Mariposa – ‘butterfly’ en Espanol – is one of the most beautiful harbingers of Spring. Which, until about 5 hours ago, I thought was here to stay in the Midwest. Oh, silly girl. It went from 58F to 12F in less time than it took me to write that sentence. A sheet of ice and a 25mph wind. No butterflies here! Except in the lovely packaging for the newest Ramon Monegal Perfumes scent, Pure Mariposa, exclusive to Neiman Marcus.
The gorgeous screw-top canister, awash in whimsical butterflies, holds their signature faceted inkwell flacon; this time, with a gleaming white, hinged bakelite top (I think the gorgeous canister is bakelite, too. I don’t know my polymers like I should, so I can’t say for certain – but it’s got that smooth bakelite feel). I didn’t think I would like the hinged top – I thought it would be bulky and unwieldy – but I find it to be perfectly engineered (hey, you can perfectly engineer something and still be laydlike!). It’s very fresh, very springlike, very feminine. And so is the scent.
A brief on the notes describes the perfume as a floral nectar accord, which is an excellent description – I get a lot of orange and orange blossom at the open, with tuberose coming on strong about halfway through. The whole upfront composition is dominated by the first, initial blast of calone (and the ozone/marine note) but that only lasts for awhile. Those are not my favorite notes in fragrance but for those who like melon and ozonics, that first blast is going to thrill you! Once the bulk of it burns off (like ozone over the ocean) the jasmine and rose come out to play. The peach in the base is a warmer version of the calone opening and it rounds out with a nice amber finish. Because I am a nosy, questing soul, I am curious whether Sr. Monegal created this with Neiman-Marcus’s longtime image in mind – bear with me here….I spend a LOT of time at N-M on Michigan Ave (more than I should given my simolean-challenged circumstances) and it’s interesting…but over the past few years I realized something interesting about N-M: in general, sloppy people do not go in that store. It’s still very much Ladies Who Lunch (which I, personally, delight in). It’s not a flip-flop/tube top kind of place. Nobody in a thong ogling the Nancy Gonzalez exotics. Perhaps because it’s a standalone, destination store? Who knows. I just know that I love being in that elegant store. The presentation and scent of Pure Mariposa perfectly reflects that sensibility, in a young, fresh way. When I smell this perfume I see women in pretty, summer dresses, having lunch in the Zodiac dining room on the 3rd floor (which I love). I love ladylike. I wish somebody would come rescue me from my unladylike life and let me go to lunch at The Zodiac Room all the time. In the Spring. When the butterflies are out!
Official notes, per Ramon MonegalPerfumes
TOP NOTES
Fresh festive colorful: Orange, Grapefruit, Bergamot.
Fruity vital and cheerful: Yuzu, Black currant, Plum.
Ozonic pure and graceful: Helional, Melonal, Calone, Ultrazur. (molecules)
MIDDLE NOTES
Green natural: Oakmoss, Grass acord, Fig.
Floral rich and elegant: Osmanthus, Jasmin, Lily of the valley, Rose wardia, Tuberose.
BASE NOTES
Woody powerful and harmonious: Sandalwood, Cashmeran (m), Iris, Anchouli (m).
Silky sophisticated and majestic: Peach, Tonka, Amber.
This will debut shortly and is exclusive to Neiman-Marcus. I don’t have a price but all other Ramon Monegal perfumes are $185/50ml. Mine came from Ramon Monegal Perfumes.
I have to admit that I’m not particularly comfortable in Neiman Marcus. The whole store just feels a bit too rich for my blood and I can’t help feeling out of place. However I ventured into my local N-M on Saturday, sniffed Pure Mariposa, and managed to summon the courage to ask for a sample. So far I’m liking it quite a bit and am considering buying a bottle (the bottle itself is lovely to look at and feels nice in the hand), though I’ll make myself finish my sample before I do to make sure. Pure Mariposa is quite strong (you definitely do not want to over apply!) and it’s different from anything else I have, which isn’t saying much since I’m still relatively new to perfume connoisseurship.
There are three restaurants at the N-M in BH and I’ve only ever eaten at one- the one in the top-floor mens department when I was out shopping with a friend. Good chile, but frankly I could have gone to the BeverLiz cafe. (I know, I’m cheap- how do I stay single?)
Ooh, I’m so jealous. I was to travel to Chicago tomorrow on business and planned to take Friday for a perfume tour of Michigan ave. unfortunately, work plans changed and it will be a while till I make it to a city with NM or anything approaching such loveliness.
In the meantime, I’ll dream of spring, flowers and a lovely day strolling down Michigan ave. sniffing samples and eyeing all the shinies.
Oooh! let’s go!
I never have been to the SF N-M, I don’t think – isn’t that weird? xoxoxoA
Ta-da — wish granted! I will come up there sometime, whisk you away and we will be the Gorgeously Scented Ladies Who Lunch at the Zodiac Room. P.S. Were all the Monegals at your NM or just this one?
BTW, have you ever eaten at the NM dining room in San Francisco, overlooking Union Square? It’s dee-vine!
Thanks Mrs. M! For *once*, I read your review and thought, oh. hell. no. Calone? Melon? My Kryptonite. Srsly.
Everything else sounds lovely, though. The packaging, the florals. . .I even aspire to be one of the ladies who lunch. Those notes are deal breakers for me, and you kindly pointed out their prominence. Saves my skin to try other things, and I thank you for it. I still need to wander over to Saks and try the Cartier III for it’s monster green (and medicinal lavender, which you don’t love, but I have a hankering for of late) Be well 😀
Hi, sweetie! I’m so thrilled to see you here!
Calone/melon/ozonics have the same polarizing affects as tuberose, imo. You either love them or you don’t. Have you noticed there are very few middle of the road opinions on Fracas or Carnal Flower? There’s a whole group of people out there who are going to LOVE Mariposa.
And I can’t wait to see what you think of III xoxoxoA
Agreed. To be honest, I started to remain silent, in fear of hurting anyone’s feelings. I hope everyone knows, there are notes some like, that others don’t. Those two are just not for me. FWIW, I used to be a tuberose hater! Could not stand big white florals, only liked my incense and dirty musks. Carnal Flower and Tubereuse Criminelle were revelations.
Over years in exploring perfumes, I’ve really widened my range. I love florals now, love green fragrances. There are only a few notes that give me real pause. . .and yet in 2010 I fell hard for Vero Profumo’s Kiki EdP, which has caramel (I’m not usually into gourmands) and lavender which can be hit or miss, and now I adore it. Never say never. Try everything. . .but if my to-try list is really long, things with notes I tend not to like can go to the back of the line.
To be fair, I used to hate any fruity note. . .and today I’m wearing my Bottega Veneta, which has a sueded peach/plum in there somewhere. I hated fruit in perfume, and now I think it can be lovely. Same with the plum in Boxeuses. The apricot in Daim Blond. Hmmm, maybe I just like my stone fruits bruised up against some leather.
I was just weirdly excited to read your words and NOT want to tear off and go try the next new thing, which is verrry unusual 😀
Good grief, HS! I certainly hope nobody gets hurt feelings. That would be weird…like getting your feelings hurt because someone doesn’t like the color blue! LOL! I think there are evolutions in perfume appreciation, too. I used to say I hated musk – not sure why (I think I can blame it on Jovan :-D. I finally got over myself and am now loving quite a few musks. So ya nebber know!
mmmmmmmmm! Daim Blonnnnnnnnnde! LOVE that!
xoxoA
Grr. I’d been successfully ignoring this line, but this fragrance sounds so gorgeous. Might have to sample at some point…
LOL! Mission accomplished! xoxo
This sounds so pretty! It was on the N-M website a few weeks ago, but when I looked yesterday (N-M is running their Spring GWP, everybody!) it was gone. One less temptation, but I would love to smell this one! Thanks for a great post (and was totally inspired by yesterday’s organizational post, too! 🙂 )
Really? That’s weird (about the on/off of the site). I wonder who jumped the gun (and I wonder where that phrase came from!? 😀 ). I, too, was inspired by my post (which, of course, was inspired by Ann’s…and the wheels of the bus go ’round and ’round )… I’m going to have El O run some test blocks in the mill, see if I’m happy with that as a storage solution for the little vials. You guys stay tuned!
xooxA
I’ve tried and purchased some Monegals at the Houston Galleria N-M and the rep there told me that the line produces too little product for it to be in stock at all of their stores. (This was explained as a matter of how high quality their ingredients are…) He told me they are carrying it at only three stores in the country. I’ll now have to go in there soon to try this one!
I like that explanation! 😀 I doubt they’ll ever be mass market – the packaging alone must cost a bomb to produce!! Lmk what you think, Cynthia. It’ll be a little while, I think, before it’s out.
xoxoA
I wonder how it smells like. Too bad we don’t have NM in Poland. I would happily go and smell it. I adore Kiss My Name, it’s such a happy scent
What is the N-M equivalent in Poland? (just curious). My favorite RM is Entre Naranjos! You can tell he’s Spanish – he has such a way with an orange!
xoxoA
Musette, there’s no equivalent of N-M in Poland! We only have Sephora and Douglad here + few niche perfume stores spread in the big cities all over the country.
Sad, isn’t it?
Gak! The re-emergence of ozonic notes mean nausea and headache to me.
The rest sounds great as I’m a lover of stoned fruit notes, especially in the style of the pre-1989 Femme by Rochas.
Alas, this has too much ozone for you, imo. It’s pretty prominent. xoxoA
Ms. Musette, your description makes me long to be one of those ladies who lunch. My local NM doesn’t have a dining room or cafe, so I don’t associate it with the pleasure of eating, just shopping. Mariposa sounds so pretty and spring-y. That bottle is beautiful. So far the NM near me doesn’t seem to be carrying the RM line. I asked about it a while back (around Christmas), and they had no idea what in the world I was talking about. I’m not a fan of ozonic, calone, melon notes, so I’d definitely have to try this one first. I hear you on the cold weather thing. Our weather keeps going back and forth, warm, freezing. Today is freezing. Maybe I’ll get out a spring-y scent for today in an attempt at mind over matter. 🙂
I love it when ‘we’ know more than the SAs – and they are funny about that; they look at us as if we are completely nuts! The bottle is stunning, absolutely exquisite quality. And the canister is gorgeous, too. But this is definitely a ‘try first’ scent, if you are not a fan of calone or the ozonics.
as far as N-M, my first experience was with Chicago’s Boul Mich store, so I thought all N-M shops were like that. Imagine my stunned surprise when I went to Dallas and saw the original! Teeny, tiny little jewel box!
xoxoA
I adore NM! In the heart-wrenching absence of I. Magnin, it is def. a destination. I grew up with the SF Union Square and Stanford locations and now live a short drive to the Rodeo Drive and Newport Beach locations and have to seriously THINK about what I’m going to wear if I know I’m going in. I’ve always loved their butterfly motif and can’t wait o sample this when it comes out! Thanks for a great review!
It is nice to still have those bastions of elegance, isn’t it? I miss I. Magnin, too. xoxoA
Me, too! Although I only knew them through their tres-elegant catalogs — alas, by the time I got to California, they were extinct. (Wipes eyes a little …)