Marquise de Merteuil

[Koumori]

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.

The peach notes are evident to me in the vial, but quickly vanish when applied, leaving me with primarily amber and a blend of florals of which I can't distinguish individual notes. It's a "power" scent thanks to the amber (one of my favorite individual scents), but not a strong one; 3 hours after application it has virtually disappeared. I'm left with no strong feeling about this one either way.

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Bitter-sweet peach.

 

In the imp/bottle: Peach with vetiver lurking quietly beneath.

 

On skin, wet: Floral, powdery peach with that wicked vetiver in the background.

 

On skin, dry: Powdery, sweet peach. It's not a fresh peach, but almost like a peach juice. The vetiver still makes generic threats in the background, so that it's a kind of bitter-sweet scent.

 

Conclusion: Another 'good for the burner, not for the skin' scent.

Edited December 16, 2005 by Aredhel

[madelf]

This is a dark floral on me. Very sophisticated, without any sweetness even though the peach is a background note. The amber and vetiver soften and darken the floral notes, so the oil smells like a dark mossy patch of flowers in the woods.

 

It has some throw - I could smell it lingering in the background all day, although it certainly wasn't overwhelming.

 

It's very beautiful, but requires some attitude to go with it. This is a power suit and sexy pair of pumps sort of smell.

[lemurcatta85]

I thought I smelled peach in this, and it turns out I was right! This is very nice, I can't smell the vertiver at all. It smells very adult, and very yummy.

[QueenFae]

This one reminds me quite a bit of Fae. It's fruity, ultra peachy, with a lovely undertone of a variety of florals. It's almost a fizzy kind of peach, with a bubbly whiteness. I can also smell the amber, which is such a beautiful complimet to peach. I love it.

[girlmadasbirds]

i'm mostly getting the amber and peach with a faint hint of the florals (thankfully!). i'm pleasantly surprised and would never have thought to try this one... yay frimps!

[magdalene]

this scent is a peach walking around, going like this: \m/

[oakmoss]

The Marquise is a scent I've been longing to try for some time now, and meeting her at last is not a disappointment! I was expecting something sharper, more harsh and perfumey, but as others have said, this is a gorgeous dark floral drizzled with peach -- not syrupy peach, but that slightly bitter taste near the peach skin when you first bite through, and then the sweetness. To me, this is not the Glenn Close version of the Marquise from Dangerous Liaisons, but rather, the Marquise as portrayed by Annette Bening in Valmont... lying naked in her tangled bedclothes, reaching out her arms to her lover and asking for more... toying flirtatiously with a piece of fruit on a gleaming silver fork as she asks her dinner companions with whom they would prefer to spend the night... and through it all, laughing as she spins her webs. This Marquise is the subtle femininity of peach combined with the more worldly florals and amber of love and intrigue. My only regret is that the scent seems to fade quickly, but then... that's probably true of the Marquise's beauty and seductiveness as well!

[Firewaver]

This smells like a snooty, rich debutante wearing a powdered wig and enormous and gaudy ball gown. It's the overpowering perfume that slaps you in the face like a scorned mistress when she walks by.

 

Very naughty. A very ruthless peach smell.. i suppose that's the vetiver kicking in.

I like this.. it's ladylike but cruel at the same time.. warm but cold. Soft and flouncy yet hard and metallic. This lady has a dagger hidden in her garters.

[Scarlettfish]

I bought this hoping for a predominantly jonquil scent. I absolutely love the smell of jonquils - I grow them and have had big bunches in the house all winter. This isn't as jonquil as I had imagined, but damn, I think I'm falling in love with it anyway.

 

This is far fruitier than I had thought. Peach has never worked for me before - it's always been overwhelmed by other notes - but this is a really juicy, overripe peach scent. Almost like rotting peaches (in the good way!) There is a hint of debauchery and voluptuousness about it. I keep on getting hints of jonquil and sophisticated florals underneath the peach, which is lovely. Vetiver, which is absolutely horrid on me, is barely present except for an underlying darkness to the scent.

 

This is heady, luxurious, decadent and just a bit evil, in a very seductive way. Perfect for the name. Not what I expected, but I'm very pleased just the same!

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Sweet, floral.

 

On, wet: Floral, sharp. Maybe some vetiver. The peach/sweet note is gone.

 

Later: And then it fades down to generic sweet floral. *shrug*

[Monster]

First sniff I smell a fruity amber, second sniff...plasticy flowers. Gah!

 

On my skin the amber and fruit fade and the flowers and vetiver come storming through. While I like vetiver, I dislike it when it's mixed with flowers.

[Little Bird]

Gah, the Marquise de Merteuil made me quite ill.

 

When I read the description for this one, I was blinded by 'peach' and 'vetiver'. Somehow I completely missed 'French florals'. My wishful thinking often does just scan out the florals, lol.

 

I hate florals. And this is all extremely perfumey florals on me. Like unidentifiable flowers and that hairspray smell that makes my brain ache so well. I feel like I walked into Marshall Fields and got attacked by a hundred awful generic floral perfumes.

 

Off to swaps with the Marquise.

[Sistinas]

a review of Marquise de Merteuil

 

Vial ~ Intially I thought it was a sour smell, the combination of floral

and vetiver, I was able to pick out the peach, amber or the other florals.

But as I smelled it a bit more I detect the bouquet of florals and it was

not so sour.

 

Wet ~ the peach peaks out, but the florals still remain dominant

 

Drying ~ I think the sour note I was detecting was the peach mixed with the

vetiver, but as it is drying the florals are more prominent, but the

vetiver is grounding them so that the scent is not overly floral.

 

Dry ~ Now that it has dried on my skin, the florals blend together beautifully

with this splash of peach underneath. There is no hint of sourness at all

now.

 

Fade ~ Decent enough throw, not extremely long lasting on my skin, but hey

isn't that what reapplications are for?

 

Final thoughts ~ When I first tried this scent, I didn't think it would

work for me, the sourness was too much. But once I gave it time to dry, it

morphed into this very sexy floral scent. This is something to splash on

you when you go out and want to command others attention. On a scale of 1

to 5, I give it 4.5

[helarctos]

For me this starts out as overpoweringly sweet -- the syrup from a can of peaches or pears. There's a bitter undertone -- the vetiver? -- that comes out on the skin, and tempers the sweetness. It adds a complexity but doesn't work well on me.

[The_Merf]

In the imp: Although I was frightened by the peach, I was reassured by vetiver and the presence of some florals. It didn't smell too bad, although I had a problem coming up with a way to summarize it.

 

On my skin: I can smell a bit of the fruit, which is upsetting...

 

Dry-down and wear: This actually turned out quite nice. The stronger elements in the perfume came out and toned the peach down. The result is a lovely, bright scent (although it does not smell like Florence, I place it in the same category). I don't know if this is a purchase, but I will finish the imp.

[ABrokenAngel]

In the Bottle: Beth, I love your peach! Although this scent is nice and complex in it’s combination, I just love the hint of peach.

 

Wet: Divine. It’s a well balanced scent. Hints for fruit and floral grounded by the vetiver.

 

Drydown: It’s disappeared. Or maybe my nose just decided it would go bubye.

[Lori]

Sniffing the imp: I am getting the vetiver and strong florals, and also something that smells a bit like bubble gum to me. I find that Violet does that, so maybe that is what it is. No peach coming through to this nose.

 

Wet on wrist: Uh oh...this is pure baby powder on me right now!! How did that happen? Defnitely no peach and where did the vetiver go?

 

Drydown: A very, very soft powdery floral. Not what I expected so off to sell it goes.

[Orodemniades]

Wet: jasmine...greenery...peaches...

 

Drydown: fades quite quickly, perhaps too white and high for me, though.

 

Overall: I've changed my mind about this, as my skin has brought out the peach. It is high, however, reminds me of drinking peach schnappes when I was a kid - in fact, I drank the whole bottle despite my stomach's protestations.

 

Anyhoo, it's nice, but very feminine.

 

Oro

[rinoastar]

Gorgeousness. I had reservations at first; compared to all of the pretty, fruity, almost little-girl scents in my order, Mme. stalked out of the box like she owned it and made her presence known as soon as she could. In fact, even though she was sitting on the table three feet away, she kept shoving the other girls out of the way and demanding attention. When I tested her, I found her sharp--far too sharp for my tastes, really. I put her out of mind until later, sure I'd swap the imp away. Then it was time to go home for Thanksgiving and I found myself torn--should I bring imps I love, like my decant of Devil's Night or one of my pumpkins, or should I bring some of the new imps in my dresser? I grabbed two out of my dresser and left campus--and all of my other BPAL--behind. One of the imps I grabbed was Mme. de Marteuil, and she immediately turned on the bedroom eyes. "Try me again," she beaconed. "You never really gave me a chance, you know. You'll find I'm not at all like you remember me." And she wasn't. She was stunning: a crisp floral with the barest ozone-ish undertones, and a flawless sweet peach in the mix to keep it from being bitter. I quickly became used to wearing Mme. everywhere, and had to leave her at home lest I wear her out completely!

 

Overall, a gorgeous, powerful scent that makes me feel like I'm the center of attention for all the right reasons.

[arabella]

First Impression: Jasmine.

 

Dries down to: Light jasmine - then, finally, a very light hint of peach appears.

 

Additional Comments: This one was a difficult one for me to review. Nothing stood out. On checking the notes, I see there's no jasmine at all - at least, not listed, though it may be part of the bouquet of French florals - and I'd never have guessed amber was in here. I'm guessing the galbanum, jonquil and vetiver stomped the other notes down. I had been so hoping for more peach. I find I don't that I love or hate this oil; it's just a take-it-or-leave-it one for me.

 

Lasted: A couple of hours.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

[PurringPulsar]

Marquise de Merteuil

 

In the imp: a soft, muted amber-peach, though not as bright as Aglaea’s and Imp’s amber peach notes.

Wet on skin: there’s a slightly sharper, piercing note among the amber and peach which I can’t recognise. It’s still very nice.

Dry: hmm, interesting. It’s not unpleasant, but this is an amber-peach scent with bite! There’s a sharp note in there which I’m not familiar with, I think it’s a bit green? It seems to be growing stronger and quite astringent. Maybe it’s the jonquil and something else. On either side of this sharp spike of scent are the gentle peach and possibly some sweet floral notes. This is the darker, sharper side of peach, it seems.

After a while: that sharp greenish note tones down, it’s less astringent and now more of a ‘fresh’ scent, quite cold and bright. The peach and amber are now much stronger on my skin. The scent now is much, much sweeter. I think I get some floral notes underneath but I can’t tell what they are exactly, but one of the notes is slightly powdery and white. I don’t get the vetiver yet, so I think this blend uses a softer vetiver, but that note is sure to come more apparent after a few hours.

After an hour or so, this scent is still going strong. It’s got incredible throw! It’s now become a rich peach scent with amber and a powdery floral background. There’s something quite stately and grand about this scent, and it has a powerful presence.

The scent lasts for ages, wafts like crazy, and after 5-6 hours I still, surprisingly, don’t get any vetiver! There must be a phenomenally tiny amount in this, since I amp vetiver at times. The scent that remains on my skin though is a powdery sweetness which is both fruity and floral, with possibly the remains of amber.

Verdict: this peach scent packs a punch and is very powerful! This is a more mature, darker sister to the likes of Aglaea and Tamora, like them, it has an amber peach combination but this one is a lot more forceful. At first application, a sharp, biting note comes out, I don’t know what it is, but it’s piercing and cold. This tones down after a short while, letting the peach note strengthen incredibly, and it wafts off my skin-this stuff has serious throw. It’s a very pleasant peach scent, a bit more grandiose and traditional in feel than the other peach scents, it’s also a bit powdery, and I’m assuming that’s due to the floral notes. For a long time I get wafts of peachy flowers. The amazing thing is I don’t get the vetiver mentioned. I like this scent but I do prefer the other peach-amber scents to this, I find this slightly more austere and commanding and less youthful and sprightly than the others. I think I’ll keep the imp though.

[Hawke]

Another near hit. It really is lovely, for a while.

 

In the vial: Fruit with perhaps a hint of alcohol. An apricot brandy? With a little spice. (ETA: peach and apricot are often very similar to me.)

 

Wet: The spice is a bit more evident and the fruit disappears, or rather, fades considerably. There's also a hint of a flower I think, though I can't yet tell which one.

 

Drydown: There's definitely a powdery fruit stage on this that makes me very wary. Not sure if that's the floral part f the amber. it was actually very nice until then.

 

And then the powder disappears -- which gives me hope that amber will not always ruin a scent for me -- and this becomes a rather generic perfume scent. Pity.

[Fefferbella]

Frimp from the Lab:

 

Spicey amber and bitter peach... very rough and sharp...

 

 

I like the amber note, but the peach is unsetteling... it makes me slightly queasy. I had to wash this scent off my wrist...

 

Off to the swap pile

[Thaleia]

As if I need another "btch, plz" scent, but I couldn't resist, with the name, and with the peach. I love Les Liaisons Dangereuses and all of its adaptations.

 

In the bottle, it's peach, alright. Not the innocent, sparkling peach I got from Katharina - Madame la Marquise is a darker, sinister peach that's fuzzy and juicy, but the pit can and will choke you.

 

Ooh, womanly and complex, once it's on. I don't smell the peach as much, but it's still there; the amber and a woody smell which I'm guessing is vetiver take over for a little bit. Above all of that depth floats a floral bouquet, which allows the Marquise to pretend to be the epitome of what a court lady should be, but really isn't. There's an edge to the dainty floral that reminds you that she's going to mess with you, and when she does, she'll destroy you. It's sinister, calculating, deliciously evil. It makes me want to grin sinisterly at all of you. The amber and vetiver lay low while the florals and peach come back at the end. Somewhere in there, I smell the jonquil - not the big, yellow daffodils, but the smaller white ones with the sharper fragrance.

 

Definitely a kick-ass scent, for those days when I need to feel confident and calculating. I give her and her scheming a 5.