Myrrhe & Merveilles Keiko Mecheri 1999

Now here's a musk perfume for true musk aficionados (which I'm not, by the way). Keiko Mecheri MYRRHE & MERVEILLES is in fact so musky that it reminds me of Frédéric Malle MUSC RAVAGEUR, of which I was unable even to finish a single sample vial! Okay, it's true: the Malle sample vials are huge, but still...

I was surprised to find at another site that reviewers have been comparing MYRRHE & MERVEILLES to ... drum roll ... CHANEL NO 5! What???????? Not an aldehyde anywhere here to be sniffed. What could this possibly mean? Perhaps those people have no idea what CHANEL NO 5 actually smells like and are simply guessing from the recent Brad Pitt ad campaign. col (CACKLE OUT LOUD!!!!!!)

In all seriousness, I wonder whether the dominant myrrhe tears in this composition may be playing out very differently before different people's nostrils. What *I* am smelling is big, big, big unambiguous, "come hither" musk! Why this is a veritable musk bomb to me! Not, therefore, on my wish list.

The choice for Cary Grant may have been "leg or breast?" but for many of us perfumistas, the far more basic choice is: "ambergris or musk". I'm an ambergris woman myself.

Well, that was a classic case of false expectations - I didn’t expect much, but certainly something completely different from what hit my nose after spraying: It was really as if you had just washed your hands with jasmine soap! You can definitely detect light hints of almond in the background, but I have rarely experienced such a "soapy" scent as this one. The powderiness is still present, but unfortunately, I find no trace of the other notes

Overall, it is by no means unpleasant or disturbing - but I would never spend so much money just to smell like soap. By the way, despite being unisex, it is more suitable for women.

Here, there are no signs and wonders, but myrrh and marvels. Myrrhe & Merveilles is, once again, a very balsamic perfume by Keiko Mecheri. Whatever exactly may be hiding behind the designation "balsamic notes"...

In any case, everything is mild, soft, round, and reminiscent of hand cream. This is not far from Cuir Cordoba. The jasmine adds a certain floral depth, while a bit of citrus notes brightens things up a little. And a hard-to-define medicinal note, reminiscent of hairspray, keeps the scent from sliding into a broad cardboardiness. This is further supported by an almond accord. What "powdery musk" is, I would like to know more precisely - well, what is powdery is understandable. What I cannot identify well is the myrrh, which is supposedly the focus here. I know it differently. Although it is one of my favorite ingredients in perfumes.

Most of the time, I like perfumes that contain myrrh. With Myrrhe & Merveilles, it’s different. I don’t know what to do with this scent. Creamy notes and hairspray make for a strange combination that strongly reminds me of a bathroom, dripping wet and with fogged-up windows. Moreover, everything is too balsamic-creamy for me. I no longer find that pleasant, especially since the hairspray and the little bit of lemon really struggle to counteract it. Additionally, this combination, despite all its oddity, seems a bit simplistic to me - no, there are better options!