When it comes to beauty, I have three great loves. It’s a great perfume, chic packaging, and seemingly easy results. In my 10-year career, I’ve spent most of my time looking for products that meet at least two of these criteria. But over the past few weeks, I’ve been using one product that has fulfilled my beauty aspirations in every sense of the word. And today, we can finally reveal it. It comes in the form of their debut perfume, Merit Retrospect L’Exte de Parfum.
For years now (two and a half years to be exact since the brand’s launch), I’ve said publicly that Merit products are one of my most cherished products. This brand’s effortless, natural-looking makeup products have proven to be a favorite not just for me, but for every beauty editor I know. And to be honest, when I first found out that Merit was developing a perfume, I was worried. I’m picky and like my perfumes to smell complex and expensive, evoke emotion and have the star quality of a classic scent. I knew that Merit’s debut fragrance would fill that role (and I was right), but my fear was that this brand would lean too heavily into current trends and inevitably become too comforting. , I feared that it would create something that was certain but superficial and ephemeral. I was wrong. I’ve been wearing Retrospect religiously for weeks now (I was lucky enough to get a sample vial well in advance of its release), and I’ve been using that time to get the hang of it and gather my thoughts. I can safely say that Merit Retrospect is destined to be one of the most popular perfumes of this decade.
(Image credit: Shannon Lawler)
How do we know this? Well, it starts with a few reasons. Let’s start with the obvious. She is a physical work of art. The glass bottle, shaped like a molten pebble, fits in the palm of your hand, showing that it was always meant to be there. The bottle also has a notable and distinctive thumb indentation, which many are quick to point out, which is reminiscent of Glossier You. And it’s no wonder people compare these two scents. Both brands proved to be disruptive in the beauty market upon their launch, both appeal to fashion girl beauty enthusiasts, and both are undeniably cool. But the similarities end there. It appears in their fragrance products.
All the It perfumes of the past few years may have smelled uniquely different, but to me, as a beauty editor specializing in fragrances, it was clear to me that they all had one thing in common. And it was built around one general note. A distinctly floral or intensely smoky, sweet and creamy, or deep and woody. It’s true that simple scents have become mainstream in recent years, but it took a long time for that change to occur. The best perfumes are not simple blends. They have complexity and depth, boasting intricately formulated notes that linger on the skin for hours. And, happily, Merit Retrospect is more than a simple blend.
Merit Retrospect Rexte de Parfum
Key notes: bergamot, pear, ambrette, aldehyde, jasmine, rose, rosemary, violet, orris, vanilla, musk, moss
Retrospect is complex and constantly evolving, evoking pure, human emotions in those who smell it. Hell, I’ve been wearing it for just under 3 weeks now, and every time I’ve worn it, everyone who’s gotten close enough to me to smell it has requested a spray on themselves. Highly intense, this juice contains 30% fragrance oil, making it one of the strongest fragrance blends available. This means longevity and a knockout spot for just £72. This is almost unheard of in extreme games.
But that doesn’t mean Retrospect packs too much punch or is too powerful. This is what I like to call a soft power perfume. As you’ll notice right away, it’s pleasantly cushioned on the nose, never strays into headache-inducing territory, and remains definitely wearable.
So what does Merit Retrospect actually smell like? Well, like any perfectly blended perfume, I found it difficult to analyze it. But let’s try. It has a friendly, pleasant and pleasant scent. It’s a scent that makes you feel nostalgic and youthful. A juicy, fruity, watery opening bursts on the skin like a pear split in two and its juices spilling out, but its introduction is short-lived. Underneath is a bomb of sweet, petaly, soft musky uplift. Perfumer Fanny Bal takes inspiration from vintage notes to create something subtly modern and cool. “Retrospect” has all the fun nostalgia of Cacharal’s “Amor Amor,” with a disheveled, quirky cool.
If the standard creamy floral is a bouquet of pure white velvety flowers, Retrospect is the bag of confetti thrown into your handbag after attending an achingly chic city hall wedding. The scent of everyday life. Suedey but sweet, creamy but pungent, fresh but unmistakably well-worn. Retrospect is a perfume that lingers throughout the day and absorbs all the memories you create. After just a few minutes, the scent begins to transform into you, just as you begin to transform into the scent, and the line between perfume and person becomes completely blurred.
Retrospect is the kind of perfume you casually toss into your The Row Margaux bag in the morning, letting it rattle around in the suede interior with all your worldly possessions. Effortlessly chic, achingly cool, and beautifully part of you. Try smelling it before you buy. I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it too.
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