A Wren Says

When I started my fragrance journey dove deep into those topics on YouTube, Parfums de Marly was a brand I heard repeated. I heard about it so often that I decided I would need to find the chance to one day smell those fragrances in person. As I planned my trip to the meatpacking district in New York, I knew my chance had come.

The boutique is located just steps from the southern entrance to the Chelsea Highline. And very conveniently for fragrance lovers, it’s just across the street from the Kilian boutique. I walked into antique living room turned showroom thinking I had just interrupted a tour. One of the associates was enthusiastically talking fragrances with a group in such great detail. However, I was greeted enthusiastically and assured I was welcome to look around. I made a point to say that my goal that day was to expand beyond Delina and smell more of what the brand had to offer.

If you have heard anyone talking about women’s fragrances from Parfums de Marly, you likely have heard of Delina. It is by far the brand’s most popular offering with a strong fan base and slews of reviews talking about it. I mean I, myself, have written about it. But despite its popularity, it is not the only feminine offering from the brand. Here is are the other feminine fragrances they have to offer:  

• Valaya– Fresh and subtly sweet
• Oriana– Soft citrus and marshmallow. I’m still thinking about this one
• Cassili– A bright fruity floral with notes of plum, rose, and vanilla
• Melioria– Jasmine tea supported by the scent of berries, vanilla, and cedarwood
• Athalia– Bitter orange and incense make this a dark and mysterious feminine scent
• Darcy–  Bright citrus and jasmine with some pralines mixed in  
• Safanad– Creamy, warm, woody
• Althaïr– This is a masculine fragrance that I smelled towards the end. It has a bourbon vanilla note listed, along with praline and cinnamon. Everyone else said it would be classified as a gourmand, but it didn’t smell that way to me. It smelled good, but I didn’t quite “understand” it the way the others did, if I can put it that way.  I need to find a way to try and get to know it better.

My nose was already overwhelmed from my exploration across the street, but I explored and smelled as much as I could. My favorite of the day was Cassili. There was something about those fruity notes. And I also enjoyed smelling Meliora. But alas, because I was not ready to commit to $375 full bottles from just a quick sniff, I reverted back to my basic ways and chose to leave with Delina after all. Well, it was a part of the feminine discovery collection, and that allows me to try travel sizes of four fragrances to get know them better and how they work on me outside of the store. I am currently trying one of those scents, Oriana, and will have that review for you next week.

If you are also interested in trying more of the fragrances that Parfums de Marly have to offer and can’t get in store, I recommend springing for their discovery sets, so you can try more scents in the comfort of your home and get the $50 cost credited to the purchase of the full bottle of your choice.

(Also, they released Pegasus, a woody grapefruit masculine fragrance. It wasn’t in store while I was there. But if you are interested, you should check it out on the site.)