Les Exceptions : Oriental Extreme / Oriental Express
Mugler (2014)

A very average synthetic amber scent with poor longevity.

Thumbs down!

Creamy! Dreamy! Thierry Mugler's Les Exceptions: Oriental Express seems to hold a lot of promise.

Upon intial application, I am hit immediately by a very powdery sweet presence that is gorgeous...like a luxurious boutique-level talcum powder. Sandalwood oozes from this hit with dryness. Vanilla is present in moderate amounts here, which is no doubt the source of the sweetness characteristic of oriental scents proper.

The specific green notes aren't listed in the triangle above, but I understand it to be basil, adding a spiciness that seems to mix nicely with the powdery personality of this EdP. It seems to have a touch of violet in there as well, though that is just my perception here. And apparently there is carrot seed in the base of the fragrance (called "spices" above); not sure what that smells like offhand, maybe a more spicy effect?

Oriental Express is nicely crafted. I know I've smelled other fragances with the boldly powdery quality that this one has from start to finish (a slightly tangy Dior Homme comes initially to mind). Warm, pleasant, and legitimate. Les Exceptions: Oriental Express is a brave and credibly formulated homage to most of what makes oriental fragrances so wonderful.

I bought Oriental Express blind, and sadly wish I hadn't. On me, this fragrance is exactly like a somewhat modernised version of Vol de Nuit. I don't actually dislike this soft, powdery perfume, but it definitely does not smell original (despite some of its novel sounding ingredients); it's longevity is very poor (less than an hour) and sillage is virtually non existent. It might react very differently on other people, but for me, it was a complete waste of money.