The Merchant of Venice is a house I’ve tried many of their offerings from in store, but cannot find a scent that clicks for me; Queen of the Night is no different I’m afraid. It’s a nice enough warm spicy resinous-amber sort of thing, but I just can’t help finding myself getting bored with it. There’s a definite dryness about it, frankincense and myrrh take centre stage with their gentle smoky, almost papery facets being complimented by the dry spiciness of cinnamon rather nicely. From there the dense sweetness of amber and tonka begin to pull you in closer - I don’t really get much saffron if I’m honest. If you’re a lover of resins, this is definitely one to check out. From the notes I thought I would love it, but I don’t. That’s not to say it’s a bad fragrance, it smells great, it just doesn’t scratch that itch for me.
Barénia is the newest release from Hermès, which has been the subject of some controversy online - a lot of people aren’t happy with it. It contains a unique accord of Miracle Berry, which is said to cause sour foods to be perceived as sweet, which seems to be exactly what is happening here. There is a sourness to this scent - the bergamot, ginger lily and synthetic woods create this almost scratchy freshness which isn’t awful, but thankfully is tempered by the juicy sweetness of this miracle berry accord. It’s a weird array of notes, and yet it smells very familiar - I feel like I’ve smelled this exact scent a hundred times before, but can’t place where. Overall it’s not unpleasant, I’m sure the masses will quite enjoy it. But for the price, you would expect a little more character, especially from a house with such a great heritage in the perfume industry. Pleasant, but forgettable and uninspiring.
Ombre Mercure is an olfactory delight, a sensation for orris-lovers everywhere to indulge in. To put this simply, it is a happy scent - you cannot possibly remain in a bad mood if you’re wearing this. Its delicately soft, powdery facets and sweet undertones will lift you up in an instant. Orris and Violet are the main players; intensely powdery and feminine, reminiscent of vintage face powder, complimented by other florals of ylang, rose and jasmine. In the opening it smells like Parma Violet sweets, it has a noticeable candy-like scent to it, perhaps from the inclusion of benzoin and vanilla giving it a touch of warmth. As it develops, it becomes much drier and less sweet, with the powdery facets of the orris becoming creamy with the sandalwood and ylang, whilst also presenting a touch of earthiness from the patchouli. I think this is a fantastic scent, I’m really impressed - it’s definitely going on the wishlist.
First of all the notes are Top: Mandarin, Bergamot, Pear Middle: Violet Petal, Lavandin, Floral bouquet Base: Sandalwood, Patchouli, Musk, Vanilla This scent opens up with a shampoo like smell and not in a positive way. It's not attractive, clean nor soapy and it's very synthetic. It's absolutely impossible to pick up the different flowers - the only thing I can say that the blend is purple but honestly I can't say how much the color of the bottle affects what I think. The blend has no realistic fruity, sweet nor powdery nuances and I have difficulties to wear it even only to write a review of it. Every time when I'm sniffing my arm, I feel unpleasant. Contrary to my usual way of testing, not once did I want to spray this so much that the scent wafted around me. So all my 3 wearings was only two sprays on my other arm only. I love all the notes which Palatine has, even if I have sometimes difficulties with Lavender. That's why it's surprising that I don't detect any of them separately. Someone could say that it's well blended, and maybe it is but the synthetic aroma ruins it totally. I have many scents with a beautiful fruity Pear note in it and unfortunately it's not here. As much as I love different kind of flowers - they are not here. I'm even TOTALLY in love with Violet atm and because of that I was waiting to get my nose into this scent but no, no, no and no. And one of the most sensual base could be created by the notes which are in Palatine, so it's hard to understand how this result is possible. I try to find always positive things, and I don't downvote anything for example in based on a house (just want to mention since some people are doing that). I'm so sorry I couldn't find anything positive now. I have a sample of Elysium Pour Femme as well and I highly recommend to try that one too if you are interested in Palatine and/or like the scent. It has a lot of same in the style which Palatine maybe tries to offer but the quality is totally different. Even that scent is not for me though. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review. I would appreciate if you follow my IG: @ninamariah_perfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗
This house is so underrated and I don’t know if men has found their perfumes. They have many unisex ones like Bois Doré and even the rosy ones are so intriguing on men, especially Moonlight Rose. The scent is warm, very classy yet cozy. I love the mineral notes with Vanilla instead of brown sugary notes which sometimes ruins the beautiful Vanilla. There is a little bit salty feeling which makes this scent unique. Like almost all VC&As this is quite simple blend and that’s why they are so versatile, you can wear them wherever you want. The base is smooth and Cedar wood with Tonka and White musk create a soft and sensual touch to the blend. It wraps around you and it hugs you affectionately. The scent is lingering beautifully, not loudly, it’s an elegance in the bottle. VC&A’s style to make Vanilla is exceptional because it’s always classy, never a heavy gourmand which would be clearly edible. The longevity is surprisingly good and I can smell it on my skin next morning if I have sprayed it in the evening. This scent shares the same dna with Orchidée Vanille and Bois d'Iris - both of them are my favorites as well. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review. I would appreciate if you follow my IG: @ninamariah_perfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗
Melted menthol pastil covers roses and Patchouli One perfume more which was a random sample for me and I didn't know anything about it before trying it for the first time. Because of that it surprised me with the powerful opening and the overall feeling of uniqueness which, however, subsided a bit after a few wearings. The reason why it's so unique to me is, that this kind of scent profile is not for me and therefore I haven't tried so much perfumes in that category. The only perfume which I love so much and which has menthol like feeling is Figment Woman by Amouage but it's nothing like this though. When I spray the scent immediate cool and fresh menthol like feeling fills my scent receptors and it makes me curious as to how the scent will develop. It truly feels like I have Vicks VapoRub under my nose and that scent is not for everyone for sure. I'm thinking all the time that product, not some fancy perfume. After it settles a little bit down it's easier to understand that the green, a little bit mint like fruity scent is created by Blackcurrant buds and it just comes out so strong because of the Ambroxan and Galbanum which boosts a bitter green nuances in it. Other than menthol as a creator of a unique feeling this is Rose Patchouli scent pumped full of Ambroxan and that's why all the notes lives longer. Personally I tend to dislike fragrances which has that or other similar aroma chemicals but here its characteristic smell is well hidden under the menthol aroma and earthy Frankincense. It's not so much woody nor ambery here either. Rose is not so realistic like is not Patchouli but the combination is enjoyable and it differs how it's done in so many perfumes. One note which I see for the first time is Geosmin (GSM) which is a molecule which can be found for example in drinking water and it has earthy and musty odour. All accords which are relevant imo: spicy, synthetic, fresh, woody, floral, but especially the "fresh" accord has its own meaning in this fragrance thanks to the menthol. The scent is quite linear as well because all the notes support that association. If you love a lot that scent or feeling this perfume is definitely for you. Honestly I don't have any idea where people get "aquatic" and "Amber" has to be one because people see the note Ambroxan. Anyway the scent doesn't have characteristics of Amber, at least on my skin. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review. I would appreciate if you follow my IG: @ninamariah_perfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗
Notre Dame Notte di Natale is what happens when the wicked, witchly spirit of venomous anisette, honeyed plums, and midnight-plucked flowers from Christian Dior's Poison winds its dark essence through into the flesh of a gingerbread man, wrapping itself in a crust of dark spices, black treacle, and unholy sugar. A fragrant possession of spiced damnation.
If Heinrich Lossow's painting "The Sin" got a modern perfume brief, but plot twist - the nun is doing laundry, and instead of a garden variety horny priest, she's being visited by a biblically accurate angel, all burning eyes and razor wings and divine perversity. It's giving Clovis Trouille's ecstatic scandalous nuns but make it fresh linens and benediction. A slutty nun chypre laundry musk that somehow makes perfect sense. Sacred and profane, bleached and debauched.
I am a huge Ex Nihilo fan and this one is among my favorites. It starts off with a blend of mandarin orange, powdery pepper and slight hints of Mimosa. Ylang Ylang is always in the background, and gives this scent depth and warmth from start until the end. The vanilla comes through a bit later and provides the sweetness. Vesper Glitz is an elegant scent, almost too chic to wear casually. It is great to wear for a special occassion or on a date, it surely works for night outs as well. Very good scent with nice lasting power, would be happy to have this in my collection one day.
I’m really liking this. Joe Smells Good from YouTube sent me a sample. I’m for sure going to wear this to work. It’s really natural and juicy, uplifting and refreshing. I’m just going to pretend I’m on the Italian coast today.
I have been wearing this one a lot hoping that I can get something more out of it than what I have written in a note after the first three wearings. This is anyway quite simple composition and it doesn't change if I'm for example in the different mood or if the weather is different, even the warmth of my skin doesn't make a significant difference which is the most surprising for me. That certain "stability" makes this scent utterly easy choice to wear it. It doesn't have any clearly feminine nor masculine characteristics either so it's very versatile and crowd pleasing scent if thinking that it's so natural. I mean people who are not used to natural perfumes can feel them heavy or challenging. Despite of that all my opinion changed and into a different direction. Musk here is easy and gentle. I love it when it has that naughty, dirty side or even when it's very animalic but this is not. I wrote in the statement that it's sultry and passionate but the more I'm used to the scent the more innocent it is and the lust has disappeared. I think my statement is more accurate for someone who has never smelled natural or animalic Musk or doesn't like at all these kind of scents but still, this is easy. Maybe too easy for me. I would still rate the scent as a same 9 since the quality of it is so special. Everything in this scent is gentle and so harmonious. Cinnamon is not at all how you imagine it, it's barely noticeable like is Cardamom. Patchouli is not earthy, it only brings a woody touch to the scent. The sweetness is only from Benzoin, it's very subdued, a little bit Vanilla like but different from the sugary sweetness. The balsamic aroma pairs perfectly with Musk. I don't find any creaminess here but a light nutty aroma instead. Powdery texture which Orris creates is not totally dry. There is nothing pungent, awkward or irritating about this scent. Everything is blended seamlessly, beautifully and skilfully. This is the style of Les Indemodables and exactly that style makes them so popular among the houses where natural and high-quality materials are used. My note just to compare how my overall feeling has changed between 4th-10th wearings: "Powdery, resinous Musc with a sensuality and class. Not animalic and dirty yet sultry and passionate. The scent of an innocent lust (if that is possible)." Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review. I would appreciate if you follow my IG: @ninamariah_perfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗
A beautiful warm spicy fragrance.
The apple and orange paired with the cinnamon make it almost festive, but the herbal lavender and timid floral notes balances that out a bit.
In behind this fruity cinnamon, I was almost immediately reminded of Angel ~ Mugler. It must be the sandalwood, patchouli, and vanilla rolling about.
I really don't see how you could dislike this. There's nothing wild or crazy, it's just warm, spicy and woody, with a drier spice of pepper becoming more apparent in the dry down.
Through the tiny gabled window of a dollhouse attic, a secret scene unfolds: a miniature lace shawl lies draped across a trunk, its delicate stitches dusted with what could be petit four crumbs, could be breakfast cereal marshmallows - fairy-sized sweets scattered by some forgotten child's hand. Beside it, pearly mothballs like strange sugar drops rest among cobwebby linens that exhale their milky-musky-powderiness. From a diminutive crystal perfume bottle in the corner, phantom florals and delicate vanilla mingle with dust motes in the afternoon sunlight, the whole tiny world held in perfect, timeless suspension.
Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab’s Snake Oil is a luxuriant molasses-y, musky deeply sugared vanilla incense, blended with dark spices more sacred than culinary. This is a scent that lends to a sense of danger and power, and not for the faint of heart–but rather for a heart-pricked thrice under a full moon right before you take a big dripping bite of it to seal the spell in flesh and blood and death. You’re the dangerous, powerful creature in this scenario and you gotta commit if you’re going to wear this gorgeously potent thing.
Joe Smells Good on YouTube sent me a sample of this. Really sophisticated and complex. A lot going on. Of the warm spicy men’s frags I’ve smelled this one stands above probably 95% of them. Spicy, resinous, and slightly soapy. A kind of smoothness that’s lacking in many scents of this variety. No sweetness to speak of, which is a plus for me. Not one I’d expect to smell on a young guy at the mall, more like something a Bruce Wayne type would wear if he spent more time in his library than in his batcave.
Imagine a little picnic with your beloved stuffed bunny, the threadbare and shabby old thing with the missing eye and the unraveling stitches and the patch on its little belly where the stuffing has begun to leak through, the one you’ve loved so much and for so long that there is no doubt in your mind that it is the very realest rabbit. And picture the most realistic mud pie you ever made, so true to life in fact that when you took a crumbling bite of it, it actually tasted a bit like a lightly spiced tea loaf, gently sweetened, with a soft, tender crumb– maybe a seasonal apple or zucchini bread, but minus the actual fruit or vegetation. As a matter of fact, there’s little to no greenery in this scent at all, even the clover and the hay is more honeyed sweetness than grassy or botanical, and I do think that verdancy, that sense of green growing things, is what’s missing for me. This fragrance is less Peter Rabbit and more Velveteen Rabbit, right down to the well-worn cozy, cuddly fuzzy, snuggly skin musk of it– and as a matter of here’s a fleeting there-and-gone curious note that seems to be aiming for milky and creamy, but briefly veers a touch sour and unwell almost like a hint of baby spit-up. Like your beloved stuffed bunny that served as a faithful childhood repository for various ailments and was never quite fully sanitized. Despite its peculiarities and what it’s missing, it truly feels like a love letter to something sweet and cherished, and so far back in time you can never reach it again–and I think that’s ultimately what makes it so evocative – it’s the memory, how you felt in that garden and that friendship with your soft, sweet companion, filtered through the lens of childhood wonder and a love so fierce it transcends reality.
This fragrance is quite an exercise in restraint. It is the olfactory equivalent of hushed whispers, fading echoes, and pale shadows further muted by weak sunlight. The champagne is a warmed, still echo in its glass, the effervescence long gone. A delicate tension simmers between the dripping sweetness of peach and ambrette’s intimate, powdery musk, all set against an understated backdrop of cool, elusive floral notes and the gentle, woody humidity of oakmoss. Maggie the Cat isn’t at all the piercing shrieking experience that I expected but offers an introspective, understated moment instead
While I do love the scent of a heavily wooded hinterland or an ominous evergreen Mirkwood Forest midnight–basically, a syrupy resinous coniferous balsamic dirge of a scent (think Norne from Slumberhouse or Dasein Winter Nights) this is…not that. Or, well, it’s sort of that, but remove all those associations with darkness and shadows and the macabre. Rather than the Huntsman chasing a terrified Snow White into the gloomy woods, this is instead the contentment of Snow White in a sun-dappled forest glade, surrounded by woodland creatures, a soft trembling faun on her lap, and a little bluebird perched on her finger. It’s the scent of weathered branches and leaves fluttering in the breeze, sticky sap and damp creeping moss, the faint sweetness of wildflowers crushed under your feet, the rosy golden musk of a sunbeam on your skin; it’s all of that, but it’s not overly sentimental or twee. Its the sheer, gauzy summer halo of a winter haunted forest emerging from a deep sleeping curse.
I don’t think I know how to talk about Fantosmia from Jorum Studio, , so instead, I am just going to run their list of notes through my internal translator and speak them to you in my language. This is the scent of a leather armor repurposed into a stewing pot into which you stir the sticky sap of a wounded tree, the sour scrapings of the inner rind of a pumpkin, the last few crumbles of Transylvanian honey bread blessed by the holy sisters and studded with spirit-soaked dried plums, and a scant handful of musty seeds and peppery herbs. Stir over stones that haven’t seen sunlight in one hundred years and trap the cookfire’s ghostly smoke in a glass vial for after-dinner divinatory purposes. This scent is a cryptic recipe written in a forgotten tongue; I can almost decipher the symbols, but ultimately it remains a mystery, a riddle that I can’t solve. I can admire it, yet I can’t quite call my own.
As intrigued as I was by the idea of a fragrance inspired by the lore of the phoenix, this is less a solitary mythical firebird and more a gaggle of mean girls cackling at a sick burn. It’s the sort of ambery raspberry-smoky rose that I’m already disinclined to like, because I don’t love fruity florals, but there is something about this one that’s particularly smug and acridly unlikeable. It’s got the structure of a scent that aspires to an aura of power and allure, but it falls flat, it’s just a loud, saccharine veneer in the shape of a void where a personality is meant to be. And sure, you can tell me I need therapy for my high school trauma, but I swear I don’t even think about that stuff until a particularly awful perfume comes across my radar. This is one of those perfumes.
Primal Yell has elements of hot iron, cherry, and bitter almond in addition to patchouli, vetiver, and some other notes, and this is definitely the moodier and broodier of the debut duo from Amphora. I definitely get that red fruit, but it’s swaddled in black velvet and furs, and encased in an ancient iron coffin. As a matter of fact, this is very much a blood popsicle shared between two very old, very chic, and jaded, too-cool-for-school vampire lovers.
With notes of frozen apple, dried rose petals, candied violets, marshmallow, cashmere, and white musk, Sublimate is a disco ball piñata of Pixy Stix dissolving in a vat of liquid nitrogen, exploding into a supernova of candied campy Barbarellas. It is a technicolor cacophony of hyper-fruity absurdity, a celebratory sweetness that leaves your soul awash in glitter and makes you question the very fabric of reality, and truly, I think it is the penultimate recipe for euphoria.
Yep, this perfume didn't come to fuck around. It's an assault in the opening, and as others have said it smells like a peaty Islay scotch, but this quickly calms down and makes way for a very dry, dark, serious oud with woody, incensey vibes rather than barnyard funk. Having read the other reviews here I was expecting too much vanilla, but I can't say it's giving me that. On card I smell the vanilla more and it reminds me of Fall Into Stars, but on skin it's totally different. It's very complex, every sniff gives me something different, and the oud is strong and real. Indeed, I find myself thinking 6 sniffs out of 10 that it smells like pure oud oil, but then I get a waft of booze and/or vanilla and some swirling amber (albeit still bone dry). It's a love, but it definitely won't be a perfume for nonchalant daily spritzing. Update: I'm way into the drydown now and it's very addictive. I can understand the negative comments and see why people wouldn't like this, expecially if they're into the frilly, sparkly ouds from this brand, which I also love, but this scratches some sort of specific itch for me, that desire for the darkest, most oudiest oud, well this is it. If you get fed up with being told, "yeah this is oud, but don't worry because it's really accessible and blah blah blah" THIS is the oud for you. This is an oud which will burn the hairs out of your nostrils and smoulder away in your thoughts after you have worn it, but without being brash, offensive or synthetic. It's a class act, but one with a bold presence. It's not leathery but I can imagine it will appeal to those who love really strong, noble, leathery scents.
The opening of this is intense.
I don’t mean to sound like a fragrantica twat with a story but this really did evoke a visual reaction so credit to the master Bish.
It’s like standing outside a car factory. There’s metal, there’s rubber, there’s leather, there’s fumes coming at you. It’s not giving BO like a lot of others mention.
But behind you is a field full of roses. Damp, sweet, green, floral roses.
The apple and lychee add sweetness to what could just be described as a jammy rose, but they also add some contrast and tartness.
I do love a rose fragrance. It’s one of my favourite notes. From the name and bottle I wasn’t expecting rose.
The cumin isn’t specific to me right away but it’s likely adding to the powerhouse opening.
The bouquet of chemical at the start does fade quite quickly and what’s left is dark rose oud with the memories of leather and earthy cumin.
A wild ride of an opening That settles into something more dark and familiar.
