Alien Eau de Parfum

It really rustles my jimmies when popular things are worth it, but Alien rocks my face off. After the initial spray my husband detected a sweet, almost honey note. I didn’t get any honey, more of a general softness. I was afraid jasmine plus cashmere would take the scent in a laundry direction but somehow it did not. Perhaps due to the formulation of the cashmeran? I don’t get any spiciness, just a general woody warmth. There is much to be said for the bottle since purple and gold have long symbolized royalty, luxury, and exclusivity. There is a certain level of simplicity that is only reserved for rich people. They can buy the highest quality products that are free from extraneous or unhealthy add-ons (reminiscent of Ina Garten and her “good olive oil”). Case in point this fragrance has three simple notes but together they make a very luxurious product. My one sticking point is the name; wearing this would make you the ultimate insider, not an alien outsider. Maybe the name was meant to make Alien an outsider fragrance within the wider perfume community? Either way it’s a must-have for your collection.

This was the first ever Thierry Mugler fragrance I tried. And just as it happened with my now signature Angel, I can honestly say that when I first sprayed this was at duty free. I hated it. It was harsh and loud. Being curious I ordered a little 6ml bottle from eBay. As I wanted to give it a chance like I did with the older formula of Angel. Again I was right! The opening on the old formula is still quite floral but is balanced by the amber. Making it rich and sensual. Then as it dries down the cashmere starts to come out of the spaceship. Mixing everything and forming a hybrid of creamy jasmine, amber and cashmere. It lasts for ages but still, if sprayed responsibly, is very much office safe. And very very unisex. I have had compliments from both men and women. And they seem shocked when I tell them is alien. I admit though, I ended up buying a 90ml bottle from 2008 on eBay so I am using the pre reformulation. So if you get hold of one, keep it guarded. Alien and Angel are definitely my babies.

I initially only smelled this on a paper tester and it didn't do anything for me, but I'm wearing a sample of this today and wow, I absolutely love it! Notes are exactly as described, beautiful, rich jasmine supplemented with some warmth and almost a sexy pepperiness from the cashmeran and amber. There's a trail near my house that I love walking on, and one of the wild grasses that grows there has this amazing, natural peppery smell and I have always loved it. Finding that note alive in a fragrance instantly makes me want to buy it. That exact peppery nature smell is also alive in Atomic Rose by Initio, which is a different type of floral but still really lovely. I think I will add this one to my collection.

A beautifully shimmering and delicious, yet understated and comforting woody jasmine scent. It has been said by many that this is not a traditional white floral in the conventional sense, and I must agree. The immediate opening of this scent is silvery, bright, and heady. It feels like being transported to a field of jasmine with someone you trust on a sunny, breezy day. The drydown as time goes on becomes an intimate, warm, pillowy hug, with the woodiness of the cashmeran being slightly smoky in nature, and pleasantly enveloping the nose almost like a fog. With sweet jasmine still close in tow, the latter half of this journey evolves into an intimate skin scent that makes me smile every time.

This scent takes me back to growing up on a farm, getting up early in the morning and walking around the dewy garden at dawn, smelling the flower bushes in the cold-ish summer air. There’s also a smell of grass and soil to me, but in a good way. That still doesn’t give justice to its complexity, it simply must be experienced to be understood.