Wednesday Waftings: Sampler Set Review – Maison Margiela’s Replica

I’d like to introduce a new feature to Wednesday Waftings: perfume reviews! Some weeks I may choose a particular theme such as coffee note-based gourmands or white florals. And some weeks, I will review a complete sampler set. I’ve chosen to do the latter this week and would like to share my thoughts on a mini coffret set by Maison Margiela’s Replica.

Maison Margiela is a French luxury fashion house created by reclusive Belgian designer Martin Margiela. The Maison (French for ‘house’), known for avant-garde and deconstructed fashion pieces, launched their Replica perfume line in 2012. This collection of fragrances calls upon our olfactory memories to replicate a particular feeling, experience, moment, or event.

This collection quickly became a favorite of mine. I love the idea behind it and overall, they have pretty much nailed it with each of their creative scents. With a wide range of different fragrances to choose from in this collection, there’s a little something for everyone. The larger bottles have a beautiful apothecary feel, with cotton labels that are designed to mimic the clothing line’s tags.

For a luxury niche fragrance house, the prices are quite reasonable, with the largest size bottles typically retailing for around $135. At that price, they are still going to be a bit of a splurge or luxury for most but certainly more financially feasible than some of the higher-end fragrance houses, where prices can easily scream right through the stratosphere. Another advantage is many of the fragrances are also available in affordable travel-size spray bottles. Additionally, the Maison offers quite a few different sampler set options, which are likewise quite affordable. Sometimes the fragrances in the sampler sets will differ slightly. The set I’m reviewing contains Beach Walk, Jazz Club, Lazy Sunday Morning, Sailing Day, and By the Fireplace.

If you’d like to start exploring this unique collection yourself, here’s some links to their various sampler sets.

Find it here:

Limited Edition Mini Coffret Discovery Set (at Nordstrom)

5-piece Mini Memory Set Sampler (at Nordstrom)

Limited Edition ‘Warm & Woody’ Travel Spray Set (at Nordstrom)

Limited Edition ‘Fresh & Floral’ Travel Spray Set (at Nordstrom)

Before I get started, I want to share a disclaimer for my perfume reviews: fragrances are always, ALWAYS going to be subjective. As I’ve mentioned before in my Perfume 101 post, scents are going to be a little different on each of us, as we all have unique chemistry. My purpose in doing reviews is to give you a general sense of how each fragrance comes across, its overall performance, and provide whatever other helpful insight I can to help you make an informed decision on whether it’s a scent you may want to try. I always highly suggest sampling a fragrance in a shop or obtaining a sample of it first so you can test it out for yourself and see how it develops on your own skin. Blind buys sometimes work out but sometimes are disastrous and with perfume being so expensive, I’d hate for anyone to be disappointed.

Ok, preliminary mumbo-jumbo out of the way so let’s dive in!

Beach Walk 🌊🏖🌞

• Top Notes: lemon, bergamot, pink pepper
• Middle Notes: coconut milk, ylang-ylang, heliotrope
• Base Notes: musk, benzoin, cedar

This scent delivers exactly what the name promises: it’s a lazy day at the beach captured in a bottle! The initial scent I get is a blast of lemon and sea salt with a touch of coconut. The ylang comes in pretty quickly and lends a lovely ‘beachy flowers mixed with ocean water and sunshine’ vibe. The projection is pretty good for the first hour or so and then will fade to be closer to the skin. My one beef with Replica’s scents is their longevity. Their staying power tends to be fair at best and this fragrance is no exception. You’ll need to reapply if you want this scent with you for a full day.

Scents, again, are so subjective and I want to be very clear that anyone can (and should!) absolutely wear whatever they like. Perfume need not be gendered. That said, for ease of description, I will say this scent is going to lean towards what would traditionally be considered more ‘feminine’ with the tropical yellow flower vibe that the ylang lends. But I do think a guy could pull this off as well, if he enjoys wearing florals.

The scent is very pleasant and exactly what it says it should be but the performance could be better. This entire collection is eau de toilette so certainly an eternal longevity is not to be expected here, but for the price I do think the staying power should be a touch better. For those who like to wear their scents seasonally, this would be considered something to be worn more in the summer but I think could easily be pulled off in the spring and early autumn as well.

Some also appreciate a classification of a daytime vs. evening, casual vs. formal, and whether office-appropriate. Though I think this leans more daytime, I could also see wearing this out to a casual summer dinner, especially while on a vacation. With how close to the skin Replica fragrances stay, I really think any of these should be office-appropriate; i.e. you’re not going to be blasting away people in close quarters with your scent.

Find it here:

Beach Walk 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants, 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Beach Walk 30ml, 100ml (at Nordstrom)

Beach Vibes 5.82oz candle (at Nordstrom)

Jazz Club 🎶🎷🥃

• Top Notes: pink pepper, neroli, lemon
• Middle Notes: rum, clary sage, java vetiver oil
• Base Notes: tobacco leaf, vanilla bean, Styrax (benzoin)

This is a personal favorite of mine and ties with “Whispers in the Library” for my second favorite fragrance from the Maison. Not only does it smell amazing but I’m also a huge jazz nerd so this is a double win for me. Setting the scene: you’re in a dark, somewhat hazy jazz club sitting in a vintage leather armchair. You have a glass of Old Fashioned and possibly a decadent, vanilla-based dessert in front of you. The horns wail as you nestle into your seat, relax, and become fully immersed in the wonderful sounds surrounding you.

At first whiff, I get pink pepper atop some deep, rich vanilla that gives off a touch of the ‘Play-Doh’ vibe that some vanillas and heliotropes will present. But it’s not at all unpleasant, though it may sound odd, it works! For me, this fragrance skips right over most of the top notes, I do not get a citrus presence from it at all. The mid notes give me the clary sage (which provides a balsamic, amber vibe) and rum, both of which remain present for the life of the fragrance. The tobacco leaf gives the scent a luxe, leathery vibe and the benzoin is the perfect last puzzle piece in this rich, dark composition.

This yummy, smoky, boozy vanilla is labeled as a masculine scent but I am here to tell you it is wonderful on a lady as well. The vanilla keeps it a touch sweet and the scent does not leap over into ‘too-musky territory’ the way Xerjoff’s Comandante! does for me. If you love Byredo’s Slow Dance, you will also appreciate this one, they have similar notes in common and are definitely in the same family. And bonus: this is much more affordable than Comandante! or Slow Dance.

Longevity and projection could be a bit better, but I absolutely love this scent and because of that, I’m willing to be a little forgiving with the lack of performance. This is a heavier scent so will lean more autumn/winter for most. Obviously a fragrance with a heavily-suggested nighttime vibe, this would be perfect to wear out to your favorite jazz club! Makes for a warm and sultry date night fragrance.

Find it here:

Jazz Club 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants, 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Jazz Club 30ml, 100ml (at Nordstrom)

Jazz Club 5.82oz candle (at Nordstrom)

Lazy Sunday Morning 🌹🛏🌷

• Top Notes: aldehydes, lily of the valley, pear
• Middle Notes: rose, iris, orange blossom
• Base Notes: white musk, ambrette (musk mallow), Indonesian patchouli leaf

This one, for me personally, is a little bit more of a stretch with the imagery that’s supposed to come to mind. The idea is supposed to be that of a lazy, sunshiny Sunday morning; those last few minutes in bed. You’re slightly awake, with an open window lightly wafting the flowers from your garden outside into your bedroom. It’s just so solidly floral that it feels more ‘bridal bouquet’ than ‘lazy morning’ to me. I have seen some reviewers say they get a linen vibe from this which would certainly help support the ‘laying in bed’ analogy.

The opening note is quite astringent and clean, which must be the aldehydes. I do not get any pear but that is a lighter note that can be trickier to detect. The lily of the valley and the musk quickly move in. Boy howdy, this girl is musky! I am not a huge fan of musk. I am ok with it kinda hanging in the background, helping a scent to have some depth and/or staying power but I do not care for it as a strong note. On my skin, it gives off what I refer to as a ‘body’ scent. Hard to describe, it’s not really sweaty but just not pleasant to me. Musk can work really well for some folks, though, and it’s often especially prevalent in masculine-leaning fragrances.

As this scent dries down, the rose comes out for me but I am not getting the orange blossom. And alllll those musks get stronger and stronger as this develops. I do not detect the patchouli in this, which is ok by me. Patchouli is another one of those strong scents that makes for a great base note as it gives a fragrance depth and helps it to be more long-lasting. But like the musk, I need it to stay where it belongs in the background and do its job without being too in my face. Bottom line: this is a great musky white floral for those that enjoy that genre. This scent firmly leans feminine, despite the musk. I think this scent can easily be worn year-round with maybe a slight lean towards warmer months. Mainly daytime wear but with all that musk, I could also see it being someone’s favorite date-night scent.

Find it here:

Lazy Sunday Morning 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants, 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Lazy Sunday Morning 30ml, 100ml (at Nordstrom)

Lazy Sunday Morning 6.7oz body lotion (at Nordstrom)

Lazy Sunday Morning 6.7oz shower gel (at Nordstrom)

Lazy Sunday Morning 1oz hand cream (at Nordstrom)

Lazy Sunday Morning 5.82oz candle (at Nordstrom)

Sailing Day 🌬⛵⚓

• Top Notes: sea notes, aldehydes, red pepper, coriander
• Middle Notes: juniper, Amyl Salicylate (floral/sweet/herbaceous/green/balsamic), iris, rose
• Base Notes: seaweed, cedar, ambergris, amberwood

I’mmmmmm… sailinnnnnng… aaaaaaaa-waaaaay!! Heading out to meet Muffy at the yacht club? Be sure to spritz on a touch of this nautical scent on your way out the door. This is another one where they’ve perfectly captured the essence of the experience they’ve named the fragrance for.

Immediately smells aquatic, fresh, and clean. To me, this really has more of the ‘linen’ that some folks detect in Lazy Sunday Morning. Some might also compare this to a rain-like scent. I get a nice little spicy pop of the red pepper and coriander as it begins to dry down. The juniper adds to the refreshing, aquatic feel. Though seaweed and ambergris are base notes, I did not find them to be overpowering or fishy in any way. I think they do a great job of conveying sea spray while the scent retains an overall fresh and clean feel.

This sailboat floats close to the skin and does not have a strong projection. And as with the others, there’s subpar staying power. I have to strain to smell it on myself after only about an hour. And 2 hours in, she’s all but sailed away. This fragrance is unisex and reads a touch masculine on me. This would not be a go-to scent for me, personally, and the longevity is pretty poor. A casual daytime summer scent, of course, and I think it would be great on a sunny spring day as well.

Find it here:

Sailing Day 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants, 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

Sailing Day 100ml (at Nordstrom)

By the Fireplace 🔥🌲🕯

• Top Notes: cloves, pink pepper, orange blossom
• Middle Notes: chestnut, guaiac wood, juniper
• Base Notes: vanilla, Peru balsam, Cashmeran (powdery, woodsy musk)

And last, but certainly not least, it’s my all-time favorite and signature scent: By the Fireplace. You’ve seen me wax poetic about this gem before and it continues to hold the number one ranking in the fragrance world for me. And I’m not alone in my love for this scent. She consistently rates highly for vanilla and gourmand lovers, as well as those who like something a little unique and off the beaten path from the tried and true dime-a-dozen fruity-florals out there.

The opening notes of clove, pink pepper, and orange combine to form a deep, decadent accord. The guaiac wood swiftly creeps in to bring the smoky/sweet/balsamic/vanilla/leather note it is so masterful at producing. Chestnut, juniper, and Peruvian balsam deliver a woodsy vibe and help to create a feeling of snuggling in a cozy cabin in the middle of a magical forest.

The longevity on this one is better than the other four. This is a solidly unisex fragrance. Because it has a heavier feel, most are going to tend toward this being strictly an autumn/winter scent. For me, I throw caution to the wind and wear it year-round because I love it so much. This smoky, sultry vanilla lends itself nicely to nighttime wear but again, I’ll go with this baby anytime/anywhere. If you tend towards interesting vanillas, especially smoky ones, this will probably be your jam, too!

Find it here:

By the Fireplace 1ml, 2ml, 5ml, 9ml decants, 100ml full bottle (at Scent Split)

By the Fireplace 30ml, 100ml (at Nordstrom)

By the Fireplace 5.82oz candle (at Nordstrom)

In conclusion

I highly recommend this cool niche fragrance line. I’ve only scratched the surface of what they have to offer so I will definitely showcase more Replica fragrances in future posts. Have you tried anything from this hip collection? What did you think? Give me the scoop in the comments!

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