STRANGELOVE NYC
meltmyheart EDP

2015

PERFUMER
Christophe Laudamiel

orris
oud
sandalwood
ylang-ylang
white magnolia
sage
ginger
mandarin
dark chocolate

‘Surrender your love…meltmyheart (Melt My Heart)
meltmyheart inspires romance and indulgence for devoted lovers. This sumptuous oriental contains pure orris, a sought-after delicacy in perfumery for which there is no substitute. Like the warmth of true love, orris is irreplaceable. Our sensual blend is deepened by the sultriness of beloved oud and sandalwood, soothing ylang ylang combines with a hint of white magnolia and French sage to boost spirits. With their irresistible influence, purified ginger, stimulating mandarin, and luscious dark chocolate complete this enthralling creation. Tender and poetic, meltmyheart embodies an eternal bond between kindred spirits.’ – StrangeLove

Meltmyheart has always been my favorite Strangelove fragrance (I’d sampled them in 2022 and smelled them multiple times when I encountered them in store). Upon properly testing and reviewing them again in 2024, Meltmyheart still sits on the throne. I will say that my perception of it has changed a little bit, but not necessarily for better or worse.

I’ve always referred to Meltmyheart as a chocolate fragrance in the past. And there is a lot of chocolate to be had in this; dark, not too sweet, quite melancholic even to my nose. More forward perhaps is the iris and while it’s a beautiful combination, the apparently high-priced natural iris doesn’t move me as much as iris does in several other fragrances.

It’s a bit cold and minimal in Meltmyheart. Beautiful, but not as creamy as some and the iris here does not have much of a vegetal, carrot quality either. Not to be confused with iris concrete as a material, but the iris and chocolate mix reminds me a bit of concrete in Meltmyheart, of brittle stones in a cold, empty construction site. Just made sweet enough to be exciting and nice to wear as a perfume, but barely or not sweet enough to be considered gourmand. Mind you, up close, my skin seems to pull the chocolate a lot more to the forefront than in the air, where I mostly smell iris throughout.

What I appreciate more in Meltmyheart this time around, is the citrus. Citrus, ginger and a drop of ylang-ylang (and maybe also absinthe) add a nondescript, subtle yellow-orange hue to the otherwise starker scent. It’s not particularly fruity, of floral for that matter, but it adds a levity, like a ray of sunlight over that construction site.

I love it for what it is and I think, that I would grow to appreciate Meltmyheart even more if I had a bottle that I’d wear frequently. The subtlety of the sweetness makes for a more introverted, contemplative wear that I’d likely grow less tired of than your average chocolate gourmand. Iris, being my favorite note in perfumery, is done in a stately manner here. Meltmyheart feels like a more toned down (in regards to the iris and ginger) and more chocolatey sibling to one of my favorites, Les Abstraits Belle Ame. Or the King to my Xerjoff Irisss, which I’ve always considered to be like the Queen of my collection and is equally regal.

It is expensive for what you get, but if I run into a solid deal at a time that my wallet allows it, Meltmyheart may find a home in my collection one day.