This is another in a series of bargain fragrance reviews, scents that may be found online or at discount stores for US $25 or less. Leave a comment below for your chance to receive a sample, shipped anywhere in the world, free!
Summary: An update of 1995's Pleine Lune by Ulric de Varens, Miss Varens continues to be an inspired sniffalike of Mugler’s groundbreaking Angel with some surprisingly unique nuances—honey!—and at a fraction of the cost.
Perfumer: N/A, please tell us in a comment below if you know.
Try this if you like: Mugler Angel; gourmand fragrances; chocolate, honey, patchouli or vanilla; skin musks.
Pros & Cons: While the bottle and packaging are not much to look at, the juice inside is a surprise with strong longevity and sillage. Not quite a straightforward dupe of Angel, MV offers a focus on honeyed notes with highlighted sandalwood from the opening and a lingering vanilla musk in the base. Neither as rich as Angel nor offering quite the same development, MV’s price tag makes up for any of its shortcomings.
Notes: Vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood, musk.
Reminds me of: Angel by Thierry Mugler, Animale Animale for Men by Fragluxe, Nirmala by Molinard.
Designer’s Description: “To play and be desired right from the start. Seductive vanilla plays it sexy with notes of patchouli and sandalwood, bringing forth an unforgettable trail when embraced by the tenderness of musks. Oriental Gourmet.”—Ulric-de-varens.com
Number of times tested: 10 times over the last two months.
Number of sprays applied for this review: Two sprays to the back of my hand from a 100 ml bottle I purchased online (ca. 2015).
Fragrance strength: EDP
Development: (Linear / Average / Complex): Opens with a blast of fruit and cocoa powder, highlighted by sandalwood and honey; as it settles, MV reminds me in turn of chocolate malted milk balls and a warm musk.
Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting) Lasted a yummy 8+ hours on me.
Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot) This one is pretty big, especially in its first hour. If working in close quarters with others, it might be best to apply an hour or so before work or public transit.
Note about the packaging: A rounded pyramid of green, transparent, tinted glass with purple and green plastic cap housed in a black paper box. Not as compelling as Angel’s glass star, but not as tacky as some of the other bargain fragrances from the UDV house.
Where can I buy it? A 30 ml EDP spray is as low as $8 USD on the Ulric de Varens website and a 100 ml EDP spray could be as low as $10 USD at online auction and discount sites.
The Bottom Line: I’ve been an Angel-lover since its first appearance at Saks Fifth Avenue Boca Raton back in 1993; I’ve really never been without some version of it and for some time, when the sweetness and ubiquity was too much, I switched to relatives such as Animale Animale and various flankers.
I first became aware of Ulric de Varens’ scents while living in Asia in the early 2000s, having never come across them in the USA but finding them everywhere in Japan. As such, in my regular exploration of all things Angel-like, and having had some great experiences with other UdV aromas, I stumbled across MV, its positive reviews here at Fragrantica, and an “I-can’t-NOT-buy-it” price tag. I’m glad I did! I’ve been eyeing some of the large testers of Angel at around $70 USD on Ebay and now that I have MV, I don’t feel the need to spend that $70.
I agree, MV does not quite offer the same overall composition as the Mugler/Clarins fragrance, but what it does offer is the same general vibe. I don’t get the mustiness of the patchouli that some folks are averse to, but I do get a heck of a lot of sandalwood from this one. In fact, as the scent dries, this is one of the nicest aspects of MV. The honeyed tones also seem more noticeable in the scent’s mid-range, and I’m a little surprised that it isn’t included in the olfactory pyramid. One of the biggest differences is that where Angel offers powdery vanilla and caramel, Miss Varens offers a subtle, synthetic musk. Overall, I reach for it about once every couple of weeks, which considering the number of fragrances in my collection, says a lot as to how much I enjoy it. And with the $60 I saved by not buying Angel, I purchased no less than five other bargain fragrances to experiment with!
Having lived in the USA, UK, Japan & Finland, Marlen currently resides in Washington, DC where he works both part-time at The Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of the American Indian and as a professor / faculty supervisor for Southern New Hampshire University’s online graduate programs in Writing and Literature. Learn more about Marlen at http://ift.tt/1wkFQA0.
0 Commentaires