Talk to me about Balmain

I personally love Ivoire. It's such a nice chypre....sweet yet earthy and sexy.

At the moment I'm sampling Jolie Madame and Miss Balmain, thanks to a sweet perfumista who sent them my way. I sampled Ivoire in the distant past, but it's been so long ago that I don't trust my memory, especially since my taste in perfume has changed and evolved. But I recall it as austere...in a good way.

Jolie Madame is the "prettier", more floral (violet) fragrance on me; and Miss Balmain the more leathery, more dominant chypre, something maybe a little fruity there, too - but not bubblegum fruit. Jolie Madame is a warm, sunny sort of floral chypre, more summery, and the lighter colored of the two liquids. Miss Balmain, the darker colored liquid, is darker in character, too - more mysterious, more of what I would equate with a night-time scent.

In reviews, howver, I've read that Jolie Madame is the full out leather scent ("granny dominatrix," as the person who sent it phrased it), and that Miss Balmain is the shy sister - the complete opposite of what I found. So it's possible that she mislabeled the samples, but I don't think so since my Jolie Madame has the distinct violet note it's supposed to have. Anyway, what I like about them both is that they develop on the skin in these interesting and unexpected ways - they're old fashioned that way. Some people might even call them old lady. My husband (he of the ultra sensitive nose) liked Jolie Madame, but he didn't like Miss Balmain. I think I prefer Jolie Madame to Miss Balmain, too. I prefer lighter, airier scents.

I'm pretty impressed with the Balmain fragrances I've tried so far. They seem well composed and of good quality, and they are inexpensive. I will be very interested to see what others think of these two.