By Sandra
Julien and Madalina are the beautiful couple behind the relatively new perfume brand Jul et Mad, one of my favorite newcomers in the field of perfumery. They are sharing their love story with us through the launch of perfumes which each capture a special moment in their journey together as a couple. We have already been introduced to the first three installments (Stilettos on Lex, Terrasse à St.Germain and Amour de Palazzo) and I have been eagerly awaiting what they would do next.
Finally, this May we have a new perfume – Aqua Sextius – and this one marks their union in Aix-en-Provence as a married couple. Aix-en-Provence is a beautiful city slightly north of Marseille. I remember being struck of how such a beautiful ancient city could remain virtually untouched by the hustle and bustle of nearby Marseille.
Julien and Madalina wanted to share a perfume which had aspects of a Mediterranean afternoon and of the celebration of their marriage and future vacation spot. Their website describes Aqua Sextius as follows:
A sensation of absolute well-being, celebrating the joy of life. This extraordinarily fresh perfume astonishes by its superb composition and by its longevity.
Named after the original Latin name of Aix-en-Provence, known as “the city of 100 fountains”, this exclusive fragrance perfectly describes this most beautiful summer retreat, where the time flows in the rhythm of its legendary thermal sources…The Accord: Green Chypre – Citrus Amber
A true explosion of freshness evoked by an invigorating citrusy and green notes accord, and in perfect balance with the fig, mimosa and subtle white flowers… all reminiscent of a beautiful, sunny and festive destination. The marine notes, the eucalyptus/mint accord gradually warmed up by the ambergris, the special woods and mosses bring a strong personality to this exquisite perfume, while prolonging this extremely pleasant feeling…
Aqua Sextius was created by Cecile Zarokian and includes notes of bergamot, lime, lemon, orange, grapefruit, green notes, eucalyptus/mint, marine notes, mimosa, white flowers,fig, labdanum, ambergris, cedarwood, guaiac wood, oakmoss and musk.
The perfume opens with a burst of citrus and bright sparkling green. The start is a wonderful cologne shining brightly and twinkling with bergamot and lime. Easy going, relaxed and ready for a summer’s day in the sunshine. It is so refreshing and sadly only lasts about twenty minutes before the feeling becomes more breezy. It is as if I am sitting by the ocean now and that the wind is picking up.
I am not going to pick out all of the notes because I find them truly beautifully blended and thus difficult to pin point exactly what I am smelling. A few of them do pop up distinctly such as the mint and the fig. Around the 40 minute mark the mint shines through and has a cooling effect on me and I love the way it mingles with the citrusy opening. The fig note is subtle and rounds out the perfume’s citrusy minty start. Funnily enough I cannot pick out any florals while wearing Aqua Sextius. The feeling I get when wearing this is sitting in a cafe on a tree-lined street and near a fountain. It does oddly give off the vibe of running water. I have no idea how Ms. Zarokian managed to do this, and it is a beautiful effect because water and green and sunshine are just what summer and happiness are all about.
I am completely in love with the dry down of Aqua Sextius. At about one and a half hours in I have hit the dry down phase. It is warm, cozy and enveloping and ever so slightly animalic. It is sun kissed skin walking in the late afternoon light of Aix-en-Provence. There are woods intermingled with leaves and blossoms and then comes the musk but not an entirely clean musk.
I love the way Ms Zarokian uses the ingredients in this perfume to mix up my idea of how it should smell. To make the whole composition more interesting the dry down is a bit of a shape shifter. The woods and musk are predominant but there are snippets of the mint or the fig at times and there is a slight undertone of green mossy woods. Really lovely and a perfect companion for the leisure strolls during the summer months.
The longevity was over 12 hours on my skin, which in my book is a miracle for a summer perfume.
Have you already tried Aqua Sextius? Would you like to?
Olfactoria's Travels 
Mmmmmn. I guess I need to try this. Lovely review. xxx
It is very good. Hope you come to Vienna soon. 🙂 xoxo
The notes are calling my name…
Oh I hope you like it. Perfect for summer sunny days.
I tried it in Dublin and was rather pleasantly surprised by it. Since the names containing Aqua in them usually don’t sound appealing.
I definitely wouldn’t mind having a bottle of it… 😉
True, the name Aqua is a bit deceiving. I too would love a bottle of this beauty… xo
Great review Sandra! We have similar impressions of this one.
It was great to meet Julien and Madalina in Milan during Esxence and talk to them.
I loved Aqua Sextius so much that I bought a coffret (the 50ml bottle + 7ml nomad spray) to celebrate the obtaining of my master’s degree.
Thanks Lukas! Lucky you – I would love to meet them one day. Congratulations on your masters degree and on your lovely bottle.
Thank you Sandra!
If you ever come to one of those perfume fairs you’ll meet them.
Or when you’ll be visiting Paris, contact them earlier, I’m sure they’ll be happy to meet for a coffee. They’re very open
Thank you for the good idea. I may just do that when in Paris next. 🙂
Glad I could help!
When I will be going to Paris one of these days I will definitely want to meet up with them again
Umm, yes, I need this. Eucalyptus and mint and stuff! My dreams as of late. So, the marine facets are not very Calone-y? Not a fan of the Light Blue, et. al. This just sounds SO Jul et Mad!
Not caloney at all in my book. The mint is a good fun aspect that surprised me. I love all of their perfumes.
Sandra, thanks for this very evocative review. I feel like I’m at that cafe on the tree-lined street with the fountain near-by. What a lovely surprising dry down and miraculous lasting power too. Oh and I agree that water + green + sunshine = summer happiiness!
Thanks Tara. It lasts and lasts and that means I can wear it in the summer and not have to worry about reapplying. Love that about all of Jul et Mad perfumes. Summer is definitely my favorite season.
That is great longevity for a summer fragrances and good to hear all the Jul et Mad perfumes are like that. I really want to try Stilettos on Lex.
Stilettos on Lex is such a fun and beautiful perfume. I am sure you would like it. Email me at sandra dot glittenberg at gmail dot com.
Thanks Sandra!
Thanks for the lovely review, Sandra! I look forward to trying this. Of the first three, Terrasse a St. Germain is my favorite, and I enjoy the romance of this line.
Thanks ringthing! You are right – it is the romance of Jul et Mad that is so appealing. Terrasse a St. Germain is beautiful. I also love Stilettos on Lex.
Another now on my sample list I would love to have summer in a bottle. 🙂
I love having sample lists. Mine keeps growing as well. Hope you like it. 🙂
Hey there Sandra,
Great review as always, mmmmmmm
Mine arrived yesterday, can’t wait to get my sniff on it. HOPEFULLY this weekend.
Portia xx
Thanks Portia. This line is great! I have loved every single perfume so far. Do let me know what you think when you try it on the weekend. xo
About to spritz right now Sandra. Let’s see. XXX
I have read here about the love of bottles and how the aesthetics of packaging can affect our perceptions of fragrance. Is anyone else perturbed by the bizarre name? Aquae Sextiae was the Latin name of Aix en Provence. Aqua is feminine in Latin and requires a feminine adjective. Aqua Sextius is simply impossible and grates upon the ear.
No, the name does not bother me. The perfume speaks for itself.
I can understand. I teach Latin, so I care deeply about it.
Thank you for mentioning it, empliau! The name drives me crazy too! Glad I’m not the only one who is a stickler for correct grammar (in any languange). 🙂
Lovely review, Sandra, thank you! It sounds much like a scent, I would love, but I decided, not to try it (yet). It’s just too expensive imo. A 50ml summer scent, that exceeds 150 Euro is not acceptable for me.
Thanks Safran. I understand what you mean with the price point. It is a gripe of mine with many niche perfumes. Thankfully they have the Love Dose and the new 20 ml size. As an extrait it does its job well and lasts all day long.
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