Review based on wrist and card samples from retail bottles, and 5ml limited-distribution vials, all own acquisitions. Magnifique (the perfume) should not be confused with Genifique, which is a skincare product from the same brand.
Magnifique (Lancôme) was an accidental discovery for me, and a very good example of the adage that the best things are sometimes discovered by accident...the striking red box caught my eye during the closing down sale of PerfumeConnection in late 2011. The presence of this fragrance in the market was rather short-lived though; the last I saw of it was in the later part of 2012. It has since been replaced in the Lancôme lineup by La Ve Est Belle.
Magnifique was a creation of Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavallier, a duo with some very notable scents to their credit (both individually and collaboratively) such as Elle (YSL) (which I have reviewed), Bvlgari Aqva, L'Eau De Issey, Midnight Poison, Stella, Armani Diamonds and a fair few more. Elle came out in 2007, and Magnifique followed shortly afterwards in 2008. While Elle is more youth-oriented, Magnifique went the way of a more mature yet fairly loud fragrance.
Magnifique, at very first spritz shows up warmth and spice. Saffron and caraway are the most prominent accords, but rose accompanies them and matches them for strength shortly after first contact with skin. A little further down the track, there's the lightly spiced woody feeling from sandalwood, and the smoky herbal note of vetiver. The dry-down has a slightly dry, powdery but florally enhanced woodiness to it, and it will constantly remind you that this is meant to be a fragrance where flowers hold things together. While the spice and wood play roundabouts, the rose is essentially the focal point for this scent. It transitions from saffron/caraway plus rose to sandalwood, vetiver and rose as it settles down.
There is a small patch of time in the middle when the spices are transitioning to woods where the rose really gets prominent. At that stage, jasmine is also noticeable, but being a white flower, it is inherently soft, and in this fragrance will be discernible, but to a keener nose. The rose is much stronger and in combination with the wood and spice, and can veil the jasmine quite easily. Though not a solifore by any means, this is a fairly linear (but not flat) scent.
An easily picked aspect of this scent is its relative linearity. It doesn't have 3 well-defined stages of transition, instead following a 2-tone profile which changes moderately over its life. The classification I would give this scent is a warm, woody/spicy floral. This is a flowery fragrance, but not floral per se. And it's warm and spicy, but not oriental. It had a relatively niche position among the hordes of floral and spicy ones out there, one of the few to combine flower, wood and spice all in one pleasant concoction without being a pure example of any of them. It has element of flower, spice and wood in varying combinations over its life, but no drastic changes...the scent retains is nature from start to finish.
Longevity for this fragrance is good enough for me to use it as a benchmark. The first time I sprayed some on my wrist, it survived a tad more than 10 hours before I couldn't perceive it. Let alone surviving hand-washes, it survived an outright shower. It doesn't project very far away though; about a few feet for the first couple of hours, and then it stays within arms' length range for another few before spending the last couple of hours as a skin scent. I found that showering or washing hands changed it into a skin scent quicker, but it took its time in completely dissipating. This one is a resilient scent.
This is an elegant, romantic scent, and even though very potent, it is quite sensual. It will make its presence felt, but it's not over-powering or cloying, and has the comforting warmth of the spice with the rose that gives it a very elegant feel. The potency is handled well enough that it tones down over time, so spending time close to someone wearing the scent is unlikely to make you feel overpowered. It's a strong scent, but not in-your-face strong.
The bottle is sleek, but vivid. While not as standout as Elle's bottle (which in my personal opinion is the prettiest bottle in mainstream scents along with the Manifesto L'Elixir (YSL) and Angel (Thierry Mugler) flacons), it is still quite a looker.
Unfortunately, this scent is now discontinued in Australia (and pretty much all around the world). Lancôme have indicated that La Vie Est Belle and the upcoming Tresor L'Absolu will be their flagship duo. La Vie Est Belle in itself is a very nice fragrance, with marathon longevity and a projection that follows a very nice profile, but it remains a distinctly different scent. Magnifique used to cost AU$178 for the 75ml bottle. However, the lasting power and projection justified the cost somewhat, considering how some scents priced not much lower would struggle to last half as long.
Alternatives: There's no analogue of Magnifique that smells appreciably close to it. Rose D'Arabie (Armani Privé 1001 Nights Collection) is a spicy floral, with strong notes of rose but coupled with Oud. Flowerbomb Rose Explosion (Viktor & Rolf) is also a rose-based scent, but is very oriental and warm; while it does have saffron, amber and oud make it much warmer than Magnifique.
Magnifique was a creation of Olivier Cresp and Jacques Cavallier, a duo with some very notable scents to their credit (both individually and collaboratively) such as Elle (YSL) (which I have reviewed), Bvlgari Aqva, L'Eau De Issey, Midnight Poison, Stella, Armani Diamonds and a fair few more. Elle came out in 2007, and Magnifique followed shortly afterwards in 2008. While Elle is more youth-oriented, Magnifique went the way of a more mature yet fairly loud fragrance.
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| The 75ml (2.5oz) bottle |
There is a small patch of time in the middle when the spices are transitioning to woods where the rose really gets prominent. At that stage, jasmine is also noticeable, but being a white flower, it is inherently soft, and in this fragrance will be discernible, but to a keener nose. The rose is much stronger and in combination with the wood and spice, and can veil the jasmine quite easily. Though not a solifore by any means, this is a fairly linear (but not flat) scent.
An easily picked aspect of this scent is its relative linearity. It doesn't have 3 well-defined stages of transition, instead following a 2-tone profile which changes moderately over its life. The classification I would give this scent is a warm, woody/spicy floral. This is a flowery fragrance, but not floral per se. And it's warm and spicy, but not oriental. It had a relatively niche position among the hordes of floral and spicy ones out there, one of the few to combine flower, wood and spice all in one pleasant concoction without being a pure example of any of them. It has element of flower, spice and wood in varying combinations over its life, but no drastic changes...the scent retains is nature from start to finish.
Longevity for this fragrance is good enough for me to use it as a benchmark. The first time I sprayed some on my wrist, it survived a tad more than 10 hours before I couldn't perceive it. Let alone surviving hand-washes, it survived an outright shower. It doesn't project very far away though; about a few feet for the first couple of hours, and then it stays within arms' length range for another few before spending the last couple of hours as a skin scent. I found that showering or washing hands changed it into a skin scent quicker, but it took its time in completely dissipating. This one is a resilient scent.
This is an elegant, romantic scent, and even though very potent, it is quite sensual. It will make its presence felt, but it's not over-powering or cloying, and has the comforting warmth of the spice with the rose that gives it a very elegant feel. The potency is handled well enough that it tones down over time, so spending time close to someone wearing the scent is unlikely to make you feel overpowered. It's a strong scent, but not in-your-face strong.
The bottle is sleek, but vivid. While not as standout as Elle's bottle (which in my personal opinion is the prettiest bottle in mainstream scents along with the Manifesto L'Elixir (YSL) and Angel (Thierry Mugler) flacons), it is still quite a looker.
Unfortunately, this scent is now discontinued in Australia (and pretty much all around the world). Lancôme have indicated that La Vie Est Belle and the upcoming Tresor L'Absolu will be their flagship duo. La Vie Est Belle in itself is a very nice fragrance, with marathon longevity and a projection that follows a very nice profile, but it remains a distinctly different scent. Magnifique used to cost AU$178 for the 75ml bottle. However, the lasting power and projection justified the cost somewhat, considering how some scents priced not much lower would struggle to last half as long.
Alternatives: There's no analogue of Magnifique that smells appreciably close to it. Rose D'Arabie (Armani Privé 1001 Nights Collection) is a spicy floral, with strong notes of rose but coupled with Oud. Flowerbomb Rose Explosion (Viktor & Rolf) is also a rose-based scent, but is very oriental and warm; while it does have saffron, amber and oud make it much warmer than Magnifique.
Ratings:
4.1/5...Somewhat unique in its combination of notes; exceptional longevity, excellent balance of projection over its life. This scent, true to its name, was Magnifique.
Prices:
AU$178 for 75ml ($2.37/ml)
Information on other sizes is no longer available;
Click for more information on UVP
It was a pricey scent, but I feel little inclination to comment further on the pricing considering this scent has been off the market for a few months now. It is out of stock all over Australia, and Lancôme have indicated the discontinuation is total and permanent.
Stockists: Discontinued
It was a pricey scent, but I feel little inclination to comment further on the pricing considering this scent has been off the market for a few months now. It is out of stock all over Australia, and Lancôme have indicated the discontinuation is total and permanent.
Stockists: Discontinued
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