I noticed an interesting fact when I had a peek at my most read articles for the year. The second most popular piece is on the Bien Être colognes that are sold at supermarkets all over France. Those of you who come here will know that I usually write about niche perfume but not always. And today is not one of those days. I decided to see what else I could track down in the aisles of the French supermarket.

Well I suppose with supermarket scents I’m not expecting these to be as luxurious or fantastic smelling as a scent bought from Sephora or somewhere like Jovoy, Lucky Scent or the like. I’m expecting something that is pleasant smelling but probably lacking the finesse of a more expensive scent. However I must emphasise that I don’t believe an expensive perfume is always a  sign of a great quality or better smelling scent. I’m not a price snob. There are plenty of niche perfumes that cost a bomb that have left me indifferent or pondering the cheek behind the 150 Euro price tag for a very basic, me too scent. Remember we are only talking liquid in a bottle, of which the primary component is alcohol. Of course that bottle may be very pretty / well designed but still. Let’s not kid ourselves too much here perfume lovers!

So for the second instalment of Supermarket Specials this is what I tracked down.  It’s an amber eau de cologne from the Mont St Michel range. I decided to slap down my 5 Euros for a giant 250ml bottle and take this home as a bit of a curiosity. I’ve been drowning in Atelier Cologne‘s Bergamote Soleil and Fleurs d’Oranger by Serge Lutens this summer so picked something that would take me out of my citrus rut. Plus I have a penchant for anything amber related so for the purposes of this Supermarket Special this seemed to fit the bill.

Ambrée Authentique doesn’t disappoint and is a real bargain at this price point. It has a lemony citrus  up top but quickly settles into an ambered warmth with flickers of clove and what feels like geranium or something similar that lends a delicate floralcy. Ambrée Authentique lasts a couple of hours on me and fades smoothly, without fuss. To be honest for the price and huge size of the bottle this is amazing value. It’s not going to rival an uber designer cologne but you could tip this in the bath and use it in a spray bottle as a room spray as well. This has definitely piqued my interest and I’m now curious to smell others in the line of which there appears to be quite a few. I’ll get back to you at some stage on these.

Have you tried any supermarket colognes or perfumes that have been half way decent? Let me know if you’ve had success …