Hello and welcome! Please understand that this website is not affiliated with Bourjois in any way, it is only a reference page for collectors and those who have enjoyed the classic fragrances of days gone by.

The main objective of this website is to chronicle the history of the Bourjois fragrances and showcase the bottles and advertising used throughout the years.

However, one of the other goals of this website is to show the present owners of the Bourjois perfume company how much we miss the discontinued classics and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back these fragrances!

Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the fragrance, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories, what it reminded you of, maybe a relative wore it, or you remembered seeing the bottle on their vanity table), who knows, perhaps someone from the current Bourjois brand might see it.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Mais Oui by Bourjois c1939

Mais Oui by Bourjois: launched in 1939. Created by perfumer Constantin Mikhailovich “Kot” Weriguine.

Mais Oui, pronounced MA-WEE, which means “certainly," or “but yes!" in French.






It was available in parfum, eau parfumee (eau de cologne/toilet water), solid cologne stick, dusting powder, rouge, lipstick and face powder.

Fragrance Composition:


So what does it smell like? It was classified as a floral aldehydic perfume, similar to Chanel no. 5 but heavier and woodier. It made use of Synarome's Animalis base.
  • Top notes: aldehydes, fruity notes of peach and plum
  • Middle notes: clover, jasmine, rose, hyacinth, lily of the valley, narcissus
  • Base notes: musk, birch tar, Mysore sandalwood, leather, civet, ambergris, castoreum, costus, tonka

I recently received a small sample of the perfume from my friend Sharon. It was a few drops from a 1/2 oz bottle of parfum.  Here is my impression:

While the perfume has significantly degraded over time, the first note that hit me was civet, very, very urinous civet and the dirty hair scent of costus. This was quickly followed by narcissus, hyacinth, lily of the valley, jasmine, rose. I did detect a trace of sandalwood, tonka bean and hint of stone fruit. The civet note was constant throughout. I did sneeze a few times from the presence of aldehydes. I know that Mais Oui used Synarome's fabulous Animalis base which accounts for the strong civet and costus odor. Synarome's Animalis fixative is a blend of natural musk, civet, costus and castoreum, it is described as an animalic,  musky, sensuous  odor with  costus-like connotation.  Can be described as unwashed human hair, goat smell and dirty socks.

I always like to conjure up an image to go along with the perfume, please don't be offended:

It's the end of a very successful evening on the first day of May in an upper crust Parisian bordello. A tired courtesan finally closes her door after the last customer walks out. She walks over to her bedside table and picks up the fresh posy he left her as a parting gift, a simple lily of the valley sprig to ensure good luck and prosperity for the upcoming season. She puts the posy back down on the table and contemplates over whether to eat the peach or the plum in the fruit basket on the table. She chooses the juicy plum and then sinks down into her bed, its woolen blankets lying rumpled in a heap at the foot. She lays back with her head with its dirty, mussed hair resting against the pillow, in one hand she wraps a silken curl around her finger, amazed she can still smell a trace of the rosewater she rinsed it in from the morning. Her body, exhausted and slightly sweaty, cools off with the breeze from an opened window. The scent of night blooming jasmine wafts up from a neighboring garden. She closes her eyes and can still see the ruggedly handsome visage of her latest customer, she even smells the animal musk of him, the way his leather boots smelled like birch tar. Funny, she still smells the scents of her customers from earlier in the evening, a sultry mix of soft tonka bean, creamy sandalwood, castoreum and ambergris. Her own perfume was a gift from another gent, a precious bottle containing the essences of narcissus, hyacinth, and clover. But the spell is broken as she smells something else too, a used chamber pot tucked discreetly under the bed.  


The New Yorker, 1942:
"Bourjois: The new Courage, for carnation-lovers, and Mais Oui, still a favorite among women who like gaiety with their sex appeal."

The New Yorker, 1943:
"Mais Oui, a good, carefree, rollicking scent."

Bottles:

The perfume was originally housed in a frosted glass flacon by Verreries Brosse. Around 1947, a clear, unfrosted version of this bottle was introduced. The purse flacon was made up of clear glass and was topped off with a blue plastic screw cap adorned with a tassel. the mini perfume was a replica of the standard size parfum bottle but instead of a glass stopper, it was made up of a fan shaped blue plastic.







Eau Parfumee bottle, circa 1940.


Fate of the Fragrance:


Mais Oui was still being sold in 1950. I am unsure when it was discontinued. The bottles can be found from time to time, but they are usually empty.


1 comment:

  1. Bravo! Thank you for this fantastic review. Can't wait to try this.

    ReplyDelete