Paris, Place Vendôme on a cool autumn morning - a temple for all capital hedonists who, despite every yellow vest movement and social empathy, cannot detach themselves from their lifelong passion for luxuriously beautiful objects. Here, in the melting pot of vanity, there is no room for understatement.
Perhaps Mauboussin suffers exactly from the fact that they have always operated in the shadow of Boucheron and Cartier, and always seemed a bit more down-to-earth - I might almost say "more German" - than their competition, while of course not denying their Parisian lightness.
Nevertheless, they were never the first choice for princesses from the Emirates or newly rich Russians, but rather for upscale bourgeois ladies who wanted to treat themselves every now and then. The crisis in the jewelry industry hit the traditional jeweler a bit harder than the big players. In the meantime, they have moved a few streets away, to Rue de la Paix.
I have often purchased smaller pieces of jewelry there - not as gifts, not for wearing, but purely for viewing. Perhaps it is due to my very humble origins that I am still fascinated and calmed by the sparkle of the stones and the sublime shine of the gold, especially when they come together in such timeless elegance as with Mauboussin.
Aside from the outer packaging, this pour lui in black has nothing - absolutely nothing - in common with the legacy of Mauboussin, although the wonderful deep black bottle actually suggests otherwise, as it does remind one of the equally black cases of Mauboussin jewelry.
What a cheeky top note wafts into my nose! Caramel with a mint accompaniment, and if one were malicious, one could even describe it as "toothpaste in caramel macchiato," which would not do it full justice, as it still presents itself cheekily, and thus seems more irritating than repulsive. Fairly quickly, the scent glides into an endless March violet bed, but it appears anything but shy and reserved, rather like a little, cheeky girl who bluntly sits down next to you on a park bench and starts chattering. You cannot be angry with her, even though she is quite persistent.
Mauboussin's pour lui in black belongs in a league with Moschino's Uomo, could almost be the little sister of the latter - not due to the scent profiles, but because of the unrelenting openness. Forget any form of adulthood. With both fragrances, wild teenage parties begin that couldn't care less about quiet hours.
After a while, the violet girl smiles at me. She is now a bit calmer but makes no attempt to get up and go home. This bothers me less than Boucheron's Pour Homme EdP on my other wrist, which, with its cultivated-aristocratic citrus aromas, appears much more complex, entirely different, and more thoughtful. Here, worlds are colliding.
I cannot really recommend Mauboussin's pour lui in black. At least I do not want to smell like that. It is completely unsuitable as a blind buy. Rather, it is for experimenting for all those perfume aficionados who already know all the scents and are always on the lookout for a surprise.
Once again, the scent is very finely detailed and situated.
Your original comparisons are very enlightening and sound like today's echoes of Proust. :))
Your original comparisons are very enlightening and sound like today's echoes of Proust. :))