Sexy, Sophisticated and Grown-Up... What Am I Doing Wearing It?! (Agent Provocateur: Maitresse, Eau de Parfum)

Member Name: louiseypees

Product:	Agent Provocateur: Maitresse, Eau de Parfum
Date:	21/10/08 (314 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Gorgeous scent

Disadvantages: A bit bold for some, only suitable for some occasions, strong and pricey.

There's no doubt about it - I own far too many perfumes. I think it's bordering on an addiction (Dior Addict + Addict Eau Fraiche - check). I don't understand how people live without perfume - I find that with one squirt I can transform my mood. Feeling low? Spray on a happy perfume like CKIN2U, O Oui by Lancome or Daisy by Marc Jacobs. Going out clubbing? A spritz of Addict or Baby Doll by YSL will do nicely. Missing the summer? Some rosewater will perk you right up. Out for a meal? Stella by Stella McCartney or Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle are grown-up and relaxed enough to cope. Planning a great seduction? Time for the Agent Provocateur Original. My name is Louise and I'm a perfume-o-holic.

I was a huge fan of Agent Provocateur's first perfume offering - the self-titled beauty in the pink and black packaging, which smelt spicy and sexy, and probably had something to do with my netting of Mr Right. It was with high expectations, then, that I first sniffed out Maitresse, their second perfume offering.

Maitresse comes in a beautiful bottle. Red glass overlaid with shiny gold, it bears a picture of a glamourous looking lady wearing nothing but stockings, long gloves and heels, looking away from us; and the name of the perfume. There is no lid, with a red PVC ribbon attached to a clip being used to stop any inadvertent spraying instead. It's simplistic, classy (even with the nude chick on it) and timeless - three things Agent Provocateur aspire to in most of their products.

On my first spray, I was struck by how strong this perfume is. The scent is only available in an Eau de Parfum, which means that it is stronger than a lot of perfumes you will find on the high street - you only need a bit. In fact, this is one of those "put too much on and you'll feel a bit sick and dizzy" perfumes, so less really is more.

The Eau de Parfum status of the perfume does affect the price as well as the strength. This isn't cheap. Expect to pay £30 for a 30ml bottle. I usually look for more expensive perfumes in the January sales, when you can often find a gift set for a lower price than the bottle alone. I managed to get myself a gift set with a 30ml bottle and a body wash for about £25.

But enough negatives! What does it smell like?

Notes in this perfume include:

White Lotus Petals - a light and flowery scent to top the perfume off, the scent of these petals blends beautifully with the rest of the notes to ensure that the scent has a smooth and logical start.

White Ylang Ylang - famed as an aphrodisiac but not actually that nice when you sniff it alone, this lighter version of Ylang Ylang introduces the scent without letting it overpower the perfume. It's fairly prominent in the overall perfume, but it's not overpowering and the other notes compliment it so well that this is actually the first time I've really liked Ylang Ylang!

Osmanthus core - a new one on me. Wikipedia reliably informs me that this is a plant from South-East Asia, which is often used for a tea infusion which is similar to Jasmine.

Jasmine Sambac - a similar-sounding plant to our Osmanthus, this is a type of Jasmine from Asia, which is the national flower of the Phillipines. These two notes combine to give some beautiful lasting notes to the fragrance which are flowery yet woody. Deep and seductive without being sweet or girly, these run right through the heart of this scent.

Musk - Musk is the natural base for these notes, helping to bring out the warmth in the other notes and making this a very long-lasting and seductive scent.

These notes combine perfectly. The progression of the perfume on the skin is beautiful - there isn't one point at which you notice that the scent has disappeared. The Jasmine-a-like smells run from the Ylang Ylang to the Osmanthus core to the Sambac making the perfume feel logical and complete. What I like about the scent is that it smells very similar in the heart notes to on the top notes. There isn't that disappointment you get when your perfume dies after ten minutes here: the scent is very similar on application to how it will smell two hours later.

This is the most sophisticated perfume I own, by a long way. In my perfume hierachy, it is on the top rung. I only break this one out for special occasions - weddings, meals in restaurants I can't really afford, anniversaries... any event that I want to feel sexy, sophisticated and grown-up for. It is the kind of fragrance you would feel overdressed in for most occasions, but it is just perfect for making you feel that little bit more glamourous on a special occasion.

Purely because it isn't suitable for everyday use, it isn't my favourite fragrance. I do love this perfume, but it doesn't lend itself to being used for many occasions, and because of this it still doesn't feel like "my" scent. I love wearing it and have always had a magical evening when I do, but it makes me feel like someone else. Maybe I'm not quite grown up enough for it yet (and I'm no spring chicken), but in a lot of ways this does feel like too "big" a fragrance for me to carry off.

Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this perfume if you are a fan of bold, seductive and sophisticated scents. It ticks all of those boxes perfectly.

Summary: Absolutely lovely but very niche scent for glamourous ladies.