Hello, beautiful people! Today I’m sharing my House of Marste Fragrance Review with you. Thanks to House of Marste for sending me these fragrances in PR. I’ve been playing with these perfumes for the past three months.
Where to BuyHouse of Marste
Pricing$32 for discovery collection$92 for Essence$168 for Fragrances
About House of Marste
House of Marste is the passion project of Marlena Stell. The pandemic led to the closing of her dream beauty brand, Makeup Geek (which broke my heart), as well as her fashion brand Marste, so Marlena has channeled her passion for creation into uxury fragrances that reflect the emotions and moments she experienced in France.
House of Marste says, “With the art of scent layering at its core, Marsté empowers you to customize your fragrance experience. By blending our luxurious fragrances with specially crafted essences, you can transform and personalize any scent to match your own individual style and story.”
About Makeup Geek and Fashion Brand Marste
I was very sad to see Marste fashion close. It’s been 6 years and I still love and wear the Santiago Ruched Mini Dress as my go-to little black dress. Some of the ways I’ve styled the Santiago ruched dress.
I was even more saddened by Makeup Geek closing as they were one of the first indie brands to start doing pressed eyeshadows at an affordable price. See my Makeup Geek features.
Quick Menu Note
As I have two decades of content on my blog, check the menu options to find specific categories such as Perfume, Makeup Favorites, Eye Palettes, Fashion Favorites, Foundation Features, etc. Above is a quick photo to show you what it looks like on desktop. It’s similar on mobile. If there’s a category missing that you’d like to see added, please let me know.
About the Offerings
The House of Marste perfume bottles are gorgeous, heavy glass. They’re beautifully designed to be perfect for gifting, to display on your vanity, or if you’re like me, hidden away in the closet away from direct sunlight.
I adore the nomenclature and inspiration for House of Marste fragrances. I loved the time I spent in Paris and enjoy seeing what inspired Marlena.
The Discovery Collection
The Discovery Collection for $32 features six fragrance samples in 2ml size. Fragrances included are: Une Nuit Parisienne, Montmartre Midi, Jardin Du Luxembourg, Essence Vanille, Essence Santal, and Essence Mandarine.
Essence Perfumes
The Essence Perfumes ($92 each) has three offerings right now: Mandarine, Santal, and Vanille. All three of these are great, even with my own personal body chemistry that doesn’t play well with certain scent notes.
Essence Mandarine
Essence Mandarine has notes of green mandarin, ginger, and ambrette. Want to brighten your vibes? Try Mandarine for it’s bright, sweet notes. It’s a true mood booster for me when worn on its own because of the sweet nature.
Essence Vanille
Essence Vanille has notes of vanilla, coriander and key lime. I LOVE key lime! Vanille is such a fresh, unexpected sweet twist to add to creamy vanilla.
Essence Santal
Essence Santal has notes of New Caledonian Sandalwood, Cardamom and Musk. I don’t enjoy many musk heavy fragrances but I love Santal! The sandalwood, nutmeg, and cardamom especially add warmth and depth when layered with other fragrances.
Essence Santal is by far my favorite of these three and it was unexpected that I love it so much. As I mentioned previously, I don’t like musks very much, but the rich warm notes in this are so cozy. Essence Vanille is a close second because I love all things vanilla, and the added bonus of key lime. Essence Mandarine is not a fragrance I would have tried on my own so I’m very pleased that I enjoy it.
If you are new to fragrances, the essences may be a great place to start since they’re lovely on their own or if you layer them with something else to create a new scent.
Fragrances
The House of Marste Fragrances ($168 each) has three offerings currently: Jardin Du Luxembourg, Montmartre Midi, and Une Nuit Parisienne.
Jardin Du Luxembourg
Jardin du Luxembourg luxury fragrance has top notes of Green Mandarin, Rhubarb, and Basil, mid notes of Petigrain, White Lilac, Neroli, and Clove, and base notes of Virginia Cedar, Ambrette Seed and Musk. On my skin this turns very sharp and green, I don’t get any sweet neroli or clove. I end up feeling like I smell medicinal rather than alluring in it. I think the combination of cedar and musk don’t work well with my personal body chemistry.
Montmartre Midi
Montmartre Midi luxury perfume has top notes of Grapefruit, Cardamom, and Juniper Berry, mid notes of Star Jasmine, Pear, and Orange Blossom, and a base of Atlas Cedarwood, Honey, and Musk. This fragrance is not for my personal body chemistry as honey is a death note for me, turns scents into baby powder, especially when combined with a musk.
Une Nuit Parisienne
Une Nuit Parisienne luxury fragrance has top notes of Hazelnut, Chai Spice, Malabar Plum, mid notes of Black Tea, Damask Rose, and Benzoin, and base notes of Labdanum, Vanilla, Sandalwood and Musk. As a gourmand scent lover, I am obsessed with Une Nuit Parisienne, the perfect gourmand! I love hazelnut, chai, and black tea mixed with vanilla and sandalwood.
Une Nuit Parisienne is my favorite luxury fragrance that Marlena has created so far. It’s unisex, intoxicating, and a must have for my collection. It was the first sample bottle that I finished out of the Discovery set.
Final Thoughts
My favorites out of everything I tried are the three Essence Perfumes and Une Nuit Parisienne. In fact, I’m wearing Essence Mandarine today. I love how beautifully these fragrances layer with others in my collection from Cocoa Pink and Dossier.
The Discovery Collection is a great introduction to the House of Marste Fragrances because it contains samples of all three fragrances as well as all three essences. If you are new to perfume, this is an affordable kit to start with. I’m delighted that I loved all the essences that Marlena has created. And I’m obsessed with Une Nuit Parisienne, I love how it smells on me!
What are your favorite fragrances to wear right now?
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