Question:
With summer on its way, I thought it'd be a good idea to investigate a couple of summer frags that I'd been frequently coming across, over the last few months.
Monsieur Balmain, was the main one that I had my eye on, solely based on all the positive reviews. Well, I tried it on a few days ago and simply gagged - the lemony zest was there alright but it smelt slightly stale, and was dominated by this constantly emerging (and vile) accord. I remember a couple of the reviews mentioning cigarette smoke/ash but it smelt far worse than that. For a summer scent, I didn't find this fresh at all.
Was it my body chemistry or have I missed something here? Are there others who hate this with a passion? Maybe someone could even help me to appreciate its 'unique' qualities?

Answer:
For me this one is all about application. Too much and it's a syrupy lemon bomb. I've found that a real light spray usually wears well.
Best regards...

Answer:
Quote: Originally Posted by Trebor With summer on its way, I thought it'd be a good idea to investigate a couple of summer frags that I'd been frequently coming across, over the last few months.
Monsieur Balmain, was the main one that I had my eye on, solely based on all the positive reviews. Well, I tried it on a few days ago and simply gagged - the lemony zest was there alright but it smelt slightly stale, and was dominated by this constantly emerging (and vile) accord. I remember a couple of the reviews mentioning cigarette smoke/ash but it smelt far worse than that. For a summer scent, I didn't find this fresh at all.
Was it my body chemistry or have I missed something here? Are there others who hate this with a passion? Maybe someone could even help me to appreciate its 'unique' qualities? I don't hate it with a passion, but I also got that ashy vibe. So it's not for me, too.

Answer:
MB is such an odd one, so literal minded, the idiot savant of fragrances. Perhaps this is its charm. I agree that you must not over-do the application. Without the ash note MB would be synthetic lemon juice, so I find the ash balancing. I tried to use this as a layering fragrance, but with disastrous results. It will dominate everything that comes near it. So, I agree, you either find this one charming or repulsive.
I'm going to treat it as my summer, outdoor activity fragrance. My bottle is only 1 oz., so it should be finished off by Labor Day.