Keiko Mecheri......an experience in understated elegance

Lately I have been exploring Keiko's releases. They are in stark contrast to what I have been collecting and wearing over the years.

Keiko Mecheri employs subtlety while maintaining substance. If you happen to be looking for a fragrance or two that smells extremely good while respecting other peoples space, you should sample some of her line.

YES! That corresponds well with my Mecheri-experience!

I needed some examples for getting an idea of that recognizable and unique "something" about/in KM-Perfumes. Now I LOVE and use very often "Loukhoum", "Mulholland" and (recently discovered) "Paname".

Some of the sniffed KM-scents were no musthaves for me, but all of them are subtle and not too loud but in the same time expressive and distinct. KM has a style, a quite individual one. I could not recognize a KM-perfume "blind", like perhaps some JC Ellena- or Lutens/Sheldrake-perfumes, but I think that´s not because she has not a personal, recognizable style, only because I still lack practice and knowing.

I'm sorry , but I don't like Keiko Mecheri. I only sampled 2 scents, but those were enough. gave me headaches and smelled very well unusual. just not what I like. I know this sounds very generic to speak about the whole line, but I can imagine that the other scents won't appeal to me to. good that there's individuality

the scents I talked about were "Datura Blanche" and "Wild Berries"

No worries. Her line is a bit too quiet for some and sometimes a house implements "house notes" that don't move you.

I want to love Grenats and Passiflora. But something in there is to musky for me :/

Peau de peche I Like but The Perfume Court tells me it is reformulated ?!? as I disliked the decant they sent me.

This line intrigues me though... I want to try more

I tried 4 or 5 of her scents (i.e. Peau de Peche, Zazous, Iris Pourpre, Iris d´Argent, Oliban) but I found them very watery on me.
Besides, the overall impression I had with them was "This is not me."

However, I love love love the Loukhoum Parfum pour le Soir. This one is the complete opposite of the above-mentioned scents.
Sweeter than Angel, even foodier than Angel ! It is a dream of marcipane cherries with marshmallows around. One of the most remarkable gourmands I have ever smelled.

PontNeuf, I think, I know this "watery" character... I just call it "translucent" here.
*g*

KM sometimes appears to me as the US-Amercian version of Annick Goutal-Perfumes.

Louce, come to think of it, she is THE opposite of Mr.Tom Ford She leaves some room to breathe *laughing*...well, you know about my affinity for sticky-heavy-hardtowear goodies
Annick Goutal offers another of my favourite ambers, you know which one it is, don´t ya ? That one blows off the roof as well

Returning to the topic I think it is not that easy for a perfume house to portrait their style and essence in their perfumes and yet offer a scent for a wide range of tastes.

Your words fit perfectly, PontNeuf: Room to breathe!

"Translucent" doesn´t mean "weak", "wishy-washy" or "undefined". KM, as well as AG, has some quite strong, very distintively formulated perfumes ("Ambre Fétiche" is one.. but regrettably has this special sort of frankincense I cannot cope with).

It´s about leaving some space and air around the scent. The using person becomes not just the medium of the perfume, an object, but stays the subject of the scent.

Elegance, as mentioned by AromiErotici, is another key-word to the KM-style. All KM-perfumes I got to know til now, have some kind of confident elegance. An upright assertiveness.

I enthuse, don´t I?

I often wear Keiko Mecheri fragrances, and I currently have three bottles. I love Cuir Cordoba. I like it even more than Daim Blond, which it resembles.

I most enjoy Scarlett in the springtime. I find it to be refreshing and bracing. I think of Scarlett as Mandragore after being slapped in the face and told to "man up."

But my very favorite is Ume. So woody, with that rich plumminess. This is a fall and winter fragrance for me, and in the summer, I have found myself longing for colder weather just so I can wear Ume again.

I have a bunch of samples somewhere. I find her style 'unremarkable' or 'forgettable' to put it less politely.

I love the KM Loukhoums. Other perfumes in the line vary case by case... I found Scarlett to be WAY too herbal, for example. But I'll probably try it again with a lighter hand.

I've tried but two of the Keiko Mecheri's ... way back in the beginning of my fascination with Tuberose I ordered a sample of the eponymous fragrance by this house. I didn't really like it at the time but I'm sure were I to try it again with a slightly more experienced nose my opinion would differ. I was gifted a bottle of Cuir Cordoba by a friend some time ago and to my surprise, I actually wear it quite often when I am working in the Seychelles. It seems to suit the humidity there and I often get complimented on it. The difficulty is that these frags are not readily available where I live, so I have to try and find them in Duty Free shops during my travels or order blind. There's so much out there that is more of a priority for me, but I suppose that in time I will make a return to exploring the frags of house Mecheri.

I like their Musk, it is one of the best you can get: animalic, sensual and vibrating. Not so much on the body butter side.

The rest of their product lineup as far as I know it does not appeal to me. They do not give a gender for their fragrances, but I think they target at women as their main customers.

I recently discovered that Keiko is the Queen of the roses! "Attar" is on my wish list, but the others are very nicely done as well.

I agree with Apicius that the line is primarily feminine-leaning.

"Paname", for example, the absinthe perfume, offers a rather sweet presentation of that note rather than the usual savory and woody absinthes found more often in masculine fragrances...

I've been testing the "Bespoke" collection (oddly named), and while they are good, I do not believe that they are three times better than the regular collection--which is what they should be in order to justify the price.

Update : The Loukhoum Parfum pour le Soir had to go in the meantime, love is a fragile little thing sometimes ....well, I would like to try her Bespoke collection to see if there is one for me but I have little hope.

I recently sampled three fragrances from the Bespoke line; Vetiver Velours, Cuir Fauve and Tangeri. Out of the three, Cuir Fauve interested me the most.

Good to hear that the Loukhoums aren't of the watery, translucent variety, because I like my stuff strong and obnoxious!

I will sample the Loukhoum and Loukhoum Parfum du Soir - I'm after some interesting almond scents.

Any other gourmand/orientals I should be looking at in the Keiko Mecheri line?

I tried Loukhoum Poudree, worried that it would be a "powerhouse" of a sweet perfume. I ended up falling in love with it; a powdery almond.

Thanks, Hayven. I will add Poudree to my list.

I only sampled one and that is Cuir Fauve and it has to be the most
Softest Leather scent of the Category Most leather Scents
seem to have an Animalic acidic feel in Cuir Fauve the Leather
Is Smooth without Overpowering.

With regard to this house I must say that there are some misses, and there are some incredible hits.

The UME is the most beautiful chypre I have ever smelt on my skin. It totally works for me in a way that brings to mind all the beautiful Japanese scent memories of childhood. Sensual and fresh at the same time, yet not overly sexy and never with an acid bite. Perfectly balanced, gracious, sensually delicate feminine elegance....rather like the fabled reputation of the Kyoto geisha themselves.

The CAMELLIA reminds me distinctly of Van Cleef & Arpels' MUGUET BLANC. Very beautiful pristine LOV floral.

The WILDBERRIES was hideous. I smelled like Bubblicious Bubble Gum from beginning to end without relief. Never again.

The BOIS DE SANTAL was a light, tender, medium weight clean sandalwood with no acridity or bite in the woody purity. Very Nice.

The HANAE is a delicate, sweet, white fruity floral that just blooms perfectly with my chemistry. Incredibly beautiful, one of my favorites I plan to always keep in wardrobe!

The MIHIME is a beautiful light oriental floral rose of tremendous freshness and moderate sweetness with a kick of oakmoss, bergamot, and violet leaves, clean musk, fresh peaches, some vetiver and amber with heliotrope and narcissus for a touch of warm earthy sensuality and a bit of depth. Love it!

The NUIT D'IZU is a very clean and refreshing citrus aromatic with a touch of sweet woody smoothness I would love to wear in summer.

All in all, I must say I with the exception of Wildberries, I love this house on me!

For the past few years I've chanced across KM samples, which were all fairly forgettable. Then I went in search of a true datura. SL had no longevity and features coconut (that's a gagger for me), MPG lacked focus, Voluspa was too green & sour, Illuminum had too much citrus, Persephenie a bit gourmand and not enough datura, Alkemia Perfumes Moon Goddess is a definite winner, and KM's Datura Blanche, in every category, hits it out of the park (yes, Spring Training has begun!!)

I now own several perfumes by Keiko Mecheri:

"Attar de Roses"
"Mogador"
"A Fleur de Peau"
"Iris d'Argent"
"Loukhoum eau poudrée"
"Taormine"

plus the Bespoke coffret, which is splendid. Today I was wearing "Vetiver Velours", which might be my favorite of the set..

So, yes, I guess it's true: I like this house a lot!!!

I have tried some of the Bespoke collection- "Canyon Dreams", "Cuir Fauve", "Bal Des Roses" and "Soussane" I found they all had significantly greater sillage and longevity than her other offerings, although none of them worked for me personally- "Canyon Dreams" was noteworthy. I have "Peau De Peche", "Musc" and "Osmanthus" in my collection- the latter two, by accident, but I really am not a fan of "Osmanthus" I find it kind of a weak & weird Datura. I absolutely adore "Peau De Peche" and on me it last for 3 days (including showers!)