By Sandra
When I first smelled Jul et Mad’s Stilettos on Lex I actually giggled. Strange reaction to have, but truth be told, it was a giggle of joy at having the opportunity to smell such a beautiful perfume and of the image that came up. Immediately, without knowing anything about the brand or the story behind the perfume, images of Carrie Bradshaw in Manolo Blahniks came to mind, when I read the name of the perfume and smelled it.
Say it with me ‚Stilettos on Lex’. Sounds luxurious, refined and fun. I had no expectations about the perfume. I finally looked up the brand Jul et Mad.
The Jul et Mad website lists the following notes for the perfume created by Dorothée Piot:
Head : Lemon, Pear, Davana, Plum Liquor
Heart: Lily of the Valley, Violette Leaves, Rose Absolute, Heliotrope, Iris, Carnation
Bottom: Musk, Madagascar Vanilla, Indonesian Patchouli, Atlas Cedarwood
The story behind the perfume is of an intriguing encounter on Lexington Avenue. One where the woman is walking in stilettos and has an aura and presence that move the people around her. She leaves a lasting impression of her heels on the pavement and her silhouette and of course her perfume. This is the beginning of the love story between a man and a woman (between the two cofounders of Jul et Mad).
Now, I don’t know about you, but I have never encountered a perfume where the image that was conjured up in my mind upon reading the name was almost exactly what the PR material intended for me. Never. To think of Carrie Bradshaw in her Blahniks crossing the streets of New York City almost on her tippytoes in a gorgeous outfit leaves me startled. So far so good.
Stilettos on Lex smells just as good if not better than the image it conjurs. It starts off with quite a bit of pear and plum on me and stays there for some time. I love it and keep burying my nose into my wrist wishing I could pull off the Blahniks with such ease and comfort. After about half an hour the perfumes shifts to a softer, slightly powdery fruity floral. I am assuming that this is the heliotrope I am getting. Lily of the valley and rose start to soften the fruity start and thefragrance becomes almost ethereal. It dries down to a soft fruity floral. This perfume has excellent sillage and longevity. Seven hours in and I can still smell it.
I can’t be young again, but I can create a memorable day for myself. The day is a crisp spring day in Vienna. The sky is crystal blue and the buds are slowly starting to come out on the trees. I hear birds chirping for the first time in months. I feel carefree and full of joie de vivre that comes with spring’s reawakening. This is the perfect perfume to accompany me on such a day.
I surely cannot pull off the stilettos on the cobble stones – not even kitten heels. Besides, I am a notorious klutz and have been known to crumble onto the pavement without knowing why. But this perfume will make my sneakers or flats almost invisible. The perfume will be what’s memorable. It will leave me (and maybe others) with a lasting impression of beauty on a spring day.
Will my husband find the perfume as stunning as I do?
He does, and our love story continues…
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Wow! I want to feel like that! 🙂
Thanks for the tip, I never even knew this perfume existed, and I really think the pear and plum would suit me just fine (I love those kind of notes).
If you like the pear and plum notes, you will hopefully love this. It is such a happy perfume. Instantly put a smile on my face.
Me too, me too 🙂
WANT (If the patch is not too dominating?)
Thanks for the lovely review.
Hi Asali. To be honest with you, I barely noticed the patchouli. But then again I do love that note. 🙂
HI Sandra, ok, if you love it, it doesn’t stick out to you, the way it probably would do to me. Still, if I ever get the chance, I’ll definitely love to test it 🙂
Asali, my perception is that the patchouli is really subtle. The whole perfume is so nicely done that I hope you will enjoy it. Fingers crossed. 😉
Thank you for the lovely review, Sandra! You really made this perfume sound very enticing, I can’t wait to wear it again.
I have hovered around this one for a while as I was instantly drawn to the name to be perfectly honest, the price may make it necessary for me to wait for a while to save up.
Your description of Carrie in her Blahniks is exactly what came to mind when I first saw the perfume, now I have to find out if the smell is exactly like the image in my head.:-)
Andrea I am so glad you had the same Carrie in Blahniks. Yes, the price is high, but it is pure perfume and the lasting power is well worth it in my book. I will be curious to know if the smell is like the image in your mind.
Thank you Birgit. It is a very youthful and fun perfume. I hope you love it as well.
So many fragrances I have never heard of. 😦
Fabulous review. Why??? Because it makes me want to try it. Immediately!!!!
Hugs. xxx
Thank you Cookie Queen! I know how you feel about all of the brands that are in the ‘unknown’ category. The more I smell the more trouble I seem to get into. Try it when you can – you will not be disappointed – promise. 😉
sounds like a great perfume, I need to discover this brand.
Hi Lucas. The brand has something for everyone in my opinion. Hope you like it.
This review was a treat, thanks Sandra!
It is very rare indeed that the PR material, name and scent itself are all in sync. That’s a big bonus point right there!
This perfume sounds like a lot of fun.
Thank you Tara! Fun perfumes like this will have a place in my collection now.
I had to giggle at the thought if you crumbling to the pavement without knowing why! – that’s adorable! 😉 I too wish I were a natural stiletto-wearing type, but I just can’t weather the ungainliness and squished toes. The review has made me add it straight to my ‘to sample’ list. I’ve seen it mentioned bit never reviewed, and it sounds just wonderful! Thanks B 🙂
Hi Lynley. The first couple of times I fell I was in a state of surprise, now it is a matter of laughing at myself and getting up and carrying on. Thankfully this has not happened in a while. Come to think of it – ever since I stopped wearing 4 inch heels on cobble stones. 🙂
Sandra, what an enchanting review! Between your post on Stilettos on Lex and Undina’s post on Amour de Palazzo (which makes her feel like she’s wearing “delicate silk lingerie”), I am definitely ordering samples! And I don’t often do that anymore.
What really sounds appealing about Stilettos on Lex is that combo of plum and pear that you mention: I really, really love plum notes in perfumes … and a sparkling pear to accompany it would really be a joyous combo. 🙂
Suzanne definitely put an order in. You will not be sorry. The plum note is quite prominent on me and I enjoy it tremendously. I must admit that I am smitten with this line and of course the love story behind it all was hook line and sinker for me!
I want to see you in Blahniks, You would ROCK THEM Sandra.
Portia xx
Hehe Portia! Blahniks have been on my radar since Sex in the City, but I know I would just be kissing the pavement again. Can only wear them if I can hold onto my husband for dear life! Thanks for the laugh. xo
Oh, forget it, Sandra – stilettos and Viennese cobble stones are mutually exclusive (I only tested in Jimmy Choos though…). However, the parfum sounds fun (BTW, I always picture Carrie in her pink tutu…)
Wish I had known that from the start Lady Jane Grey – would have saved me all the lovely humiliation! 🙂 Ahhh, Carrie in her pink tutu – great picture. Jimmy Choos in Vienna – impressive my dear.
Sandra, it’s a wonderful review! One can tell immediately that you liked this perfume.
My favorite in the line is Amour de Palazzo, but recently I’ve been wearing the other two and I can’t decide which one I like more. But after reading your review I just have to give Stilettos another go (well, that’s the only way I can wear high heels these days 😉 ).
Thank you Undina. I actually love all three in the line! Yikes. How am I supposed to choose? I am looking forward to reading your review of Amour de Palazzo after I wear it a few times. With you there – about wearing heels through perfume. My feet are so grateful.
What a lovely review! I am a fan of oriental fragrances so I’m usually not thrilled with the offerings during spring and summer but you made this sound enticing enough to try.
Hi Nancy. My perfume collection is brimming at the seams with oriental and vanilla perfumes. I started searching for more summery perfumes when air conditioning became a luxury of my former life. Stilettos on Lex will however be a throughout the year scent – it is that lovely. Hope you get to try it soon.
I’ve wanted to try this one for some time and this review have only wetted my interest! Do you have any tips where I can get some samples (First in Fragrance seems to have run out).
Hi Eva. I must be perfectly honest with you – I have only used First in Fragrance to purchase samples. I just checked on luckyscent.com and surrendertochance.com and was not able to see Jul et Mad listed. So sorry that I cannot be of more assistance. I hope First in Fragrance will list samples soon.
I can’t tell you how many delicate heels I have ruined in sidewalk cracks, subways grates, and coblestones. And once you scrape the leather wrapped so delicately around the heel off, it can never be repaired. So now, it’s chunky heels and ankle boots for me!
Wonderful review too. I quite like all three of the Jul et Mad’s so far.
Thank you baconbiscuit for the understanding about the poor heels. So true that they can never be repaired. So much money wasted. 😦 All three perfumes are truly lovely and different enough from anything that I own.
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This is surely the only possible review for this perfume. I loved reading this.
Thank you! Did you get to try this yet? Did you laugh out loud?
I am sure I wouldn’t get that reference as I am the least shoe-loving person in the world (and I kind of hate the Sex And The City girls, much as I enjoyed watching the show). However, from the notes, and the extremely pleasant sounding aura, I reckon I would like it.
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