Badgley Mischka (2006)
by Badgley Mischka

This is the ultimate in fruity, floral fragrances! It is so fruity, in fact, that it begs the question, "Do we really want to smell like fruit?". The floral accords save this from being a pedestrian, however. So, if you love this sort of thing, you really need to keep plenty on hand. Badgley Mischka is the apex of this genre. PS This is being phased out because of the new regulations, so I purchased a bottle for nostalgic reasons. It really IS the best of the bunch in this genre and is composed of high quality materials. Allure & Chance can't hold a candle to this! Buy up before it's gone...

Badgley Mischka

Notes: red wild berries, peach, cinnamon, osmanthus, white peony, jasmine, suede musks, indian sandalwood, caramel amber, patchouli (from badgleymischka.com)

To my nose, Badgley Mischka is composed of super sweet florals with mixed berries, soft wood, vanilla and clean patchouli. It reminds me of a better version of Miss Dior Cherie--it is just as sweet and powdery as any of this type, and although it eventually acquires a bitter edge similar to MDC, it is better balanced overall. As Badgley Mischka develops, the fruit takes on a liquored quality, sweet and tart, slightly fermented yet clean and rich. The florals are thoroughly blended and without an indole in sight. The powdery, woody patchouli base is astringent almost to the point of being leathery. As far as fruity-floral-patchouli fragrances go, Badgley Mischka seems to be extremely wearable, not as overpowering as Angel and more carefully composed than most post-Angel wannabe's. It's not really my style, but so far, this is one of the only gourmand fragrances that has tempted me to give in to this modern feminine genre. It is hardly surprising, as it strikes me that if one were to take Chanel Coco (one of my favorites) and make it a modern feminine gourmand, this would be it. Badgley Mischka seems to share more DNA with Coco than any other Chanel creations, including Coco Mademoiselle. The sillage is strong, and longevity is very good.

Badgley Mischka serves up the brightest, sweetest fruit custard accord you could imagine on a platter of smooth woods, clean musk, and amber. It’s not complex, it’s not sophisticated, and its not subtle. It doesn’t develop all that much, and it reveals no hidden depths. It’s simply happy, and if you’re looking for a cheerful, fruity scent for summers on the beach, you could do a lot worse.

Reminds me of a rich, heavy fruitcake I prepared for friends and family one holiday season -- a dense, syrupy concoction loaded with candied fruits and brandy. Delicious, but a few bites proved to be more than enough.

I've worn Chanel's Coco for many years, and also Prada edp. Badgley Mischka fits somewhere in the same ball-park as these two, although it's not as sophisticated or spicy as Coco and not as soft and rich as Prada. Both of these are leagues less sweet than Badgley Mischka. I can't see myself wearing Badgley Mischka every day, but it definitely has a place in my fragrance wardrobe. It borders on being almost too sweet for me, and makes me think of brandied fruits. But it is still a beautiful fragrance for those who want something with a lot of personality and not like the other canned fruit dreck that's being sold. The ambery base is very good, and by the time you get there, it's a lot less sweet. It is very very pretty and feminine, almost womanly. Sillage is impressive and lasting power good. This is my favorite of all the fruit fragrances floating around - a lot richer with more personality than Boucheron B, for instance. This is mostly for fall and winter weather, or special, exuberant occasions. I think it would be oppresive in summer, even though there is something lush and almost tropical about it.

As I was checking this out at Sephora, I thought its top notes bore a striking similarity to Coco Mademoiselle, so I sought the CM tester to compare, but it was missing from the shelf. Brought home a scent strip (which is quite pungent) and kept sniffing it to analyze how I felt about it. In some ways it's as loud as a cheerleading squad: "Give me a P, give me an E, give me an RFUME." It's truly "perfumey." And there's something that's giving me flashbacks to my mom wearing some sample fragrance from decades ago. Then I began to pick up on a soapy quality that has now morphed to a aftershave scent. I'd probably compliment someone wearing this, but would fatigue of it quickly if it were in my own wardrobe.