Don’t you just love finding an unexpected pleasure, fragrancewise, out in the mainstream? I stumbled upon a happy accident the other day at Nordstrom as I was in town making some mail-order returns. I had asked the SA what was new, and she pointed me to a very pretty transparent aqua bottle: Miu Miu L’Eau Bleue. I have to admit the original Miu Miu, although nice enough, didn’t knock my socks off. And although this new offering isn’t earth-shattering either, it is enjoyable enough that I’ve been wearing my sample on and off for several days now.
Notes per Fragrantica: lily of the valley, green and white flowers, and akigalawood accord, whatever that is (the site says it’s a molecule from Givaudan that smells of patchouli, peppery notes and woody oud). Thankfully, no oud presence made itself felt on my skin, because that would have had me running for the Tide, and we would have a whole ‘nother kind of post today.
Anything with lily of the valley makes my ears perk up (Coty’s Muguet des Bois was a love of my childhood/teenage years), so I had to give it a go. The lily of the valley starts off obviously enough, but then is transformed and diffused by the green and white flower accord. And the akigalawood business deepens it slightly, lending it a bit more interest and lasting power. I found it to be refreshing but not simple. In comparison, Bleue lacks the fruity aspect and bergamot presence of her older sister and feels a wee bit more spontaneous and carefree, at least on my skin.
Bleue doesn’t really smell like Si Lolita de Lempicka, but it does remind me of it, in that it’s a pretty floral with a unexpected feathery touch of spice to give it more character. Longevity was decent, but I didn’t mind re-spritzing from time to time.
And I love the aqua, see-through bottle with its soft yellow topper even better than the opaque blue of the original, which I still like very much. I will be on the lookout for a mini of this for sure. Thanks to Chanel, I’m quite partial to anything that resembles quilting.
So what about you? Have you found an unexpected pleasure lately, in the mainstream fragrance world or outside? Or even beyond the realm of perfume, such as discovering an unexpected pleasure in food, gardening, or anything else that’s given you a smile.
Oh, I’m going to look for this! For one thing, that bottle is SO PRETTY. Like Portia I love the pale yellow and blue. And this doesn’t sound *quite* like me which of course makes me want to try it even more! 🙂
Hiya, darling! I hope you get to try this soon. I think you’ll like it, or at least won’t hate it as it’s definitely a cut above some of the stuff out there. Hope school is off to a good start for your kiddos!
Ohhhhhhh…I loooooved Coty’s Muguet de Bois when I was in middle school! So lovely! I haven’t thought about that in years! I found a sample I had forgotten about — L’Etat Libre d’Orange’s Attacquer le Soleil Marquis de Sade — and it is SAUCY.
Oooh — saucy!! Gotta love that! Have never sniffed it though, so need to. And so glad to see that you loved MdB too. Every time I’ve sniffed it in my later years I’m transported to my early teens, wandering through the cosmetics/perfume area of the old Eckerd Drugs, ha! Hope you are doing well, dear.
Eckerd Drugs! Yes, exactly! I guess all those old drugstores got swallowed up by either Walgreen’s or CVS. I am doing well — thanks! Hope all is well with you, too.
I tried Miu Miu L’eau Bleue today during the school clothes shopping. Just had time for a quick spritz and sniff on paper. I quite like it and will go back for a skin test. The bottle is beautiful though I had to stare at it for a moment to figure out how to remove the cap. Also tested the new Gucci Bloom which is being hyped at the perfume counters. It’s an uber-floral to be sure. 🙂
Tiffanie, glad you got to give the Miu Miu a try. Hope you will enjoy it when you give it some skin time. Did you sort of like the Gucci Bloom? I got a sample at Sephora but haven’t had time to try it yet. I’m wondering if, like you said, it’ll be too big and over the top to wear much?
I realized that I miss Dior Addict in my collection since I used up my decant a few years ago. Reviews of the reformulations have been mixed but August is my birthday month and Ulta gives out great birthday discounts, plus I had lots of points to spend so I ordered a bottle, prepared for whatever. The Addict I got is from the 2014 reform and it is a pleasant surprise; smells just like the original but with a purr rather than a growl. It will get lots of love especially in the cooler months, which, by the way, are welcome any time now.
Hi, dear! I’m right there with you in that the cooler temps can come on anytime. Alas, here in the South, it’ll be mid to late October before it really hits. Glad you are enjoying the Addict — isn’t it great when you can relax and enjoy the reform so much? Hope you’re having a grand birthday month!!
I have kind of gotten back into nail polish again. I’ surprised that how much the price of nail polish has gone up in the past few years. OPI just released their fall/winter collection called Iceland. Taking a look at reviews, it looks like an iffy kind of collection with a couple that I did like and ordered. I think I’m iffy on the collection because it doesn’t contain some kind of red. And OPI always seems to have a red it every collection.
Love your nail polish revivial, Eldarwen! And sorry to hear that the new OPI has no red — boo! But hopefully you’ll really like the ones you ordered.
Hey Ann,
I am loving that primrose yellow on top of the aqua too. So pretty.
Not I but Jin’s niece and nephew have been staying with us the last fortnight. They found Mythical Creature Onesies at the big markets in town for a song and bought some for themselves and their friends. It was so cute having them romp around the house dressed as unicorn and dragon.
Portia xx
Howdy, dear! Glad you love the bottle as well. And I bet the niece and nephew were off-the-charts cute in their outfits! Wish we could see a pic of the unicorn and dragon!