Tendre Madeleine

Wearing a decant for the first time today - first blast is definitely orange and vanilla. It smelled a bit like car freshener at first spritz but it toned down quickly. This does smell like Madeleines, but also like fire or resin. It definitely brings to mind Lattafa Khamrah and Maison Margiela By The Fireplace. It has good longevity and it's a pretty aroma. My boyfriend said it smells really sweet to him.

Beautiful oriental spicy gourman. Can't get enough of these types of scents!

This is interesting! I got it because I love vanilla as a note, and how multifaceted it can be. I already have a 'grown up', slightly spicy/fruity vanilla (Le Male and Jaguar Classic Gold), and I wanted to try a more foodie one as they can be cozy and comforting. This is a pretty gourmand one! It projects softly at arm's length for about 45-60 minutes and then and becomes a skin scent(ish); but that skin scent lasts a really long time - a good 8 hours on clothes. Impressive for such a soft scent. It opens with a prominent slightly cinammony/spicy orange note, and smells strongly of orange cake for the first 15-20 minutes, with the vanilla and almond playing second fiddle. It then settles down to a slightly-stronger-than-completely-skin-scent, cozy and rounded baking vanilla scent. The sweetness is balanced out with the bitter almond's almost Play Doh-ish quality, so once the orange note is gone, it doesn't necessarily smell that much like a cookie or cake anymore. A lovely and cozy smell, perfect for rainy Sundays spent inside with a blanket and a good book. I would've liked it to be a little stronger, though. My nose is weaker than most, however, so I think most people would interpret this as 'soft' and not 'borderline too soft' like I do. I wouldn't repurchase as I like 'em a bit stronger, but I'll enjoy this bottle.

At first sniff it smells like a citronella bug repellent. But it dries down kinda quickly to a sweet lemony scent and also cinnamon which to me is quite prominent. Have yet to put the longevity to the test; but for around 25$ I don’t expect beast mode. It’s quite similar to Lira and should be good for layering.

There are more reviews (including mine) for this fragrance under Laurence Dumont brand. Not sure when Les Senteurs Gourmandes became a separate brand? This used to just be a line under the Laurence Dumont umbrella. My old 2016 review: This is yummy, vanilla, slightly citrus, and uni-sex but leaning slightly masculine on me. Love it! It's perfect for any occasion and lasts 5-6 hours. I had a sample of Dame Black Flower Mexican Vanilla that I brought on vacation to New Zealand and I thought had a very similar unisex vanilla vibe to Tendre Madeleine. I think the Dame Vanilla was more complex overall so I may get that one if I ever use this bottle up.