Madeleine de Madeleine is a floral perfume released by cosmetics brand Madeleine Mono in 1978.

A few years ago, my cousin asked me if I knew where to buy a perfume called Madeleine de Madeleine. I hadn’t heard of it, and a quick search was fruitless. Soon I forgot all about it.

Then, recently, she mentioned it again, and this time she said something about wearing it in the 1980’s. Suddenly it was no longer a simple shopping mission, it was a vintage hunt, and I was instantly intrigued.

I loved everything about the 80’s — big clothes, big hair, and big perfumes. I’m always down to try another 80’s gem, so when I saw that Madeleine de Madeleine can now be purchased through Dame Perfumery, there was no hesitation. I had to smell it!

MADELEINE MONO

Madeleine Mono is an actual person, and the creator of the brand. She grew up in London, taking dance and theater classes, doing some professional modeling for brands like Max Factor and Coty, and appearing in some small roles on television. She had a movie contract ready to sign when, just after her 18th birthday, she gave up her career to get married and have a family. When her children were all in school, she opened an antiques shop.

Madeleine and her first husband eventually divorced in 1972, and she began to date a man from Long Island, New York. After 14 months of commuting between London and New York, Madeleine gave up her antiques business to move to New York full-time.

Ever-glamorous, one of the things that Madeleine brought with her to New York in the early 70’s was some kajal eyeliner she’d bought in an Indian shop in London. When she went to get her hair done, the other women in the shop always asked her about it, so eventually she agreed to do makeup at the shop for some of its customers. They all loved the results, and she felt that she could start a successful business.

Madeleine ordered kohl from the shop in London, and then had a chemist in New York copy the formula and create it in a form that was more convenient. She called the product “Indian Eyes.”

Madeleine’s husband gave her $7,500 to start her cosmetics business, and he told her that when she’d sold 100,000, he would buy her a Rolls Royce. Madeleine took her eyeliner to department stores all around New York, and eventually turned her company into a cosmetics brand worth over $8 million dollars in the 1980’s.

Eventually Madeleine’s husband, children, and stepchildren were all employed by the international company that she built. She made cosmetics brushes, eye makeup products, glitter powder, nail lacquers, and the perfume Madeleine de Madeleine. She also wrote and published a book, in 1981, called Make Eyes with Madeleine Mono. All this started from simply walking around every day looking glamorous, and sharing beauty secrets with other women.

Madeleine Mono’s makeup has been worn by many iconic women, including Princess Diana, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Goldie Hawn, Barbra Streisand, Brooke Shields and Cher. Her brand also had some dedicated male fans, including Sting and Johnny Mathis. Her line of cosmetics has also been seen in films such as Paul Mazurky’s “Moscow on the Hudson” and “Ghandi.”

The Madeleine Mono brand suffered over time, and moved from high-end department stores to being more of a mass-market product. I can’t remember ever seeing any of her products in a store, although I’m sure I would have loved them in the 1980’s. I’m not sure if Madeleine Mono exists as a cosmetics brand anymore. I’m glad that her perfume has survived.

MADELEINE DE MADELEINE FRAGRANCE REVIEW

Madeleine de Madeleine is a floral skank-lover’s dream.

It opens with a truly indecent amount of indolic narcissus and tuberose, sweetened just enough by a touch of jasmine and orange blossom. It’s warmed by the fatty aspects of mimosa, and brimming with undecalactone. The whole affair smells very much like the warm skin of a woman’s inner thighs. To which I say, “glorious!”

A base of herbal and spicy chamomile and lush oakmoss help keep Madeleine de Madeline just on the sophisticated side of the tracks, even as the indolic white florals keep calling to my inner vixen. It’s got the same come-hither vibe as Fracas, but I’d say that if they were wines, Fracas would be a Reisling and Madeleine de Madeleine would be a Sauvignon Blanc.

This fragrance definitely has many “sisters,” but it is also unique. When I think of other fragrances to compare it to, I would say that it is drier and less floral than Fracas, and without the green lushness of Carnal Flower, although it is equally sensual. It’s less sweet than Lagerfeld Chloé (and has no aldehydes), and less powdery than Coty L’Origan, and a fair bit dirtier than either of these. Less spicy than Aperçu, more sensual than Diva, and less herbal than Aromatics Elixir. I could go on and on, but my strange and final impression is….

…if Mitsouko ever let her guard down and ended up staying the night, this is what she would smell like in the morning.

I’m not saying that Madeleine de Madeleine smells like Mitsouko, more that it feels like seeing a different aspect of the same girl (and she’s under the sheets, so to speak). Less cold and aloof, less powder and adornment, more warm skin and carnal knowledge. Still elegant, but now intimately familiar.

The drydown of Madeleine de Madeleine becomes more woody oakmoss and chamomile as the indoles fade. The orange blossom sweetness peeks through. The hot flesh fantasy persists, but it’s less in-your-face after the first two hours. Still, wearing Madeleine de Madeleine is to straddle the line between elegance and profanity, as its suggestiveness never truly disappears, and it’s an extraordinarily persistent scent. While wearing it, I feel a bit like the “elegant woman” in an erotica story.

MADELEINE DE MADELEINE DETAILS AND FINAL IMPRESSIONS

Ultimately I will end up giving my bottle of Madeleine de Madeleine to my cousin who remembers it so fondly. It’s a beautiful scent, but I have too many others like it. For a long time I thought that I would never need another tuberose perfume, but a few months ago I added the irresistible Champs Lunaires from Rogue Perfumery, so my collection is quite flush in the tuberose category.

Madeleine de Madeleine is a mossy floral perfume that wears quite like a chypre. Men and women who enjoy chypres and tuberose scents will enjoy it. Its projection is strong, and it lasts for about 16 hours on my skin.

Madeleine de Madeleine is currently available through the Madeleine Mono website. It is an EdP, sold in 100 mL bottles. Perfume oil and perfumed body cream are also available.