Miss Balmain
Pierre Balmain (1967)

I have this 30ml 1990s version of Miss Balmain EDT and comparing it to a sample of the older version, is nearly indistinguishable. It sings a woody, leathery hymn, bright and sharp, with fresh top notes, cutting through the air rapturously. It makes me think of the jonquils pushing through the April snow here today in Massachusetts. The chill of winter has not yet yielded to spring equinox, but the flowers and their yellow warmth sing in resistance. There's multiple moods and temperatures here, reflecting the brilliance of Germaine Cellier. Miss Balmain sears the air like a beacon, like one of her Gauloises, penetrating the atmosphere.

Strong, metallic rose petals and oily, organic surfaces; quasar quinolines emitting energy; a "Miss" that hits the target squarely, nowhere near as demure as her honorific suggests. Witchy without any witch hunt; bold, bright, and unrelenting, like the ruffled arc orange tagetes marigolds in the garden of earthly delights. Smoke and soap mingle at a cocktail party serving stiff drinks, clasping tilting figures with wandering hands, tracing silhouettes through the haze. It's pretty in pink yet serving black magic. Clearly, I am under its spell, even as it descends into pillows of moss and whispers of worldly grit.

I like Bandit and Cabochard, but after this beauty, not so much anymore. What a scent...

Leathery floral perfection (vintage parfum).

I dislike Bandit, but I love Miss Balmain. There is something in this one (coriander? carnation?) that allows some light to enter the darkly leathered picture and softens the ice-pick-to-the-nose attitude that leather chypres can exhibit. Miss B is still bitter and mossy and smokey, don't get me wrong, but there are moments of florality and citrus here that make her shadowy, rather than pitch black. I find the combination of rough leather and cigarette pack both mysterious and sophisticated in a rather worldly and sexily androgynous way. Yum!

EDP from 1970.
Well, here you go with the beautiful butter of Oakmoss.
The Adelhydes, Citrus and Florals provide a landscape which leads to a soft Feminine Leather , nicely powdered up with Tonka and Amber.
Some say similar to Cabochard. Maybe, however the Cabochard Vintage leans a little more Masculine. Miss Balmain is very nice for the girls.

On my skin, way too much leather and too one dimensional. Could not get 'English Leather' out of my mind. Only after 6 hours do the somewhat less aggressive notes come through and does it become a more restrained, feminine scent (at least on me). Much prefer my spicy florientals. Will not buy again.