Fragrance line MIND GAMES presents life as a game rife with opportunities to boldly lay out an opening gambit or utilize the element of surprise. 

This fall, the perfume house is furthering its chess-inspired artistry with the launch of a Perfumer Extraordinaire Limited Collection Decanter at Neiman Marcus, which features signature scents Mentor and Prodigy. The launch, which coincides with the arrival of gifting season, highlights scents from MIND GAMES that are empowering, timeless, and devastatingly seductive. 

Housed under the Fragrance Group, MIND GAMES's offerings are curated by the top noses in the industry, including Emilie Cooperman, David Apel, and Annick Mendardo, among others. Since its launch in 2022, the brand has put forth the Artisan Collection and, last September, the Soulmate Collection. 

“Our fragrance development process is like a dance between guidance and freedom,” said MIND GAMES Creative Director Mariana Shalbaf. “We craft briefs that inspire the perfumers, and then we step back. We give our perfumers the room to dream, experiment, and pour their souls into the creation.”

Luckily for Shalbaf, originality recently found its pair in perfumer Nathalie Benareau, who designed the unexpected “santal latte” Prodigy fragrance to reflect the mercurial nature of a chess match. Sandalwood drèches provide a classically toasted and sweet scent profile, complicated by the addition of Madagascar patchouli, longoza blossom, blonde woods, and bergamot. 

Mentor symbolizes a gift: the passing of a torch from teacher to protégé. "At the core," adds Shalbaf, "Mentor reflects the tension between two opposite, but ultimately complimentary, scent profiles. Developing this fragrance was a balancing act of pairing seemingly surprising notes with each other, and in the end, it all came together." The fragrance allows the smokiness of Boya Oud and sweetness of caramel to mix, with perfumer Carlos Vinals layering on amber resin, tonka bean, sandalwood, and Italian lemon.  

“We always look into the future of the fragrances and use art as a source of inspiration, and it became the foundation for our limited-edition decanter,” Shalbaf explains, citing the queen-shaped bottle's design as symbolic of strength and empowerment. "With our perfumers as the true artists behind this collection," she continues, "we sought to offer our customers a collectible item that pushes the boundaries, celebrates creativity, and serves as a tribute to the art of perfumery."