ATELIER DES ORS
Blue Madeleine
2024
PERFUMER
Marie Salamagne
bergamot
pink pepper
cinnamon
rose centifolia
black tea
milky note
cade
peru balsam
praline
sandalwood
‘A tribute to the emotional power of the olfactive memory. My dear Madeleine, many times have I heard these stories, and never once have we tired of them. You forged and filled my imagination. Your tales of the tribulations and wild imaginings of the different members of our family are so close to my heart that they seem like a dream to me. I now have, thanks to you, my great theatre of memories, in which fantastic fables worthy of Jules Verne endlessly re-enact. You have surrounded me with all your attentions and are in all my happy memories. I owe my first olfactory memories to you : rhubarb tart, Auton pear jam, egg cream and all the other desserts I’ve patiently prepared alongside you. This Blue Madeleine fragrance is for you.’ – Atelier des Ors
Blue Madeleine was released alongside Villa Primerose; I went in expecting Blue Madeleine to be much more interesting. In a sense, I find it less generic, but at the same time, my preference between the two goes to Villa Primerose by a margin.
If you’ve read other reviews of Blue Madeleine, you probably seen remarks on it not smelling like madeleine cakes / snacks at all. I mostly agree. This feels like a bit of a mismatch with the concept. The tea, pink pepper and citrussy bergamot stand out from the start. It is a relatively light scent that is more abstract and hard to place. Not unpleasant, but it definitely didn’t scratch the itch for me, based on my expectations.
Where my experience misaligned with most of the reviews that I’ve seen of Blue Madeleine, is in its gourmand facets. I’ve talked to several people, who said it is a tea scent purely, with no gourmand leaning side. While this never goes remotely near the scent of madeleines to my nose, I do get a heavily sweetened (condensed) milk from this. Lactonic, lightly spiced tea with a citrussy edge.
Quality-wise, this is not one of the stand-outs from Atelier des Ors either for me. I think the bit of sweetness that I get in this, feels off; I don’t love that condensed milk vibe. While it doesn’t remind me of specific other fragrances and the scent doesn’t smell generic, the quality feels generic if that makes sense. Not bad and maybe I’m being fairly critical, but that’s because it felt underwhelming overall. Especially given that I had an opposite experience with the lovely Villa Primerose.