Maison Martin Margiela - Replica - Funfair Evening (perfume review)

Growing up in Bonney Lake, Washington, there was one thing every kid did in the town next door. And that was the Puyallup Fair. (Do the Puyallup!) These days it's officially called the Washington State Fair and it draws more than 1 million attendees during its late summer run, making it one of the top 10 fairs in the whole country. I went every year, either performing with the school band or with friends and I still vividly remember the dizzying amount of rides and games and prizes to be won. 

True to it's name, Replica's Funfair Evening (by Maison Martin Margiela) evokes a carefree evening spent at the fair - as an adult - complete with screaming kids frolicking about and that twinge of nausea you experience after one too many funnel cakes or rides.

Upon first spray, Funfair Evening opens up almost brashly with a strong marshmallowy cotton candy vibe that's intensely sweet and powdery. I can't help but picture a puff of the pink stuff. You can almost feel the stickiness on your hands and lips and it's almost sweet enough to turn your stomach - a sign that I'm no longer the kid I used to be.

5 or 10 minutes in, the billowing clouds of cotton candy make way for a slightly sharp but still very sweet vanilla amber. This is like sunset at the game area of the fair. Your stomach is finally settling from the rides and cotton candy, but you're still enjoying a little bit of adrenaline as you try repeatedly to win the most giant stuffed panda in the world.

Within a couple of hours, the sharpness fades away and you're left with a more delicately sweet vanilla caramel. This is the final walk through the fairgrounds and to the car, with the dueling scents of deep fried snickers and powdered funnel cakes lingering on your clothing after a long night at the fair.

All in all, Funfair Evening did not strike me as a particularly complex scent - but I think it is successful in reproducing the "familiar scent" of a night at the fair.  It's intense powdery sweetness makes it feel like a very youthful scent, which may be why it felt a touch too sweet for me in my ripe old age of 31. I could see it being a simple and fun scent on a carefree individual that likes sweet gourmands.

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My rating of Funfair Evening: 2.5

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 Nausea/Gagging           Meh       Decent       Great         Olfactory Elation 

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Replica Funfair Evening as described by the MMM website:

Top notes: Petitgrain, Sweet apple, Pear ester, Star Anise, Neroli

Middle notes: Infusion of Moroccan rose, Tuberose, Infusion of Egyptian orange blossom

Base notes: Ambrox, White musk, Tahitian vanilla, Caramel

Perfumers: Jacques Cavallier, Marie Salamagne

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Have you tried Funfair Evening, or any of the other Replica scents?