Maya Njie is a London fragrance house I started reading and learning about three months ago, right around the time I launched my blog.
The line was founded by Maya Nije, surface designer and photographer, who became interested in perfumery as a means to communicate her artistic work more compellingly.
I often write my blog reviews and articles as mini odes to scented memories, so Maya’s inspiration for her line resonated with me from the start. Her fragrances are, in fact, inspired by family pictures taken decades before she was born, so each creation captures a bottled precious moment in time.
Launched in 2016, the line celebrates Maya’s Swedish and Gambian origins by using artisanal raw materials and accords of the highest quality to create unique, small-batch fragrant pieces. The packaging was designed by Maya herself to incorporate the colors of the picture album.
I was lucky to purchase Maya’s discovery set here in the US before it was sold out just hours after I’d looked into it, and I have enjoyed sniffing and experiencing each one since then.
I will focus my attention on my two favorite creations from the line, Les Fleurs and Vanij, but I will briefly describe the others too.
Maya is the nose behind each fragrance.
Les Fleurs
Those who know my scent tastes will tell you that fig is hardly ever my olfactory note of choice, but, to date, this is the best fig interpretation I have tried.
A zesty opening of bergamot and neroli paves the way for juicy and realistic fig flesh that interweaves with luminous magnolia petals. As the fragrance evolves, gentle musks and woods balance the cornucopia of vibrant fruits and flowers.
Les Fleurs is joyous, refreshing, and laced with a natural sweetness that is often hard to find in fruit-centered scents. This is a glowing creation that is perfect for warmer days.
The notes are listed as they appear on the house’s website:
Bergamot, Neroli, Pulpy Fig, Citrusy Magnolia, Floral Musk, Unwilted Wood.
Vanilj
Maya created an unusually appealing vanilla-centered scent that is edible but not cloyingly sweet. This isn’t a confectioner’s sugary vanilla, but a pure and natural vanilla bean.
A lightly camphorated opening blends with delectable spices to create a gourmand heart. The fragrance evokes “terzetti”, Christmas cookies from Rieti, my hometown in Central Italy, made with black pepper, wine, and honey. This sweet sensation persists for several hours until the scent rests on a pillow of soft woods and warm amber.
I see this as a perfect scent for cooler weather, but I enjoyed it with the heat too because of the balsamic, almost medicinal opening, which I am guessing is brought by the patchouli note.
The notes are listed as they appear on the house’s website:
Vanilla, Cardamom, Patchouli, Musk, Cedarwood, Amber.
My impressions on Maya’s other creations:
Nordic Cedar has Vanilj’s warm and comforting backbone without the vanilla, so it’s overall drier and earthier, yet still spicy and boozy.
Tropica is a bright medley of tropical fruits with pineapple and coconut as prominent notes (to my nose, at least) and softened by a woody base. The citrus note is vaguely reminiscent of lemon verbena.
Tobak is Maya’s darkest creation with hints of ash, leather, and animalic musk. I find it to be smoky but not as spicy as the brand’s description suggests.
I will always associate Maya’s fragrances with memory’s evocative power and, also, with my new fragrance blog adventure.
I reviewed the scents from a discovery set I purchased personally from Muse Experiences, which sells the Maya Nije line in the US.
Photo: Sarah McGuire.
