Mille et Une Histoire by Hubert Maes : Perfume Review

I was delighted to be the one to introduce Histoire Charnelle with a review back in November of 2007 and now I find myself once again in the felicitous position to be the one to introduce to you the newest gem by Hubert Maes. I know how much you Fragrance Bouquet readers love reading about little-known, fascinating perfume finds, and this one won’t disappoint: It is beautiful.

Its name -as evocative as Hubert Maes’ prior three releases- is Mille et Une Histoire (A Thousand and One Stories) and is inspired by the collection of Oriental (in the original meaning of the word - that is, Arabian, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Middle Eastern) folk stories and tales known as A Thousand and One Nights. With it, Maes this time alludes to the multifaceted nature of woman, referencing the thousand characteristics of the female being in appreciation. Compassionate, dynamic, charitable, ambitious, powerful and tender… The list goes on and on, a never-ending story which celebrates all that it is to be a woman.

Like Histoire Charnelle before it, Mille et Une Histoire projects an air of refinement and continental affluence. The perfumed veil rising from the skin instantly denotes smart femininity and unfailingly bespeaks its sophistication - undoubtedly due to the associations that accompany its rather vintage character: There is an unmistakable feel of old-world charm in Mille et Une Histoire, one that says “This is perfume as perfume used to be”. In a world where most new perfume releases cater monotonously to a very specific target group, I salute this for daring to be different in the bravest manner.

After a bright citrusy twist, a beautiful ionone backdrop of violet unfolds, buttery and smooth, with green accents and a surprisingly intense salty feel. Top notes of peach add a delightfully light fruitiness that is most ephemeral: they fizzle out within the first five minutes of application. What is long-lasting however is the beautifully aromatic, subtly smoky scent of black cardamom and the lovely, spicy, reminiscent of ground pepper quality that was a signature in Histoire Charnelle as well. In the heart of the fragrance we find the carnal sensuality of ylang-ylang, lapping lustfully at the rest of the notes. The powerful floral is used with utmost consideration and diplomacy, perfectly allowing its exotic character to shine and reach its full potential, but never allowing it to overtake the composition. It is complemented beautifully by high quality cedar essential oil, which adds continuity to the fragrance, taking up the smoky trail where pepper and cardamom left off. The drydown is a nuzzle-my-own-skin worthy (the inside of my elbow where I test fragrance is getting a lot of love as I wear this!) mélange of smoky cedar, creamy, subtly sweet sandalwood and non-sweet, beautiful vanilla absolute all traced with the oily, fragrantly balsamic fingertips of the everlasting ylang-ylang and kissed by the irreverent saltiness that has been surrounding the skin from the opening.

The end result is a gorgeous dichotomy between sensuality and restraint, that moment of hesitation before unbuttoning one more button of a chiffon blouse, and finally giving in… For lovers of classic perfumery, this is an absolute must-try. A gem.

Images: www.sxc.hu, Hubert Maes logo – property of Hubert Maes Creations, and image of ylang-ylang via www.rareflora.com

Histoire Charnelle by Hubert Maes Créations : Perfume Review

Hubert Maes is the creator of three perfumes so far: Histoire d'un Rêve, Histoire Charnelle and Délicieuse Histoire. He is also the owner of Le Soleil d’Or boutique in Lille, France. I have not tested Histoire d'un Rêve and Délicieuse Histoire extensively enough to have formed a solid opinion on them, but at first sniff the former appeared too girly, young and frivolous for my tastes, while the latter appeared to be altogether too foody. Histoire Charnelle on the other hand was just right – it instantly moved me in a way the other two didn’t, moved me in fact enough to consider buying it on the spot, something I almost never do. What is more surprising though, is that I also felt instantly apologetic upon smelling Histoire Charnelle. Apologetic towards coconut, a note I up until recently deemed rather ...cheap, I guess.

It was only four months ago, in the beginning of July, when I wrote about coconut scents. In that same post I at once admitted to craving coconut scents every summer, yet, at the same time, I adamantly advocated my views on how coconut is never advisable for city-wear, insisted that the note is certainly less than chic, named it inelegant without regret, and even went as far as to say that I am “loath to use the word ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’ in the same sentence as coconut”. While I do not yet feel ready to completely revoke these statements for they certainly do apply to most, if not all, of the coconut based fragrances I’d ever smelled before Histoire Charnelle came into my life, I am now forced to admit there do apparently exist exceptions, and Histoire Charnelle is certainly one of them. I couldn’t help but mentally mock my former statements the moment I sniffed it. Even though it is only listed as a top note, coconut is definitely the core of this fragrance, with every other note dancing obediently around it. It never leaves my conscience, persistently remaining the star of the fragrance from the beginning to the end. And yes I do feel apologetic towards it, because it petulantly contradicts everything I’ve ever said about it. Yes, this is an elegant coconut; yes it is chic as can be. Yes, I’d gladly wear it in the city, rain or shine. Yes, yes, yes I’d even wear it in winter, yes, with a tweed jacket and knee length skirt. Yes, I’d wear my leather gloves....With coconut!!! With this coconut.


“She is shadow and figure… she is the woman of today’s world.
This lady, creates envy everywhere she goes.
She leads the dance, she’s ambitious and very conscious of her charm and sensuality.
People look at her when she passes by.”
Hubert Maes, on Histoire Charnelle


Histoire Charnelle means “Carnal Story” and the scent itself is as lusty and warm as the name indicates. The opening is delightfully spicy and, surprisingly perhaps, rather dry, with an intense vintage quality. It is rather thick and bold in character, just as the woman Hubert Maes evokes with the quote above. Uncompromising would be a good word to describe it: This is a fragrance for a woman who cares not what others think of her. In a way, this fragrance smells to me like pure curves... I guess what I am trying to say is that the scent does not evoke images of an ethereal being, but of a creature who is there to stay for as long as she pleases, a provocative presence you cannot possibly ignore. As the fragrance develops on the skin, the dryness slowly disappears (I wish it did last longer, because it is what initially made it so distinguishable) and the scent becomes all the more rounded and voluptuous. I keep getting whiffs of something that smells very spicy, something that vividly makes me think of ground black pepper, but pepper is not one of the listed notes. The cinnamon is deep and dark and adds beautifully to the warmth of this fragrance. Slowly the sweetness of the ambery, vanillic base comes through, making the drydown quite comforting, but I would still hesitate to call it gourmand. To me, this is an oriental fragrance that has enough warmth and voluptuousness to allow the wearer to appear inviting and sensual, but is at the same time elegant enough to allow a certain amount of detachment without appearing false. Beautiful.

Official Notes:
Top Notes: (Fruity-Fresh) pear, coconut, bergamot, tangerine
Heart Notes: (Woody-Aromatic) sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, cinnamon, nutmeg
Base Notes: (Ambergris-Scented) tonka, vanilla

Images: Author's own, www.forzieri.com (artistic interpretation of Forzieri leather jacket w/ fox collar, Author's own) and commons.wikimedia.org