Legend pour Femme Montblanc 2012

What a delight this scent is! How pleasantly soft, friendly, and mild it is - after all my tests of demanding, albeit impressive niche fragrances. I spray myself with Legend and breathe a sigh of relief: Citrusy freshness envelops me with a slightly bitter hint of fruit and peel, the well-composed interplay of the mildness and sharpness of neroli, bitter orange, and orange blossoms gives the fragrance balance and allows it to float in the perfect and thus elegantly appealing middle between boring cozy scent and prickly bristle. I don't explicitly perceive pear, but rather a somewhat indistinct fruitiness that adds a restrained sweetness and calms the citrus notes.

After less than three minutes, something floral and slightly creamy joins in. I don't perceive the floral note as lily of the valley; rather, I feel that both a hint of tuberose and a touch of daffodil are woven in, taming the jasmine so that it can show itself from its finest and mildest side. The slight creaminess must come from the musk. Here, I must give high praise: The musk substitute used here is one of the few that I find tolerable, even pleasant, and that does not tend to give me feelings of suffocation. However, I must say that I don't necessarily smell musk here. As mentioned, it is more of a soft creaminess that connects the citrusy, floral, and fruity notes, now also sweetish, in the background.

One might think that fruits, primarily citrus fruits with flowers and peels, a bit of jasmine, dampened by tuberose and daffodil, underlaid with creamy musk would be ubiquitous and nothing special, just another ordinary scent that has been smelled many times before. But that is not the case. Once again, it shows that the whole is more than the sum of its parts.

I like Legend exceptionally well. It is a fragrance that always works when everything else is too demanding or conspicuous. Legend is feminine, but not vampy. Legend is warm, but not cloying. Legend is fresh, but by no means aquatic. Legend is bright, but not lightweight. Legend is sweetish, but not sticky. Legend is in the middle, but not mediocre. Legend is natural, but not naive. Legend is noble, without being elitist.

In my opinion, Legend rightly bears its name: Universally known, legendary components of perfumes that have been cherished by equally legendary divas for centuries are harmoniously honored here and presented anew with a more fruity focus.
In a certain way, this is very conservative. But doesn't the time-tested deserve active attention, a new perspective, and a modern yet preserving way of being showcased and brought to the forefront?
I think so.

From my side, there is only one single point of criticism, which probably has more to do with my particular nose: I adapt to the scent incredibly quickly. After about three hours, I could reapply. This impulse must be resisted, as the fragrance does not have such a short longevity or low sillage. Even two days later, I can still clearly perceive it on my clothing - however, only if I haven't worn it in the meantime.

And so I must hold back: I shouldn't wear it daily, no matter how much I want to.