— fragrance —

Mistral Wild Blackberry Perfume Review

August 31, 2010

Mistral Wild Blackberry

Here in the Pacific Northwest, ripe blackberries mean that summer is almost over. It’s a good time to review Mistral Wild Blackberry perfume with summer officially ending soon. My love of blackberry musk fragrances is a recent love. I started liking these after living in Washington. I rarely had blackberries in the Southeast because bugs and “vermin” would get to this luscious berries before I could. The first summer we moved here, I couldn’t get over the blackberries! They were everywhere, plump, ripe, literally hitting the ground or rotting on vine. There were so many varieties as well! I spent my last weeks of summer, picking berries in the sunshine and freezing reductions for winter. Mistral Wild Blackberry is this last few weeks of summer in a bottle topped with a little bow.

Mistral Wild Blackberry is a “mûre et musc” fragrance. It’s a sweet, fruity musk fragrance. At first, I do get juicy citrus and greenness. The greenness is from violet leaves and I can tell. There’s a softness to it.  These notes aren’t very “bold”,this really is a blackberry musk fragrance. The citrus and greenness make this fragrance’s top feel fresher than other blackberry musks. It is like being outside picking overripe blackberries from a hostile bramble on a sunny day. The fragrance then gets very “berry” but not in a childish candy way. It really does smell like fresh berries. It’s fresh berries staining my fingertips :). Of course it’s an interpretation, prettier than in real-life, no thorns. It reminds me of both varieties of blackberries found here in Washington (Armenian and Pacific), marionberries, loganberries, black currants, and huckleberries. I don’t mean to be so “berry” specific.  What I’m trying to say is that the berries in this Mistral fragrance smell like all the berries that I can pick during a certain time of year in a Pacific coastal climate. These berries smell “dark”, musky and related to blackberries. Eventually, the berries begin to mingle with creamy vanilla and musk. The fragrance is sweet in that classic blackberry musk fashion (a slightly fruity, “clean” musk). This fragrance is sweet but not something that I would want to eat. This isn’t really gourmand despite all the foody notes. This fragrance does a better job of describing a “place and time” versus a dessert.

I really like Mistral Wild Blackberry EDP. I think it really is a great interpretation of blackberry. It really smells like standing near a blackberry bramble in late summer. It’s sweet and fruity but the musk makes it “grown-up”. This perfume really reminds me of the last few weeks of August. This fragrance is kind of depressing because of that. I mean I like this time of year and I love picking berries (a little too much), but it’s sad too. This time of year means summer is ending and that cooler weather is approaching and the days are getting shorter. Mistral Wild Blackberry is a beautiful scent for late summer and fall. It really feels like a transition scent going from juicy fruitiness (summer) to creamy musk (fall).

Blackberries

This is a long-wearing fragrance. I smell it many hours after application, like 10+ hours, wearing very closely to the skin. However, these last few hours, this fragrance just smells very vanilla on me. Even my husband smelled this on me when I no longer noticed it. He said, “You smell just like a blackberry bramble and I like it.” (He didn’t know what scent I was wearing and I’m impressed with his ability to identify it or maybe I’m impressed with this fragrance’s ability to convey this?)

Notes listed include medley of four unique berries, sweet grenadine, lemon, orange, crushed violet leaves, vanilla, and musk.

There are many blackberry musk fragrances on the market. I have yet to declare my favorite blackberry musk , many more to try. I do know that I like Mistral Wild Blackberry because of the fresher top notes on top of the rich, fruity musk. I really wish I had a full-size bottle. Currently, it’s my favorite. I like it better than Trish McEvoy and L’Artisan Parfumeur. Give Mistral Wild Blackberry a try if you like blackberry musk fragrances or fragrances such as Trish McEvoy Sexy #9, Sula Blackberry Bush, L’Artisan Parfumeur Mûre et Musc, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Eau de Gantier, L’Aromarine Mûre et Musc Perfume Oil, Badgley Mischka Couture, Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy, and/or Crazylibellule & The Poppies Vanilla Ganache Crazystick. This is also a nice replacement for discontinued Avon Make Me Wonder(which grew on me over time).

My husband and I picked so many blackberries this weekend. We made about 2 gallons of reduction to freeze! I made a lavender black tea and Meyer lemon cheesecake to drizzle the blackberry reduction over. Hubby made blackberry mojitos, yum. What do you do with blackberries? Please share any recipes with me.

UPDATE: Product has been discontinued but they still make the soap.

 

*DISCLAIMER – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. 

17 thoughts on “Mistral Wild Blackberry Perfume Review”

    1. I guess it’s a “classic” French thing. I often hear musks referred to as “blackberry-ish”. I do get musk from berries.
      I really like this fragrance. I don’t know if I want to smell like a blackberry bramble or if I want my living space to. The creamy, vanilla notes make this very wearable.
      Now I have to go check out your Boxeuses review!

  2. I spent some summers in the Pacific Northwest with my grandparents, which is probably why I have a weakness for blackberry scents, too. I have the L’Aromarine, L’Artisan, a small bottle of Mûre Sauvage from Yves Rocher, Ann Taylor Blackberry Sandalwood body mist, and Lulu Guinness “Cast a Spell” (a very sweet, candy blackberry). Kicking myself for not picking up a couple of Mistral fragrances when I had a chance!

    1. This fragrance really reminds me of late summer in the Pacific Northwest. This may be a very “nostalgic” scent for you. Like I said, my fondness for these grew when I moved.I think http://www.b-glowing.com sells samples of this fragrance.
      I have the L’Aromarine, sample of L’Artisan and Cast a Spell. I like all of these. I didn’t know that Yves Rocher has a blackberry fragrance (they do fruits nicely). I need to check this out! Also, curious about the Ann Taylor.
      I think YSL Parisienne, Lalique Amethyst, Memoire Liquide Champagne et Mure have blackberry notes.

  3. The musky smell of blackberry bushes on a hot day is one of my favorite scents. You are right, it is the scent of summer ending!

    Problem is, vanilla bothers me in a perfume…it’s a scent that brings out regret and sadness in me. It’s the reason I didn’t buy the Blue Cedar at Yves Rocher..it may not have vanilla in it, but there is something in there that smells of it.

    However, if (when) I get over my vanilla phobia, I would love to try this perfume. It does sound quite lovely…and the stuff you and you husband are making with your harvest sound delicious!!

    1. I used to be the biggest vanilla hater on the planet for the same reasons! What’s happened to me? Am I now a sad and regretful person? My tastes have changed. I like vanilla these days.
      I love berries. We need to buy a deep freeze for all of them. There is nothing better than having a bit of summer in the dead of winter.

        1. I also have negative emotions associated with that fragrance. Strange, huh? It took me years to get over it, but I think I can wear Body Shop Vanilla now.
          You know what I associate vanilla with? Smokers. All the smokers in my life tried to cover-up their smoking odors either on themselves or in their homes/cars with vanilla! I admit that vanilla “goes” with cigarette smoke 🙂

    1. I don’t know if I’d eat this one (smells like a bramble), but it is very beautiful. Especially beautiful if you like blackberries and vanilla.

  6. I’ve been looking for the perfect blackberry scent. I find them but they are all drowning in vanilla ice cream!

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