The real life Jul et Mad

Love at first sight turns into fragrant inspiration which is the story behind the new collection Jul et Mad Histoire d’Amour. The love story is the story of the founders of Jul et Mad; Julien Blanchard (Jul) and Madalina Stoica (Mad). The trajectory that led a Ph.D. biologist to a café in St. Germain where a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology sits and “Voila!” like a coup de foudre (lightning bolt) romance blooms. This story, this history of love, is told in three special fragrances created by perfumer Dorothee Piot. Together they are the Histoire d’Amour collection; individually each is a chapter in the life of the real-life Jul et Mad.

Apple Stiletto by Mark Schwartz

Our story begins with just one of them, Mad, in New York. Mad is starting her career in the beauty industry and she walks in her high heels down Lexington Avenue. In the story which goes along with the fragrance Stilletos on Lex; Mad a woman of beauty and mystery has a fragrance as unforgettable and alluring as the person. Mme Piot imagines the fragrance as a sophisticated fruity floral and it is one of the best new fruity florals I have tried this year. She captures fruitiness without it going too sweet and she chooses floral notes from the more astringent side of the perfumer’s palette before laying it all over a modern chypre base.

A tart pear made even more tart by the presence of lemon grabs your attention and then a syrupy plum accord arrives but the tart quality of the previous two top notes keep it from ever really getting too treacle-like. Which is good because then lily of the valley and violet add their shiny edgy floral nature. Iris, heliotrope and carnation take Stilettos on Lex towards a more floral quality and they stand on their own strutting down the middle of this perfume. Mme Piot creates a modern chypre base using musk, an excellent Indonesian patchouli and a very desiccated cedarwood, a little vanilla rounds off some of the rough edges. This chypre quality closes Stilettos on Lex with a classic vintage vibe.

Cafe de Flore Paris France by Paul Guyer

The second chapter of our story takes place on the Boulevard St. Germain in Paris. I imagine Mad in the Café de Flore as she sits there on a business trip. Before she sees Jul she smells his fragrance a sort of straight forwardness over a traditional masculinity as she looks up and Jul locks eyes with her the connection is complete on the Terasse a St. Germain.  Mme Piot’s take on this chapter is to start with a great rhubarb and grapefruit through a very restrained floral middle down to a very masculine woody musky finish.

The rhubarb and grapefruit are excellent compliments as rhubarb contains some of the citrus component of grapefruit and its presence keeps those more in the foreground leaving the more earthy vegetal aspects underneath as accentuation and depth. Mme Piot’s choice of freesia, lotus, and rose is an inspired choice as all of these appear in almost equal intensity and delicacy. They project a complex bit of strength without having to flex their fragrant muscles. The base uses a wonderful sensual musk over an arid sandalwood and the same Indonesian patchouli used in Stilettos on Lex to complete the connection of Jul et Mad.

Palazzo Labbia Venice by John Singer Sargent

In the flush of the early stages of true love our pair heads to a palazzo in Venice and this is the place where passion deepens and turns to everlasting love in Amour de Palazzo. In the first two fragrances Mme Piot described our romantic protagonists singly; in Amour de Palazzo this is how they come together and some of “their” notes from the first two fragrances remind you that this is a fragrant portrait of two. The heat of passion comes from a very spicy top, the melding of two natures takes place in the heart and the base represents the depth of that joining.

Mme Piot uses four of my favorite spice notes to create a piquant mélange that embodies heat. Clove, pepper, ginger, and nutmeg are the components which manage to convey a kinetic jolt to the early moments of Amour de Palazzo. The heart takes the violet of Stilettos on Lex and the wood of Terasse a St. Germain and join them with the Indonesian patchouli which is the common thread through all three Histoire d’Amour fragrances. Rich leather and labdanum evoke the depth beneath the passion. The base takes that depth and goes deeper still with two more animalic notes in musk and castoreum. Oud and amber bring you back to the spicy passion which still burns despite the deeper connection.

All three Jul et Mad fragrances have above average longevity and above average sillage which based on their backstories is only appropriate.

I really like all three of these perfumes but Stilettos on Lex is the one I keep wearing. It has an unexpected sophistication to it and I am amazed that it is the fruity floral I like best. Terasse a St. Germain and Amour de Palazzo are good but it looks like it is Mad’s olfactory calling card which is my coup de foudre from the Jul et Mad Histoire d’Amour collection.

Disclosure: This review was based on samples provided by MiN New York.

Thanks to Jul et Mad we have a Nomad set of 7mL travel sprays of all three fragrances to giveaway to one winner. To be eligible leave a comment on your favorite coup de foudre love story or alternatively which one of these three fragrances you think will be your favorite. We will draw one winner on November 7, 2012.

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

-Mark Behnke, Managing Editor