Blockade
On request
Mind Games French Defense Extrait de Parfum Sample
- Concentration
- Extrait de Parfum
- Brand
- Mind Games
- Full bottle
- 100 ml
- Range
- Niche
Black cherry, soft flowers and warm woods
French Defense is a Mind Games Extrait de Parfum from 2023, created by Christelle Laprade and presented as a self-assured black-cherry perfume. Cherry, violet leaves and chamomile lead, geranium, rose absolute and mimosa soften the middle, and amber, cedarwood and blonde wood close it. Cherry perfumes can go in two directions, so trying the 10 ml decant first is sensible.
On request
Ask about this sample
A decant is not an official brand sample: no box, no original bottle, and we are not affiliated with the brands. Read how we fill your sample
Want the full bottle after testing? Mind Games French Defense Extrait de Parfum (100 ml) at NicheGems
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I really appreciate that I found a shop that has a wide range of authentic perfumes,fast delivery,great communication and very good prices. Thanks for everything!
More samples of Mind Games
The composition
How it unfolds in notes
The curve shows the order in which the notes come forward, not their strength.
-
Top notes
- Cherry
- Violet Leaves
- Chamomile
-
Heart notes
- Geranium Madagascar
- Rose Absolute
- Mimosa
-
Base notes
- Amber
- Cedarwood
- Blonde Wood
- Character
- Strong
- Occasion
- Concentration
- Explore by note
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On the skin
How it unfolds
-
A liquor-soaked cherry
The perfumer describes the start as liquor-saturated red fruit that hooks you at once, and the brand calls it a dark, liqueur-soaked cherry. Violet leaves add a green, slightly watery freshness and chamomile a gentle, dry herbal sweetness, so the cherry has some air around it.
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Soft flowers in the middle
The heart is built from Madagascan geranium, rose absolute and mimosa. Geranium has a green, minty-rosy quality, rose absolute is deep and full, and mimosa adds a downy, pollen-like softness. After the dense cherry, this part feels calmer and lets the fruit settle.
-
Amber and blonde wood
The finish is velvety amber with cedarwood and blonde wood. The cedar keeps it dry, while the amber carries the warmth. The cherry does not vanish completely but becomes background to a smooth, woody base that feels polished rather than sticky.
Testing it
How to test it, for whom and why
How to test it
Apply it on an evening in cooler weather, since the dark cherry and amber suit that setting, and look at how the fruit changes after the first stage. Then wear it again with different clothes to see how it sits. One or two applications are enough for a test.
Who it is for
It is for people who like fruit in perfume but want it dark and adult, backed by flowers and wood. Mind Games lists it as unisex. If cherry, whether sweet or liqueur-like, is not your thing, or you prefer fresh scents, the sample will confirm that quickly.
Why try Mind Games French Defense as a sample first
Cherry notes divide wearers sharply: some wearers find almond liqueur and velvet in them, others find cough syrup. At Extrait strength, the effect is magnified. A decant filled from the original bottle lets you see how it falls on you before you choose 100 ml.
At a glance
- Perfumer
- Christelle Laprade
- Year
- 2023
- Family
- Fruity Woody
- For
- Unisex
What you receive
How we fill your sample
-
From the original bottle
We start with a full bottle of the perfume. Nothing is diluted, mixed or added.
-
Into a glass spray vial
Filled by hand into a clean glass spray vial of 2, 5 or 10 ml and closed straight after filling.
-
Labelled by us
Our own label names the brand, the perfume, the concentration and the size.
A decant is not an official brand sample: no box, no original bottle, and we are not affiliated with the brands.
Samples are filled to order and cannot be returned. Is something wrong or damaged on arrival? Contact us and we solve it. To the contact page
Read how we fill your sampleQuestions
Frequently asked
What do I get with the sample?
A 10 ml decant of French Defense, filled by FragranceGems from the original bottle into a glass spray vial and labelled by us. It is not a brand sample, and Mind Games is not involved.
Is it a sweet cherry perfume?
The cherry is dark and liqueur-soaked, so it has sweetness, but violet leaves, chamomile, geranium and the cedar base keep it from turning candy-like. How sweet it feels is individual.
Is it a fall or winter scent?
Amber, cedarwood and a dense cherry suit autumn and winter evenings well. In warmer weather you would apply less. Use the sample to try the seasons you actually care about.
Who composed it?
Christelle Laprade is named as the perfumer, and the perfume is from 2023. It comes from Mind Games, a brand founded in New York by Alex and Mariana Shalbaf.
The brand
About Mind Games
Mind Games takes its vocabulary from chess: every perfume is an 'aromatic movement' named after a move or an idea from the game, from French Defense to Double Attack. Creators Alex and Mariana Shalbaf work with the master perfumers of the fragrance house Symrise, and everything we decant is an Extrait de Parfum. The names give no hint of the smell, mango, cherry, chocolate, coffee, so the sensible opening move is a few 10 ml decants.
- Chess-themed house: every perfume is an 'aromatic movement' named after the game
- Created by Alex and Mariana Shalbaf, with master perfumers of Symrise
- Every perfume we decant is an Extrait de Parfum
Pick up where you left off
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Reviews of FragranceGems (shop and sample reviews)
What FragranceGems customers say
DecantGems is new. These are reviews from FragranceGems customers about the shop and about the samples they ordered there. Collected by Judge.me.
4.7 out of 5
1,200+ reviews on Judge.me
Reviews of FragranceGems, the shop behind DecantGems
I really appreciate that I found a shop that has a wide range of authentic perfumes,fast delivery,great communication and very good prices. Thanks for everything!
Timely info when item was back in stock. Some confusion with info about shipment updates on gls app but what is important: perfume came in perfect condition!
incredible fast delivery l. the fragrance itself its magnificent, the dry down woody base, is intoxicating. it last on me 10 hours plus. great service great fragrance
Good experience overall. Fast shipping without any incidents. Prices are good as well.
Really happy of my purchase. Serious seller, quality products, fast shipping, large catalog. I will order a lot of more !
Shipping was 5 days to Finland. Customer service was very good. Happy with the product also. Will shop again. Only thing I hope is that you guys would negotiate better price for GLS shipping to Finland. But I know that is not always possible. And I noticed the prices were lower than the competitors so the steep shipping price was not that big of a deal. Good job all in all.
Great shop with a fantastic selection and fast shipping. I was very happy with my order. It would have been a nice touch to receive a little sample, especially as I ordered two full-size products. ;)
Placing the order was very easy. Shipping was very fast. I am completely satisfied.
Plenty of perfumes and very good perfumes. Fast shipping. One negative. Expensive shipping from Netherlands to Greece
A selection of recent reviews in proportion to their star ratings.
From the house of FragranceGems
The sample department of FragranceGems
DecantGems is part of FragranceGems B.V. in Zoetermeer, the Netherlands. We fill every sample ourselves from the original bottle into a glass spray vial and label it ourselves. Behind it stands the same team that handles every FragranceGems order.
Reviews of FragranceGems, the shop behind DecantGems
- Filled by us from the original bottle
- Glass spray vial, labelled by us
- Customer service by the FragranceGems team