Passing by the Armani counter at Neiman Marcus on a recent visit, I spied two colorful bottles spotlighted front and center at the Armani Prive counter: Vert Malachite and Rouge Malachite. A spray or two later on tester cards and I committed one to skin.
Vert Malachite entranced me, but for a while I wasn’t sure why. All I knew was that I kept sniffing my wrist repeatedly throughout the day. But I read up on it and a light bulb clicked. This EDP creates a slightly sweet, creamy tuberose effect (although it’s not listed anywhere in the notes) with a sliver of green running through (lily and ylang, I think), grounded nicely with a smoky effect provided by benzoin and vanilla. Its jasmine-lily green, with a hint of warmth coming from the other notes, unveils a golden glow that lasted for hours. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t sneak a smidge of incense in there somewhere, too, although perhaps that’s just my quirky nose.
If you’re in the mood for a floriental with tuberose leanings, but want something warmer and more mellow than, say, Fracas or Carnal Flower, Vert Malachite might be worth a try: softly seductive without being in your face. In fact, upon subsequent sniffings, I think this could almost be a shy, more subdued little sister to Fracas.
Although I have to say that I don’t care for the green bottle this one comes in, or the deep red one that contains its sister scent, Rouge Malachite. (Of course, I wouldn’t complain if a bottle landed in my lap.) I love the color itself, but the all-green bottle of Vert Malachite is just a bit much. IMHO, it needed some contrast, perhaps a square gold plate bearing the name, as many others have had, or something else to break up all that green. The black bottles with the gemstone or gold caps really are the most attractive, to my mind.
The perfumer is Fabrice Pellegrin. Notes: Bitter orange, petitgrain, ylang-ylang, jasmine sambac, white lily, pink pepper, benzoin and vanilla.
This is part of “Les Voyages” collection, said to be inspired by Russia, but I wasn’t sure how it tied in. These two are pricier (at $310) than the others in the line, which range from $165 for the eau de toilettes to $270-$290 for the black bottles. But none are as dear as the Rose d’Arabie, which clocks in at $500.
I enjoyed Vert Malachite tremendously, and will happily use up my sample, hoping that I can get my mitts on more sometime in the future.
Have any of you sniffed this? What, if any, are your favorite Armani Prive scents? Which ones would you like to try? Or what are your favorite tuberose scents?
I’ve always enjoyed the deliciously dark Bois d’Encens, the sweetly refreshing Rose Alexandrie, and adored their limited edition La Femme Bleue. But many of their more recent additions have had a bit too much oud for my taste.
There is a Malachite Room in the Winter Palace, now the Hermitage, so there is definitely a connection, at least to green malachite. I’m not as sure about red malachite.
So yummmy!
Yay! Glad to see another Malachite fan! Enjoy!
The bottles are very Russian. The juice thou – although I am not sure what fragrance notes would characterize Russia – vodka?amber?fur? LM parfums has done a Russian fragrance and so did Guerlain (Pikovaya Dama or Queen of spades) – but I have not tried any of it. TDC’s The Bachmakov is a nice take on Vodka and cold, thou.
No family back in Russia – everyone has left
Thanks for filling me in, Marianna. And so glad you mentioned the Bachmakov — that one will be so nice and chilly in the heat of summer, won’t it?
Following your example, I decided to test the pair. Sales person was telling me that the new Malochite collection is tribute to Russia – which makes sense as Armani is very popular there. The bottles do tie in with Russian heritage as well. Being Russian I am not sure how Tuberose ties with Russian culture and history – but I did not want to nag the salesperson :). I liked the Rouge much better but still don’t see the Russian connection other than Red color for communists? But this quite a stretch
Hi, Marianna! So glad you tried them and liked the Rouge. I wasn’t sure about the cultural tie-in either, but a friend told me that she had seen a photo of a gorgeous malachite table from Russia, so maybe it was (is?) popular over there. And how cool that you are Russian. What area is your family from and do you still have relatives there?
I smell both! and just fall in love with Rouge Malachite Jasmine and tuberose!! it was so plush and the longevity is fantastic…. as for vert Malachite i liked it but i thought it was to quiet for me.
Yay, Valerie — so glad you’ve tried both and found love with the Rouge one. You’re right; the Vert probably is more subdued. Is there a lovely red bottle in your future? 🙂
Mayyyybe, I just purchased Myrrhe Imperiale and thought I was done with Armani Prive, nothing else really jump at me before, but not I made the mistake of smelling Rouge Malachite and they gave me a sample of Figuier Eden …. i’m not sure which one will be my next buy. So 1st world problem LOL. I just think Figuier Eden will be a nice addition to my heavy Oriental-spicy-gourmand predominant collection. But Rouge Malachite just smell soooo good.
That’s a tough choice, 🙂 Valerie, but as you say, maybe the Eden would be better now, and you can get the Rouge later. Whichever you decide, enjoy that lovely bottle!
I like tuberose, so I’d like to try this one. I think I’ve only tried a couple of the Armani Prives, maybe Jade and one other that was obviously completely forgettable. Ha! That green bottle doesn’t bother me too much as long as it isn’t plasticky looking. I love real malachite; I have some sterling silver and malachite jewelry that I enjoy wearing.
Hi, Dina! Think you might like the Malachite very much. Hope one of the decant services starts carrying it soon. The bottle didn’t strike me as plastic-ish and was fairly hefty; I think it’s just that the whole bottle is that green, whereas malachite jewelry is more pleasing to me because it’s in smaller, more elegant settings.
I’ve never tried anything by Armani. Nothing from them has ever caught my attention. But I might have to try these just for the bottle alone.
They are lovely bottles, aren’t they? Do give them a go when you get the chance. And surely something out of the whole Prive line will end up interesting you, at least a little.
Sounds beautiful! Most tuberoses are too much for me, but I adore them on others (does that make sense?)! The only Armani that has ever hit a chord for me was La Femme Bleue (why don’t they reissue that one??) The oud trend has really turned me off a lot of high end launches, too! Wish they would move on to something else, although I have to say there have been a lot of beautiful non oud niche releases (Sweet Morphine, Athaliah, Fetes Persanes et al) this Spring vying for my perfume $! Did you try the red one and what was it like?
Howdy, dear! This one might be worth a try if you get a chance; it’s fairly soft and subtle. Didn’t get to try the red one on skin, though, and can’t remember much about it. I’m with you in lamenting the late, great La Femme Bleue — Armani, bring it back, please?!! I’m glad you mentioned Sweet Morphine and the Fetes; I’ve been wanting to try them and knowing you liked them encourages me. Thanks!
Thanks for the lovely review. Tuberose alone is too much for me but with a touch of green – well, that sounds great! I haven’t been able to try the Armani Prive line so far but I really wish I had the chance. The first Giorgio Armani from the eighties is my favourite perfume and I always liked the elegance of the house of GA.
Thank you, Neva! I think a little green is good for almost anything! 🙂 Can you wear Carnal Flower at all? You also might like Jo Malone’s Tuberose and Angelica — it’s lighter and very wearable. I agree; Giorgio Armani does some classy designs and I’ve always admired his sleek, architectural jackets.
Mmmmmm.
You’re right — it is rather yummy. Thanks!
I will have to try it.
Yes, do give it a whirl and let us know what you think of it.
I’ve never tried the Armani Prive scents, but I’d been eyeing that Malachite bottle, so I’m thrilled to have you sample and report on it! Unfortunately for my pocketbook, it sounds right up my alley — I love both Carnal Flower and Fracas, but I have been known to layer them with something a bit woodsy or green — a chypre or a vetiver. Gah! My poor credit card! Speaking of other tuberose scents, have you tried Aftelier’s Cepes & Tuberose? It’s wonderfully weird.
Hey there, Heidi! So glad you stopped by. You might also like the red bottle. I’m not sure if any of the decanters have samples of this scent, but if you’re ever near a Neiman Marcus, give it a spritz. I must try your layering trick — it would be interesting to see how a woody or green scent interacts with Madame Fracas! I’d be a little afraid she would hit me over the head, ha! And I need to sniff the Aftelier very soon. Thanks! P.S. Haven’t forgotten about you. 🙂
I think a vetiver or galbanum interacting with Fracas has kind of the same effect as Seville a L’Aube, where the green cuts through the orange blossom a bit. But with Fracas, it’s much louder! P.S. Thank you! 😉
That does make sense — and the way Fracas wears me, I need something to cut through her “butter.” 🙂