Makeda
En Voyage Perfumes

On me, Makeda is a hard-to-describe mix of citrus that smells more bright than citrusy, and jasmine that smells more candied than floral, combining to make a pleasant happy sweet smell. Given a few minutes, I smell a lot of fennel, half way between green and licorice, which contributes depth to the sweet smell. It dries down to a very nice woody base, which I wish were stronger.

I like that Makeda is sweetened with jasmine instead of stupid vanilla frosting - it finds a nice balance between sweet and smart. It's not as ornate as many perfumes, having the feel of a study or an early work compared to what En Voyage is doing now, but it's fun and very wearable.

Sparkling jasmine soliflore, and a very good jasmine at that--it smells like the real thing to me, or a clever blend of real + synthetic. I find the top citrus mood-lifting and bright, reminiscent of Fresh's Citron de Vigne or Sake, but anchored with a smooth cedarwood and slightly bitter oud & musk base, which more preserves the brightness than overpowers or darkens it. Again, the sample I have has a highly concentrated, oily quality on the skin--it is an EDP--and is incredibly long-lasting. I think it's like a sexier, niche Clinique Happy, or a less-expensive, less-indolic Lutens À la Nuit. A definite must-try for the jasmine lover.