LOST LOVERS

The final perfume of Chapter 1 within the Maison de L’Asie line is Lost Lovers. By looking at its note breakdown, you would not think to link it to the gourmand family, and yet it squarely falls there, dominated by a full and sweet amber-orange flower center. This is counteracted by a note of dry vetiver which, mixed together, makes a yin and yang balance of elements. Other notes seem to fall on each side of this as well – the violet is milky and sweet, as are the jasmine and musk, while a spice accord, rose blossoms, and bergamot are distinctly sharp and full of zest. There is so much at work within this perfume that one could take many detours with the nose: alkaline iris-violet, velvety white musk, dry and vanilla-infused vetiver.

The balance is met well, and held delicately – just enough of a grasp, but never a rough fist trying to control an overflow of emotions. On the skin, Lost Lovers hits a high note just as the center is reached and a bit of cedar becomes more apparent. Nearly every note is detectable at this time, and it turns darkly woody, then floral, then brightly citrusy. I’m compelled to compare this to a “love affair” but after smelling this awhile, I think the story arc is far longer – like a person who is in your life for a long, long time, and you experience so many of their moods alongside yours. This sensation is analogous to the bouquet of smells within Lost Lovers. On the surface, it is a spice-amber perfume that many would find appealing, but just dip beneath that and subtle shifts reveal complex interconnections which make our attachment all the more enmeshed. It’s a profound complexity.

— John Biebel
Editor at Fragrantica

It is in the small, normally unseen details of design that I love when it comes to most things in life. Perfume is no exception to this.

There are elements to Maison de L’Asie’s bottle design and packaging that you may miss if you’re not looking for them. You will see the care, the attention and the stories Elizabeth Liau, the founder of Maison de L’Asie is trying to show.

This is the first chapter which represents nostalgia and memories of Singapore.

With vivid aromatic tones of vetiver, Lost Lovers opens with lush green notes, evoking images of young plants unfurling in a forest, but with time, this complex fragrance becomes richer and warmer, pairing the smoothness of sandalwood and amber with the smoky, sensual elements of vetiver.

— Lance Martire
UK