What I Learned Giving My Favorite 2010s Perfume to a Friend

What I Learned Giving My Favorite 2010s Perfume to a Friend

Hello!

I'll admit, I was clueless about this perfume from LANVIN called Marry Me!. For me, this brand is more associated with those iconic purple balls from Eclat d’Arpège. But, as I was writing this review, I was surprised to find out that this is actually a hit, and it's really popular among many girls! It ended up in my hands as a gift from my mom, who was recommended it by her sister, saying it's her favorite scent. I'm writing this review after a year of using it because I'm planning to give it to my friend as a kind of goodbye.

LANVIN Marry Me! Review of Lanvin Merri Mi Perfume (pyramid, sillage, what it's similar to, what I didn't like)

Price and where to buy

To avoid buying a fake, I usually get my perfumes from chain stores like Lafayette, Rivoli, Gold Apple, or Friend, except for Randewoo's website, and duty-free shops. The average size of Marry Me! (30ml) on these platforms costs between 2576-4536 rubles.

My mom bought me the gift at Lafayette in 2023, so I'm pretty sure it's authentic, but I'm also sure she overpaid :-D.

Design of the packaging and bottle

The box has a super thin cellophane coating that perfectly wraps the cardboard, even the corners, without any wrinkles or holes. There's also a sticker with the main information (so it was customs cleared?).

LANVIN Marry Me! Review of the Lanvin Marry Me perfume (pyramid, longevity, similarities, what didn't impress) LANVIN Marry Me! Review of the Lanvin Marry Me perfume (pyramid, longevity, similarities, what didn't impress) The box is in a beautiful white-fuchsia design, with the brand name and perfume name printed on it - the drawings are super accurate, nothing's smudged. At the bottom, you'll find all the info about the perfume in English, including the batch code - 04M33M119, which I checked on a few websites, and it matches up.

Suggested usage period: 5 years from the date of manufacture

I'm used to seeing a 3-year shelf life from the manufacturer, but Lanvin didn't even mention it on the packaging. The 5-year info is only on the sticker with the translation. Okay, I usually like to store fragrances for a bit longer, since there's always some alcohol in the formula.

Inside, there's a cardboard insert that provides extra protection to prevent the glass from breaking during shipping.

Volume: 30 ml

LANVIN Marry Me! I've got to say, the packaging is pretty sweet. The bottle itself is a nice heavy glass, with a thick base that feels substantial in your hand. The label is a deep, rich color that really catches the eye. And the cap - it's a nice sturdy plastic thing that screws on and off with a satisfying click. LANVIN Marry Me! One thing that really stood out to me was the design of the bottle. It's got a nice weight to it, and the shape is really unique. It's almost like a miniature pyramid, with a narrow neck and a wide base. And the color - oh man, the color is just gorgeous. LANVIN Marry Me! I've been using this perfume for a while now, and I have to say - the packaging is really growing on me. The bottle is just so pretty, and the label is really eye-catching. And the cap - it's just so satisfying to screw on and off. LANVIN Marry Me! The bottle itself is a real showstopper. It's got a nice heavy glass feel to it, and the shape is just so unique. And the color - it's just gorgeous. I mean, I've never seen anything quite like it. А вот и сам симпатичный флакон: он интересной формы, с тяжеленьким дном, напоминает половинку бантика из стекла. На него нанесено название парфюма в фуксиевом цвете, он украшен лентой в том же оттенке, имеет удобную пластиковую крышечку с наименованием марки, и крепкий дозатор, который достает «ножкой» почти до самого дна. LANVIN Marry Me! One thing that really stood out to me was the design of the bottle. It's just so unique, and the color is just gorgeous. I mean, I've never seen anything quite like it. I've got to say, I was a bit skeptical about the atomizer at first, especially when I compared it to some high-end perfumes like Avon's. I mean, it's not like it's rocket science to get the atomizer to reach the bottom of the bottle, right?

The liquid inside the atomizer has a slight purple tint, but it's almost imperceptible. Mine's still pretty fresh, so I haven't noticed any color change yet.

LANVIN Marry Me! Review of Lanvin Marry Me Perfume (pyramid, longevity, what I liked and disliked) But the atomizer itself works like a Swiss watch, dispensing a fine, misty spray that's easy to get a good dose of.

LANVIN Marry Me! Review of Lanvin Marry Me Perfume (pyramid, longevity, what I liked and disliked) All these details have me wondering if this might not be a fake after all.

Origin of the fragrance

Manufactured in France

My mom's a big fan of French-made fragrances, so that was another plus when I got it as a gift. It's not a deal-breaker for me, but it's nice to know that the manufacturer's got some credibility behind it.

LANVIN Marry Me! Review of the Lanvin Marry Me! Perfume ( Pyramid, Sillage, What It Reminds Me Of, What I Didn't Like) I don't think I've ever seen an ad for this scent on TV or online, but I found an original video and a few photos with a cute young couple on a bike, cruising around the city on YouTube. It's a lovely ad that doesn't rely on over-the-top sensuality or mysticism - that's what's winning me over right now.

LANVIN Marry Me! Perfume was launched in 2010

But by the time it came out, I was 16, and to be honest, it didn't even register in my mind, and I didn't feel the urge to buy it back then. At the time, I was obsessed with Nina by Nina Ricci and DKNY Be Delicious, and I was eagerly waiting to buy those as a treat, so I don't have any nostalgia for it.

Fast forward to 2023, when I got it as a gift, 13 years after its release! Of course, I was excited.

Company: Givaudan

Perfumer: Antoine Maisondieu

I'm familiar with the company, it's one of the biggest perfume factories out there! And Antoine Maisondieu's name didn't ring a bell until I started searching for him online, and it turns out he's the mastermind behind Moschino Funny! Ah, bring back my 2007! Some of his notable works include:

Velvet Orchid for Tom Ford, Armani Code for Giorgio Armani, Donna for Valentino, Burberry Brit for Men

What notes are present and what I was expecting

I got lucky with this one since it was a gift, so I didn't have to go through the usual 'buy full-size or not' dilemma. I just opened the bottle and let the scent hit me, forming my own opinion without any preconceptions.

But if I had checked the internet, I'd have found this description:

LANVIN Marry Me! is a true happiness scent that wraps you in joy when it says, 'Marry me!' It's a lively and intriguing perfume that becomes a burst of real feelings – passion, tenderness, love.

I thought it would be something light, fresh, and unpretentious, something I could wear to the office or on a date. My mom actually got it for me, but the question is, is this the kind of scent I want to smell like right now?

LANVIN Marry Me! belongs to the floral fruity group

I have a soft spot for this group – most of my favorite perfumes are from here. But what do the notes promise?

Top notes: Bitter orange, Peach, and Freesia

Middle notes: Jasmine, Magnolia, and Rose

Base notes: Musk, Virgin Cedar, and Amber

Each of these notes sounds amazing on its own, but how did the scent turn out for me?

What notes do I pick up?

I usually prefer to dip into the scent's cloud, but to get a better sense of the notes, I applied the perfume to my wrist. And guess what? All the listed notes are detectable on my skin! Maybe it's not exactly as the manufacturer describes, since this scent has an interesting 'mixed tone' that makes it hard to break down into individual notes. But after a few wearings, I managed to distinguish them.

LANVIN Marry Me! (Lanvin Marry Me!) - the notes I get When I first put Marry Me! on my skin and the alcohol dried off, I could really pick up on the citrusy freshness and bitterness of a lemon peel, the sweetness of a ripe peach, and the watery sweetness of freesia, all set against a sweet, musky haze with jasmine, and topped off with a weirdly chemical cedar note. But, somehow, it all works together, so even if you're not a nose, you'll just get a bright, sparkling, pretty sweet and airy scent that's really pleasant, not cloying, and slightly cool.

About 30 minutes to an hour later, the scent starts to calm down and settle closer to my skin.

About two to three hours in, I start to notice more floral notes, and slowly but surely, a bouquet of jasmine, magnolia, freesia, and a hint of rose starts to emerge, all wrapped up in a sweet, soft musk. Sometimes I think I catch a whiff of lily of the valley or lilac, and other times it's like the cedar note is coming from a room deodorizer.

LANVIN Marry Me! - the notes I hear, but sometimes they're not mentioned I'm still trying to wrap my head around how much the scent changes with temperature. That being said, for someone without a goal to identify specific notes, the fragrance might smell less fresh than before, not like someone's scrubbing a sour orange under your nose, but still cool, airy, sweet, but not cloying, slightly more woody, less fruity, slightly more chemical. This is a really long-lasting scent, with changes happening very slowly and almost imperceptibly, so it can easily last for eight hours! It just gradually gets closer to the skin, but still feels sweet and fresh, with a floral, slightly chemical quality that's really charming and expensive.

After eight or nine hours, the Marry Me! fragrance starts to very gradually reveal its base notes, and I get a woody, piney freshness from the cedar and a warm amber, all still wrapped in a soft musk with a touch of florality, getting closer to the skin, becoming more natural.

I've had times where I'd wake up with base notes still on my skin, and they'd be pretty noticeable!

Projection

I have to admit, at first, I thought Marry Me! was a light, airy scent that would barely last a minute on my skin, but I wanted to test it out on others to see if it was just my perception. So, I had a friend wear it while we were out walking, and I observed whether she left a trail behind her. I applied it to her skin in a light, airy manner – just two spritzes – and sure enough, when she was standing about two feet away from me, I could still smell Marry Me!. As soon as she moved further away, the scent disappeared.

Longevity on skin, hair, and clothing

It turns out that luxury perfumes really do last longer. The top notes of Marry Me! stay on my skin for a pretty long time – sometimes up to two hours – and that's saying something, given that they're the lightest and most fleeting part of the fragrance! The middle notes remain almost unchanged for up to 8 hours, and then gradually start to settle closer to the skin and shift towards the base notes. And the base notes? They often linger until the next morning, even after a shower!

LANVIN Marry Me! Review of Lanvin Marry Me! Perfume (sillage, longevity, similarities, and what didn't impress)On hair, clothing, and scarves, it lasts for days – or until they're washed. On paper, it lasts for weeks. For me, this is a pretty astonishing result, especially given that I've been trying out more Avon perfumes lately, which don't exactly known for their longevity...

Similar scents

I couldn't find anything that's a dead ringer, but there are some scents in the same ballpark. In my opinion, they're similar to:

LANVIN Marry Me!xa0(Ланвэн Мерри Ми) - scents that I think are similar to it Magnetic Elixir Shakira - both have jasmine, freesia, musk, citrus, and tree notes, but Marry Me! is fresher and less sweet.

Nina by Nina Ricci - I remember Nina's strong sweet apple note, yes, but aside from that, the combination of flowers, musk, and cedarwood in Nina reminded me of Marry Me!, and both have a hint of fresh, woody notes - the cedarwood in Nina must be the culprit, but when compared, Marry Me! is more floral and less sweet.

Avon Incandessence Glow - I decided to include this scent, even though I didn't like it, but it does have a combination of magnolia, rose, citrus, and, don't laugh, a woody, fresh note like a deodorant. But in Marry Me! it's present in much smaller quantities, and sometimes even looks nice.

Season and age suitability

I've worn it in winter, summer, and in between. To be honest, it's suitable for any season, but I have to say I loved it the most in summer - it's sweet, attractive, and still gives off a hint of pine and cedarwood, which makes me think of coolness. For instance, I was totally stoked wearing it when I was in Georgia and walking around the Gonio fortress by the sea on a scorching day with temperatures over 30 degrees.

LANVIN Marry Me!xa0(This is me wearing it in Gonio, Georgia)As far as I'm concerned, it's suitable for anyone, regardless of age or occupation - whether you're a grandma with grandkids or a young woman on her first date. It's feminine without being overpowering, calm, and unpretentious, never too 'grandma-like'.

LANVIN Marry Me! Review of the Lanvin Marry Me perfume (pyramid, longevity, what I didn't like) I'd have loved to wear it to the office if I didn't work remotely. Yes, it's that versatile, although the pyramid might be a matter of personal taste - something to consider.

How do people react to it?

This is my aunt's favorite perfume, and my mom tried it in a department store before buying it, and she loved it too, which is why I decided to gift it to her.

Mainly, I wanted to see if the perfume would be a hit with the wearer. Honestly, LANVIN Marry Me! didn't win me over from the get-go. It's just not my thing. Sure, I know the notes individually, and I've worn a separate perfume that features some of them all year, but the combination just didn't do it for me.

My friend, on the other hand, was immediately asking what it was that smelled so great. I let her try it out a few times, and on her, it smelled airy, fresh, and sweet – and actually suited her vibe! In the end, I decided to give it to her for good, and asked my mom to get me a new bottle of my favorite, DKNY Be Delicious.

Neither my husband nor my friend's husband was a fan, though – every time we used it, they'd both make a face. And as for passersby, I never got any kind of reaction at all – which, I guess, is a good thing? But not exactly the reaction I was hoping for...

Rewards

I love how I can just 'cloud' it from one spritz, making the scent less concentrated and using less of it overall.

After a year of using it sporadically, I barely managed to finish a third of the bottle – much to my friend's delight!

Verdict LANVIN Marry Me! perfume is definitely an interesting and popular luxury representative: it's got a nice, well-thought-out packaging design; an intriguing note pyramid that blends together beautifully; it's not overpowering and doesn't give me migraines; it's versatile and doesn't draw too much attention; it's a very long-lasting scent; and I even noticed a slight trail effect when I held out my arm. It's a favorite among many people.

So, what didn't I like about Water? I'm put off by the fact that sometimes the scent smells chemically cedar-like, and other times it's too lily-of-the-valley-esque - it doesn't make for a pretty sound, it's more like it's annoying me. And it wasn't love at first sniff, either. When I haven't used it for a long time, I don't miss it and I don't even remember that Marry Me! is even in my collection - I only used it because my mom gave it to me.

My rating: 4. If you're thinking of buying it, I'd definitely recommend giving it a test!

This is a photo of the scents I've reviewed ✬ You might also be interested in my other reviews ✬

Yves Rocher GARDEN PARTY — I'd heard this scent before, and I have to say, I'm really fond of it! Yves Rocher PLEIN SOLEIL — it's a sultry woman's scent that's reminiscent of many others, but what really stands out is its quality. Avon TTA In Bloom for her — this one's a timeless classic that I've used for over five years! Avon TTA Tomorrow for her — it's a scent that's got a bit of a sassy, mature aunt vibe going on, and I'm just not getting why everyone loves it so much.