Some people collect watches or stamps or vintage trinkets, but for the past decade, I’ve been pretty dead set on curating an extensive fragrance collection. The bottles are not only chic to display (I currently have three big shelves and counting), but it also brings me tremendous joy to pluck a different scent from the wall every morning or concoct an olfactory personality suited to the season. I’m currently in a gourmand mentality—the coziness is a needed touch given the brutal cold streak going down in NYC. My current rotation: Guerlain Vanille Platifolia, Victoria Beckham 20:50 Reverie, DS & Durga Deep Dark Vanilla, Ledda Bourbon Brulee, and Debora Pagani Hair Mist. These are my all-stars.
So when a new launch had me pushing them all to the back row, well, you know it’s good. Enter: SIDIA Midas, available today in both a solid perfume ($48) and body mist ($45). It’s the fifth fragrance to come out of the brand, and is easily my favorite in the lineup.
It takes all the best parts of skin scents—the sexiness, the subtlety—and blends it with the sophistication of unexpected, comforting notes like suede, coconut water, and velvet fig. It has texture, richness, and comfort all wrapped into one shockingly affordable fragrance. It’s so yummy I frankly can’t stop smelling myself. So, let’s get into it.
The Formula
When I first smelled this, my brain thought "gourmand." But it actually doesn’t have any stereotypical gourmand notes. It just manages to channel the comfort and soothing qualities I typically associate with gourmands through a mix of warm ingredients. Here’s the breakdown.
To start, we have top notes like Madagascar black pepper and coconut water, followed by middle notes of fig leaves, labdanum (which gives a sticky, balsamic vibe), and cyclamen (clean and green). Then there’s the base notes: sandalwood, suede, amber, and skin musk. The base notes are key to the fragrance's character, and staying power, but the fresh and creamy top and middle add an unexpected edge to the scent.
The Wear
Consider this my not-so-secret petition to turn this into a traditional eau de parfum. But! For starters, the scent is available in a solid fragrance, which is known to last for hours and sit close to the skin, and a body mist. The latter is typically thought to have a less powerful, fleeting scent, but I actually find that this formula stays put. I give myself and my clothes a nice dousing in the morning, but there’s no denying the remnants of sandalwood and suede (my new favorite note, by the way) are still clinging on for dear life by bedtime.
I’m also a sucker for a good skin scent like this—the perfume doesn’t wear you, you wear the perfume. I genuinely feel this blends with my own pheromones and body chemistry perfectly so the fragrance feels like part of me, not something sitting on me.
The Takeaway
Some people have a safety blanket; I have a safety perfume. Midas has a way of decompressing my nervous system—applying it is like counting to 10 or taking five deep breaths. It has a soothing, addictive quality that compels me to wear it on repeat. Which, for me, is the sign of a 10/10 perfume.
Shop Sidia
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