My love of Thierry Mugler’s Alien, and all things Mugler in fact, is widely known. I just cannot help myself when it comes to the weird, wacky and über glamorous creations that come straight from Muglerville – they resonate deep within my soul, awaking the hidden Glamazon inside of me. So I do feel very excited when I hear that the brand is launching a brand new fragrance, especially if aforementioned scent it is to be a close cousin of my most beloved Alien.

Mugler’s latest launch is exactly that – Alien Eau Extraordinaire – a lighter take on the the brashness of Alien, that reportedly “accentuates incandescent freshness” and amps up the scent’s brighter citrus notes. Alien, whilst being a foghorn of a scent (a beautiful foghorn, of course), did display an impressively fresh citrus facet worthy of further exploration, so it is with great interest that I approached this entirely more luminous creation.

Created by perfumer Dominique Ropion who, along with Laurent Bruyere, was responsible for the original, Alien Eau Extraordinaire is a stand alone fragrance described by Mugler as being “charged with a positive energy” and “combining a blend of notes known for their uplifting, energising powers with the unique signature of Alien to convey a feeling of happiness and serenity for all women”. That all sounds rather promising, if you ask me!

Mugler’s New Film for Alien

The Notes

Neroli, Bergamot Tea, Orange Blossom, Tiare Flower, Cashmeran, White Amber and Heliotrope

How Does it Smell?

The first thing one will notice when spritzing this latest outing from Mugler, is that it’s not particularly Alien-esque. The original Alien is a jasmine with a rough edge. The jasmine itself, was pushed to hyper-floral proportions, transforming it into a narcotic purple syrup. This was then juxtaposed against fuzzy cashmeran and serrated woods to create a cosmic tension that gives Alien a truly unique signature. Eau Extraordinaire maintains a level of pressure, but for the most part it abandons this famous tension for softness, thus creating an entirely different olfactory profile.

Eau Extraordinaire opens with a bright, solar flare of bergamot, neroli and orange blossom. I’d describe it as being delicately crisp and sweet with dewy, green facets (possibly the tea listed in the notes), and the overall impact is a nice contrast between soft & luminescent and zezty & bubbly. All of this is wrapped up in a thin veil of musk vapour that is distinctly floral in nature.

In the base, Alien’s signature cashmeran comes to the forefront, displaying its complex array of plush and rugged textures, but with an added sense of creaminess. For Eau Extraordinaire, these disparate grains are dialled down to their bare essential parts and whilst the overall impression is enjoyable, one would be remiss not to note that the wonderfully pungent punch that makes Alien so distinct, unique and beautiful is somewhat lost.

To me, this particular version of Alien is more of an ‘eau’ than it is an ‘extraordinaire’. That may sound like a harsh criticism, but it simply means that the scent succeeds at being a lighter, more summer-appropriate interpretation of Alien, but it doesn’t quite have the boldness or presence of character to make it something truly extraordinary. Still, it is well executed (as one would expect from Mugler and Ropion) and above all, it really is quite pretty.

If you’ve always wanted to love Alien but found it just a little bit too much (or even way too much which, let’s face it, is a more likely scenario), the Eau Extraordinaire could be worth a sniff.

Availability

Thierry Mugler’s Alien Eau Extraordinaire is available in 60ml (£50) and 90ml (£68) refillable Eau de Toillette. A 90ml ‘eco-refill’ is also available for £57.

Disclaimer
Sample via, images, video, notes and quotes via Thierry Mugler.