Maai by Bogue Reviews & Perfume Facts

Maai is a stunning accomplishment in modern perfumery as it marries the very best of old-school chypre glamour and bold animalics with a refined elegance and smoothness. It opens with a burst of incre ... dibly mossy greenness, fused with roses, jasmine, and green tuberose, all sprinkled with a transparent veil of golden, glittering aldehydes. The plush bouquet is mesmerizing in its depth, and harkens back to a time before IFRA/EU regulations, but it's truly heart-stopping when combined with the animalic elements.

Musky, leathered, and skanky, they cast a mighty roar that transforms the delicate swirl of feminine florals into something more unisex with a masculine touch that will appeal to fans of the legendary Kouros or Muscs Koublai Khan. As Maai unfolds, balsamic resins awaken in the base to add subtle streaks of smokiness and honeyed sweetness. At the same time, the amber slowly turns the whole fragrance deeper, richer, and softer, coating the musky leather in its warmth and taming its skanky cry. In its drydown, Maai transforms into golden velvet with a smooth, plush mix of amber, musk, and oakmoss.

We found Maai to be one of the boldest, most sophisticated chypres we've encountered in a while. A symphonic masterpiece in the vein of Jubilation 25 and Kouros, it is not a fragrance for the faint of heart but for those who have mourned the loss of vintage glamour with an animalic edge. Black-tie galas seem like a perfect occasion for this incredibly opulent, concentrated scent, but so are moments when you want to seduce with naked sensuality. Maai's unconventional heart beats with such wildness and passion, it feel almost alive. Yet, at the end of the day, everything pales before that luxurious oakmoss which is piled on in such lavish layers that it took our breath away. Maai is the epitome of sophistication in the grandest tradition of haute perfumery, and we're sure its timeless beauty will impress even the most jaded connoisseur.