MAISON MATAHA
ESCAPADE GOURMANDE
2020
PERFUMER
Vincent Ricord
black sugar
vanilla
tonka bean
musk
‘With no colorants, this first 35% concentrated fragrance has been designed to be as gourmand as possible.. Imagine yourself on a journey amidst Vanilla, Black Sugar, Tonka Bean and Musk that intertwine, making your presence powerful and comforting. A luscious, appetizing, seductive and enveloping fragrance reminiscent of the crème brulée of our childhood. Escape everyday habits for a gourmet getaway.’ – Maison Mataha
If you’re looking for a super straight-forward vanillic scent, Escapade Gourmande offers a solid, but overpriced option.
I find this style of perfumery hard to review. Escape Gourmande is a €190 ‘niche perfume’, that to my nose, smells like I could make it myself with 3 ingredients. It’s one of the most straight-forward, uninteresting vanilla’s on the market. I’d say on par with a Kalotinis Cotton Candy. It has less going on than the Kayali marshmallow fragrances. On the other hand, for a straight forward, it wears a tad nicer to me than the frosting-vanilla Jovoy Fire At Will, which is a fragrance who’s hype I’ll never understand. I’d have to revisit the ever-popular Bianco Latte, but I think I may slightly prefer the Maison Mataha in that case as well.
In the opening, Escapade Gourmande has a bit more spiciness than some other full-on gourmands, but they don’t feel sharp to the nose. Instead, from the get go, until the very end, you mostly get airy, dry vanilla-caramel. I think what this has going for it is performance, as it lasts rather well, despite feeling thin and airy. Without smelling too harsh or screechy (nor does it smell remotely smooth, soft, lactonic or creamy though).
I can see why people would like the wear this and it does a good job for what it’s supposed to offer. On the other hand, it almost feels like pseudo-perfumery to me, where I feel you might as well get yourself some diluted ethyl maltol and some white musk, of which you could buy liters for the price of Escapade Gourmande.