Hi Crew, Magnolia is such a beautiful scent and while I often enjoyed the fragrances made that nod to magnolia I’d never smelled the Magnolia Grandiflora until this year. My mates have two trees in their front yard but for some reason I’d never noticed them flowering until we went to dinner the other night and there were two perfect blooms in the center of the table and the smell was intoxicating, a couple of times I lost track of the conversation because my mind was totally immersed in trying to get more scent from them to waft towards me, HA! It was kind of nerdy. So it was with much excitement that I searched out Eau de Magnolia….

Eau de Magnolia by Carlos Benaim for Frederic Malle 2014

Photo Stolen Fragrantica

Fragrantica gives these featured accords:
Top: Calabrian bergamot
Heart: Magnolia, vetiver, patchouli
Base: Cedar, moss, amber

Carlos Benaim is not a perfumer who is regularly in the spotlight, which is strange because he has been the mastermind behind loads of blockbuster fragrances: BVLGARI Jasmine Noir, CK Eternity Men, Euphoria Women and Man, Carolina Herrera, DIOR Pure Poison, Elizabeth Arden Red Door, Ralph Laurent Polo, Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb and Eau Mega are just a few of this man’s incredible output.

Below are pictures of the flower from my friends bush, yes I asked to steal one after dinner, they are taken same time 3 nights in a row.

So if you are expecting Eau de Magnolia to be a completely photo realistic scent copy of a magnolia grandiflora then you will be sadly let down, so what you have to expect is an artists rendering of a magnolia. Here the structure of the journey is laid out in bright and sizzling citrus to open that lasts well into the heart and even hints still remain in the base.

Eau de Magnolia’s floral heart is dewy and cool, a fresh and refreshing take on the big white floral that is neither big nor particularly floral. More earthy and wet, but not wet earth, imagine digging your healthy compost heap on a sea bluff in an early spring morning just as you start to warm through in the thin warmth of the sun.In real life the dying magnolia goes brown and gets an incredibly vegetal muskiness, murky and deep.

End it all with a still lightly sparkling citrus/moss/patchouli warmed in amber. The magnolia in my kitchen has an incredibly animal smell now, decay and bad breath. Still strangely alluring but nothing like Eau de Magnolia.

Further reading: Olfactoria’s Travels and Australian Perfume Junkies
Frederic Malle has €34/10ml
Surrender To Chance has samples starting at $7.60/ml

If you liked this then jump on over to AustralianPerfumeJunkies too, there’s always something fun going on over there. We love visitors.

Which Malle is your favourite? Which magnolia has tickled your fancy?
Portia xx