Not counting roses and irises that got all the attention (and posts) during the corresponding Months, there is no other note about which I’d write that many times. Not only I like mimosa and its scent, but also I firmly associate it with spring. So every year about this time I get an urge to smell mimosa, wear perfumes with it as a dominant note and to write about it.
This winter was warmer than usually in our area, so I wasn’t surprised much when I saw blooming mimosa in the beginning of February. The tree was in such place to where I couldn’t easily get, so I snapped a couple of pictures but told myself that there would be plenty of opportunities in Sonoma where we planned to go for my birthday.
There was plenty of mimosa: we saw it everywhere as we were driving by on a highway. But as a cruel joke or some anti-mimosa conspiracy, wherever we stopped – be those wineries, small parks or the ranch where we stayed – there wasn’t a mimosa twig in sight! Think about it: when you want just to look at a tree (any tree, not some special and known one) from up-close, smell it and take a picture or two, there is no a search term you could enter into the map app or a search engine to find that tree. So even though I enjoyed my birthday trip enormously otherwise, I felt a little disappointed about not getting to experience mimosa in all its beauty.
But when I returned home, a pleasant surprise was waiting for me: Lucas (my perfume sibling and the author of the Chemist in the Bottle blog) sent me a birthday present. A couple of weeks earlier he reviewed a new Yves Rocher shower product – Cotton Flower & Mimosa. It immediately piqued my interest but at that time Yves Rocher US site didn’t stock it yet (for those of my European readers who don’t know that, YR doesn’t have B&M presence in the U.S., so the only way you can buy something is either from the website or a catalog). I prepared to wait and see if it gets here eventually (it did!), but Lucas was so sweet and surprised me with that package. Cotton Flower & Mimosa shower gel is wonderful even if you do not get it as birthday present, and it won’t break the bank – so I wholeheartedly can recommend it to mimosa lovers.
But that wasn’t the end of my mimosa saga for this year. A couple of weeks after that I received a package from another perfume friend, a rare guest author on this blog and the third person in our perfume sister/brotherhood, hajusuuri. Among the expected decants from the recent NST split and shared samples, there was another surprising item: a bottle of Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea Mimosa. I remember reading about this perfume earlier and expressing interest, but I don’t remember if hajusuuri was present for that conversation. But she saw Green Tea Mimosa at Marshalls (store similar to TJ/TK Maxx) and thought of me.
More than a decade ago I was deeply in love with the original Green Tea perfume. I went through at least a couple of bottles of it. It was light and green and happy. I don’t remember why I didn’t buy the next bottle once my last one was empty, but I don’t think it was because I stopped liking it – most likely, something else (probably Jo Malone’s scents) seemed more appealing at the time. In Green Tea Mimosa flanker I think I recognize the frame of the original scent. And it has a nice mimosa accord once the initial blast of a pleasant citrus calms down. I love it because it was a present. But besides, I know that I’ll get good use of it during the summer. And while if you’re new to the brand and this perfume, there is no good reason for you to hunt this specific flanker, if you were a fan of the original Green Tea and you like mimosa, check your local eBay listings.
Since the last post on the topic of mimosa, I discovered two more great mimosa perfumes. Unfortunately, Sonoma Scent Studio Bee’s Bliss, about which I wrote not long ago, is not available any more, which is too bad since it happened to be one of my most favorite SSS’s perfumes.
The second perfume came to me as a sample (again) from Lucas. He liked Jean Charles Brosseau Fleurs d’Ombre The Poudree and did a great review for it, so since I agree with his take I won’t attempt to find different words to describe Fleurs d’Ombre The Poudree. I’ll just say that only inaccessibility stops me from getting a small bottle for this spring. But most likely I’ll get it eventually. Meanwhile, I’ll enjoy ee’s Bliss and all other mimosa perfumes that I accumulated over the last seven years of search: Givenchy Amarige Harvest Mimosa, Frederic Malle Une Fleur de Cassie, Guerlain Champs Elysées, Jo Malone Mimosa & Cardamom, Prada Infusion de Mimosa and Atelier Cologne Mimosa Indigo (I won’t link to the previous posts but those who are interested can easily find those through My Perfume Portrait or Related posts below).
Do you like mimosa perfumes? What is your current favorite?
Imaged: my own
Undina's Looking Glass 
Woo hoo! I was going to ask how do you like the shower gel and now you answered my question. So happy that it’s a hit for you and it’s even better that it’s available in The US now. You’ll be able to buy more if There is a need.
You know I can help you with that bottle of Brosseau Thé Poudre, don’t you? ;)
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Thank you, Lucas. I’ll keep in mind your offer if I decide to go for the bottle.
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Good good
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I do love mimosa perfumes, especially the Jo Malone you introduced me too. What an inspired idea to add cardamom. I associate the flower with Mardi Gras festivities along the promenade in Nice, from when I lived in the area as a student. Those toiletries with a mimosa note also sound lovely. Sabine sent me a couple of mimosa perfumes, which are in my sample box awaiting further trials. Today could be the day!
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Spring is just the right time to test mimosa perfumes.Who knows – you might find other ideal combinations.
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Many years ago I wore a fragrance by Philosophy called Baby Grace which had mimosa as one of its main notes. I also really enjoy the Jo Malone Mimosa & Cardamom but still do not have a full bottle of it (yet-LOL!)
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Luckily for you, Mimosa & Cardamom seems to be in the permanent collection now – so you can buy it one day when your “no-buy” is over.
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I am not a mimosa fan, but I love all the handsome Rusty pictures! My favourite spring flower in California is jacaranda. In Montreal it is lilac.
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I did post those pictures partially for those who do not care much for the note :)
Until today I’ve never heard of jacaranda. I looked it up in Wikipedia – and I still do not recognize it. I don’t think I saw it around here. Maybe it’s South Californian tree? But I do like lilac. Though, unlike mimosa, lilac note in perfumes isn’t naturally obtained.
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It’s not a mimosa soliflore by any means, but Amouage Opus III is one my favorite mimosa perfumes. (Having said that, it’s been a long time since I smelled it. Hopefully it hasn’t been reformulated.)
Wow, has Rusty ever looked more like a supermodel than he does in these photos? He has the moves, he has the eyes! That 2nd photo is star quality.
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Since iPhone introduced “live” pictures, and I discovered their usefulness for taking pictures of Rusty around my perfumes, his performance has improved significantly ;)
If you ever need Opus III, I have a spare official sample in the original formulation – just whistle!
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Now, you have definitely piqued my curiosity. I’ve only smelled mimosa maybe once or twice in a fragrance. I can’t say that it grabbed my attention… but I intend to look out for it.
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Mimosa is an interesting ingredient: it is a natural “filler” for floral perfumes (and you can find it in several Guerlain perfumes, Chanel, Caron and newer niche lines). On its own, in my opinion, mimosa is too simple. But in the right combination it can be very pleasant.
If I were to recommend just several perfumes to try first to get an impression about mimosa-centric perfumes, I’d mention my personal favorites Frederic Malle Une Fleur de Cassie and Jo Malone Mimosa & Cardamom (if you have any reservations about this brand – keep them aside for this perfume). L’Artisan Parfumeur Mimosa pour moi is one of the first that most would mention, though for me it’s far from my favorite mimosa.
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Thanks Undina! I walk by a Jo Malone counter at least twice a month so I’ll check it out. Now that I think of it, I think the local l’Occitane counter has Mimosa Eau de Parfum.
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Thanks for the mention, Undina! It was truly by chance that I was at Marshall’s and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw Green Tea Mimosa amongst all the Green Tea Cherry Blossom (which was taking more shelf space 6 weeks later). I’m glad it worked out. Ah, and where did Rusty learn the beefcake poses?
PS: I must have not paid attention to the difference between mimosa and immortelle. So, just based on name alone to identify the note in a perfume, Prada Infusion de Mimosa is my favorite mimosa perfume.
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I don’t think I’ve ever smelled immortelle blossom, but I think those are very different plants/scents (though they look kind of similar on a picture from afar).
Prada Infusion de Mimosa is very pleasant, I agree.
I think Rusty almost grasped the idea of being rewarded for posing: sometimes I can keep his attention by saying the word “treat” – which he learned already.
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Mimosa is in one of my favorite Spring scents, Shiseido’s Zen (dark bottle with gold etching), I adore it’s green spicy floral notes of galbanum, hyacinth, carnation, orris root and mimosas – it’s so powdery and beautiful..
Thanks for the recs on the Yves Rocher shower gel Cotton Flower & Mimosa. I just ordered two bottles!
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I saw the bottle but I had no idea it had all those notes! Other than hyacinth (which I do not mind, just don’t feel one way or other about it), I love all the notes you’ve mentioned.
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I also have the “Cotton Flower Mimosa” bath&shower gel and it really smells like mimosa to me. I wish the whole scent were more intense because I can barely feel it. Not great but not bad either.
I want to ask you about “Green Tea Mimosa” by Elizabeth Arden: how much of a mimosa scent is it? Does it reach at least the Yves Rocher scent or is the mimosa more of a subdued note?
Thank you!
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Welcome to my blog, Roxana.
Compared to Yves Rocher’s shower gel, Grean Tea Mimosa is a mimosa perfume bomb. But unless you’ve already have or tried other mimosa-centric perfumes, I strongly recommend to start with something else because, while I think it is nice, I don’t think it is the best possible representation of this note in perfumes. Out of those that you can get easier access to now: the three that I recommended to Normand above and Prada Infusion de Mimosa.
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Yes, I read the other comments and I see many possibilities of a mimosa perfume. I think I will try the Arden’s mimosa for the time being and go from there on.
Thank you very much for the answer!
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I love a good mimosa, Undina. Apart from their scent, they are such striking-looking flowers. Glad you got Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Mimosa as a gift. I mentioned this one on my blog a while ago. Such a cheap and cheerful take on mimosa.
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