I had the most dm’s ever about the Matiere Premiere samples I posted about. Someone had sent me a bunch, and I finally decided to spray them all on paper to see what they were all about, and honestly, each and every one reminded me strongly of something I’d smelled before. Fully half the people who messaged me had smelled them and agreed that there was nothing special, and the other half had something sitting in their shopping cart and they were about to check out, mostly thanks to rave reviews on Instagram.
I get the hype.
The perfumer is one who has created lots of perfumes for other brands, so it’s no surprise that he branched out on his own. The company also produces their own floral oils and that’s part of the marketing. It is cool when a brand has access to their own materials and can do quality control. That’s part of what makes Chanel and Guerlain so successful. Also, if you’re proud of what you’ve created, you’d definitely try to get them into as many hands as possible so that might be part of the reasoning behind the intense PR where everyone seems to get the latest release at the same time.
I went through a few posts with the tag, and yeah, some were raving about the perfumes, especially the tuberose one, but many just described the perfume without saying one way or another what they thought of it. A good review should describe it without really pushing you in one direction or another, but if you’re talking about Radical Rose without mentioning other rose-patchouli combos, then you’re not giving a sense of what the big picture is and that seemed to be missing. Among people who have tried these perfumes, Radical Rose did seem to be a favourite because of how spicy it is.
Ultimately, if you sampled a scent and loved it, and it moved you immediately, then you should get it and not worry about anything else. But if you’re looking for something unique, then keep moving. And if you’re sensitive at all to certain aromachemicals, then beware. All of these were rather potent and will stick around for a while. Also, they’re not cheap!
I would love to know if people have tried this line and if they have a favourite. I will definitely try these again and see how they wear on skin.
