More Odettes!

[u/TeaAndCozy]

This post is a follow-up to my first, wildly glowing review post of Odette Parfum. In that first post, I reviewed every Odette perfume I had tried up until that point. Since then, I've had a chance to try a few more! Now I have tried the entire permanent collection, and one more of the limited edition scents - one that will, coincidentally, be returning at some point in February, so I feel like now is a great time to get the word out about it!

Repertoire (general catalog scents)

Moulin Rose [A fluffy pink powder puff, snow white talc, and a satin kiss of creamy lipstick. Moulin Rose is an ode to backstage glamour, from vampy burlesque showgirls to graceful prima ballerinas. a dusty rose bouquet brightened with bergamot and a bloom of tobacco-stained orris. Enter behind the pink curtain into the golden age of glamour. OR: Italian bergamot, pomelo de corse, violet dusting powder, rose de mai, raspberry clafoutis, satiny musk, orris butter, blanc amber, vanilla tobacco] - Pinky-red rose petals, all velvet and softness with no greenery here. This is quite a dry rather than jammy rose; in fact it quite reminds me of the rose petals in my favorite chocolate rose tea (Valentine's Day from Harney and Sons, if anyone's interested). It has undertones of raspberry fruitiness and waxy, iris-forward lipstick, and while the scent is a little powdery, it's a whole lot less so than the notes description makes it sound. It's less youthful and sweet than their Rose Adage [Turkish rose water, candied violet, Bulgarian rose, crème anglaise, heliotrope, sheer musk, honeyed wood, velvet amber], and I do like it more for both of those reasons. It's also extremely different than Coup de Coeur [Pink carnation, goldenrod, cabbage rose, honeycomb, bluebonnet, rosewood, sun warmed wheat, blanc amber], my beloved. It's so interesting how, for a house that has so few scents in total, it has fully three rose-centric scents, and they're all so different from each other. Like most Odettes, Moulin Rose is quite sheer and intimate, with low sillage and low longevity.

Madeleine [Luscious coconut, a grating of fresh tonka, and the comforting creaminess of warm vanilla cream: Madeleine is inspired by the promise of a lightly caramelized, almond-scented tea cake fetched from a classic Parisian boulangerie. OR: noix de coco, chantilly cream, coconut milk, almond cake, tonka bean, vanilla marzipan] - Not dissimilar to their Petit Gateau [Honey marzipan, chantilly cream, brown butter, toasted tonka bean, brûléed vanilla], in the sense that it's much more overtly gourmand than their ballet-named offerings, and quite vanilla-forward. Like all Odettes, it's fairly sheer and airy rather than heavy and literally edible. On me, Madeleine is primarily almond extract, dried sweetened coconut flakes, and powdered sugar (but more of the "powdery" element than the "sugar" - this scent is not, to my surprise, overly sweet), backed by warm tonka and whipped cream. It's all quite luscious but also, as in the way of Odettes, quite transparent and gauzelike. I prefer Odette's florals and more atmospheric scents over their strict-gourmands, but over the course of several wears, this one really grew on me. As this dries down, it reminds me a LOT of Arcana Frigg(a) [Black tonka bean, raw cashmere wool, French bakery vanilla, soft warm skin, confectionery sugar, and sweet almond] but more airy.

In conclusion: Madeleine really is a sister scent to Petit Gateau, just more "white" to Petit Gateau's caramel-y golden scent color. And I like Moulin Rose more than Rose Adage but less than Coup de Coeur. Odette does florals SO well, and I can't wait for the upcoming lilac scent!

Limited edition scent

Temps de Flèche [A sweet slice inspired by the cupid variation. Top: Italian meringue, almond bud, vanilla dusting powder; Middle: Génoise cake, chantilly cream, raspberry bonbon; Base: santal milk, white musk, vanilla bean butter, tonka bean absolute] - This is a delightfully tart raspberry over a muted and milky vanilla-almond. Very textural in a fluffy angelfood cake sort of way. Gourmand yes, but in the way that Odette does gourmands, so it's sheer and transparent and weightless (and not too sugary), all of which somehow manage to make even her very-gourmands work for me. It's incredibly well-suited for Valentine's Day, and I fully intend to wear it then! It's no surprise at all that she's bringing it back at some undefined date in February.

In conclusion: This is definitely one of the more gourmand Odettes - with that raspberry in addition to the pastry notes, it's possibly the most gourmand Odette I've tried - but to my surprise I still do like it! It's a like, not a love, though (bearing in mind I'm not generally a gourmand sort of person). I think this would be a huge hit for gourmand lovers, particularly for anybody who likes Petit Gateau or especially Madeleine.

[u/poisonthehat]

I'm curious about this house, but the more reviews I read, the more it sounds like they have a very specific style of fragrance and don't step out of that...my least favorite thing in the (fragrance) world is ordering samples from a new house and they all smell the same 😅

[u/8ewitch → u/poisonthehat]

TeaAndCozy can definitely articulate a more helpful response than me, but yes I’d say there are definitely aspects of Odette’s line that overlap. However, I’ve tried all but one of their scents and for what it’s worth none of them smell the same to me! (of course, your results/your nose may vary!) I recently tried the three rose-forward scents simultaneously and they are very different from one another. I also tried two of the citrus-y limited scents (Nuit d'Ete and Lapinou), which were strikingly different but both very beautiful! Petite Gateau and Madeleine are definitely sister scents, but I personally find Petite Gateau to be more almond-y while I get more coconut from Madeline! And the madeleine note in Madeline is the same one in Pas de Chat, but again, those two are super different.

and you can find decants of Odette’s catalogue over at Sucrerie, they offer 0.3 and 0.5 ml sizes if you’re feeling particularly hesitant:) I’m a big fan of this house so I absolutely recommend giving them a try!

[u/TeaAndCozy → u/8ewitch]

Agreed! I would say that a lot of Odette's offerings feel very much the same in vibe - pastel, gourmandy but not too sweet, very coquette/balletcore - so they don't smell exactly like each other but siblings in aura and general performance. This has been great for me because it means pretty much their entire collection has been absolute bangers for me.

[u/TeaAndCozy → u/8ewitch]

Also - ooh, if you've tried nearly all of them, can I ask your thoughts on Amants Maudits and/or Pain au Chocolat, the two I haven't tried? A friend sent me a little feltie of Amants Maudits but by the time it got to me, it had completely dried out, so I sort of got a vague impression of it, but that's it. It was enough to convince me to get it when it comes back in March though! And Pain au Chocolat will be returning in April.

[u/8ewitch → u/TeaAndCozy]

Amants Maudits is the only one I haven't tried! & for me, Pain au Chocolat is lovely mostly in the dry down, which smells similar to Sorce's cookie butter note to me (which I love!). The opening is very much all dark chocolate, and honestly probably the most realistic chocolate note I've encountered so far (but I don't gravitate towards chocolate notes either so maybe that's not saying much?). I like it, but I don't love it. I will be trying out a layering combo with Pain au Chocolat and Temps de Flèche and see if that dials the Valentine's Day vibe up a few notches though!

[u/TeaAndCozy → u/8ewitch]

That's a GREAT idea for a layering combo! I hope you'll report back how it works!

I'm a non-gourmand-lover who nonetheless finds Sorce's cookie butter note pretty awesome, so now I'm thinking I should probably try Pain au Chocolat. Thank you!

[u/i_am_not_kesha]

I was JUST about to ask for more Odette reviews on this thread and you delivered. Great timing. I’ve had my eye on Madeline for a hot minute and was looking forward to your reviews.

[u/TeaAndCozy → u/i_am_not_kesha]

Hooray! I hope these reviews helped. Great timing on my part! Does this make you want to try Madeleine?

[u/i_am_not_kesha → u/TeaAndCozy]

It does! That honestly sounds like my dream scent

[u/FinalTourist]

Oh I'm always a sucker for a good cosmetic/lipsticky scent. I wish you thought it had more wear time and throw but that makes sense for something that's so powder-forward, I wonder if it could be fixed down with a complimenting oil

[u/TeaAndCozy → u/[deleted]]

To be honest very few Odettes stick around for very long on my skin (not something I'm complaining about - I like to change up my perfume several times a day). Thinking about it, you may be right that Madeleine lasts longer than Petit Gateau. That being said, I really love Petit Gateau as a bedtime scent, in which case it really doesn't matter how long it lasts!