Rose Magnetic is a beautiful summery take on a classic rose. It opens sweet and juicy with grapefruit and litchi at the forefront, before a gentle mint becomes present creating a gorgeously fresh scent bubble. The rose sits gently in the background, light and airy only there to compliment the fresher notes. There’s a sweetness of vanilla and tonka in the base, which is a nice addition - however the cedar remains pretty much undetectable. It dries down very quickly and soon becomes a skin scent unfortunately. While this fragrance smells lovely, it’s only fleeting and to me lacks character and depth. It’s a very pleasant fragrance but that’s where it ends. It’s a good option for the summer and a nice fresh take on rose but it’s not massively special, thankfully the prices from Essential Parfums are reasonable.
Terre D’Hermès Parfum takes the success and originality of the original EDT, and makes it deeper and more mature. It opens with the same bitter orange and juicy grapefruit combination of the original, however lacks the kick of black pepper. As it settles, it retains its signature masculine dry down of vetiver and cedar, but instead of earthy patchouli it introduces a smooth oakmoss which blends beautifully with everything else. This fragrance smells like spring and makes the original EDT smell more summery than you would originally think. Overall the parfum closes off as a much drier and more mature version of the original, and while there are less notes included it smells like it has more depth. It’s an incredible scent but I’d say it’s similar enough to the original that it doesn’t warrant owning both, personally I still prefer the EDT.
Spanish Cedar opens with a sharp and contrasting combination of fruity plum, blackberry and bergamot, with spicy clove and bitter galbanum. The fruity notes are well blended and smell high quality, however the clove note is very overpowering and while not unpleasant, comes off very mature. As it dries down, the fruitiness begins to dissipate while the clove persists and a woody base of cedar, sandalwood and guaiac wood emerges. Ultimately this becomes a cedar and clove dominant fragrance which is quite strong and bitter around the edges. This fragrance isn’t really my sort of scent, although that doesn’t make it bad. It’s very mature and masculine, I imagine this would work well for men over 50 as it smells very classical and old fashioned. I feel like you really have to enjoy clove and bitter woodiness to enjoy this fragrance.
This is the good one but I would say interesting only in the opening. I was waiting a lot from this just because of the notes in it and since I love Mango Kiss, I thought this would be more mysterious and complex version of that. This is fruity, sweet nice blend for summertime but a little bit synthetic compared to Mango in Mango Kiss. All nice notes doesn’t come out at all and this stays quite “flat” and boring. Since I already have Mango Kiss I think this is redundant especially because this fruity vibe doesn’t even last in this. If the middle and base would be strong and complex enough it wouldn’t matter but now… just meh. This has woody notes and should be even Oud in the base but in the drydown this scent has changed into a soft skin scent and there is not so much left. I was waiting a lot from this scent. That kind of fruity scents like Mango Kiss are not my favourites even if I love it. I love and adore different kind of fruits in perfumes but perfumes which are only fruity scents are boring. I will revisit my sample and check if something has changed. EDIT after revisiting: What comes to this scent technically, my thoughts are somewhat same, but otherwise my feelings about it has changed. This is very soft and creamy Mango in the blend of light woods, Jasmine and Musk. Still a bit synthtetic but not so much. Those notes are the most noticeable and other notes stay muted. There is no Oud in this nor typical smell of Nagarmotha. I can’t call the base ambery either. I’m quite surprised now while wearing this since my thoughts differ a lot from what I was thinking one year ago. I think I was just so disappointed in the simplicity of this blend, I was thinking something much more complex. In the same time I was so excited of Mango note in Mango Kiss. Despite all of that, I’m not juicy fruity girl, which Mango Kiss offers. So I need to take back my words and admit that this is not redundant at all if you have Mango Kiss. Honestly, this is much more me, despite of non existent complex base, and would be happy to wear this one, absolutely more than Mango Kiss. The blend is very linear but beautiful regardless. It doesn’t have so much projection nor sillage but not all the scents need to be like that. Actually now while smelling my wrist over and over again this reminds me of "A | Pantheon" which I love so much. It has as well a creamy, soft texture with Mango. Need to compare these two side by side. Need to consider if I have to add this into my wishlist. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate if you follow me IG @ninamariah_perfumes
Fatal Charme is a heavily underrated scent from the JTC line. It opens very sweet and powdery with earthy undertones from the orris root, while the aldehydes add a sharp and slightly synthetic freshness. A heart of soft florals and salty ambergris compliment the other notes nicely and create an alluring sillage of fresh, powdery goodness. In the dry down there are some gentle hints of spices and tobacco which give the scent some added depth and lasting power, however these are not prominent and only serve as a base to the orris and aldehydes. It’s perfect for the spring as an easy every day scent and has pretty good performance too. It’s a fairly simplistic perfume with a clean and sweet character, it smells very reminiscent of Parma Violet sweets which makes it feel very nostalgic to wear. I wouldn’t say it’s worth the full retail price but if it can be found cheaper then it’s worth picking up if you enjoy powdery fragrances.
This is ok and nice scent BUT this is definitely not oud scent in any kind of way. There is not even a hint of oud, not in a technical way neither as a smell. This is earthy, fresh, airy and a little bit “cold” Saffron and Lavender scent. Oud in the name is very misleading and people who doesn’t even like oud has been made “fan of oud” with this scent. It’s a commercial trick which made this scent so popular in the hype of oud and unfortunately this is copied by many dupe houses. I love oud scents, when there is oud and I like this one as a Saffron scent. Longevity is eternal and projection and sillage are strong.
I have postponed making review of this since I was thinking first I don’t do it at all. The reason was that this is one of the rare perfumes in my collection which makes me a little bit mad. Not because of the scent itself but the misleading marketing and information about it and the hype based on those. OFG was launched in 2018 when the precious ingredient Oud started to be in fashion. It was one note which everyone wanted to like and the huge amount of “friendly Oud perfumes” was launched. Unfortunately a huge amount of perfumes have been sold just by mentioning the word “Oud” without even thinking is it there or not. This is one of those perfumes. Despite of the other opinions what comes to this scent I think there is not even one person who could deny the associations which this majestic name Oud For Greatness evokes. For me it tells that firstly of course this is a real Oud scent and secondly this is something amazingly talented what comes to using and blending Oud. Well, this is not the first one neither the latter one. From Initio’s web page: “The natural essence of Oud Wood”: Why it’s not mentioned for example like Oud from Cambodia? Is that misleadingly enough expressed and to try to avoid straightforward lying for the people who are not familiar with real Oud at all? Oud from Cambodia doesn’t sound cool enough? I don’t know, just thinking. Anyway in THE MAIN NOTES list there is mentioned Natural Oud Wood and Agar Wood Oil and if it’s really the main list, Oud should be there and it should be detectable in this kind of scent which is not even complex at all. But the problem is that it’s not there. And shortly about the scent itself: it’s great, it smells good and the performance is amazing. But this is not an Oud scent: this is airy, fresh, cold, slightly metallic Saffron scent with Lavender and Spicy Patchouli in woody base with Musk, that’s it. Amazing Saffron scent, nothing else. If you like Saffron a lot, get it. If you are looking for the great Oud scent, this is not that. If you want to find “a friendly Oud” or you want to learn to love perfumes with Oud this is not the scent for that kind of purposes either. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate if you follow me IG @ninamariah_perfumes
I can see why Fève Délicieuse is one of the most sought after perfumes from Dior - this is a true masterpiece. It initially opens quite fresh and aromatic as lavender and mint combine with bergamot and white florals, however this freshness is only fleeting and gives way to a warmer heart of delicious bittersweet cherries and tonka bean. As this settles on the skin, a complex array of beautiful gourmand notes are blended to perfection; the cherry and tonka lingers as vanilla, caramel, chocolate and benzoin are introduced, gently resting on a base of sandalwood, coconut and leather. There’s a slight nuttiness in the dry down, perhaps from the combination of cherry, tonka and coconut. This scent perfects the gourmand scent profile and really lives up to its name - it’s absolutely delicious. Such a shame that this is so hard to find now, it’s a must have if you love sweet fragrances and a phenomenal perfume for nights out.
Tempfluo is such a unique and beautiful fragrance, truly one of a kind. It opens with a zesty freshness of mandarin and bergamot, accompanied by delicate white florals of orange blossom and jasmine. An almost plastic/metallic sweetness creeps in as the saffron combines with the white florals, which is actually a surprisingly stunning combination. In the dry down this sweet and fresh metallic scent profile is made even sweeter with vanilla and praline, while also gaining a soft and fluffy base of cashmere and cedar. It’s such a unique and stunning combination of notes which is perfect for the spring. The performance with this scent is really good, especially for a relatively fresh fragrance. This might be my favourite release from Nishane’s Time Capsule line - it’s such an interesting perfume with so much depth and quality.
Layton is simple yet so addicting and alluring. The opening consists of an intoxicating blend of juicy green apple, with sweet vanilla and aromatic lavender. There’s a fleeting brightness from the bergamot, mandarin and floral heart however this dissipates quickly. The dry down is where this fragrance comes to life - the apple and vanilla are joined by sandlewood, patchouli and guaiac wood which gives the fragrance a gorgeously smooth and masculine base. Layton isn’t particularly complex, it takes a relatively simple scent profile and does it really well. It’s not even the highest quality fragrance around, and yet there’s something about it that draws you in. It’s perfect for evenings out all year round and definitely gets a lot of positive attention from others. I will say that Layton Exclusif is 100% the better option as it just smells more creative, higher quality and more ‘niche’. However I think there is a place for both in my collection due to the Exclusif having limited wearability outside of winter. This isn’t my favourite scent in my collection but I do love it, it’s such an easy and satisfying wear and simply makes you feel good every time.
Oud Noir Intense is the epitome of a clean and professional smelling oud, perfectly executed. Upon initial spray you’re blasted with a clean cut, refined oud combined with a warming note of cardamom and sharp bergamot. The opening has a somewhat animalic facet which some have described as smelling like cheese - I get where this comparison comes from, but thankfully it’s only fleeting. In the heart, the oud is brightened with a smooth and sparkly combination of jasmine and rose, before settling in to a musky base of saffron, patchouli and sandalwood. However, the oud is the real star here and smells absolutely incredible. This does have similarities to Tom Ford’s Oud Wood, in that it takes oud in a very clean and sophisticated direction - something I can imagine an important business person wearing. I find the name a bit misleading however as to me the scent isn’t very Noir, or intense - it’s actually fairly bright and easy to wear for an oud and the longevity isn’t great either. This is one of my favourite ouds in my collection and a true masterpiece, but only worth it if you can find it for less than retail price.
Mandarino di Amalfi really lives up to its name - it truly makes you feel like you’re sat in the sun on the Amalfi coast. It opens with a burst of juicy lemon and grapefruit with a gentle orange blossom, beautifully combined with herbal aromatic notes of basil with mint and tarragon in the background. In the heart, sweet blackcurrant and and airy jasmine join the mix which leaves an intoxicating sillage. Once this settles, a gentle peppery kick is joined by a light musk and vetiver which gives the scent some added depth. I wouldn’t say the civet, labdanum or amber are detectable at all. This is one of my favourite fragrances from Tom Ford, while the longevity is unfortunately not great - the scent itself as absolutely stunning. One of my favourites for the summer and a perfect option for when you want something refreshing.
Oceania is simply the best summer fragrance I’ve ever smelled. It opens with a beautiful cocktail of citruses including grapefruit, lemon and mandarin alongside gorgeous aromatics of lavender, rosemary and thyme. As the heart develops you’re greeted with a stunning powdery violet of the highest quality, alongside a sparkling jasmine and ylang. As this dries down on the skin it settles into a beautifully soft, airy, fluffy and powdery floral with the violet at the forefront. Also introduced is a soft musk and cedar, with oakmoss adding to the creamy powdery scent profile. There’s a slight hint of juniper in the background too, but as always with Roja’s fragrances there are endless notes, it’s impossible to pick them all out. This truly is a stunning perfume, an absolute masterpiece and amazingly one of Roja’s cheaper releases. This is my number one go to during the summer, it smells so incredibly natural and lasts all day on me. The materials used here are just such high quality and perfectly blended - this is probably also the best violet fragrance I’ve ever come across. Undoubtedly a modern masterpiece and a must have.
Lovely but very similar to a lot of Ellena's other tomatoey, blackcurrantey, citrusey freshies. Quite delicate, discreet.
Like OFG but blended better.
Vétiver D’Hiver has one of the best citrus openings I’ve ever come across. Bergamot, lemon and mandarin combine beautifully with a breezy vetiver and pink pepper. It’s such a light and airy fragrance, perfect for the summer. I don’t get much coriander, cardamom or patchouli in the dry down - more of a very light and fluffy musk which I must admit is beautiful. This fragrance isn’t vetiver dominant to me which is misleading considering the name, however it’s one of the most beautifully soft citruses I own. The performance is also shockingly bad unfortunately but the scent itself is so stunning I can’t let go of it. The benefit of this being so soft is that you could never overspray it, if I was in 40 degree heat this would be my go to scent and still wouldn’t be overpowering. It leaves such a fantastic and addicting sillage, one of my favourites from Armani Prive’s freshie line.
Allure Homme Sport is my favourite Chanel fragrance, not including the Les Exclusifs. It opens with a sharp and refreshing orange accord, backed up by invigorating aquatic notes and aldehydes, before pepper and neroli flourish in the heart to give the scent a soft yet masculine kick. The dry down is where this fragrance shines for me - the tonka bean and vanilla combine beautifully with the fresh orange and aquatic notes, to give the base an incredible smoothness. It brilliantly demonstrates that classic creamy scent profile that Chanel does so well. This scent has a strong resemblance to Versace Pour Homme which I also love. While the Versace is more affordable, the Chanel is much higher quality and smells more refined in my opinion. This is a must have for the summer for me and a staple in my collection.
Versace Pour Homme is a modern classic and will always be my favourite from the brand. It opens with bright, slightly synthetic notes of lemon and bergamot accompanied by bright neroli. There’s a slight sweetness from the tonka, before it settles into a fresh and sharp dry down of musk and cedar. To me, the other notes listed are undetectable. This was one of the first fragrances in my collection and so holds a lot of memories, which is mainly why I love it so much. Objectively speaking, Chanel Allure Homme Sport does this scent profile much better - however the Versace does hold a special place in my heart. I think this is a great dumb reach for the warmer months and smells really pleasing, especially for the low prices it can be found at sometimes. Performance isn’t great and the quality isn’t brilliant but at the end of the day istsmells good and reminds me of younger years gone by.
Elysium is really stunning, I wasn’t overly impressed when I first got it but it’s really grown on me. The heavy dose of juicy grapefruit in the opening is so realistic and delicious, as it combines with a cocktail of countless other citruses and fruits. Most prominent to me is the grapefruit, lemon, juniper and blackcurrant. Once it settles, heavier notes of vetiver, pink pepper and cedar are thrown in. Roja’s classic combination of rose, jasmine and lily of the valley is present which you will see in most of his scents. While not specifically detectable, they add that signature sparkle that’s identifiable in all his releases. The grapefruit and vetiver carry through the life of the scent, greeted by a beautifully salty ambergris and a slight touch of leather in the dry down. As I said, this has really grown on me. It’s one of my favourite openings in a warm weather fragrance and just smells quintessentially masculine and fresh. I’ve found longevity has improved with age of my bottle thankfully, and the scent has matured gorgeously. It’s not Roja’s best fragrance, but I can see why it’s his best seller. This is simply a must have for any freshie-lover.
This is one of my favourite niche lemon scents. It opens with a very creamy overdose of lemon, accompanied by aromatics of rosemary and marjoram. An absinthe note is listed, however to me it comes across more like vodka - if you’ve tried absinthe you’ll know it’s very reminiscent of liquorice, which this is nothing like. In the dry down this boozy lemon cocktail is joined by cedar and musk to create a truly stunning scent. To me this perfume smells like a cross between Chanel Allure Homme Edition Blanche, and Kilian Vodka on the Rocks. It’s got that beautiful creamy lemon, but with a crisp boozy take coming from the absinthe. If you’re looking for a summer fragrance that smells like a lemon vodka cocktail then this is the one - the notes are more interesting than your average summer scent without being too daring. Unfortunately the performance is not great though, so I wouldn’t advise paying full retail for this.
Renaissance is one of the most realistic citrus perfumes I’ve ever come across. It opens with a burst of juicy, vibrant lemon combined with a sharp and tangy mint before being joined by beautifully fresh and green notes of tangerine, bergamot and petitgrain. The heart has a slight sweet and musky floral touch from lily of the valley and rose, before drying down to a base of musk and cedar. This scent smells like a minty citrus cocktail on the Italian coast. It’s fresh, vibrant, zesty and sharp all while being perfectly blended and appealing. The lemon in here is gorgeous and one of my favourite lemon notes around - Xerjoff really gave this fragrance a summery Italian shine. Im usually not a fan of mint in perfume, sometimes it can come off too abrasive or toothpaste-like. But the mint in here is such high quality and perfectly balanced that I just love it. Renaissance is simply a fabulous summer fragrance, one of my all time favourites.
On paper, wondeful. On my skin, those blue disinfectant blocks you clip into the rim of the toilet. Wak wak waaaaaaa, no thanks.
Water Lily XX Art Nouveau Collection Female leaning I have been sleeping outside in the tent in our garden like I used to do in the summertime when I was a kid and a teenager. I wake up early in the morning and I open the zipper. It never gets dark during the Finnish summer and the sun is rising 04 in the middle of the night. I barely can’t keep my eyes open because it’s so bright. I’m walking on the dewy grass barefooted and I’m going to pick up wild flowers for my mum like almost every night. The air is fresh and there is a lot of humidity, the scent of the dewy meadow and flowers is wafting around me. The fog hovers over the fields and sea. There is something magical and a fairytale like being awake in that beautiful scene when everyone else is sleeping. 💐🌸 That feeling I get while wearing Water Lily 🌺🧚🏽♀️ Water Lily is a delicate, beautiful scent with a fresh and uplifting top of aldehydes and green notes. Aldehydes bring life to this scent like the bubbles in the sparkling water. Inviting and exquisite floral heart with Water Lily brings that fresh and soft aquatic feeling while Tuberose brings a hint of sweetness and makes this perfume quite addictive. The mix of the top and middle notes (there is Heliotrope and Iris as well but for me those are not separable) fall wistfully into a soft musky complexity in its base, with a hint of mysterious patchouli and vetiver. There is something really innocent in this scent. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate if you follow me IG @ninamariah_perfumes
“ZENNE is a tribute to beauty, self-confidence, and flirtation.” Female leaning “Inspired by the female character in the traditional shadow puppetry, ZENNE will teleport you to the enigmas of the paradise gardens full of joy and romance with a deliberate mix of the fruity and floral accords along with vanilla, ambergris and musk at the base.” This interesting and delicious scent opens up with fruity notes of Grapefruit, Rhubarb and Black Currant and that mix luckily remains longer than top notes usually do. That is because Nishane uses synthetic molecules which make the notes not only last longer but make a sillage more potent as well. The floral heart of Turkish Rose and Gardenia joins and mingles with the fruits but in overall the blend continues being mouthwatering and juicy yet elegant and sensual. Sandalwood makes the blend soft, a little bit milky (not creamy)and even if it’s rich there is even aromatic nuances in the blend. The base of Vanilla, Ambergris and Musk brings a warm and slightly powdery very pleasant touch without being too sweet. This is so alluring and voluptuous perfume with enormous projection and longevity. I feel youthful, lively and inviting while wearing this. This is really mellow and potent juice. Zenne is suitable to wear year around because of how it has been built, there is a depth and warm enough for colder days even if it’s floral fruity. I think that this is quite underrated and it has stayed literally in the shadow of another scent from the Shadow Play Collection, very popular Hacivat. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate if you follow me IG @ninamariah_perfumes
Unisex Strong and beautiful dark cacao, not animalic and not smoky at all. Despite of two different roses in the middle notes this is not “rosy scent”. After a couple of hours a little bit sweetness comes from Vanilla but not too much to be sweet scent. It’s lovely like this but I would like stronger oud here. So if you are scared of oud, this can be a good choice for you. If you want more obvious oudy cacao, your choice is Lao Oud. Full review coming later! I was so happy to found the nice online shop inside EU where they are selling really high quality brands which are using as much natural ingredients as possible. It’s not so easy to find these so if someone has trying to find, this is legit online shop in Spain and you can choose many free samples when you buy something. @ecuacion_natural_perfumes I have wanted this Bortnikoff’s Oud Monarch for long time now and finally I got it with many samples from the house. 🤩 I describe the following scents with few words. The in-depth reviews coming later of next ones: Lao Oud, Zemfira and Triad (just ordered those yesterday), plus this Oud Monarch of course. Review of Sayat Nova I have already written but I will edit that as well to be more specific. Lao Oud: Really addictive, pleasant, soft and sexy oud with exactly perfect amount of dark chocolate. More complex than others here. I’m in love!! Mysterious Oud: Ambery, spicy and herbal, a little bit medicinal oud. Complex blend. Oud Loukoum: Nice and remarkable smoky balsamic oud Oud Sinharaja: Tropical, floral and fruity, Magnolia, Frangipani and Jasmine, beautiful blend with mild oud in the background. Santa Sangre: Mostly soft vanilla and sandalwood with aquatic and slightly balsamic twist from Lotus and Dragon Blood. Very comfortable and cozy. Triad: Beautiful Rose Oud, both are in balance, no sweetness, rather fresh Zemfira: Beautiful light Rose Oud for summertime, fresh divine roses are stars with mild oud in the background. Lighter and more airy that the previous one. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
OUD MONARCH 3rd Collection 2019 “Friendly Ouds” Dmitry Bortnikov The general idea of this collection was to create understandable and wearable fragrances that would appeal not only to fans of smoke and tars, but also to mass customers. It’s a little bit sad that those “mass customers” may don’t find this the most beautiful chocolate scent since they may be afraid of Oud. Anyway Oud in this fragrance is elegant and soft because it is accompanied by floral absolutes and spices. The note of chocolate is very realistic, enjoyable and delicious and the whole base with all it’s notes (which may sound challenging for some) is unbelievably smooth, silky and versatile. 🍫 I highly recommend all chocolate lovers to try this one, don’t even read the notes! There are two kinds of oud oil in the composition: The first with a strong chocolate start and the second with a softer and sweeter character with hints of flowers, fruits and vanilla. In the heart the roses are almost invisible behind the rich velvety Amber Oudy chocolate wall. Frangipani, which is very popular in Bornikoff’s creations, is amazingly blended here and creates slightly tropical sweetness to otherwise familiar chocolate. Top: Magnolia, Frangipani Middle: Rose de Mai, Himalayan Rose, Cinnamon, Tobacco Base: Oud Merauke, Oud co Chang, Cacao, Civet, Castoreum, Labdanum, Vanilla 🍫 If you are interested in more challenging chocolate - Lao Oud is your choice. I have made a review of that one as well. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
I wrote earlier of Bortnikoff's scents in overall. Here you will find better review of Oud Monarch. The general idea of this collection was to create understandable and wearable fragrances that would appeal not only to fans of smoke and tars, but also to mass customers. It’s a little bit sad that those “mass customers” may don’t find this the most beautiful chocolate scent since they may be afraid of Oud. Anyway Oud in this fragrance is elegant and soft because it is accompanied by floral absolutes and spices. The note of chocolate is very realistic, enjoyable and delicious and the whole base with all it’s notes (which may sound challenging for some) is unbelievably smooth, silky and versatile. I highly recommend all chocolate lovers to try this one, don’t even read the notes! There are two kinds of oud oil in the composition: The first with a strong chocolate start and the second with a softer and sweeter character with hints of flowers, fruits and vanilla. In the heart the roses are almost invisible behind the rich velvety Amber Oudy chocolate wall. Frangipani, which is very popular in Bornikoff’s creations, is amazingly blended here and creates slightly tropical sweetness to otherwise familiar chocolate. Top: Magnolia, Frangipani Middle: Rose de Mai, Himalayan Rose, Cinnamon, Tobacco Base: Oud Merauke, Oud co Chang, Cacao, Civet, Castoreum, Labdanum, Vanilla If you are interested in more challenging chocolate - Lao Oud is your choice. I have made a review of that one as well. Thank you for reading and I would appreciate a lot if you would like to follow my content in IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
