Replica Coffee Break
Maison Margiela (2019)

I've owned a few Maison Margiela Fragrances in the past. And I've sampled many others in my lifetime. Someone suggested I might like "Coffee Break," as I'm looking to expand my vanilla-centric perfume wardrobe to fragrances that include other gourmand notes.

The only aspect making "Coffee Break" a VERY STRONG LIKE for me and not a LOVE is the performance. Upon generously applying a large sample decant of Coffee Break, I'm immediately reminded why I like this house's fragrances. However, I also immediately recall why I stopped purchasing Maison Margiela Fragrances in any sizable quantities, or full-bottles.

While pleasant enough, I struggle to detect much fragrance even after liberally applying Coffee Break. What I do smell is lovely. I detect lavender in the opening. Middle notes of coffee and something green/herbal emerge. The dry down is creamy milk and lavender with smoky wood notes, definitely vanilla, cedar and vetiver. The cedar-wood and vetiver lend to the pleasant, slightly incense-y, smoky notes in the dry down.

The fragrance is pretty, it is.

However on my skin, the fragrance wears so thin, I feel I'm applying scented water. Yes, I would consider this a very feminine, veil-like, ephemeral, ethereal, barely detectable, soft, floaty skin scent. But I have to PRESS my nose into my wrist, hand and arm to detect any fragrance. This is an aspect about Maison Margiela Fragrances that I've always disliked.

An extremely lovely fragrance. I just wish the fragrance had more projection.

Cozy and comforting scent. Perfect for a cool day in the fall with a fuzzy sweater and a warm earl grey latte. I found the longevity to be quite good on my skin, and even better staying power on clothing.

Shortly after spraying my nose has a difficult time deciding if it wants to ring the brain to induce a headache or if it finds this charming and addictive. There is a sharp, sour note in the beginning that lasts for like 5min, very lactic. And from then on out it is like a coffee table laden with milky capuccino and vanilla-tonka-mousse and one twig lavender as decoration on. Thankfully not too sweet. Lazy summer afternoon on the balcony, people watching. That's what this feels like. Comfort, coziness, belonging, home. Probably my inexperience, but very unique smelling to me.

Nice, but too light for me.

Starts off with a sweet, tonka-nutty, floral smell. Doesn't have a pure-coffee note. Moreover, it smells like a cookie or biscotti, something you'd eat with or dip in your coffee. Maybe that's what they were going for with this scent.

I get less than average performance. The initial smell disappears in about 30 minutes. After that, it's just a generic warm, woody scent that barely projects. It does hang around for many hours but only at low projection.

So the name is a misnomer for sure, because this is not a coffee fragrance, at least not in the same sense as the offerings from Thierry Mugler for example.

Reading the name again, Coffee Break is less about coffee and more about the atmosphere surrounding the situation: the cafe, the colleagues you are sharing coffee with, and the overall aroma of the place.

Unisex
Not my cup of tea, err coffee