Monsieur Balmain (new) (1990)
by Pierre Balmain

Monsieur Balmain is a refreshing take on the citrus genre very much in the mold of Acqua di Parma's Colonia; the lemon invigoratingly fresh and au naturale. Unlike many other citrus opening acts, however, the lemon accord maintains its cheerful presence well into the heart notes giving the smooth sandalwood an interesting edge. Excellent, bottle-worthy juice!

Take one fresh lemon and slice into -- place your nose inside. Monsieur Balmain replicates this smell exactly and that in perfumery terms is not an easy task. It is pretty linear though, so you must like the opening. Longevity is an issue, but a liberal spraying works for me all day and to hold this note for even 3-4 hours requires some skill. Nice to turn to occasionally for spring cleaning the senses.

If you are looking for a lemon fragrance with decent longevity then Monsieur Balmain should be on your list to try. This starts of with a blast of refreshing, albeit slightly synthetic smelling, lemon mixed with a faint herbaceousness (basil?) adding a nice green element to the mix. After about 10 mins, oakmoss becomes apparent adding a much needed dimension to the fragrance, making it a fuller, more complete scent. From this point in its development it is pretty linear, with a touch of clean musk coming through in the very final stages of it's life on skin.

On my skin I get about 4-5 hours and it has decent projection and a moderate sillage. Monsieur Balmain is a refeshing and somewhat classsy fragrance for the summer months that smells very good and is available at an excellent price point.

"Dirty Lemon" is what I'd call Monsieur Balmain, and I mean it in a good way. Lemon scents, though they smell nice, always run the risk of being either boring or too fleeting, or both. MB is neither. Balmain added just enough fixatives (wood oils and I think musks) to make the lemon scent last for hours, which is very unusual and pleasantly surprising. The lemon hits you like a hammer at first, but then mellows out after an hour and blends beautifully with the sandalwood underlying it. The sandalwood and I think musk give this fragrance depth, as well as a certain "dirty" feel to it, kind of like the way the civet and musk give Kouros a subtly raunchy feel. It actually gives MB a somewhat erotic feel to it, which is very unusual for any citrus scent. Whatever you call it, I think it's excellent.

Monsieur Balmain starts off with one of the most beautiful lemon top notes I have smelled. Crisp, green jasmine and dry aromatics soon follow in what promises to be a rich variation on the classic eau de Cologne formula. During its second hour of wear Monsieur Balmain flirts dangerously with Lemon Pledge, but then a marvelous, buttery sandalwood note comes into focus and provides a luxurious cushion to support the citrus accord. The smooth sandalwood persists as the core of the drydown, whose four to six hour duration is quite generous for a citrus based fragrance.

Monsieur Balmain is notable for being sophisticated without a trace of the stuffiness that characterizes some other traditionally structured citrus scents. (Yes, Blenheim Bouquet, I’m talking about you.) I’d place it right alongside the Acqua di Parma Colonia variations, Guerlain’s Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat, Bahiana, and Cristalle as one of the most gratifying citrus scents I’ve encountered. Monsieur Balmain is polished, versatile, and vastly underappreciated fragrance for men. And besides the name, I can’t see why the ladies wouldn’t wear it, too!

I love this fragrance! From its' lemon drop opening to its' lemony musk drydown I think it is wonderful. Lasts well on my skin and smells wonderful on clothes worn over it. Terrific!