Balmain de Balmain (1998)
by Pierre Balmain

I always had a soft spot in my heart for Balmain ever since I first smelled the original L’Eau de Monsieur Balmain, and, let me tell you, back in the day, it was absolutely gorgeous. That lemon and verbena fragrance with wild grass and herbs on a real sandalwood base diffused with power-musk was…FWOOSH! Marvelous. Balmain’s retro fragrances are the shiznitz. Jolie Madame is such fun. It once elicited a full-faced blush from the husband of a friend of mine when I unthinkingly thrust my wrist under his nose—yeah, right in front of her. (I felt so embarrassed for him. My bad.)

Balmain de Balmain is hearkens back to the day when a woman and her perfume weren’t afraid of saying, “I’m wearing perfume.” It is a woody, rose-jasmine Chypre on a honeyed amber base that never becomes too sweet. It reminds me a little bit of Estee Lauder Knowing. A friend remarked that Balmain de Balmain smelled like “suburban, bridge-playing ladies,” which captures the ambience nicely. Then again, she’s not a fan of Knowing like I am. The Balmain is more polite than that former, muscular, truncheon-wielding scent of the 80s. It can be applied in more copious quantities than Knowing—a little spritz of which grows in loudness like an approaching train, emanating clouds of sweet powder eight hours later. Balmain de Balmain avoids the obnoxious powder, but then, it lacks the deep plum and patchouli notes of Knowing, opting for a retro, aldehydic opening with green notes and then passing through it’s well-balanced florals to a dry oakmoss on warm amber. It announces itself as a perfume in the classic, French style. I doubt that it does well on today’s market, even though Knowing sells for Estee Lauder, but, hey, some of us like to smell like perfume, not fresh flowers.

29th December, 2011.

I am not going to list the ingredients and individual notes of Balmain De Balmain, as this has been done by several reviewers here. This fragrance has fruity, floral, chypre and musky notes against a subtle spice background. It smells familiar, reminding me slightly of Y and Armani. Though I like the fragrance very much (particularly in the Parfum version), I do not think it is individual or distinctive enough to be a classic like Jolie Madame.

Definitely suitable for men to wear, particularly the EDT version, in which the chypre is more evident than in the Parfum, and has less ephasis on the floral notes.

29th March, 2010.

Addendum:

Don't let the hecklers keep you from trying this scent for yourself. If you're the kind of uncouth, anosmic moron that I am, you might enjoy it, too. I'll laugh with you all the way to the bank!

Original Review:

Once in a great while I’ll put a fragrance on for the first time, and “Bam!” I just know it’s a winner. Then I’ll sit down to review it and find myself at a loss to convey its qualities. Balmain de Balmain is one of those instances. I’ll tell you that it’s marvelous, and I’ll attempt to describe its evolution as I wear it, but I won’t do it any justice.

Balmain de Balmain’s effervescent top notes have all the kick of champagne corks popping. Crystal clear bergamot, bittersweet herbaceous notes, hints of leather, and smoky spices combine in an accord that’s at once rich and stimulating, complex and immediately legible. It’s simply one of the most gratifying opening gambits I’ve smelled. Ever. And it makes me smile every time.

The bergamot inevitably recedes with time, and its place in the composition is taken by floral notes, most noticeably a clear, green jasmine. The spices persist, while a brisk, yet earthy green chypre accord assembles itself in the foundation. As the floral notes and spices fade away, the moss and resins of the chypre core stand exposed in all of their gaunt beauty.

Balmain de Balmain’s structure and progression go beyond classical; as the scent unwraps itself, each layer comes as a delightful surprise, yet each appears in hindsight to be utterly inevitable. Balmain de Balmain transcends gender: it is as completely unsex a fragrance as anything I’ve smelled. As if that were not enough, it’s also dirt cheap and readily available.

Sometimes miracles do happen. I urge you to experience this one!

11th December, 2009.

A lovely green, uplifting fragrance.

First of all, I need to thank Vibert for a rousing review, which convinced me to order Balmain de Balmain unsniffed.

Balmain de Balmain is green from start to finish, and it is one of the nicest green fragrances I have smelled so far.

The galbanum and bergamot give the opening a lush transparency that immediately indicates how lovely an olfactory experience the wearer is in for.

The jasmine in the middle lasts for the length of the fragrance, and ensures that Balmain de Balmain remains perfectly balanced between sweetness and greenness. I think it is this balance that makes Balmain de Balmain one of the ultimate unisex fragrance options.

I mainly get grassy vetiver and moist oak moss in the base, with just a little bit of wood.

At the price Balmain de Balmain sells for, it must be the fragrance bargain of the decade.

10th November, 2009.

Balmain perfume is, apparently, classed as a floral / fruity fragrance yet, to me, it seems the total opposite to that and I would class it as a woody fragrance. It is decidedly masculine smelling and I could barely smell any of the floral notes, such as rose and iris, in it at all. I had read in various reviews that it starts out slightly masculine smelling but then evolves into something much more feminine but, sadly, for me that wasn't the case. I was really hoping I would love this perfume and that it would be a bit of a "sleeper" scent for me but unfortunately it hasn't really lived up to my expectations, although it smells pleasant but it's just not the right kind of perfume for me. However, it is elegant and smooth smelling but I think it would work much better on a man than a woman, or maybe for a woman who enjoys wearing masculine, woody smelling scents!

4th February, 2009.

A very green spicy top sets the tone for this revival of the classic chypre style. The innovative stroke here in the green chypre sub-genre is the inclusion of cassia buds to provide a aromatic woody-spicy note in the top. The floral bouquet in the heart is not novel, but seems to me to be remarkably well-balanced. The classic chypre triad bergamot-oakmoss-patchouli gives this a truly classic profile, and the inclusion of sandalwood and vetiver in the base reinforce the woody hint first given in the cassia buds. All in all, very classic, yet satisfyingly updated with a bit of zing. Luca Turin says this is a man's chypre, and I think I agree. At least one woman reviewer on Basenotes does too. By now, the floral accord in the heart would be no surprise in any men's fragrance. I like this for cool to temperate days or summer evenings, but it works pretty well in any weather.

17th June, 2008.