Balmain de Balmain Pierre Balmain for women

This EdT starts out sharp and aldehydic, with citrus, galbanum, and lavender. It’s green-green-green, but a fresh herbal green, not a grassy green. In the background is a skunky sandalwood note and a vetiver base. The herbal greenness persists throughout the entire drydown, which is fairly linear.

It was a warm, sunny day when I wore this, and its cool geen character was perfect. I’m not big on green perfumes, but have to say that this is one is excellent. Sillage is just right and the scent lasts a full day, 8-12 hours on skin. If you’re looking for a non-sweet green perfume that doesn’t have any annoying leafy or grassy notes, you probably won’t find a better bargain than Balmain de Balmain.

bergamot, oak moss and vetiver with some rosy notes at the dry down (currant buds are not my favorite at all but they are composed here very well). Very nice, impressive and not sharp as some chypres are. It is like a stronger and more confident version of RP "Futur" on my skin. Classy, french and wonderful but underrated fragrance.

I cant imagine how this one could pass for a unisex fragrance, it is thoroughly feminine. I get strong bergamot and rose, dont know about currant buds, havent smelled those. Overall, a very high quality fragrance. 9/10

Update: Now, after having this on my arm for about six hours, I can say that this smells as good as any Chanel, it is really incredible. The price is ridiculous, so I agree with sherapop that there is a major discrepancy in the cost/performance relation in the case of BdB. This smells way more than it costs.

I agree it's not unisex but deeply feminine. I love it, love it a lot. It's chypre but green, flowery but not sweet with a strong personality. I would compare it to YSL Rive Gauche not for the composition but for the character. It's perfect everyday and even more perfect in autumn. Lovely, elegant; a must indeed.

On my skin this is very feminine and smooth, no unisex at all. Fresh without sharpness. Love it!

پس از اینکه 2 شیشه از این عطر را مصرف کردم تازه متوجه شدم این عطر یک عطر زنانه است. البته برای نخستین بار آقای فروشنده آنرا بعنوان یک عطر مردانه بمن معرفی کرد و بوی آن آنچنان مرا تحت تاثیر قرار دادکه بلافاصله آنرا خریدم. بر روی شیشه هیچگونه علامتی مبنی بر زنانه بودن این عطر وجود ندارد. یکروز به یک فروشگاه معتبر عطر رفتم و این عطر را سفارش دادم و در کمال تعجب فروشنده بمن گفت که این عطر زنانه می باشد. بنظر من کاملا میتوان از آن بعنوان یک عطر یونیسکس نام برد. یادم می آید پسرم را زمانیکه 5 ساله بود برای معالجه دندانهایش نزد یک خانم دندانپزشک میبردم. پس از دو سه باری که به مطب رفتیم آن خانم بمن گفت ببخشید میتوانم بپرسم از چه عطری استفاده میکنید؟ هر موقع که به مطب من می آئید بوی خوب آن مرا سرمست میکند البته خیلی برایم دشوار بود که این سوال را بپرسم ولی بالاخره امروز آنرا مطرح کردم. یک عطر معرکه که از 10 به آن نمره 10 میدهم

This could be worn my men easily. The drydown is pleasant and it knocks my socks off. makes me happy

Be cautious, if you are into rose scents,
this is not one of them!

Not a lot of flowers are added to the composition.

The apple and black currant leaf notes
should be indicated in the base note section.
After 5 hours of application they are still around.

This one has a true unisex appeal!
I think it is a stunning fragrance.

Top-notes are bergamot, a mixture of herbs I can't take apart and some leathery notes which add up to a characteristic cloud recognizable on the spot. After a short while, Balmain de Balmain develops are more flowery aspect, probably some jasmine here, giving way to a classic chypre mix based on oakmoss and resins.
Balmain de Balmain’s development is a pleasure to observe on my skin, the scent lasts and lasts and does not cease to please my senses.

Another big plus: Balmain de Balmain is not expensive, but "rare" in the sense that you'll probably be the only one in your neighourhood wearing it.

A great alternative to Miss Balmain (too bitter and leathery for me) or Ivoire (which I find too harsh and soapy). Balmain de Balmain seems to be underrated in spite of its highly distinctive character. I find it marvellous to spray on when you feel you need a bit of élan and energy. I also find it quite sensuous, playing on the scale of middle and bottom tonalities like a beautiful violoncello. Give it a try! No roaring success for "Balmain de Balmain" on the market, Balmain de Balmain seems to be underrated in spite of its highly distinctive character. Balmain de Balmain is a great way to wear a Balmain original with elegance and taste.
10 out of 10 on my personal scale

Balmain De Balmain è un profumo raffinato
Lo descriverei sulla mia pelle come chypre verde poco persistente

I love this! A true chypre. Everything blended so well as to make individual notes unrecognizable to me, the whole being definitely greater than the sum of the parts.

The opening is chypre-sharp and the floral is definitely green (I would call it a green chypre, myself) but after several minutes it softens a bit and gives way to a very subtly sweet floral on top of that chypre base.

To me it smells elegant and sophisticated. I imagine if I met someone who impressed me with their chic yet down to earth style, then I got close enough to smell their perfume, I'd say to myself, "yeah, it figures a person like this would wear a perfume like that."

a good masculine too

My privat nose (I mean my cat) loves it, and as usual I trust her opinion!

I was clumsy on my left arm again and spilled all 1 ml sample in one moment, my left wrist was covered in Balmain de Balmain.
The openining is somehow masculine, but I decided not to judge the scent on that. As I have understoond more and more Chypres get in my heart.
Balmain de Balmain soon after the masculine opening starts to change and show's it's more feminine side. The scent still has some masculine qualities, but it starts to get more and more fresh/spicy and green.
I must mention, that I did hope for more feminine scent, but, well ok. The flowers here are not visible. I do get some sparkly rose which is covered in citruses, but there is no sweetness of Jasmin or dryness of Iris. Weirdly at the heart phase I start to get some smoky, woodsy notes which in some strange fuss reminds me of coffee (?) or something of that kind. Warm, yet spicy and bittersweet.
I'm so not sure about this scent. Do I like it? Yes. Do I love it? Do i find it feminine enough? This all makes it very addictive and I'm stuck with my nose upon my wrist trying to decide what do I get from Balmain de Balmain.
I love the heart phase. That's sure. It is little bit too masculine in my opinion. Ah, what to do. I love the smoky, bitersweet part very much.
I will leave this as it is. Too masculine for me, but with the heart phase to die for. Oh.

Better test before buy, but for masculine chypre lovers this could be a real gem.

I'm not the one for chypres...
I respect them, but I don't wear them.
'Me' is not a chypre.

Like the other member, I knew nothing about Balmain before I tried it, I thought it was another classic chypre that I'll try and leave behind, or put on the list 'try in 10 years'.

Wrong!
The second it touched my skin, I knew it was different. I also had a association with sun - sun dapples. So positive and happy!
I don't really get separate notes, I just know it's a chypre, and it's a different one. Lighter than most of the ones I've tried, a green variation on a classic and timeless accord...
I think it's a right one for chypre beginners. It's classy but not too difficult.

The only drawback is that it doesn't last long ... totally evaporated from my skin in 2 hours.

My man likes it! He didn't care when I told him it's targeted to women. I think it could easily be a unisex.

I'm wearing it today and I feel great! 15C degrees, cloudless sky, autumn sun warming my face - and a beautiful, light, green, herbal chypre.

Maybe it's a beginng of a new romance...

Thank you for a sample, F.! :)

P.S. This is actually the 3rd chypre I really enjoy. The others are Aromatics Elixir and Eau de Campagne.


Update: I don't lke Eau de Campagne anymore. Balmain is so much better! And the price ...

Balmain perfumes btw are masterpieces, starting from Vent Vert to Ambre Gris. Ivoire, Jolie Madame and Miss Balmain are obligatory perfumes for expert collectors like ourselfs here. Ambre Gris is sheer heaven, it hurts too much to actually use that one. This perfume, Balmain de Balmain, is a masterpiece too. So, in terms of quality, Balmain is a cannot go wrong.

You are so right Kterhark! Price does not indicate quality or complexity of perfumes! I do see an indication of price and higher concentration of natural oils, but it is no guarantee for a complex creation. The nose behind the fragrance most of the time does give a good indication of the quality however. For example, The Elizabeth Taylor line is all or mostly all Grosjman and that you can smell totally!
Good luck!
Action

I knew nothing of this scent because it came by way of a swap. I assumed it was an old school classic, via the 1940's or 50's, and came with a $60-$80 price tag. Surprise surprise!

This has one of the best refreshing openings I've come across. It's like walking around with your own cloud of sunshine that no one can rain upon. Bergamot and galbanum always put a smile on my face, but here you get a twinkle of the eye for free!

I even entertained thoughts of putting away my planned Chamade purchase and getting this instead. Then something bad happened... my umbrella of sunshine sprung a leak.

I'm learning a trick between higher quality and lower quality perfumes. With lower, and this is not indicated by price becuase I've seen it in $200 perfumes, vetiver wears like a sandstorm that blew in from across a rancid lake.

It's a real parade stopper here, but for the first hour the parade is delightful!

I love this stuff, it's the best new Balmain among their chypres, since they have ruined Miss Balmain and dumbed down Jolie Madame with reformulation; it is also a wonderful green scent to replace what they have done to Vent Vert. The question is why not just keep Vent Vert, once one of the world's great Green Florals, instead of changing it so drastically and then coming out with something really nice like Balmain de Balmain? I would love to be a fly on the wall at the PB Marketing and Product Development department meetings.

In an effort to determine why a 100ml bottle of BALMAIN costs less than a button on a Pierre Balmain blouse (their tshirts start at $3K...), I went to the venerable house's website and found BALMAIN featured there with the following info:

"La séduction, l’élégance d’une silhouette… L’éclat, la lumière, la sensualité d’un regard… Le raffinement, la sophistication d’un geste… Un certain mélange de classicisme et de modernité dans le style…Il existe un jeu permanent entre élégance et féminité, qui entretient tout le mystère, et qui fait qu’une femme soit si complice des notes de « son » parfum.

Parfum Chypré

Notes de Tête: Bergamote de Calabre, Galbanum du Moyen Orient, Poivre Noir, Cassis de Bourgogne

Notes de Cœur: Clair de Jasmin, Violette de Tourette sur Loup, Rose de Mai, Iris de Florence

Notes de Fond: Patchouli d’Indonésie, Mousse de Chêne, Santal de Mysore, Vétiver d’Indonésie"
*************************

Pretty impressive for less than $20! I still can't figure this out. Pierre Balmain is strictly haute couture--they have not jumped on the bandwagon of designers who run low-brow lines at Target, Wallmart, H&M, or whatever. There must be some sort of major décalage [disconnect] between the various departments at PB, because this just doesn't make any sense. Now for my review:

BALMAIN opens fairly sharply, with a serious bergamot note that holds on and maintains a citrus demeanor for several minutes. The galbanum is also pronounced. All the way throughout, the florals are very low key (nb: PB calls this a chypre, not a chypre floral...) and the chypre elements come in fairly quickly, moving straight to a vetiver-heavy drydown. As others have observed, this is a very masculine feminine fragrance. I love this. But I love Guerlain CORIOLAN, ostensibly for men. In fact, I think that BALMAIN is more masculine than CORIOLAN. Seriously. But that's not a demerit in my book, because I love savory scents such as this. To put this chypre in a bit of perspective, BALMAIN is much less foggy than many of the more famous feminine chypres. The oakmoss receives a very light hand in this composition, which will be good news for those who suffocate in oakmoss-suffused frags.

It's pretty clear that the only prêt-a-porter that I'll ever be owning from the house of Pierre Balmain is their perfume. But it's great, and their entire collection is on my wish list.

Gives me a headache and the feeling that I don´t know where to go to avoid the smell. Very irritating. I am sorry.

I'm testing a group of Balmain scents at the moment, and Chypre Floral is one of my favorite scent categories, so any fragrance from this group deserves a good try.

Sadly, this was the only Balmain I've tried so far that didn't work for me. Balmain de Balmain smelled lovely in the bottle, but ended up being very sharp and sour on my skin, with a touch of something that irritated my nose.

I noticed the scent evolving over time and revealing its layers, but even the heart and base notes continued to smell unpleasant on me. I'm sure it's just not compatible with my chemistry and would be lovely on the right man or woman. (I agree with the previous reviews that suggest it is unisex.)

This is a good one to sample before purchasing a bottle.

This is decidedly masculine smelling to me. I ordered it over the internet without having smelled it first because I read good reviews about it and it was a bargain price. Although I find the scent quite pleasant it starts out quite masculine smelling and doesn't evolve (on me anyway) into anything more feminine, yet based on reviews I had read I thought the more feminine notes would start to come through after awhile. I don't smell any iris, jasmine or rose in it at all, just the heavier, smokier notes, although they're not harsh but quite soft notes. In my view this scent would work much better on a man than a woman, so I can recommend it for a man or for a woman who doesn't mind wearing masculine smelling scents!!

I'd like to say: it's elegant, green chypre. First time I bought it in 2001 and it became my favorit so far.