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"…and there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon. It captured the light and refined it and gave it back in silver incandescence…" – John Steinbeck, The Pearl – 1947
M. Micallef's newest addition to the Mon Parfum series, Mon Parfum Pearl, is now available for sale and will be shown at Esxence 2018. I am smitten with this new fragrance and could swear that the perfume wears like a strand of fine, round luminous pearls. As any lover of these organic gems will tell you, pearls become more beautiful when they are nestled against the skin. The heat of our bodies enhances the luster of the softly lucent orbs, and, like the gems themselves, M. Micallef Mon Parfum Pearl opens as it warms; creating a glow that seems to come from within.
Vogue Gioiello May 2013
Mon Parfum Pearl is the perfect complement to the three other fragrances in the Mon Parfum Series – Mon Parfum, Mon Parfum Cristal and Mon Parfum Gold. Like these previous offerings, Mon Parfum Pearl is housed in a uniquely shaped and decorated bottle, brought to us by designer Martine Micallef and perfumers Geoffrey Nejman and Jean Claude Astier. M. Micallef Mon Parfum Pearl initially manifests as a succulent breath of mandarin and berries, polished and rounded with the touch of velvety smooth rosebuds. After ten minutes a glowing warmth begins to take over the fragrance as the magic of Rose de Mai, the Centifolia Rose of Grasse, unfolds and is touched with the nacreous shimmer of powdery heliotrope and fresh, wet peony.
Sarina by EmilySoto on deviantART
Like a strand of white, lustrous, gem-quality South Sea Pearls, M. Micallef Mon Parfum Pearl glows with radiant innocence and simplicity, while at the same time projecting a suggestion of power and sophistication. I would like to add here that there is a distinctive difference in the progression of the scent depending on where it is applied. I found that in order to experience the full effect of the fragrant heart of Mon Parfum Pearl it is necessary to spritz on the skin, not just on clothing. The impression of youth, purity and the moonlit, milky qualities of M. Micallef Mon Parfum Pearl can best be appreciated as the perfume warms directly on the body.
Photo:Vitor Shalom ©
As the fragrance progresses, a cozy rice powder note adds a touch of gourmand to the lustrous, wet, pearlescent symmetry, creating a sense of dewdrops reflecting the light of the moon. Mon Parfum Pearl continues the dry down with this same soothing touch of rice powder, coupled with nuances of white flowers and musk, remaining present and obvious for at least six hours on skin and overnight on clothing.
Movie Poster for Desire
The character of Aristide Duval, the jeweler in the 1936 film "Desire" starring Marlene Dietrich, described pearls like this: "What symmetry! What art! They are the tears of mermaids." For thousands of years pearls have been central to myths and legends, to trade and commerce. We see pearls depicted by Johannes Vermeer in his Girl with a Pearl Earring and Woman with a Pearl Necklace.
Elizabeth Taylor adorned in pearls from the 1973 Movie Ash Wednesday
Pearls have adorned the gods, men and women, from Krishna to Cleopatra, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to Elizabeth Taylor. Over the centuries kings and commoners have treasured the natural pearls from the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Paria near Venezuela. They have coveted akoya cultured pearls from Kobe, Japan and swooned over huge Tahitian and Australian South Sea pearls. China's Zhejiong province is known for the cultivation of affordable, luminous freshwater pearls.
Gail’s necklaces of Akoya, Tahitian and Freshwater Pearls ©
In addition to my necklaces of akoyas, Tahitians and freshwaters, and my earrings from the South Seas, I now have the option of adorning my body with a new lustrous pearl, an olfactory gem created in Grasse, France M. Micallef Mon Parfum Pearl. Notes: Rosebud, mandarin, blackberries, heliotrope, Centifolia rose, peony, rice powder and white musk.
Disclaimer: Many thanks M. Micallef for my treasured bottle of Mon Parfum Pearl. My opinions are my own.
Gail Gross – Senior Editor
Art Direction: Michelyn Camen – Editor-in-Chief
Gail’s photo of M. Micallef Mon Parfum Pearl and her strand of pearls©
Thanks to the generosity of M. Micallef we have one 100 ml bottle of M. Micallef Mon Parfum Pearl available to one registered reader anywhere in the world. (Be sure to register or your comment will not count.) To be eligible for the draw, please tell us where you live and what appeals to you about Gail's review. You can also let us know if you have a favorite M. Micallef fragrance or, a cherished piece of pearl jewelry or a favored variety of pearl. Draw closes 3/30/2018
We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our Site feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.