Perfect Marc Jacobs 2020

According to Greek mythology, people widely regarded Narcissus as the most attractive living person. After being cursed by the goddess of vengeance, he saw his face reflected on the surface of the still water and fell deeply in love with it. Eventually, he realized he was staring at himself and that he could never return to this love. Consumed by the fire of desire and passion, he ultimately walked away from the most beautiful man on the planet in a small yellow flower. But narcissus is not the main character, and there is more. In perfumery, the use of rhubarb notes can add a unique freshness and clarity to a fragrance. Like most fruits and vegetables, it is not possible to extract the scent of rhubarb naturally. So perfumers have the option to reconstruct its smell with accords or to choose between ready-made “compositions” and synthetic ingredients when creating a fragrance with rhubarb notes. Perfect is a combination of gourmand and floral. I am reminded of a delicious white cake with sugary flower petals and Jordan almonds on top, topped with powdered sugar. Rhubarb is mild and not super syrupy or sweet. The cashmeran keeps it clean.

Perfect opens with a burst of rhubarb sweetness, which I like since rhubarb is not very common in fragrances and is slightly different from the typical fruity notes. Well, this was a complete surprise, and I am shocked. It has a warm, creamy scent on me, like almond milk without bitterness, and a burst of flowers to keep it fresh. I like to smell it on my skin as I feel the yellow floral notes and the rhubarb in the opening. The latter is really delicious, juicy and only slightly tart, reminiscent of a freshly ripe plum. After the rhubarb fades, I get the sweetness from the floral core, so weak. There is a sweet narcissus, a light floral more earthy than the standard white floral note. The narcissus flower softens the edges of the rhubarb but is not entirely muted. And I appreciate it because it’s pretty distinct. The opening is spicy, at the same time refreshing, sweet and sour, fruity and green. To me, the leafy accord smells of freshly grated green apple pulp, and a hint of bitter orange adds a citrus touch to the opening.

Then it softens with a delicate nutty scent, obviously the aromatic note of almond milk. I’m a big fan of the almond fragrance, but it can often be too hot, heavy, and thick. Fortunately, in Perfect, the nutty note is well made: sensitive and soft. Almond milk offers this creamy starch to tame the floral dessert. The heart is soft, smooth, pale pink like the juice in the bottle. I’m a little surprised that almond milk is the only heart note because it doesn’t have many scents. Here, almond milk is more of an idea, a nutty note to dilute the two contradictory top notes. It lets the perfume breathe a little; it gives it to space without cramming with too many ideas.

At the base, we have cedar and cashmeran—soft, woody, musky. The ground is dry, scented and transmits the scent during wear, adding a nice texture. The cashmeran note brings out the generic floral-almond smell and becomes more transparent with the base, while the sweetness dissolves and the yellow narcissus blossoms. It is the base where Perfect becomes more of a fragrance for the mass. It becomes lighter, more relaxed and somehow cosier. Little bursts of rhubarb keep spreading in the nutty almond milk from time to time, bringing a fun twist to the delicate base. It’s a little more sophisticated than your average fruity floral, as it dries into a creamy, powdery scent.

It smells unique to me, with something reminiscent of B. from Balenciaga. The best way to describe this perfume is cute. It is excellent for casual daywear, and you can wear it to work. It has a pleasant smell. I wear it at home, after a shower, or to run errands. It is so welcoming with mild to moderate sillage, medium longevity. It is perfect for summer days and nights. Overall, I love Marc Jacobs Perfect’s light warm floral scent. It is a quick but not too intense mood booster, an extremely wearable perfume.

-Elysium

The next one is Marc Jacobs Perfect. It’s a very fresh, uplifting, feminine floral fragrance — a real floral scent that just boosts your mood. It has this green touch, but it’s not woody, more light and airy. It’s an amazing fragrance. For me, it’s something I’d reapply during the day, but that’s not an issue because it’s very pleasant and wearable, even for work. It’s like a little bouquet of flowers, with a subtle fruity nuance that isn’t overpowering at all. Very soft, very refined, and really beautiful.

Creamy, youthful and vaguely nostalgic – reminds me of a children's bath product from back in the day, but I can't quite recall which exact one. Shower gel type of fragrance, but done pretty well.

The notes are simple, but each of them fits a different niche, and they complement each other well without it becoming a fight for your attention. I'm not sure if I could call the floral note "narcissus" – I sniffed those flowers in real life before and hated the scent, but here it's just a fantasy yellow floral that brightens my mood. There's also rhubarb, giving it a playful fruitiness; almond milk – in charge of the cream; and gentle woods below – in a supporting role, indistinct.

The composition is pretty simple and very straightforward. Like baby's first jigsaw puzzle. There are barely a hundred pieces in it and the brightly colored picture makes it even easier to arrange them correctly, so you should theoretically find it boring and mentally unstimulating. And yet something about the process scratches your brain in just the right way every time a piece fits perfectly into a slot.

It doesn't travel more than an arm's length away to begin with, and after an hour completely settles on skin. Gets softer and woodier. Loses the fruitiness and becomes less sweet. Cozy and lovable. In ~2 more hours it disappears without a trace.

Completely different from the Perfect Elixir version, and in my personal opinion – much better. I won't wear it again, but for the short time it lasted there was nothing I didn't like about it, and the first spray put a smile on my face. I appreciated that.

The fresh, slightly sweet opening of daffodil and rhubarb is delightful, offering a bright and cheerful start that immediately catches the attention. Then it becomes calmer and pleasantly floral, settling into a soft, gentle phase that feels smooth and easy to wear. That’s what this scent is like overall: gently pleasant, quietly charming, and consistently enjoyable from beginning to end.

I have been looking for rhubarb and litchi perfumes, since I don’t think Delina is right for me but I did find those notes interesting in it.

This perfume is of course nothing like Delina, but it has a similar warmth and fruitiness without the typical designer chemical smell that I get from popular perfumes (I.e. Gucci) that makes it wearable and inviting.

I think ultimately it’s not for me, because there is something too sweet about it vs. my typical tastes but I definitely enjoy the smell.