Etat Libre d’Orange – Exit the King – Interesting name. I wonder who or what they’re having a go at this time? The mind boggles. The scent itself, composed by Cecile Matton and Ralf Schwieger, is a clean soapy scent, built on a chypre base of patchouli and oakmoss. The opening soap foam accord is a sharp combination of aldehydes, musks, and floral. A tad too sharp for my tastes. After about 20 minutes, the floral heart of jasmine, lily of the valley, and rose comes more into play, but it never shakes off that aldehydic sharpness. The chypre base takes hold after an hour or so, but it’s pristine cleanliness from start to finish. Exit the King has decent lasting power of 6-8 hours on skin.
Maison Martin Margiela – Bubble Bath – Maison Martin Margiela’s latest “Replica” series release takes us to a bubble bath in Beverly Hills in 2005. Again, featuring a soap accord in the top notes, Bubble Bath opens much less sharp than Exit the King. Instead, the aldehydes feel bright and steamy, and mixed with jasmine, lavender, and coconut makes for a reasonably enjoyable wear. The coconut isn’t sticky or cloying, but it is sweet, and after a while (3 hours), the whole thing fizzles out to a vague musk accord, that dare I say, evokes laundry detergent or shampoo.
Verdict – After several wearings of each of the scents, I feel there are much better options out there if you’re after a clean soapy perfume. The suite of Prada Infusion and L’Homme scents all offer better value. I own and prefer a couple of MFK “Aqua” series scents that get the job done. Etat Libre d’Orange with You or Someone Like You and Maison Martin Margiela with Lazy Sunday Morning offer superior alternatives within their range. Mugler Cologne is another worth a whirl. Never say never, but I doubt I’ll upgrade my sample to a full bottle of either release.
Note: Bottle images courtesy of Google. I purchased the samples from Nose Paris.