this if you are a true scentaholic!
blewgenij – :
Whenever I want to feel like a hussy I wear Miss Balmain. And I mean that in a best possible way. I love Miss Balmain! IMO it’s like a throwback to a teased hair, chain-smoking, lotsa lipstick and leather jacket wearing tough floozy.
The leather makes it feel tough and on the masculine side (by today’s standards, back in the day scents like this were typical feminine offerings), the carnation gives it an old school feel and the narcissis makes it cheerful enough and kind of keeps it from becoming a too old fashioned scent.
эля1983 – :
My first spray of the vintage EDT of Miss Balmain was a true eye opener! What a blast! And, I mean that in the best possible way! Aldehydes, leather, carnation, oak moss, and vetiver, OH MY! This has got to be one of the most glorious cyphers! It is bold, it refuses to be categorized it and it’s packaging is an oxymoron!
I also detect the amber and the orrisroot in the dry down, which is just glorious. The aldehydes gentle along with the leather and smokiness wafts away, leaving a musky, woody, spicy floral scent that I absolutely love!
Miss Balmain is not for the shy. She is bold, bracing and shouts, no, HOLLERS here I am, like it or lump it!
The sillage is, on me, moderate.
Longevity is spectacularly long.
kompaneysk77 – :
I love it. It is one of the best.
sandoval-xxl – :
Wow. I LOVE this perfume. I am completely mesmerized by it. Many have called it unisex, which, I understand the inclination. But for me, smelling this on a man, while welcome (by all means bend the assumed gender roles), would be surprising. I find MB to be incredibly bold in reference to modern women’s fragrance but also very feminine in reference to true femininity. However, it is apart from the current Western female ideal I assume is the point of reference. To call this masculine to me implies we still live in a world that finds slightly taboo the idea of a woman declaring, defining and asserting her femininity as a human free to roam over all experiential terrain. Also that the rules of perfumery are so binary that vetiver means masculine and gardenia means feminine. That notion is not real enough for me and apparently wasn’t real enough for Germaine Cellier either, as it appears she clearly picked up some vetiver notes from sniffing sundry women’s underpants.
That being said, MB is challenging to me in its uniqueness. I have never owned anything quite like it. Beautiful, soothing, strong yet quiet. And I personally love my pink bow. It’s so deceiving. If you are planning to blind buy, prepare to be surprised. This is a different kind of “miss”. She is fully engaged in the world as a bachelorette. It would take an impressive creature to change that. She’s the ruler of her own universe and quite impressive, herself.
lazerget – :
…I can easily imagine Germaine Cellier (she was the laziest gal in town) taking perfume formula for Bandit (1944) and slightly tuning down the concentration of some components (e.g. isobutyl quinoline) and adding a few new ingredients. Result: beautiful and less aggressive leathery chypre known as Miss Balmain (1967). I personally like everything about it, except the name and the pink box (sometimes even a cute little bow can be found on the bottle), they are just nonsense! This masculine fragrance has nothing to do with those attributes. Germaine Cellier just couldn’t have such an image in head. Jean Cocteau’s friend (what a crazy mixture!), aggressive homosexual, she ate tons of garlic at the dinner table, always talked in a crude, low-class manner, smoked like a chimney, when women were expected to be behaving daintily, and was known for bravely stripping undergarments off Robert Piguet’s models as they exited the runway and sniffing in an attempt to capture “the best of their femininity”! She went as far as coming to work at ten in the morning and leaving before noon, considering her work for the day accomplished! Would you ever expect from the eccentric butch [although she was beautiful and extremely stylish] some delicate pink flowers, bows, and ruffles?! I don’t think so. What was Pierre Balmain thinking while packaging Miss Balmain?!!! Oh wait, …maybe Miss Balmain is a drag queen?… LOL! Just kidding 🙂
Enganaevo – :
The name ‘Miss’ Balmain is misleading: this is an elegant unisex fragrance for confident grown-ups.
Miss Balmain opens with a very strong blast of aldehyde and leather accords and after an hour settles into this beautifully earthy, mossy, enveloping and grounded scent.
Later on the the warm woody character(vetiver), and faint flowery notes is what lingers on the skin.
Every time I reach for this fragrance, it strikes me what a perfectly blended and rounded fragrance this is – contemplative, strong, sophisticated and debonair.
I like to wear this to work and casual meetings, preferably in fall and spring. This scent evolves best in bracing weather and air, that is still cold or breezy or on rainy days.
The bottle, design and the name make Miss Balmain look and seem so unassuming and low-key, but this is a masterful fragrance, composed in the vein of old-school perfumery and style, and yet it is very modern and universal.
Sillage is moderate and perfect for use at the workplace. Longevity for me is about 5-7 hours.
If you like classics like, Arpege (Lanvin), Coco (Chanel), Mitsouko (Guerlain) etc., you should definitely give this a try.
max9max – :
Just not my cup of tea. I like woody/mossy fragrances but although I loved so many notes in this I ended up swapping it away.
I tried and retried this but never got anything more than bitter coriander and wet leather. It’s smells quite “cold” to me and I think the difference for me between this and a mossy scent like Mitsouko is that the spice notes are warm.
Very dominating fragrance. I could certainly see this for the right woman 25+, but I think me and coriander will never get along.
oefszrmaih – :
The new edt is pretty enough. Mossy, woody, leathery and floral. Yet, compare it to the old stuff, it is weaker and a bit modernized I think. Vintage one, was thick, bitter, increadibly woody, leathery sharp at the beginning as rare old wine. Then, I remember intoxicating narcissus was coming and the composition was lasting many many hours on skin. Modern one, is sublte but still elegant. It’s woody character remains but it is toned down. Florals are blured and mixed better together so as nothing seems prominent to my nose. Something is missing…. I don’t know what it is but the new Miss Balmain has not that classic twist as it had. It seems to be more wearable now adressing to younger ages as well. I liked it a lot. Maybe I’ll add it to my collection.
sergey1983 – :
This is a review for current EDT in 2012.
I expected to love it but not because of the first 5 minutes.
It would be a dark, alluring beauty without the blast of waxy, sour, dusty and decaying aldehyde at initial stage. I can live in harmony with some aldehyde fragrances but not this one. Luckily, the aldehyde is strong for about first 5 minutes and after 15 minutes you can forget it and from that is a ravishing dance of vetiver blended with lush, yet mellow jonquil & jasmine on the base of condensed moss & earthy patchouli. This is embellished more with the tangy carnation. Thus, the whole composition sounds mysterious, even mischievous like an adventure in an epic forest under the murky, hazy moonlight.
Raziel9201 – :
it tickled my imagination before having it. i wasn’t quite disappointed smelling it, but it is far, far away from Cabochard, my favourite.it is linear, from beginning to the end, on my skin.nothing surprising, just a good, comfortable smell.i don’t think i will buy it again.
Xalin Anton – :
Stunning. I love this. My favorite of the Balmains. It makes an amazing masculine… Just dont be afraid of the pink bow on the bottle.
Elibekyan – :
This scent is not “sweety pink girly” at all, which is what the ribbon and packaging might suggest. Miss Balmain was my first real perfume. I was 15, 16 years old. Before Miss Balmain I bought my perfumes with my own money, that I made as a baby-sitter. I had turned to tiny, angular bottles with perfume oil from India (really cheap, abt 2 Euro’s). My favourite was patchouli. (Yes, I was a teenager in the 1970s hippie-era) My father was often abroad for business, always came back with a small present typical of that country, usually candy. One day he came home from France with a bottle of Miss Balmain perfume, telling me that I was becoming a woman now, and in Paris girls my age had their first perfume. I was absolutely smitten by this gift and the idea behind it. I loved the scent too. To me it was like a chique, stylish version of my patchouli-oil. I never stopped using Miss Balmain, and I’m literally still a miss. Lovers yes, husbands no. I’m not sure if the contemporary Miss Balmain has the same formula it used to have. Whatever the case, I still love it. It’s not your typical feminine scent, it’s even a bit masculine, it’s smoky, rich, full, intense. A perfume for women who own themselves.
gestokiy_angel – :
I’m not shure about Miss Balmain: is it a bit vintage or quite modern and very unique perfume? It opens sharp, leathery aldehydic with vetiver and flowers (narciss,rose and carnation), among wich I can smell some lemon. Later it evolves to more soft and a bit powdery floral scent but still the leather and vetiver are there, less aldehydes maybe. It’s fresh on top and creamy inside. Very nice and really long lasting!
Colder weather perfume. I found it suitable for daily formal occasions. But I must point out again, the classification of any perfume on “day or night” always depends on my personal mood and the feelings… and Miss Balmain can easily be night perfume as well.
sydradysmug – :
This is not what I expected. This was,also, a blind buy…EDT, modern formula.
For some reason, I expected something stronger and more aggressive. Instead, what emerges is ,herbal greenery and freshness softened with white floral, perhaps lilly of the valley. This is a chic, refined woman: there is nothing little girlish about this one despite the name.
After only twenty minutes or so the fragrance shifts:
the freshness and the floral seems to evaporate, leaving behind an herbal leather with surprising staying power. This sudden shift from beginning to drydown seems abrupt to me,like where’s the second act in the play?
However, I won’t complain because this is a lovely fragrance at a reasonable price, that has that delicious leather note like Azuree, and plays it with subtlety and charm. I think this was a good discovery. I’m looking forward to comparing this to the vintage in the future.
I like this very much.
( Much later in the day…) Miss Balmain just gets better and better. I’ve taken a shower and applied this fragrance liberally. It is subtle and sophisticated, an herbal-leather smokiness that settles about the body like a comforting warmth, a second skin. It sometimes reminds me of Azuree, and at other times it has a greenness that reminds me of Aromatics Elixer…it is very subtle, balanced,
and refined…and I am very comfortable in this. The longer I wear this the more respect I have for the creator of this lovely perfume. Excellent!