I’m trying so hard to make this post not sound like I’m not a whiny, jaded fumehead, but I have a feeling this post is going to come across like I’m a whiny, jaded fumehead.
As a fashion brand, I like (and own some) Maison Martin Margiela and I love the concept of the Replica line, so when I heard about the perfumes, I wanted to try them. But, then I didn’t. I can’t really describe why other than once I read about the inspiration, I felt they came across as cynical, contrived and frankly, unoriginal. I also didn’t like the labels and the “style description” of male or female (this I admit, is me being picky because the fashion brand does have “men’s collection and “women’s collection”). But, most of all, I felt these were themes had already been done.
Then I sniffed a few and they were not of the quality that I was expecting from Maison Martin Margiela. These come across as poorer versions of niche (and sometimes mainstream) perfumes that already exist. I felt like my original thoughts of cynical, contrived and frankly, unoriginal were now justified¹.
Beach Walk opens as ozonic florals with ozonic citrus. And then it becomes a jasmine (a shrill, synthetic jasmine) with creamy, sweet florals. It dries down to one of those sheer coconut woods with a salty vetiver that you often see in this sort of thing (i.e. Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess).
The scent itself isn’t bad but it gets on my nerves because I feel I can get this same theme done better by both niche and mainstream perfume brands. But, this is my preference and like I said, Beach Walk isn’t bad. I get why people like and wear “beach” scents.
I’ve also concluded that the fashion brand Maison Martin Margiela is cynical and like most fashion, contrived. So, I guess these perfumes fit in just fine with the brand…and now that Margiela, the man himself, has exited the fashion house, who knows where the line is going. I mean, it’s a line without a creative director, so whatever.
Notes listed include bergamot, pink pepper, lemon, ylang ylang, coconut milk, heliotrope, musk, cedar and benzoin.
Give Beach Walk a try if you like “beach” scents or ozonic florals. Or if you like Bobbi Brown Beach, Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess, Avon Tahitian Holiday, Yves Rocher Manoï EDT, CB I Hate Perfume At the Beach 1966 and/or Bond No. 9 Fire Island.
Beach Walk has above average projection and longevity. It wears more like an EDP than an EDT.
The 3.4 oz bottle retails for $125 at Sephora and Harrods (UK).
Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Ozonic “beach” floral. I’m only irritated by it because it reminds me of a lot of other perfumes by niche and mainstream lines. It’s not bad and I didn’t hate wearing it, but I don’t feel it offers anything new to the perfume world and that bothers me. Yes, I’m a whiny, jaded fumehead.
¹Slightly off topic – Years and years ago, a perfume pal and me were discussing how sick we were of seeing a new, giant niche perfume brand launched weekly. We had been drinking and we joked about coming up with a cynical niche perfume line inspired by people’s memories, playing on perfumistas’ nostalgia named like Sineque (or something equally as dumb). We joked there’d be a boardwalk scent, a playground scent, a carnival scent, a smoky bar scent, etc. What’s so funny is that in our joke of “OMG, let’s launch a line that is made only to sell with like a dozen different scents ripped from other niche brands” is well, a hell of a lot like MMM’s Replica! I guess we really missed our chance 😉
Want more reviews? Try…
XO Vain – Post on coconut scents
Fragrantica – Member reviews
I felt like being whiny when I smelled the Replica line too. I work at Sephora and have watched our in-store fragrance department shrink and (in my opinion) get more one dimensional. So you can imagine how excited I was when I came in to work one day to see a brand new niche brand on the shelf. I immediately tried each and every one and was underwhelmed and bummed out that I didn’t love any of them. I hate bashing any product because I know there is something for everyone out there but still I have to say thank you – am glad to know it wasn’t just me.
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In theory, it should be a great line and it seems like a great addition to stores like Sephora. My problem is that I can think of a perfume for each one of the Replicas that already is sold at the mall and well, could arguably be “better”.
But, like you said, there is something for everyone. And at the end of the day, wear what you love and don’t worry about what others have to say 😉
The only one I really like is Jazz Club and yeah, the whole labeling of male/female seems dumb. Jazz club is the only one marked as male but apparently women really like it. A sephora staffer said it was really popular with women and that she herself wears it. Another staffer said men can’t wear florals to which my boyfriend said “I could.” Cue nervous laughter.
But on the whole, I’m not really impressed with this line. For this price point I expect more. I also don’t care for the labels…
I wonder if marketing it as “male” has helped them some? Like I sometimes think women think “wow, I’ll be the only woman wearing this” and sort of like that feeling of exclusivity. Now saying that, I do think the perfume is perfectly unisex and I can see why women like it so much.
Haha, laughing at “cue nervous laughter”, oh, those sales associates…
You were a lot nicer than I am able to be. I found it terribly disappointing. I got it in a sample pack from Sephora I think and thought, “oh, a nice looking beachy scent”. Now, I would wear Acqua di Gio or Bronze Goddess but this is, to me, like someone mixed knock-offs of the two together. Not what I would have expected from MMM.
It could have been much better IMO. It does seem like an afterthought or “recycled” beachy formulas. Not bad (like not a scrubber) but it’s rather dull.
The packaging looks like something from the Gap.
So, so Gap-y.
Hey! That is still a good idea. 🙂
Apparently…here these are actually doing really well in Sephora.