Martine Micallef and husband Geoffrey Nejman spend much of their  time in Dubai and hail from Cannes

Martine Micallef has once again been at work creating elegant and timeless artistic perfumes for her eponymous fragrance house, M. Micallef. Our Editor in Chief Michelyn Carmen is a huge fan of the latest release Pure Extreme after falling hard for it at Esxence 2015, describing it as "a white floral with hints of amber that sparkled on the skin as the faceted charm twinkles on the exquisite crystal encrusted flacon." I've also been lucky enough to wrap my olfactory senses around Pure Extreme and Michelyn is spot on.

Michelyn's Photo of M. Micallef Pure Extreme at Esxence 2015 March 28 (there are hundreds of swarovksi crystals meticulously placed on the flacon designed by Martine Micallef)

Jean-Claude Astier and Geoffrey Nejman, les nez for Parfums M.Micallef

Geoffrey Nejman and Jean-Claude Astier have created a sheer yet vibrant and lively floral perfume with a deep, sensuously musky base that continued to delight me all day long and my husband long into the evening hours. With notes of rose, gardenia, transparent jasmine, amber, precious wood and white musk, Pure Extreme is white silk screen, splashed with luminous colour and lit from behind by a golden sunset.

Brigitte Bardot holding a rose, re-imaged MC

I am extremely picky when it comes to rose-centric fragrance. Although I can appreciate many variations on a theme, I've finally concluded that I prefer my roses on the sweet side. I often catch a drift of perfume worn by someone else and fall in love, but become disappointed when it touches my own skin. There is a lady who frequents the shop where I work who is positively enveloped in roses every time she comes in. She smells divine draped in veils of lustrous petals and we've had many a conversation about which scent she has picked that day. I, however, smell pretty mediocre in all of her well intentioned suggestions. Pure Extreme has the perfect blend of unmistakable rose, fleshy gardenia and languid jasmine, counterbalanced with warm, sweet amber that REALLY WORKS on my skin. This is a rarity, (and at $535 a  50 ml bottle, with a backorder on Luckyscent, we see  we are  not the only fans).

Brigitte Bardot wearing roses in her hair and  re-image painting by Cathy Rozelle

Pure Extreme begins with dewy rose petals and fully blooming gardenia that has a rather steamy character; imagine a Turkish bath, humid and fragrant from the drooping bows that crowd the open windows. Some white florals that prominently feature these classic notes can feel rather solid, but as with Ananda Dolce, another favourite of mine, Pure Extreme perfume is painted upon a diaphanous canvas using bold strokes and bright colours. Pure Extreme may be a white floral in its note listing but for me it has splashes of pink and orange and gold, staining the skin gorgeously.

Brigitte Bardot wearing a rose dress, Cannes and reimaged painting by Nancy Miller

The amber and musks play a large role in the development of the fragrance, warming and sweetening the fragrance in the same way that a setting sun can burnish a landscape into metallic brilliance. The longer I wear Pure Extreme, the more subtleties I notice. Sometimes there is a slight fruitiness that reminds me of rose conserve, other times the amber is caramelised in the base, blending seamlessly with the woody notes to turn the fragrance almost edible. There is no denying that this is a sweet floral, although it opens with all the freshness of unfurling petals. The steamy, humid beginning drifts slowly into a perfect sunset, illuminating and gilding frail petals with precious brilliance. Incased as it is in such a gorgeous bottle, I dare any rose lover not to fall for Pure Extreme.

Disclaimer- Sample gratefully received from M. Micallef. Opinions my own.

Susie Baird– Editor and editor of Epiphany.

Editor’s Note: Pure Extreme is part of the Collector’s Series and is not easily available to purchase. I used a lot of imagery of Brigitte Bardort to evoke the very feminine and very French sensibility of Pure Extreme. -MC

Photo: Susie Baird

 Thanks to the generosity of Martine Micallef, Geoffrey Nejman, Claudia Bonino and Laurence LaPlanche of Team Micallef, we have a worldwide draw for 15ml of Pure Extreme. To be eligible you must be a registered  ÇaFleureBon reader. Please leave a comment with what appeals to you about Micallef Pure Extreme from Susie's review, where you live and your favorite Micallef Parfum. Draw closes April 29, 2015

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.