CK One is the icon of the 90s, one of the most recognisable and well-known fragrances of recent decades; a scent doesn’t gain that sort of reputation for no reason. This is a fragrance I had always avoided, assuming it would be disappointing as all modern CK fragrances are - damn was I wrong. A bright, zingy symphony of juicy lemons and other citrus fruits dominate the senses, tempered by a powerful green presence. It’s one of those smells that’s so difficult to describe what you’re smelling, as it can only be described as the scent of CK One - that is where Alberto Morillas’ genius shines. I hate to say it, but I love this fragrance. I never thought I would say that about a Calvin Klein perfume, but I’ve found myself reaching for this more often than I care to admit. It’s such an easy wear and satisfies the senses every time I smell it; there’s something about it that just pulls you back in every single time. A true icon in modern perfumery.
Giorgio for Men is one of those fragrances you buy because it seems impossibly cheap, only to astound you with how incredible it is when it does arrive. After the success of the original Giorgio, there was a lot of pressure when it came to releasing a masculine counterpart - but I think they passed with flying colours. This fragrance crosses the bridge between a traditional mossy Chypre, and a typical barbershop-style fougere which were gaining popularity quickly. On one side you’ve got the rich, earthy presence of patchouli, oakmoss and soft woods, which rests on a gentle Amber base supporting a grand central theme of honeyed carnation and rose. The end result is phenomenal. Considering I picked up this 118ml bottle for just £10, I can’t believe how good it is. The value for money is unbelievable and I truly think this is a must have for any man - it’s got endless class, sophistication and traditionalism for such a low price.
Zombie for Him - does perfume marketed to smell like a zombie necessarily need to be gendered? Nevertheless, I think this fragrance fills its brief to the letter, whether that’s a good or a bad thing I don’t really know. Obviously it doesn’t smell like a zombie would, because who really knows what that would smell like. Instead, it smells like you are the zombie - it imagines what scents you might encounter as you first arise from your grave. A strong presence of wet, dank mosses and soil are reminiscent of someone unearthing the ground with a shovel in the pouring rain; whilst the more obscure notes of mushrooms and mildew create this horrible earthy flesh-like accord. Overall, it smells disgusting to put it frankly. But despite that, I can’t exactly hate on it because it’s achieving exactly what it says it should, so in that sense it’s a complete success of a fragrance. I absolutely would never wear it though and I fear anyone who does.
Naomi Goodsir describes Corpus Equus as a tribute to a fiery and impetuous horse, but I imagine a horse which has become impetuous as a result of being overworked tirelessly day in and day out by his masters. It has the very essence of man brooding over natural facets which are so desperately trying to push through. The leather here reminds me of the thick, brown, hard leather used to make saddles - this particular saddle has been worn down and used for years on end. The overwhelming smoky notes of birch, frankincense and smoked woods draw imagery of said saddle sat beside a campfire, resting on an oaken branch as horse and its master rest beside it. I think it’s physically impossibly not to imagine an entire story and environment around you when smelling this scent. There’s so much depth and rich connections hiding beneath the surface. This is my first encounter with Naomi Goodsir and I’m definitely intrigued to try more, but despite how thought provoking this fragrance is I can’t see myself wearing something like this.
90% calone. This one put me in a bad mood, possibly the worst from a very disappointing, and expensive, sample set.
If Chanel's Le Lion is Michelin-starred cuisine, then this is the fast-food version that gives you immediate stomach cramps and diabetes. Awful.
Basic aroma-chemical soup which has been done way better by other houses.
Nauseating, teenage Sephora horror-show.
Citrus with scratchy, loud norlimbanol.
Ginger opening followed by sickly, cheap vanilla.
Bisch really does seem to be making the same perfume over and over again with slight tweaks. The difference here is it's cloyingly sweet alongside the usual Ganymede base.
Very sweet plasticky strawberry up top with signature BBW peony in the background. Morphs into straight baby aspirin. A weirdly nostalgic scent in that respect, but this is too gruesome to wear.
The perfect scent to pay homage to the amazing actress Giulietta Masina. This reminds me of a soap you might find on a counter of a mature classy woman’s bathroom sink. One that’s carved into some kind of intricate flower. This one’s for a woman who’s comfortable in her own skin. She’s not one to follow trends or try too hard to get noticed. Really well blended, but a little too short lived if I’m being honest. *Check out Le Strada or Nights of Cabiria,
I don’t have any idea why this sample, name and the bottle make me think about something mouthwatering juicy, something else than citrus. Anyway the perfume opens up very refreshing and citrusy and first it feels very traditionally masculine but settles down quickly into a unisex scent. If I have to say into which direction this leans, I would say masculine though. Ginger and Cardamon are very gentle here, I wouldn’t describe this as a spicy scent at all. The scent is the combination of different kind of woody notes, Vetiver and green tea together are making it very aromatic and calming. Fig is not sweet, honeyed nor gourmand here, not at all, it’s more like a fig leaves without a lactonic nuances. The citrus notes are in the background all the time but not in a realistic juicy way, they are just a very little hint. I don’t categorise perfumes so strictly into summer or winter scents but this definitely has an aroma which is more suitable to wear during the spring and the summer than during colder period. The scent is utterly pleasant and easy, there is nothing which bothers me but in the same time there is missing some elements which makes me want more. I’m smelling my wrist all the time like trying to get something different out of it even if the scent doesn’t feel unpolished - I’m just not the right target group. I think this is for people who loves fresh scents with a little bit different twist like the most of those fresh scents are. This is soft and woody but refreshing, a perfect scent for the office or to wear after the stressful day. This is not any energy or motivation booster but more like helping to concentrate in a hectic environment. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
The Perfumes in J-Scent's Profound collection are more modern than their earlier scents. There are popular elements and notes rather than utterly traditional Japanese ones and the structure of the scents differ as well. The delicate, subtle and somewhat fragile aroma connects the scents which are in the bottles with the white label. They are all different in their own way but I experience them all as very calming concoctions. I have written of them in my review of "Yawahadat" . Ume Amaretto Oath has an intriguing opening which style is familiar from older releases - I mean to make you feel "wow". Anyway in the same time it feels very familiar like dozens of other scents nowadays and it has the notes which seems to been trending during the last years - like boozy notes and Plum. It opens up with almondy Amaretto and ripe Plum which is not clearly fruity nor juicy. Opening is not unique but in the same time it maybe pleases the bigger audience. The scent doesn't have the big step between the different stages, it evolves slowly into the dry down maintaining the boozy feeling and the scent of Almond. All the flowers in the middle seem to be only in a supportive role. The base of the scent is totally different than the scent which I love from this house. Here it's not so subtle and therefore I'm missing the J-Scent's signature style which is unique, very Japanese and so delicate that I'm wondering how it's possible to make something so fragile that I feel that I could break it like a balloon and still it maintains my interest into the scent during it's lifetime . This could be easily the perfume of some other house. The notes in the base perform in the way which doesn't convince me. It makes me think why such a beautiful house wants to make something which could be found widely already. This scent is heavy and it may be headache inducing. Chocolate is not realistic nor sweet and Labdanum together with Patchouli is dominating in the base. This seems to be something delicious but actually it's not. This is not a bad scent but it's not how it looks if thinking the notes and if you know some of their earlier work you maybe wait something different than this and don't enjoy it. This happened to me and the more I smell it the more I'm curious to discover their older releases. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Beautiful and fruity opening with very realistic Pear note. The style is like in J-scent's perfumes - very Japanese, subtle, sophisticated, cozy and classy. The opening in these scents is attractive and unique, even intoxicating but the scent itself is shy and doesn't bother anyone. They are somewhat skin scents. Even "Roasted Green Tea" which is very strong tea in the opening fades out during 5-10 minutes and if thinking the opening and the rest part of the scent it seems that those parts are from the different scents. There is a logical step between though. "Yawahada" is comforting lactonic scent with the most delicate rice powder and Jasmine. The fruity aroma from Pear lasts longer than the fruity notes in "Hanamizake" but after the opening it settles down into the same level with the middle notes giving it a shy sweet character until the dry down. Rose is recognisable as well, it's innocent and fragile. All this beauty has the matching base with the softest white Musk which you can find, the most delicate Amber note ever and the most velvety Sandalwood in perfumery instead of a dense and creamy one which we are used to in Western perfumes. The longevity in these scents is good but there is not so much sillage in them. Each of these three J-Scent's perfumes are suitable not only to wear at the office but to enjoy the calmness in them at home as well. They are so cozy and comforting offering you some kind of inner peace whether it s needed at work or at home. "Yawahada" is absolutely my favourite of these three mentions perfumes but I definitely want to discover them more. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Sombra is a well blended perfume with a spicy kick in the opening, earthy feeling from Saffron in the heart and a strong, dry cinnamon like aroma from Nutmeg. Roses are quite hidden so I wouldn't call this as a floral at all but Saffron stays there during all the journey from beginning until the late dry down together with resinous base. There is a hint of leather lurking somewhere but the smell of real mellow Oud is missing, for me it is a resinous wood. This scent is not bad at all but I like a softer texture with a little bit sweetness. It's good that Vanilla is not used everywhere but personally it makes so many scents better than they would be without it. Because of that missing sweetness this scent stays on the masculine side and it's not so wearable for me personally. Because of that reason I chose to write a shorter review instead of a deeper analysis after multiple wears. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
The different kind of "Oud" fragrances are released all the time. First I was so excited but now after one year of continuous disappointment of the quality of them or the lack of uniqueness I'm not so excited anymore. If not counting the real Ouds and the high quality artisanal houses which are concentrated in Oud perfumes the most of the releases are somewhat terrible. The truth is as well that the more there are scents with Oud the more demanding we become and the new releases really has to have something extraordinary to offer. Adamo Numero V is opening in a very promising way. It's deep, dark and opulent with some of the most common notes with Oud - coffee, chocolate and leather. The smell of Oud in the opening is astonishingly beautiful but how it fades so quickly makes me think how much (or rather little) there is exactly the real Oud. It's not in an animalic side in the beginning either but it has a slightly edgy character. Coffee and chocolate are blending very well together like all the other notes here as well and those notes are first utterly recognisable but the best parts of them fades away as well like the note of Oud did. Leather is mild all the time. First I was thinking that now I found a very special scent but unfortunately it evolves on the skin too quickly into the light and gentle aroma which is very safe to wear and is pleasant even for the beginners. The blend is not bad in any way and there is actually nothing which bothers me but still it makes me think of for example Majnoon | Azman or Khanjar | Omanluxury which both convinced me in their own way. If you are considering to buy some scent from this kind of friendly western Oud category, I do recommend you to try this one. If you are used to the real Ouds, animalic Ouds and you really want something challenging this is not for you. But still, I want to say that the smell is not bad at all. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
I agree with @Baltabarin: Jardin du Poète feels like wearing a white linen suit to a European garden party. It’s a refined, classic citrus-cologne profile with bright basil and grapefruit top notes before a really nice angelica and immortelle take over—there’s no tomato leaf listed, but you get a hint of that herbaceous, stemmy green plant flavour. From that fresh, aromatic opening it dries down to a warmer cedar-vetiver musk that’s quiet and grassy but sticks around for a surprisingly long time. I’d say it’s similar to Profumum Roma’s Ichnusa in its herb-garden leafiness and to Vilhelm’s Basilico & Fellini with its equally green citrus-basil notes, but it lasts longer than Ichnusa and I like the drydown better than the soapy violet of B&F. It’s too bad they discontinued the EDT version, though—I like its more typographic bottle design better.
20 minutes after spraying and I can't smell it without putting my nose on my skin. Nobody in my family can either. It's an OK scent but the performance on me is terrible. It may be the weakest thing I've tried in the last year. Bizarre that on other reviewers this is a strong performer.
Mantes-la-Jolie is almost shockingly minty at first: it's an ultra-refreshing wintergreen blast of eucalyptus-mint-basil-bergamot that you might expect to come across as artificial or toothpaste-y, but it's amazingly natural. That lovely, invigorating opening quickly develops through the other notes in a tidy sequence, growing sweeter with green currant leaf and warm fig before the cedar wood creeps in and it starts to mellow into mild notes of mate, honeyed jasmine, and faint ginger that somehow combine to create the effect of a complex but subtle woody vanilla. Normally, both mint and vanilla would be a "no" from me but the presentation of every facet of this scent is so original and interesting, it's got me hooked. The initial notes do fade fast, but the delicious drydown sticks around at a low level for a solid 6+ hours, periodically surprising me with how good I smell. I love this one, a truly unique aromatic take on a green fig. Pricey, but I appreciate that Astier de Villatte gives you varied size options at different price points: 100, 30, and 10 ml. I'd like to try more from this house.
This perfume has been a huge mystery to me since it was released but not because it would have been difficult to understand but I just can't decide if I like it or not. I like that dense Oud which is there but somehow it feels unpolished and sharp. This blend is very spicy, mostly Cardamom heavy and from time to time it feels like smelling that spice straight away from the spice jar. Oud with Cardamom is not my favourite combination, I love when Cardamom is combined with florals. Later, when all those spices start to soften, Oud is accompanied with Lavender which is very weak but since it's not my favourite herb it pushes through into my nose. The whole concoction is utterly fresh and somewhat green, I like much more softer and velvety texture. On the other hand I like a lot when Oud is animalic but this Oud is not - at least for me. I love different kind of Rose Ouds as well but it's impossible to find here a whiff of a rose. That's not necessarily a bad thing in overall, sometimes it feels that the combination of Oud and roses is overdone. Oud 31 has something else to offer. Personally I think that Oud 31 would be more enjoyable if there was just a hint more sweetness from Vanilla. Anyway I always love Oud together with some sweet notes or fruits even if it would animalic or even barnyardy otherwise. Finally after wearing my decant I'm sure that this scent is not for me but if you love very spicy Oud I recommend you to try this one. I would say that this is on the masculine side. Just to give you a perspective which are totally unisex imo I mention Elevation from Al Shareef Oudh, Khanjar from Omanluxury, Kemi original from kemi and even 'Ilm go from kemi. Accords above are totally misleading. This is definitely not powdery, Vanilla dominated nor Rosy. This is pretty much very spicy, sharp unpolished Oud. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Craaaazy perfume. This is as old-school as it gets. I got a miniature EDT from Vinted, and it's perfectly intact. Smokey, sweet, explosive, dirty and boozy. It reminds me of Tabu, not that it smells the same, but the style and effect of the perfume. Not sure I can pull it off outside my apartment (same as Tabu).
This scent has such a humble, polite, comforting, reassuring quality. It radiates innocence and pure intentions. It feels like a person. It’s clean and distinct, while lasting a crazy long time on my skin. It’s been 12 hours, a full work day, and a shower and I’m still picking it up on my bare arm. Really, really, well done.
