Jolie Madame (1953)
by Pierre Balmain

I wish I could try the vintage...only have the reformulated which, after a couple of hours, dries down to the astringency of cat pee. the first three hours are great, leather and violets, as promised but -- man! Gotta get home in time!

14th October, 2010.

The Opening starts with i can detect
Lily Rose jasmine neroli and it dries
down to the dark underworld of woods and Leather It's like the Greek Legend
Persephone. when she was the maiden Kore and she picked Sweet crisp flowers
Represent the upperworld Until the ground beneath her Opened up And she was snached and aducted By the master
of the Underworld HADES! Represents The Leatherly Aspect of this Perfume
this is what this perfume reminds me of
Persephone's Decent.

16th August, 2010.

This used to be amazing - it's still good, but not what it was.

The violet is still quite powerful but the leather/chypre balance is lacking and the whole thing is somehow not quite as interesting as it was. This was the first fragrance that my husband ever bought me so It'll always have a place in my wardrobe but I wish - how I wish - that it would be re-formulated back to something nearer what it was X years ago.

Why does that never happen, by the way? I know it may well be impossible to produce an exact re-creation of a former Great but a good-quality reproduction shouldn't be impossible - come on guys, try harder!

11th August, 2010.

(Vintage edt) LOVE the blast of neroli in the opening! DON'T love the sweet violet that arrives later. I really dislike violet in fragrances (and those violet candies-- nasty!), so I must with regret report that this one gets a thumbs down from me despite all the yummy leather and green notes that I'd otherwise find heavenly.

4th July, 2010.

Re-issued Jolie Madame: Sometimes the opening is full of dark, wet greens; other times it is a full slug of sweet violets with a melancholy anisic edge that reminds me of a richer, more technicolor Apres L'Ondee. There is a strong sense of juiciness, without any definable fruit notes. Florals and soapy neroli make a "classic perfume" scent in the heart, violets still sweet and very powdery, with a loud rasp of vetiver, leather and civet underneath -- like a beautiful woman with an astonishing husky voice. The drydown lasts for hours and is my favorite part -- a violet impression over a rather masculine leather and spice. The overall feel is retro, grande-dame perfume with an unexpectedly toughness.

Vintage Jolie Madame: So strange! The first time I tried this, it did smell like a smoother version of the re-issue, and I was looking forward to wearing it again for closer analysis. But today ALL I smell is neroli, and it's awful....goes on sweet and harsh like children's cough syrup and stays unpleasantly "clean" all the way into the drydown, where it fades and warms just enough to be bearable. I waited several hours and reapplied and had the same experience all over again. Has my nose gone crazy? I'll test again someday and see if it's the same...for right now, my thumbs-up is for the re-issue.

15th December, 2009. (Last Edited: 16th December, 2009.)

I wore Jolie Madame back in the early 70's. When I purchased the new EDT I was very surprised at how green it smelled. I didn't recognize the scent until it had been on me a half hour. I am new to Basenotes and don't have the language and should probably lurk for awhile, but Jolie Madame was the scent that got me started back into the world of perfume a couple tears ago. Yes, tears, because I have spent money stupidly. Now I sniff BEFORE I buy, usually.

26th May, 2009.