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M by Marcel Marongiu by Oriflame

M by Marcel Marongiu 2011

Seerose
09/28/2014 - 08:11 PM
Top Review
8Scent 7.5Longevity 7.5Sillage

Quasi Tiger Balm

Before judging the fragrances from Oriflame, I would find it advisable and informative to read the first two paragraphs from the comment by "Yatagan" on the Oriflame fragrance "Architect".
"M by Marcel Marongiu" is the first fragrance from Oriflame that I would wear. Why it is only declared as a women's fragrance is puzzling. Oriflame does not offer any unisex fragrances.
"M by Marcel Marongiu" begins with a furious opening for Oriflame fragrances, with a strong sillage that lasts for at least 3 hours: A woody-bitter fragrance cocktail with eucalyptus note surprises my sense of smell. Immediately followed by resinous, balsamic, and coniferous notes. The entire fragrance is woody-resinous-medical-aromatic for a while. An incense with eucalyptus note, why not? "M by Marcel Marongiu" has something of Tiger Balm, it clears your sinuses.
It may be because I have tested 19 Oriflame fragrances. All except this one smelled synthetically in the typical Oriflame way, mostly fruity more or less successfully. Some fragrances had something distinctive and there were also nice gourmands among them. But there wasn't a "real" perfume among them. All were Swedishly proper without radiance according to the motto: Just don't stand out with perfume, that's decadent, un-eco, and not "comme il faut". Meanwhile, the Oriflame fragrances themselves are very synthetic and do not smell eco-friendly at all. When you look at the prices, you can't really expect too much. However, they average around €20 per bottle, which is not the absolute lowest price level.
Now, "M by Marcel Marongiu" actually smells good. It seems to me that I would react in a scent-receptive way analogously to the saying: Nice when the pain subsides - Nice, finally a real fragrance in my nose!
In my opinion, "M by Marcel Marongiu" is a very masculine unisex fragrance without citrus notes. I cannot perceive any floral notes. Nor can I identify a leather note, and I cannot detect patchouli either. In the dry down, "M by Marcel Marongiu" remains woody and bitter, but the fragrance becomes calmer, with a slight creaminess of sandalwood.
However, as I continue to sniff and think about this fragrance, I suspect that with "M by Marcel Marongiu", Oriflame is attempting a subtle resistance against the strict perfume prohibition in public life in Sweden.
That "M by Marcel Marongiu" is allowed to smell so strong, because it not only smells like chest balm for colds but could also act like a sauna infusion. This way, one presumably does not fall under the suspicion in Sweden of having excessively doused oneself with perfume. But these are, of course, just my speculations.
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10 Comments
MazaluMazalu 1 year ago
1
That sounds really interesting for my nose. Sometimes I rub Tiger Balm on my neck, just because I love the scent. Plus, it helps with my muscle tension. A perfume like Tiger Balm? That sounds really tempting to me.
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SeeroseSeerose 1 year ago
Yes, it was an interesting scent, but unfortunately it's no longer available.
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EwaeratoEwaerato 1 year ago
1
A great, informative review!
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pudelbonzopudelbonzo 11 years ago
The keyword Tiger Balm sounds very tempting. I will definitely test the scent. Thanks for the comment.
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ScheeheratzeScheeheratze 11 years ago
1
As a confessed Tiger Balm fan, I should definitely give this a sniff. Your description sounds really intriguing and has me curious!
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PaloneraPalonera 11 years ago
1
Your thought in the last paragraph is very interesting and quite reasonable. However, I'm not sure I would actually want to smell like Tiger Balm beyond just a test, :-).
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KugeldistelKugeldistel 11 years ago
1
Thank you for taking the time to give us an impression of so many Oriflame fragrances.
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YataganYatagan 11 years ago
1
Thank you for the incredible effort you put into the many Oriflame first comments! It's very commendable and always helpful!!
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RiechegutRiechegut 11 years ago
Interesting comment about Oriflame fragrances: So many comments from you about Oriflame, but not a single one is in your collection. All comments start with the same sentence "see above." Well, I don't know, it seems very suspicious to me.
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SeeroseSeerose 1 year ago
Suspicious? Every time I get a response about this fragrance, I wonder about this accusation. 1. I would never have known anything about the perfume practices of this country if I hadn't read Y's review. Quoting or copying something from someone or a source without attribution is also not appropriate on Parfumo; it's actually expected: see the guidelines in the black box below.
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