Magnifique By Lancome

I have been eagerly awaiting this fragrance since it was first whispered that saffron would be the main ingredient. I am a huge fan of L'Artisan's Safran Troublant. Saffron smells hay-like with a little bit of honey thrown in. I have always had a weakness for it.

Lancome's saffron has no honey but it is sweetened with florals. The first floral is a huge jammy rose. When someone describes a rose as being "jammy", it generally means it is sugary sweet like a jelly. The is the Bulgarian rose note.
The second rose note is Mai de Grasse rose absolute. I can not really describe it well except to say that it smells high quality. Very similar to the roses used in 2000 et une Rose. Lancome has thrown in some sambac jasmine to add lightness to the whole fragrance. Jasmine always gives such a fresh feminine spin to everything.

The most unique touch to this fragrance is the Nagarmotha note. The perfumers discovered this note in India. It is a papyrus with the roots extracted. It is not paper-like, rooty or biblical at all. It is leathery and spicy. The perfumers consider this to be the main thread of the fragrance.

The drydown is a mix of cinnamon, Australian sandalwood and vetiver. This is a drydown that is not fast or quick. It is seamlessly blended to just sneak up on you. The vetiver is the most strong and the true ending note.

Magnifique was created by two perfumers, Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavallier. Mr Cresp is responsible for Kenzo's Amour and Indian Holi. Mr Cavallier created Alexander McQueen's Kingdom, Calvin Klein's Truth and Stella, Stella McCartney.

Lancome Magnifique is available at your local Lancome counter. The 1.7oz bottle is $65 and the 2.5 oz bottle is $85.

Credits: Lancome, Wikipedia