Parisian Musc by Matiere Premiere

Photosource: Scent Studio (own copyright)

So, after a longer unplanned hiatus I have gone ahead and continued my venture through the Matiere Premiere discovery set.

This time I am sampling Parisian Musc. 
With a soapy and floral opening, I cannot distinguish whether that was on paper or on my skin - Parisian Musc opens with a burst of fragrance! The scent spread all around me and gave an impression of a feminine, sweet and flirty fragrance.

After some oxidation, I can finally smell what's what. Musk is definitely in the forefront on my skin, but there is also a clear note of something floral, a bitter one of some sorts.

On paper, Parisian Musc is considerably sweeter and much more soap-like, so I do prefer it on my skin. However, I have discovered that I have ambroxan blindness, which inevitably affects how I interpret the smell. 

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Parisian Musc is lovely, but not as charismatic as was Encens Suave or Santal Austral. This fragrance captures perfectly the parisienne vibe, which is what also makes me think of Parisienne by YSL when I smell it.

Though not similar, they convey the same story - walking down a cobble street in knee-high boots on a spring day towards a park in Paris. However, the story is short lived, Parisian Musc is not a perfume of longevity, it only remains as a sweet scent close to the skin.

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This fragrance continues my baffled voyage through the Matiere Premiere perfumes. These fragrances are loved and admired by many, but Parisian Musc joins the they-are-lovely-but-not-wow-effect along with all the other fragrances I have tried from this house (Cologne Cedrát just about manages to jump up from that crowd and wave a hello, still remembered by me as a great fresh scent for spring).

Santal Austral by Matiere Premiere

Photosource: Scent Studio (own copyright)

Santal Austral is fresh, yet buttery on paper. It is very light and begs for the season to turn into spring! Iris is quite elusive, sometimes it's all I can smell, sometimes the fragrance fuses into a tonka and sandalwood mixture.

On skin, Santal Austral leads with sandalwood. The fragrance is much woodier than on paper and has a powdery note. Iris is not detectable, but tonka bean slowly emerges after dry down.

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Something about Matiere Premiere perfumes is so wonderful, yet I am not becoming addicted to any of them. I am halfway through the sample set and I have yet to fall completely in love with one of the fragrances. Enough for it to become a need-to-have.

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After dry down, Santal Austral is milky, light, buttery, yet fresh on paper. On my skin, the fragrance has become a sweeter, buttery amber, very endearing. I should be craving having this perfume in my collection, but I can be without. This seems to be the recurring theme with Matiere Premiere. Have any of you had the same experience?

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I gave this fragrance a few more goes than the others - something about it speaks to me and I really want to become addicted to it. I could smell it on my clothes for days, but Santal Austral remains as if just a memory when I think of it. It has elements of Baccarat Rouge 540, but I have become blind to that precious fragrance and Santal Austral replicates what my nose picks up quite eerily so.

Falcon Leather by Matiere Premiere

Photosource: Scent Studio (own copyright)

Boom, bam, OUCH! I think we've hit an incompatibility with Matiere Premiere! I sprayed the fragrance on my wrist and the room was filled with an overpowering leather fragrance, rough, loud and sour. Falcon Leather is not the truest leather fragrance I have smelled, but it is a powerful one. Unlike Mimosa Indigo by Atelier Cologne that is absolutely delicious and sexy, Falcon Leather overpowers me and brings about a likeness to the smell of an oil-spilled garage.

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Before I put anyone off, I have to mention this fragrance on paper. Wow. Absolutely gorgeous! Falcon Leather is completely different on paper compared to my skin. Lighter, sweeter, fresher, more forgiving, Falcon Leather is a beautiful amber leather fragrance. Upon first spray, the fragrance has a slight citrus top note that disappears over time. I don't think I have tried a scent that is as different on paper as it is on my skin, so I would definitely recommend trying this one before making an opinion yourself.

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Falcon Leather has left me speechless. What is there left to say? It wouldn't be proper to review it from my experience on my skin, as it is so individual, but how the fragrance performs on paper will never be the same on anyone's skin.

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After dry down, Falcon Leather has mostly disappeared on my skin. A light note of leather lingers and remains throughout the day. On paper, the fragrance shines as a light and fresh leather scent leaving me puzzled as to what's in store with the next Matiere Premiere perfumes.

Encens Suave by Matiere Premiere

Photosource: Scent Studio (own copyright)

The next in line in my voyage through the sample set from Matiere Premiere is Encens Suave. This fragrance has been one of the most reviewed from Matiere Premiere and after weeks of seeing it around, I am finally able to experience it myself. So how did my rendezvous go?

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From the get go, Encens Suave opens with a rich incense fragrance. Warm, spicy and mystical. Quite linear, as was Cologne Cedrát, and I am missing some of the notes. Encens Suave has a warm amber sweetness, but I do not detect vanilla at all, neither coffee. On my skin, the fragrance is a perfectly blended incense perfume. 

On paper, the fragrance is expectedly fresher and lighter, but has a sour undertone too. Labdanum is far more detectable, but I do prefer it with my skin chemistry. 

After dry down, both on skin and paper, Encens Suave does not change all that much. It is quite endearing actually, that you get what you get, no surprises.

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Some hours in, vanilla has crept into the forefront on my skin. I got whiffs of Encens Suave here and there, a wonderful mix of incense and vanilla. Absolutely gorgeous! Something about this fragrance is leathery without the leather and reminds me of Decisions, Decisions by Imaginary Authors. It has the same sour undertone (who remembers the pickle debacle?).

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Encens Suave is very nice, but I am left with the same feeling as with Cologne Cédrat - is this fragrance unique enough for me to add to my collection? Don't get me wrong, if I had the money, I definitely would, but I am very cautious of which fragrances I invest in and Encens Suave I just about can live without. My smokey vanilla needs are satiated by Memoirs of a Trespasser by Imaginary Authors, but in due time, I could see myself indulge in a bottle of this mesmerising scent.