Rose de Siwa somewhat flies under the radar amongst the other MDCI fragrances, as do many of their feminine releases. I think itâs lovely though, Iâm not usually the biggest fan of most rose-centric perfumes, but this one is lovely. I think because the rose never becomes to dense or jammy. The rose here is very light and airy, almost like smelling a rose flower in the air, with just a touch of sweet rose-water. Fantasy notes of pink peony and juicy-sweet litchi perpetuate this light airiness whilst also adding a delicate fruity aspect, with just a touch of powdery violet in the background. I think this is lovely, undeniably chic and feminine without doing too much all at once. Everything balances each other perfectly, which results in an incredibly refined scent. Iâm tempted to get a bottle of this, we shall see.
Orris is one of my favourite notes of all time, and this right here is orris heaven. Shem-el-Nessim or, âsmelling the breezeâ, takes you to a summer festival on the Nile in 1906, a celebratory affair rife with beautiful flowers wafting their scent downstream. Words cannot describe how stunning this is. This perfume is just so buttery smooth - the dense, powdery facets of the orris are elevated by heliotrope and ylang. Which is then furthered by creamy sandalwood and soft vanilla. Thereâs an airy freshness coming from the white florals, alongside a sort of salty sharpness from the geranium. The composition may be simple, but itâs an absolute masterpiece. This is easily my favourite Grossmith fragrance, and one of the best uses of orris Iâve ever smelled. The fact that this is 118 years old astounds me, especially since it smells better than 90% of whatâs being released today. I must own this masterpiece soon.
Quelques Fleurs is a mind-bogglingly beautiful floral, a complex medley so perfectly balanced it simply smells like divine serenity. Of course, Houbigant are best known for the genius creation that is Fougere Royale, but I think I actually prefer this - itâs pure floral bliss. An array of clean white florals are the focus here; copious amounts of jasmine, orange blossom, tuberose and a lily of the valley accord all sing in perfect harmony, among warmer, powdery flowers of lilac, rose, ylang, violet and orris. To further create this idea of a garden in full bloom, green notes make themselves known which give off this bright and stemmy, almost dewy effect. Itâs utterly fantastic, if youâre a fan of florals this is one of the all time greats. The fact that this was released in 1913 makes it all the more impressive, itâs timeless. I will definitely have to pick up a bottle of this at some point.
Roja Haute Luxe has become one of the most famous niche fragrances on the market, despite most people having never smelled it before. Its obscene price and eccentric bottle design has captured peopleâs attention and thirst for luxury since day one. Whilst the price is ridiculous, I think a lot of people dismiss this fragrance simply because of that. Roja Dove wore Guerlainâs Mitsouko as his signature scent for just shy of 30 years, before it was reformulated and he fell out of love with it - he suddenly had to think, âhow do I want to smell?â Thereâs definitely elements of Mitsouko here, itâs composed as a classical French Chypre with a soft citrus opening, powdery floral heart and an intensely mossy, slightly leathery base. The oakmoss and the florals evoke a feeling of baroque vintage perfumery, itâs unapologetically old fashioned and I love it for that. Again, similar to Mitsouko, Roja includes some prominent warm spices of cinnamon and clove to add some much needed sensuality to the scent. Benzoin is also used in large amounts, giving you that warm ambery feel, but also a thick, sharp resinous facet which contrasts the smooth powderiness beautifully. This scent is stunning, when I wear it I feel like royalty - but youâre paying for status. The gold flakes, sharing a signature scent with Roja Dove, the price tag reflects privilege and not necessarily the scent itself. Donât get me wrong, I adore this scent - I think itâs magical on the skin, but I just canât justify spending ÂŁ2,500 on a single bottle, itâs only perfume at the end of the day. Especially when I would consider Great Britain and A Goodnight Kiss to be far better creations, which are also a fraction of the price.
Almost violetty with the combination of cardamom, rose, orris, ylang and sandlewood with a sort of dusty quality. The sandalwood is buttery and undulating, a real marvel. Unmistakable Chong-era Amouage class and gall.
Absolutely love it! this has got to be my most favourite in the whole Libre line. Love the addition of Coconut
A really beautiful mysterious scent.
Dusty, spiced, dark woody floral.
A sweetness from honey, dusty flowers with dominant rose, a musky, slightly pissy patchouli base.
Donât think this will please everyone, but even if it doesnât, the artistry has to be appreciated.
Christian Povenzano has made his claim to fame with many fantastic creations in the industry, but Halfeti may be his most famous and instantly recognisable piece of work. This is Penhaligonâs crowning glory, their best selling scent by far and the fragrance which really blew them up - and for good reason. Itâs a gorgeously dry yet smooth woody base of cedar, leather and amber, contrasted by a slightly green aromatic note of cypress. Alongside this, a touch of smooth, warming spiciness from saffron and cardamom gives it that allure. Itâs absolutely fantastic, genius even - itâs simply a scent you cannot dislike. Youâve likely smelled it everywhere, not only due to its popularity but also because this is the scent Penhaligonâs pump out into the street from their shops to draw you in. The Halfeti scent profile can also be subtle detected in a number of their other creations such as Mr Sam. Itâs simply a scent profile which sells brilliantly.
Gold Knight is a honeyed delight for those that treasure perfumes which are brutishly sweet yet unique at the same time. This is definitely a scent which may not be for everyone, but for sure will have you standing out from the crowd. Even now Iâm not 100% sure I love it, but it keeps pulling me back in to explore it further. The most dominating note here is the aniseed - which is intensely dry and earthy, with its sharp and bitter facets highlighted beautifully by bergamot and patchouli. Sweet, sticky honey and creamy vanilla aim to balance this very well, but are unable to hide the liquorice-like accord of the aniseed. Because of this unusual note, I can imagine many people disliking this one. As I said Iâm not sure if I love it, as Iâm not sure if I would want to smell like aniseed all day. Despite that though, itâs a fantastic creation and something that Iâve really not smelled before.
Pure Oud has to be one of my favourite fragrances from Kilian, although the name is a bit misleading. It obviously doesnât contain real oud, but if you were expecting that from Kilian then thatâs on you for the most part. If you can accept that fact, it smells brilliant. A dry, earthy oud accord is used here, furthered by the dry papery-ness of guaiac wood. To contrast, youâve got some rugged balsams and a powerful blast of sweet saffron and cypriol which is intensely dark, rich and oily with subtle apple-y nuances. It does come off rather sharp and medicinal, but it smells absolutely fantastic. This definitely isnât a scent which anyone could enjoy, itâs clearly made for a very specific sort of taste. That oud/cypriol combination is very polarising, but nonetheless is a combination I absolutely love. I would buy this if it wasnât for the obscene price tag.
Intoxicated isnât as intoxicating as I had hoped. Donât get me wrong itâs a nice scent, pleasant and enjoyable but considering the price I canât help feeling as though itâs rather bland and basic unfortunately. Itâs a sort of sweet, spicy smoothness which develops into nothing really. The overdose of cardamom is front and centre. Itâs smooth, yet very dry and a touch smoky with subtle green facets. The note of coffee elevates the dry bitterness, with warm spices and sweet vanilla to counter. Looking at the note breakdown thereâs absolutely nothing wrong with it, but on skin it doesnât seem to come alive as much as I had hoped. Itâs one of those fragrances I will likely find pleasant to wear my sample of, but wouldnât buy myself a bottle. Considering the high price tag of Kilian fragrances, I was hoping for something far more interesting and âintoxicatingâ.
Sampling today.
A very delicate scent.
Itâs skin like, cosy and comforting whilst remaining incredibly light and a little creamy
I feel this is really a âyou but betterâ scent.
Thereâs a little green, very gentle woods, and to my nose, almost something a tiny bit metallic.
People are right about it giving boiled rice.
Itâs not something Iâd usually wear, much too delicate, but I can see why itâs popular.
This fragrance is a sweet youthful scent that is probably best to wear during autumn/winter or on cooler/rainy days, as it gives off comfy blanket vibes. It is so similar to Rolling in Love by Kilian just with an added Strawberry note. đ A cozy almond berry milky scent that is not too overpowering and last around 5 hours on me.
Very photorealistic natural white flower scent, mainly jasmine and frangipani. It feels like catching a whiff of night blooming jasmine while walking on the streets in Thailand. Fresh, clean and classy. I do not get any incence or patchouli, both notes can be difficult for me. The lasting power is up to 8 hours, which is great. Really enjoy this one.
Charme used to be my signature scent back in campus times. Loved the scent from the start and I believe this was a blind buy, because I wanted this bottle in my collection. The scent is subtle and kind of tea-like with a beautiful vanilla blend. Personally, it feels to be on the same level as Armani Mania. Those scents suit best as daytime fragrance. Very cosy to wear. A heavenly and charming scent. The bottle is really classic and suits the perfume itself. Too bad this is discontinued and almost impossible to find any more. I would love to see this having a comeback.
Lovely Iris-woody-rose blend, with some powdery/buttery hints in the background. Perfect everyday scent that makes me feel classy and elegant.
This is a very comfy Chloe flanker with mainly balsamic/woody/vanilla notes. I have not smelled a perfume like this before. The flowers are more in the background here, in case you do not like strong floral notes. I feel this scent is great for autumn or winter as it gives of calming vibes due to the balsamic notes. Very interesting scent and it has good lasting quality as well.
To my nose Wavechild does not have strong aquatic notes and I do not get a alot of coconut from it, more coconut water maybe. I would describe the scent as juicy warm/sunny watermelon with some cacao nuances in the drydown in a very classy way. It is a true happy scent, I really enjoy wearing it in the warm weather. A very inoffensive, even Office friendly daytime fragrance. My twin sister does not seem to like it and it appears the opinions are different, so better test before blind-buying.
Mellow Musk is almost a skin scent with milky notes. The opening reminds me of almond scented shampoo or lotion. It has more a fresh feel to it, later it becomes more creamy and sweet, where I do get the milky/toffe notes. Mith fragrances are nicely blended and more on the lighter side, therefore very office friendly. I do prefer Strawberry+Cream over this though.
Skin-close comfy scent. I get a salted praline vibe here. Creates a sweet and cozy aura, which is great for rainy weather or colder days, but works also in most situations as it is supposed to be a skin scent. It lasts around 3 hours on me. Love that the formula is clean đ
I ordered the discovery set and this was the first scent I tried and fell in love with. The drydown reminds me of my beloved and discontinued Nuit de Iles by Bissoumine. A creamy dreamy light skin-scent with nuances of Frangipani, although not listed. All their fragrances are made from natural ingredient.đ©· The beginning is a bit more citrus/bubblegum-like, but fades very quickly, then you are left with a blast of powdery notes and coconut, which then turns into this lovely scent. It is wonderful to see these perfumes are made cruelty-free from natural ingredients. So far all the samples I have tried, smells well-balanced and beautiful. The lasting power is a bit weak, but I do own a full bottle now. Thanks Aemium! <3
Olympea Solar is easily among my top 5 fragrances. Wearing this fragrance is as if sunbeams radiate from your body. đŒThis sunny warm aura is a mix of refreshing but warm Citrus, alluring Ylang Ylang and more warming and grounding Benzoin. Its a very sweet and slightly heavy tropical scent. The solar notes might be adding this sunny feeling to it. For me as Ylang-Lover, I feel very happy wearing this, but if you are not a fan of Ylang-Ylang you might not feel the same excitement. I would even wear pure Ylang Ylang oil as perfume for some time, that is how much I love this note. Solar is a rich scent and pretty long lasting, I do get around 6-8 hours lasting power. Hopefully this flanker will stay around some time, but might be a good idea to get a back-up just in case.
A beautiful feminine dreamy scent not just for young girls. The opening is my favorite part. Its soft, cuddly and sweet, I do get a very realistic white chocolate note with some almond in the top notes. It can be described as light gourmand, which just reminds me of a white chocolate milk shake with some oat milk. Later it fades into a mix of floral sweet musk and it stay like this for maybe 2 hours, wich is pretty weak unfortunately. For me this is still a perfect inoffensive skin scent, that makes you feel cozy with a cloud of sweet warmth, just nice for a relaxing day on the couch too. It was a successful blind buy and I am glad that I still got a bottle, as it appears to be discontinued shortly after the release. Love the bottle too, it very well made, simple and chic.
WTF?!?! What? The? ActualâŠ. ? Mate? Come on? You canât do that! You canât be brought on board at arguably one of the biggest fashion brands, to oversee and be entrusted to direct their frankly legendary perfume legacy, do NOTHING (pretty much đ€·đŒâïž ) for the first few years, except rehash some half arsed tripe (I love Eau Noire but clearly no one else did) Donât mess with Ambre Nuit, itâs arguably one of the best things to come from this Dior exclusive collection in my opinion. One of the most iconic, understated and original ambers, which granted, had gone a little downhill with reformulation, but this is a drastic move. Way to piss all over Demachyâs legacy, if you think he destroyed it himself before he retired (you maybe had a point) Kurkdjian has heard itâs death rattle, soundly slammed the coffin shut, and hammered in the final nail! Itâs not all that bad this esprit Ambre nuit (haha youâd never have guessed it) my contention is the name, if youâre going to completely change it⊠call it something else!!! So ironically, this was instantly reminiscent of Demachyâs boozy, sweet rework of Fahrenheit, the parfum. Before you get at me for misleading you itâs DOESNâT smell LIKE it! The âvibeâ is just similar, immediate heft, the âweightâ of this perfume is similar and the sweet top notes, spices and booze conspire to give me this impression. It has a kind of Indian drink vibe, with the cinnamon and cardamom almost as it shitmixed with Dr Pepper or Coke or something? I like the opening, I really do, I was like wow! Thatâs (kinda) different (ish) but itâs NOT Ambre Nuit and yes you might say âmake your mind up!â I know I said I didnât want pale rehashes and at least Kurky has made something new here, but I canât let it slide, Ambre nuit is iconic and shouldnât be messed about with, if youâre gonna make a perfume which bears no resemblance to the original then call it something else for Christâs sake wonât you? Iâm normally pretty tolerant of reboots or a new perfumer coming onboard to interpret but thereâs a line and this crosses that line for me. Plus, after an hour or so as it settled on my skin I became more and more annoyed by it and I have a high threshold with a lot of modern, aroma chemical screech, but even this was a little too irritating. Iâm not just saying that to have some issue with this perfume either, itâs a real tale of two halves. Oud Ispahan has a similarly piercing and tenacious base but that somehow improves on skin, whereas this is unrelenting. In conclusion itâs worth a sniff if just to see what the hell Dior and Francis have been up to, but I feel Ambre Nuit fans will not embrace this iteration (obviously I could be wrong) and will feel as afront
