Miroir des Envies Thierry Mugler (Mirror Mirror Collection)

Desirability: Full bottle and a back up

Source: Fragrantica

Phoarrrrr! Christine Nagel is a sorceress and Miroir des Envies is her magic potion/drug.

A real shape-shifter it is too! One moment I smell divine white flowers and the next I smell buttered caramel popcorn or warm buttered toast or...oh never mind I just smell like gourmand heaven! I kid you not. I was having the shittiest upon shittiest day imaginable and this gem came in a parcel as part of a swap with a super duper generous fragrance friend. On the way to bed I decided to try this and it put an instant smile on my face (the first of the day too so you can imagine what extraordinary powers this has)! 

Source: lovethispic.com

Source: pinterest

I can't quite make up my mind if it's caramel buttery popcorn or buttered toast with syrup/honey that I smell as both keep popping up like a short movie on repeat in my head. 

Miror des Envies has been said to resemble Thierry Mugler's Alien and its flanker Taste of Fragrance Alien, but I have to strongly disagree (personal experience and opinion only of course, kudos to those who had fabulous experiences) as Taste of Fragrance Alien (ditto The One Desire by Dolce & Gabbana) had the most nauseous, synthetic-smelling caramel note that I couldn't scrub off fast enough. Needless to say that bottle got swapped away very quickly. Whereas the caramel in Miroir des Envies smells like real caramel and thankfully has no synthetic vibe to put me off. The buttered toast bit reminds me of Jeux de Peau but the Lutens does not have the alluring white flowers that float dreamily in waves, taking turns with the gourmand facet of Miroir des Envies to lull you into an olfactory bliss.  

Jasmine is obviously present but I also detect a delicate, slightly citrusy orange blossom in the floral bouquet. It might sound like a dubious combination-white flowers and buttered/caramel popcorn/toast but 1) neither the gourmand nor the white flowers dominate the scent but are seamlessly layered upon themselves creating an utterly addictive essence and 2) this has to be one of the most unique fragrances I've smelt in a while. Like I said...Phoarrrrrr! It knocks your socks off. Sillage is moderate and longevity is good. I will be guarding my bottle closely. 

P.S: This is possibly the first time I've smelt popcorn in a perfume. The note was lost on me in the pre-reformulated Miss Dior Cherie but I'm happy to report that I'm in the camp of perfumeheads who smell popcorn in Miroir des Envies! 

Jeux de Peau Serge Lutens

The best breakfast in a bottle. 

pâtisserie, courtesy of flickr.com

Is there anything more wonderful than walking into a boulangerie, the smell of all kinds of baked goods from savoury to sweet cavorting in the air temptingly? I think not. The best crusty bread is still in France (with the humidity here, it's just not possible to replicate that crispy sound of fresh bread) and I lived for winter holidays spent at my then partner's parents' home in the suburbs of Paris. I would wake him up unceremoniously at seven am( myself already up by six) and shivering with cold, we would make our way through the precariously slippery roads to the village boulangerie, which I swear has the best bread and pastries, even better than some of the famous pâtisseries in the city. 

French toast in the making courtesy of food52.com

Once through the door, I would stop to enjoy the sheer pleasure of all the different aromas filling the warm room, noisy with orders being taken and the hustle and bustle of delicious treats being baked and laid out all over the place. A daily occurrence for those living there but for me, it was a veritable treat just experiencing it. The smell of the boulangerie was stored in my mind and nothing in Asia quite matched it until I found Jeux de Peau.   

Heidi, Johanna Spyri, courtesy of flickr.com

It will be too sweet for some and is unmistakably a gourmand, but perfect for those days you crave solace. Warm and smoky, dripping syrupy amber-hued honey all over you, loaves of bread being toasted in the background, or waffles or french toast, if it's yeasty baked goods you crave, it's in this scent. If you enjoy spices with your toast and waffles, there's a wee sprinkle of it here. Just as Heidi had fresh goat's milk for breakfast every morning with the Alm Uncle, so have you milk provided in Jeux de Peau, full cream of course, none of that reduced fat crap. So there you go, a comforting and nourishing breakfast in a bottle. Not complex, but original for sure and very tasty. 

Jeux de Peau is a robust scent at the opening and stays linear,  losing its steam gradually. I'm averaging around 6-8 hours of lifespan, but it's a pleasure to reapply and experience it all over again. It's not a safe blind buy due to it's 1) sweetness 2) uniqueness but for me it's as heart-warming as a hug from a loved one.