In the world of perfume, Thierry Mugler has always forged his own path. He has never been a copycat, like many of the perfumes on the department store floor. His creations are bold, fearless and make a statement. The statement they make may not be for everyone. Mugler doesn’t make soft or delicate scents. His first scent, Angel, was a brilliant composition that smelled like chocolate, patchouli and sweaty skin on an unmade bed after a wild weekend. Sexy and warm, Angel was always a bit much for me, and despite my carnal description, Angel perfume is quite wearable and popular. It’s been a top seller since it was released in its iconic star bottle. My older daughter has worn it and it’s little baby, Angel Muse, and she smells delicious.

Alien was Mugler’s next release, a floral, if you will, with jasmine and tuberose at the centre. But Alien was a neon floral, and was another on I could identify at twenty paces. It’s a perfume I love on others more than on me. The hair mist is something I’ve been able to wear, but for the most part, Alien and it’s many flankers wore me rather than me wearing them.

Aside: I’ve often wondered if Mugler’s perfumes were made for people who want to wear only one perfume forever. They’ll end up with olfactory exhaustion (nose blind) but I’d bet dollars to doughnuts they will always be able to smell their Muglers. The stuff is inexhaustible.

Rumours abounded when it was known that Mugler was releasing a green scent. Green is my favourite scent category, and I was curious how Mugler would approach it. I was really hoping for a variation on his Cologne, which isn’t really green as in flora, but more like just neon green and squeaky clean. I love it and was hoping for a leafy or fruity variation on Mugler Cologne. Mugler Aura was released, and it conjures up Space Rainforest for me. Aura is a rich lush place where it rains a lot, and where everything is overgrown and dark green. Rhubarb, white florals and vanilla all come at me well before the green notes do, though. The rhubarb and vanilla add a gourmand vibe in the deep dry down. Like, you might want to lick your arm. Reader: I advise against that.

I smell the DNA of Alien in here, so I feel like Alien lovers should investigate Aura. It gets greener, as it dries down, and it is a wet and dewy green, but you do have to smell through lots of other stuff to get to the green. Mugler Aura doesn’t list ginger or mint, but I smell something like them. A weird sort of camphorous plant that one might expect find in their Space Rainforest. On paper, it takes a good day for the dry down of Aura to get woodsy, and that’s when I enjoy it most. I like Aura when it is the greenish woodsy Space Rainforest, after the heady white space jasmine have closed their blossoms for the day. And Aura’s bottle? Magnificent, like every single Mugler bottle ever made. Thierry Mugler is a design genius, and the man knows his angles. This shiny green space beetle is stunning and feels lovely in my hand. A gorgeous addition to any perfume collection and a must-have for Mugler lovers.

Let’s get back on the ship and head back to hyperspace, where Alien Flora Futura was born. Alien Flora Futura is an imaginary flower that grows out of a space cactus at night, and a lovely one it is. This gorgeous pink faceted crystal creature takes a slightly different approach to jasmine than the deep purple original. Online reviews constantly say “soft” and many Mugler fans are not happy with that, however that is why I love it. Perhaps Mugler lovers want more of a one-two punch? It’s not like Flora Futura is a shrinking violet – not even close.

Did I mention the bottle? Because the bottle is like a rose coloured diamond, cut to catch the light in the best possible way. Alien Flora Futura may be one of the prettiest perfume bottles in my collection.

Alien Flora Futura has some amber as well, which may be what is adding the illusion of powder  (space dust?). I just like that the jasmine they used in Flora Futura has a bubblegum smell that I adore, and an almost makeup smell. There is no violet but woodsy notes and Mugler space magic that could be creating an illusion of violet. Maybe musks. This is much softer on skin that any other Alien, and seems to like to exist near Aura.

I don’t review Mugler perfumes often. And when I do, I take my time. I reviewed these together because I happened to spray blotters of each and had them both sitting on my desk for a couple days. They both took over my office, like a couple of space invaders, but in the end they co-mingled in a weirdly wonderful way. I’m in no way promoting the layering of Alien Flora Futura and Aura, who knows what kind of bend in the space-time continuum could occur if that happened. But I have been enjoying their pairing, like a good cheese and wine. Maybe this comes from working with so many perfumes that my nose has learned to pick out what works and what doesn’t, even in the most unlikely of couplings.