I have been hearing about Monyette Paris fragrance for a couple of years now and have always wanted to try it. It seems like a niche perfume that everybody raves about and was even voted as one of Top 5 Cult Fragrance by Style.com. So as a true fragrance enthusiast, I had to cave in.

The first time I got my hands on this beautiful perfume oil, I was shocked at how tiny the bottle is. I spent $45 on it and my immediate reaction was “Oh no, what have I done?” But then I was reminded that this tiny bottle contains pure perfume oil which means there is the best stuff in it and it should last me a long time because a little amount goes along way. So the price is justified.

And it’s true. Only a tiny amount of oil on my wrists, behind my ears and in between the collar bones, I could smell the loveliness of this fragrance all day long.

When I first put it on, I was a bit surprised because it didn’t smell the way I expected to. From the reviews I read, everybody seemed to say that Monyette Paris is a beach-y, tropical, summer perfume. So in my head, I imagined it to smell breezy, lightly floral with little hint of vanilla. How I was wrong!

Apparently, people in the west have quite different opinions on what smells “tropical” to us who actually live in the tropics! Because Monyette Paris, in my opinion, isn’t light or summery. It opened with quite heavy whiff of gardenia. A few minutes after it sinks to the skin, there’s a hint of creaminess from the vanilla, but it’s still a big bouquet of flower rather than the soft and feminine one that most people described. The Nag Champa note slowly appeared and the scent does soften a bit, leaving me with a sweet and creamy drydown with the floral notes still pretty much evident.

Don’t get me wrong. It is a lovely scent. Lush, sensual and intoxicating. But I would be careful to wear it on our year-long hot weather because I find it too strong and overpowering. However, when I use it at night or during a cloudy day – and even then I use it sparingly – Monyette Paris seems to melt into my skin and creates a beautiful, warm and seductive fragrance which always makes people around me sniff and ask what perfume I’m wearing

The only odd thing I find about this perfume is that the oil is not actually colorless. It is tinged with russet color and seems to be getting darker the longer I keep the bottle. I don’t know if it is the natural color of the perfume oil or mine is contaminated but you might want to be careful when using it because it can stain your clothes and it will definitely stain your skin!

Monyette Paris is also available in Eau de Parfum 50 ml and retails for $70