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Federic Malle Vetiver Ext. or French Lover / First Malle Purchase

post #1 of 19
2/15/13 at 7:58pm
Thread Starter 
I've been less frugal lately and buying niche. I want quality and I am willing to pay for it. Now I reach the Malle line.

I've sampled a few at Barneys and I remember liking Vetiver Ext. although it seemed rather "simple" and conservative. Also liked French Lover but don't remember too much about it(which is unusual). Maybe Noir Epices caught my attention. Not sure but lets say it did.

Which one would you choose as your first Malle and why ?

Is longevity and sillage usually good with Malle ?

Thanks
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post #2 of 19
2/15/13 at 8:03pm
I own both but as the first one I'd choose Federic Malle Vetiver Ext.
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post #3 of 19
2/15/13 at 8:14pm
I'm a fan of French Lover I must admit, and consider it the most masculine thing in their line. If one were to wear it on a date, I'd say that it's sexy in an " I don't particularly care what you think" kind of way, rather than trying to approach the matter from a sweeter and more comforting direction.

Not that I don't enjoy their other offerings too. I sprung for a bottle of Eu'd Hiver , which takes a 180* different approach to things. And I must admit that Noir Epices is one of the few I've not sampled.

From an "everyday wear" sort of standpoint, Vetiver Exteme may indeed be the way to go, but French Lover does occupy a certain particular assertive niche of it's own that's not to be ignored.

In a very self-confident "Guy" kind of way.

if it were me, I'd give a thought to what purposes you intend your purchase to serve, and then give them all another sampling before you make your decision.
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post #4 of 19
2/15/13 at 8:39pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Birdboy48 View Post

I'm a fan of French Lover
if it were me, I'd give a thought to what purposes you intend your purchase to serve, and then give them all another sampling before you make your decision.

I am looking for a bitter herbal green EUROPEAN fragrance. A high grade Krizia Uomo. A Guerlain Vetiver made with better quality ingredients. A good quality Bogart Por Homme. A distinct 70's green herbal made with high quality ingredients.

I almost pulled the trigger on a large Tom Ford Italian Cypress but the "splash" bottle was a deal breaker for me.
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post #5 of 19
2/15/13 at 8:47pm
French Lover is indeed a wonderful bitter European herbal, dirtier, drier, more interesting than any other. Up top. Unfortunately, after one minute, a particularly intense, unpleasant sharp note (a woody amber, most likely, as identified by Tania Sanchez) covered the whole thing and ruined the frag for my nose. So for me it's a no go. But if you are ok with woody ambers, this could be the one for you.

My favorite is indeed Vetiver extraordinaire, the freshest vetiver ever. Great for hot weather. If you are ok with marine, I'd also recommend Lys Mediterranee, a very interesting salty marine lily.

Sillage and longevity are usually great with Malle, they're very dense perfumes made with good ingredients. Portrait of a lady, for instance, lasts for days.

cacio
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post #6 of 19
2/15/13 at 9:02pm
I would choose Malle Vetiver.
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post #7 of 19
2/15/13 at 9:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cacio View Post

French Lover is indeed a wonderful bitter European herbal, dirtier, drier, more interesting than any other. Up top. Unfortunately, after one minute, a particularly intense, unpleasant sharp note (a woody amber, most likely, as identified by Tania Sanchez) covered the whole thing and ruined the frag for my nose. So for me it's a no go. But if you are ok with woody ambers, this could be the one for you.

My favorite is indeed Vetiver extraordinaire, the freshest vetiver ever. Great for hot weather. If you are ok with marine, I'd also recommend Lys Mediterranee, a very interesting salty marine lily.

Sillage and longevity are usually great with Malle, they're very dense perfumes made with good ingredients. Portrait of a lady, for instance, lasts for days.

cacio


Great response. Thanks.

I remember there was something that really sparked my interest with FL but a woody amber wasn't it. It had to be the opening.

I guess the Vetiver Ex. could be that "bitter euro green" that I was looking for. What are your thoughts on Noir Epices ? You seem to know what I am going for so thanks again for your insight.
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post #8 of 19
2/15/13 at 9:33pm
When you talked about European bitter herbals, I was thinking about something that is fresh but also has a dark, almost sinister feel of dark vegetation, almost mossy. Vetiver extraordinaire is green and fresh, but is resolutely fresh, you wont' find any of the vegetal darkness I am thinking about. But likely, it will work as well in Brazil as it does here in humid DC.

French Lover does seem to be the Malle line entry in the category of interest, I cannot think of any other that falls anywhere near this category. You should try it again-not everybody has the same sensitivity to woody ambers. For instance, Luca Turin loves it (he compares it to picking up a shirt used the day before). It is Tania Sanchez, whose sensitivities appear to be more aligned with mine, who disparages its woody amberiness. Perhaps you'd also be fine with it.

Noir Epices is great, intensely spicy and resinous. Not that it smells the same, but think Aromatics Elixir. I may end up buying it at some point. Though in the end my second Malle turned out to be Portrait of a lady. which also happens to be a woody-ambery bomb, but somehow the power is reoriented in an interesting way, an incense rose of uncommon power and radiance, with nuclear half life.

cacio
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post #9 of 19
2/15/13 at 9:53pm
I love both from Malle; I have extremely dry skin but both give great longevity - FL fives atleast 8+ on me, more on colder days, Vetiver Extrodinaire is grt for summers, giving equally impressive longevity (surprised me).

If I were to pick one, I'll go with French Lover, but its very close, winning by a nose tip in only...
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post #10 of 19
2/15/13 at 10:23pm
Neither. After my initial enthusiasm on both when I was ready to pull off 165 euros for big bottle of French Lover I changed my mind.

Vetiver Extraordinaire is great on top and middle, unfortunately it went into semifresh and sweet direction on drydown which I am not fan of. I prefer my vetiver dry and dark as Encre Noire and VE is not dark (definitely not on drydown). For almost 200 Euros? No. I will keep my Encre Noire.

French Lover has excellent sharp, herbal opening but after a while some shitty note emerges that made me 180 on FL and I had to wash it away on 2nd wearing. It also became kinda sweet on drydown. It reminds me of something in Terre d Hermes and He Wood Rocky Mountain Wood (maybe some kind of cedar, or ISO E super?) which some days I really hate and can tolerate only in very small doses (funny that Encre Noire is also ISO E super bomb but i dont find it as unpleasant, but still have to spray just once or twice).

Maybe you should sample other houses for bitter green herbal fragrance. I would like to know myself because bitter green is one of my favourite genres.
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post #11 of 19
2/15/13 at 11:57pm
I'd pick Bois d' Orage (formerly Fr. Lover). I like it better. It stands out to me as a singularly great fragrance. Vetiver Extraordinaire is a nice vetiver scent, but so are many other vetivers quite nice. There is nothing else like Bois d' Orage.
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post #12 of 19
2/16/13 at 12:52am
Both are favorites of mine. French Lover is more distinctive out of the bottle with its super dry, confident masculine character. But having worn both scents for 2 years now my vote goes to Vetiver Extraordinaire. It is so extremely well constructed and sophisticated, I appreciate it more every time I wear it. It may not have the initial wow factor like FL but in the long run I think VE has got a lot more things going for it.
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post #13 of 19
2/16/13 at 7:03am
French Lover for me if I have to choose only one. But there both great. Hopefully one day they will be both in my collection.
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post #14 of 19
2/16/13 at 9:08am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dreamer81 View Post

Neither. After my initial enthusiasm on both when I was ready to pull off 165 euros for big bottle of French Lover I changed my mind.

Vetiver Extraordinaire is great on top and middle, unfortunately it went into semifresh and sweet direction on drydown which I am not fan of. I prefer my vetiver dry and dark as Encre Noire and VE is not dark (definitely not on drydown). For almost 200 Euros? No. I will keep my Encre Noire.

French Lover has excellent sharp, herbal opening but after a while some shitty note emerges that made me 180 on FL and I had to wash it away on 2nd wearing. It also became kinda sweet on drydown. It reminds me of something in Terre d Hermes and He Wood Rocky Mountain Wood (maybe some kind of cedar, or ISO E super?) which some days I really hate and can tolerate only in very small doses (funny that Encre Noire is also ISO E super bomb but i dont find it as unpleasant, but still have to spray just once or twice).

Maybe you should sample other houses for bitter green herbal fragrance. I would like to know myself because bitter green is one of my favourite genres.


Another great response.

Thank You
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post #15 of 19
2/16/13 at 10:22am
I own and love Vetiver Extraordinaire. Probably my favorite vetiver fragrance. Bois d'Orage (or French Lover for those outside the US) is a deeper and more complex fragrance and will become a full bottle in my collection as soon as my sample is gone.

If you want a straight up no-nonsense vetiver, VE is the way to go. If you want a darker, dirtier, more complex vetiver, I would go with French Lover. FL reminds me a bit of an unrefined darker version Creed Spice & Wood - as if it were it's evil twin brother.

Both excellent fragrances. VE is my favorite vetiver, while BdO / FL is also in my top 5. And different enough to certainly allow both in my collection.
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post #16 of 19
2/16/13 at 12:00pm
Thread Starter 
After just trying French Lover again I am not impressed. It starts off AMAZING then as another reviewer described does a 180 into nothingness. How can a fragrance with such a brilliant opening go so bad ? Even if it was a linear scent it would be amazing.

I then tried Noir Epices. It's not bad but it needs to be a lot heavier to be called NOIR. It reminds me a little of Le 3 man by Caron but again this fragrance goes nowhere. It just sits on the skin then eventually falls apart.

French Lover seems to have a little projection but is very thin smelling. This is not a beefy green scent.

I smelled the Vetiver Ex again on paper but it was too clean too proper too conservative for me at this point in my fragrance career. I did not put it on my skin.

Disappointed by Malle.
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post #17 of 19
2/16/13 at 7:47pm
I own and love both.

Two perfumes serving two very different purposes.

The vetiver is not masculine , firstly. It is a perfume based around a single note and even then it is drilled down, pun not intended, to a specific type of vetiver. The South American Vetiver. It is what it is. A must if you enjoy vetiver and particularly South American Vetiver. Both the pioneer and leader in it's class (of SA vetiver grade).

French Lover (aka Bois d'Orage in the USA) serves to lend itself as a versatile "daily driver". Its one of those perfumes you don't really need to be craving nor in the mood for. I think most would agree that certain perfumes require a craving and a mood. I know I cannot always grab and spray Lonestar Memories for example. This does not apply to French Lover. It is blended so seamlessly that no particular note juts out and demands the spotlight. Plus the ISO E Super acts as a lovely pick-me-uper too.


Noir Epices is noir but not in the sense you interpreted it to be. Its noir, I think, because of the use of noir (dark) spices like cloves and cinnamon.
I liked and bought NE because of the way geranium was utilized. Sometimes its too minty and abrasive to the senses. But I find its been blended very well in NE. Maybe the cloves and roses round out its blunt edges.

All project and last like beasts.
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post #18 of 19
2/16/13 at 9:22pm
I love Vetiver Extraordinaire and love then hate Bois d'Orage as it develops (turns into a distinct old cigarette accord for me). So my vote is for Vetiver Extraordinaire, which really is an exquisite fragrance. The dry down for me is warm and even a tad rubbery with its touch of myrrh.
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post #19 of 19
2/16/13 at 9:28pm
Vetiver Extroardinaire is my favorite vetiver evar
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