100% synthetic, ultra-modern, screechy, chemical warfare. I get the appeal, but it's just not feasible for people with busy lives to go around smelling like this. I would certainly lose clients if I did. I'm all for bold scents, but there's bold-stunning-classy and there's bold-needy-compensating, and this is in the latter category. Update: the mid stage up close is really beautiful, sort of nutty and leathery, whereas from a distance it's the chemical tuberose still.... But.... Next day, it's still projecting strongly from my skin. It's just way too strong. I don't like perfumes that stop me wearing something else the next day and after washing, and which are indelible on clothes.
Remarkably similar to Pour Un Homme but ten times more pricey Today I spayed one on each arm. There difference is only in the first twenty minutes, with the lavender of Rimbaud being more natural smelling and more effusive whilst being less screechy. But the dry down is 100% identical to my nose.
Oh my, it shouldn't work, but it's incredible. A massive blast of sweaty spices and cleaning product citrus assaults the senses, before rapidly giving way to a creamy blend of citrus and spices. It's soft and tender after the first 5 minutes, like a raging toddler who's suddenly calmed down. There's no base to speak of, so the journey is remarkably short for something so loud at first, but this lends itself to layering, and if it stayed like the opening for too long it would be oppressive. I've just layered this with ample soaky sprays of the heavily discontinued Fate Woman (a moment of behaving like I have the ability to shit out bank notes), and I'm in heaven. Update: it's Jean Marie Farina but maxed up to 1000!
This is sambuca in its purest form, sweet and caramel, with a bright aniseed start.
Phenomenal, smoky, leather gourmand with a hint of rose. 100% unisex.
Pernoire's perfumes has a good quality and they are blended really nicely. Masar is not an exception. This scent has very intriguing notes and it looks like it could be challenging but it's very pleasant and versatile. Not even one note stands out above the others but you can smell them seamlessly intermingled. Labdanum and leather are soft and tender. Spices are not pungent but hidden instead. Honey, Tobacco and Vanilla are creating a beautiful, a little bit sweet core where honey is not sticky sweet but very natural. Tobacco is not smoky nor dirty, it's like a humid gentle whiff. I don't find here any animalic notes if honey is not counted but it's maybe because I love very challenging animalics. The whole base is blended so well and the concoction is utterly harmonious. If you try to think about this smell, think that each note is as enjoyable and easy as they can and they are blended in a big bowl covered with velvety honey. Notes are very natural. The scent is bright and golden like a beautiful sunset. It is not a beast and it's suitable to wear anywhere you want but it's not like an energy booster but some kind of elixir which makes you relax and calm instead. It has an artisanal touch in it but it's not edgy or potent like many artisanal scents are. This is totally unisex. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
A true Amouage, this is a shapeshifter. It opens very similar to Oud Minérale, with a twist of ylang alongside, then comes the cashmeran. For a while, I could only smell the cashmeran, but then it shifted again, and I started getting a rich, realistic wood feel. It seemed simple, turned out to be very complex, and I love it. This one is strong, but not overpowering. There's definitely more going on than the notes suggest. I'm getting a touch of sweetish mint, somewhere between geranium and spearmint, and possibly a whiff of jasmine, although maybe that's the ylang in disguise. Underneath it all is exceptionally high quality patchouli, leaning bone-dry and without a trace of pickle, and the cashmeran resurfaces to warm it slightly. The more the wear goes on, the more addictive I'm finding it. It's also worth mentioning that, while there's no identifiable incense specifically, there is the general feel of incense, I guess the house DNA, which is heavenly for me as an incense lover. It doesn't resemble anything else apart from the fleeting twinkle of Oud Minérale, but that's probably just the calone. Calone can be horrific with one tweak in the wrong direction but this is genius. One last thing, as others have said it's nothing like BH Man, I beg to differ, I think there are clear common threads, woods, mint, salt, to name three, and it feels related if you're familiar with both.
To be honest, I never had the opportunity to smell the "Original", but I'm impressed with the blend of Al Nashama Caprice. It gives me a "familiar perfume" vibe. Though, I'm not impressed with the performance. I knew from the start this wouldn't be a sillage beast, but combined with my skin type, I can barely feel 4-5 sprays after 2 hours, I have to dig deep into my neck or shirt to feel it. Am I going nose blind to it? Should I let it sit for a month or so?
An expensive leather bag containing lipstick, crayons and a half-eaten caramel-popcorn bar, all of which have become mushed up and smeared into the leather. For me the hour or two dry down is rooty iris, I love it.
After falling in love with Je Reviens this year, I knew I needed to explore the house of Worth further. Worth Pour Homme delivers exactly what I hoped it would, an elegantly masculine fougere with a bold and cutting-edge character which I’ll not soon forget. This is a very sharp scent which makes a bold statement, lavender and pine needles make a wonderful pairing, with their green aromatic qualities furthered by herbal notes of rosemary and petitgrain among bright citrus. But underneath, a warmth appears - rosewood and carnation evoke a gentle warm spiciness along with cinnamon and coumarin. The overall result is wonderful. I really enjoy this fragrance, and I’m not usually a lover of fougeres. The piney feel of this scent is very nostalgic and comforting to me, along with the subtle warming aspects it feels perfect for autumn as well. I’ll hopefully look to add this to my collection at some point.
Goat is a strange perfume, the notes listed are clearly deranged, but it does in fact not smell as weird as it would seem. It’s sort of a green, earthy, ashy scent which certainly smells unusual, but it’s not unwearable and nowhere near as animal is it looks on paper. To me, this earthy fungal note of truffle and mushroom dominates, its earthy facets highlighted by mosses and patchouli. Behind this dense thickness, a vibrant slightly metallic feel from violet leaf emerges, giving way to a furry sort of leather in the base. Does it smell like a goat? No. In fact, what it really smells like to me is the old, leathered hands of someone who rolls their own cigarettes, perhaps smoking one every 5 minutes of the day. That intense earthy ashiness is what puts me off this scent, but it’s not revolting by any means - just a very unique style.
Had to blind buy this one. It has some high praise from some reviewers on YouTube, and I’ve always loved the smell of actual unlit sweet pipe tobacco (which is what I was hoping this would smell like). It’s loud as heck, but for me it came up short in the complexity category, and the scent profile in general. I’d say if you want to enjoy this absolute beastly performer, spray it on a shirt you’re going to wear in a couple days from about four feet away. Feels like something is missing, and it smells pretty synthetic with some far too distant vague powdery wood notes. Overall, it may need time to macerate, but this one is the reason I won’t buy clones or perfumes from the UAE again. Hey at least I learned something and I sold it to an older gentleman who likes it mostly because it gets wanted attention from the lady in his life.
Horrible, crass Aventus clone. Up there with Hacivat as the worst iteration of this concept, for me at least. A nauseating vomit accord comes out withing 5 minutes on my skin. To me this smells more like vomit than Sombre.
Sickly tonka soup
This is very interesting concoction and definitely not the typical chocolate scent. Chocolate is deep and dark but in the same time there comes somewhat boozy, liquor like scent from Benzoin together with Vanilla. it's not a clear alcohol smell, definitely not but still it's liquor like, very difficult to describe. There is a sweetness but not overly. Despite of dark Chocolate there is some kind of airiness, it's not thick and sticky. I don't get any smoky feeling, it's a classy gourmand. I love the smell a lot but I don't have any idea in which kind of situation I would wear it, maybe at home in the right mood near by the fireplace during wintertime. Very unique and unisex scent. Not so much common with Dior Fève Delicieuse. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Moonglade is a super smooth and soft blend. The main notes are absolutely Coconut and Peach and the base is mainly creamy Sandalwood, silky Vanilla and sensual Musk. Coconut is not lotion like and it's very sophisticated like is Peach as well. It's not juicy fruity nor juvenile, it's velvety soft and subtle. Many of the note seems to be hidden but this is very well blended so I don't wonder that. Amber and Patchouli are not the main players here and this is not earthy nor mossy. Don't be worried about Blackcurrant either, it's very hard to believe that it turns out pissy since I don't even detect it. There is a possibility that some people find this kind of blend cloying and that's why this is best on cooler days. I think this is not a safe blind buy. I wouldn't say that this is spicy nor floral, those notes are not so obvious. It's funny coincidence that every time when I'm sampling scents randomly my favourites seems to be Chris Maurice's creations. Now I have four samples from M.INT and it was straight away clear that Moonglade is my favourite. Others which I have are "Hit the Mark" which is gourmands dark chocolate, "Pitch and Toss" which is spicy, woody and masculine and "3-D Scent" which is woody and very aromatic, masculine in my opinion. Those three are not Chris Maurice's. I rated this similar to A from Pantheon Roma because these two has absolutely the same kind of vibe in them - sophisticated Coconut, here velvety Peach, in A Mango and utterly soft, creamy base with Musk and Vanilla. This is somewhat lighter and easier scent in overall than A. They are not same scents but you get the idea of the scent if you already know another one. I don't find any connection to Kirke, Angel or Erba Pura. This short review is based on a sample. If you like my reviews follow me in IG @ninamariah_perfumes
Let’s be clear, Prada makes some quality fragrances. They definitely have a vibe. Usually soft, mature, inoffensive, powdery, and ambery. This one is a great example. I’m sure they set out to make what they ended up with. For me, it was a little too safe, gentle, mature, and boring. It actually smells a lot like the inside of an antique wooden refrigerator that I used to keep my comic books and incense in as a kid. Not bad, just not for me.
the essence of a raincloud forming in the distance
Classy, clean, easygoing, approachable, unpretentious. This to me is the best perfume Versace has out currently. It’s really pleasant and not cloying or too mature. It has a green stemmy sharpness that I don't smell in other women's perfumes. For the woman or girl who is cool and confident enough to smell clean and fresh without trying to be alluring or seductive. It’s also not too tweenish or sweet. It’s restrained and polite, and causes one to lean closer. I love it on my wife. I combined a bit of it in a .5 oz. bottle of Bowling Green and I use it as my bedtime scent. It’s the only women’s perfume I’d actually buy for myself, and yes I’m a little jealous of my wife’s bottle I bought her. 10/10
Oudh 36 Nuit took me by surprise, I must admit. For a house chiefly known for creating clones of famous fragrances, I was sort of shocked how much I enjoy this scent. I don’t think it’s an original creation however, it seems to be a mix of a handful of certain famous oud-roses. There’s a noticeable similarity to Dior’s Oud Ispahan, namely the pungent rose-water effect which dominates the scent profile. But I also personally find the geranium rather prominent too, with its sappy, slightly green and particularly salty facets heightened by the rose. To me, it almost smells like Roja Dove’s Aouds and the way he utilises ambergris in those creations. It’s a very nice scent, and I’m sure for the price it originally sold for would be a great pickup. Unfortunately I believe it is discontinued now, and for the prices I’ve seen it up on eBay for, I won’t be buying. But I’ll certainly enjoy wearing my sample.
L’Aimant, one of the crowning jewels of the Coty house, and one of the final scents before Francois Coty’s death just 7 years after this creation was launched. This is one of the very few that seems to be in production, or at least is still sold in most places at a very low cost. With that in mind I consider this to be one of the best value for money scents on the market, however I was lucky enough to find a vintage EDT. This is a floral scent through and through, but it’s neither boring nor simplistic. It oozes femininity and class at every turn, pulling you deeper into its enslavement every time you wear it. A bright, hesperidic opening of bergamot and neroli is underscored by a peachy aldehyde note, before quickly developing a gorgeously delicate heart of ylang, jasmine and rose. There’s quite a prominent carnation as well which provides a much needed warmth and, almost spiciness. I do love this scent, it may not be my favourite floral of all time, and launching just 6 years after the great Chanel No. 5 I think it could have done a little better. But despite all of that I think it’s fantastic. A true vintage style floral - the first time I met Roja Dove he explained to me that this great scent was his inspiration behind A Goodnight Kiss, a scent which I consider to be one of the greatest florals ever made.
L’Origan is without a doubt one of the most important and influential perfumes ever created, and one of the first great hits from Coty which demonstrated the true extent of his genius. With this scent he was one of the first to exploit the newly discovered category materials - absolutes. Without this creation some of the most famous and incredible scents would not have come into being - Après L’Ondée, L’Heure Bleue and Bal a Versailles. The scent opens with a pronounced hesperidic burst of bergamot underscored by neroli, before rushing into a central theme of a dominant carnation note intertwined with the delicate powdery facets of jasmine, rose, violet and ylang - which is at once sweet, slightly creamy and spicy with a highly distinctive, almost grass-like, note. The warm, almost spicy facets of the carnation are heightened by the inclusion of clove and a very subtle amber base. The ingenuity of this scent is its rich floral harmonies which nod towards spiciness without actually being spicy, an effect which is warm and vibrant with the soft sensuality of coumarin and vanillin rounding off the base. Such a masterpiece of a fragrance forever ensured Coty’s fame and fortune.
Mix Burberry Touch with Santal 33 and you have this.
Sartorial is a satisfyingly contemporary take on the classical fougere, it is the very essence of sophisticated masculinity and easily one of my favourite scents from Penhaligons. I’m not usually a huge lover of fougeres, and I’m particularly picky when it comes to lavender, but I love this one. The lavender is easily the most prominent note, it’s there front and centre from the very first spray right until the end. Initially, it’s brightened up significantly by this light, airy and metallic combination of aldehydes and violet leaf. Before long though, it settles into a warmer, slightly sweeter base consisting of smooth cardamom and delicious beeswax. It’s an odd mix of notes which simply seems to work. Despite how many notes are listed, it doesn’t smell overly complex or confusing. It remains pretty linear throughout its life, to my nose, but that doesn’t mean it’s boring. From my collection of around 105 fragrances currently, this is one of only 3 fougeres I own which says a lot.
