HS3

A while back, I ordered a sample set of MDCI fragrances from Claude Marchal, the incredibly gregarious man behind the MDCI brand in France. (you can see that post here) My wife fell in love with a couple of them, and I was smitten with Invasion Barbare. There is a lot in the collection, so even 10ml can sometimes take a while to get through, especially when you’re savoring each spray. I finally reached the end of the decant, nearly 2 years after the sample set purchase and had to get a bottle so I could wear it with abandon.

Stéphanie Bakouche has created for MDCI a complex formula where the soft and the wild, the fresh and the sensual, interact with warm, precious oriental notes.

Here we have an “oriental fern,” spicy and aromatic, with a captivating blend of grapefruit, bergamot, violet leaves, white thyme, cardamome, lavender and ginger headnotes.

A warm heart of cedarwood, bourbon vanilla and musc creates a precious and definitely masculine base which here too contribute to a well-balanced construction, true to the demands of the brand: elegant, precious, masculine and extremely sophisticated.

Here are some photos of the bottle, along with the resin edition of the bust:

MDCI offers perhaps the best sample program of any I’ve seen. It’s not cheap by any means, but you get more than your money’s worth. I recently purchased the 7 fragrance sample set from them and couldn’t be more pleased with the level of service and the pleasure of dealing with the owner, Claude Marchal. For 77 euros, you can choose 7 of the 9 fragrances from the collection (the 7 set was only recently added… used to only be able to get 5). Being in the US, the VAT is dropped, but is replaced by the cost of shipping. You can order through paypal from this page.

The samples are huge – I would estimate 10+ ml in each, judging from how much they filled 15ml spray bottles I put them in. The amount of perfume that you’re able to experience with the set is an incredible deal considering the cost of a bottle.

The box for the 5 sample set appears to have been made specifically for 5 of the small flacons, but this one seems to have perhaps been made for something else, and used for the 7 sample set. Nonetheless, they come neatly wrapped and arranged in a nice quality box, with a card from Claude. Photos of the 5 sample set can be seen on Nathan Branch’s blog.

The threaded bottle size is actually a standard size that I’ve found fits sprayers purchased from accessoriesforfragrances.com, so you can simply add an atomizer and cut to size the fit these bottles. I would recommend this sample set to anyone interested in the line – it’s hugely generous and a great way to give extensive attention rather than a brief opinion from a small sample.