French Defense
On request
Mind Games The Forward Extrait de Parfum Sample
- Concentration
- Extrait de Parfum
- Brand
- Mind Games
- Full bottle
- 100 ml
- Range
- Niche
Salty citrus, white jasmine and soft vanilla
Mind Games The Forward is an Extrait de Parfum composed by Nathalie Benareau in 2023 and described by the brand as modern, unisex and balanced between fresh and gourmand. Lemon, Madagascar mandarin and pomelo come first, jasmine sambac, tonka bean and a salt accord form the heart, and Madagascar vanilla, sandalwood and cashmeran finish it. Fresh meeting gourmand is a mix to try before you buy.
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 The Forward 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
- Lemon
- Mandarin Madagascar
- Pomelo
-
Heart notes
- Jasmine Sambac
- Tonka Bean
- Salt Accord
-
Base notes
- Vanilla Madagascar
- Sandalwood Drêches
- Cashmeran
- Character
- Moderate
- Concentration
- Explore by note
In the same spirit
Similar in character
On the skin
How it unfolds
-
Citrus with a pinch of salt
Lemon is the sharp edge, mandarin supplies juicy sweetness, and pomelo rounds things off with a faintly bitter softness. The salt accord does not turn the opening marine; it makes the fruit look more vivid. The first moments are airy and luminous with very little weight.
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Jasmine, tonka and salt
In the heart jasmine sambac brings a warm, creamy and slightly fruity white floral, and tonka bean a soft almond-and-hay sweetness. The salt stays in the background and stops the floral from getting heavy. Here the brand's mix of fresh and gourmand meets.
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Vanilla, sandalwood, cashmeran
The base is Madagascar vanilla for cream, sandalwood for a smooth milky wood and cashmeran for a soft, warm texture. The finish is gentle and rounded, and because it is an Extrait it stays close to the skin without turning heavy, which is the point to check on your own wrist.
Testing it
How to test it, for whom and why
How to test it
The citrus-led start suggests spring to early autumn, so wear the sample first on a mild day and then once in the evening. A light hand is enough for an Extrait. Wait for the salt and jasmine to settle behind the vanilla before you judge the finish.
Who it is for
A sample suits people who like citrus but want it to end somewhere warmer than a short, fleeting freshness, and anyone who enjoys jasmine without a heavy floral. The brand lists it as unisex. If you dislike any gourmand sweetness, the vanilla end will show that quickly.
Why try Mind Games The Forward as a sample first
Salt in perfume is a subtle effect that depends heavily on skin, and it decides whether the citrus feels bright or just sweet. A 10 ml decant lets you check that balance, and see how the vanilla lands, before choosing the 100 ml bottle.
At a glance
- Perfumer
- Nathalie Benareau
- Year
- 2023
- Family
- Floral Gourmand
- 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 is in the vial?
A 10 ml decant of Mind Games The Forward Extrait de Parfum in a glass spray vial, filled by FragranceGems from the original bottle and labelled by us. It is not a brand sample and the brand is not involved.
What does the salt accord do?
It gives the citrus a salty twist so that lemon, mandarin and pomelo seem brighter, and the opening does not read as plain fruit juice.
Is it a warm-weather perfume?
The citrus opening points that way, and the creamy base stays soft instead of heavy. A sample lets you check it in your own warm and cool weather.
Is the sample the same Extrait?
Yes. It is filled from the 100 ml Extrait de Parfum bottle, so the concentration you test is that of the full bottle.
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