So many people want to berate Penhaligons for this collection, these characters and stories and such but I actually think they're good natured, well packaged and the design is always on point, but most of all they're good fun. Not so much for me but I've been to the penhaligons store and seen the glee with which the staff recount the marketing blurb and the positive response from the punters, so I say live and let live. (Yes I'm not a totally grumpy bastard!) It's better customer service and enthiasm than most luxury department store SA's can muster, I mean usually they just stand beside you and ask 'Do you like it? I think it's really nice, Do you want to get that?' displaying zero knowledge of the brand or willingness to engage. I do understand the critisism, as I alluded to to above, I don't particulaly connect with this line myself and even less so as it sprawls further and further out and I get that the worst of this line are a million miles from the staples which Penhaligons built it's brand upon. However, every so often there's a decent one and this is definitely one of the better ones I've tried. Mr Thompson is basically a powdery, classic, iris perfume with elegant top notes and a sort of feel of fleshy, gourmand inflected, leather. The formula immediately had me thinking of Dior Homme parfum, in that there's an exaggerated heft to this vibe, not very diffuse, more of a low lying skin thing, being a 'niche' brand and as such expensive, this was probably the intent. Wearing it today I got some of that nutty aspect of Valentino Uomo but in truth that was fleeting and if I'm studying this perfume formula down to it's minutia, I'd say that this rides a middleground between Uomo & Homme. But does that mean it's 'unique'??? (the word the lady in the Penhaligons shop said to me) No. Not really, I don't find it as elegant as dior homme original it's more like the INtense or Parfum in that regard but there's more of a tonka prominant thing in the base and the way it's clinging to my clothes has a slightly off kilter, wheaty sort of vibe. It's a lovely collection of notes and accords that opening pink pepper is lovely and it gets all fleshy with orris right quick like, all of which compliment one another to conjure that luxurious leather thing, what maybe lets this down is also like many of this collection, the top end is loaded with intrigue and the base is just going through the motions, but don't get me wrong it's a stong outing and if ever you were compelled to buy one of these for the stopper alone I'd say the Omniscient Mr Thompson would be that one. The elephant head is massive!!!! like three times the size of some of the more modest heads in this line, it's massive dumbo ears and tusks are fucking cool, let's face it, glad the juice somewhat lives up to it.
I had this gorgeous Oscar de la Renta’s Parfum when I was 13. I loved it a lot but I think I appreciate and love it even more now. This wasn’t a typical choice for a young girl. In the beginning of this year I was thinking to buy this after all these years but I smelled it in the store and it was like a shadow from what it used to be. It was edp. I started to haunt this (like many others which I had) but I definitely wanted Parfum, bigger bottle than 7,5ml and I wanted the original formula from 1977 since I was born in that year 1st of December. Luckily I found 30ml parfum which is from the beginning of 80s. That time enameled letters changed into the baked ones but the stopper, the “flower”, was still clear. It changed into the frosted one when the first Parfums Stern reformulation took place. Today was such a perfect day to get this in my hands. ✨ This is beautifully very vintage style, very powdery and complex floral scent. It feels so comforting like a caring hug and a scent is a little bit like baby powder yet elegant. The musky dry down is very intoxicating and deep, all the notes are incredible and natural. It has a very special place in my heart not only because of the memories during the time when I worn it but the scent wraps as well all the beautiful memories with my most precious thing during my lifetime since 1.12.1977 - my very dear son Oscar. This makes me remember those beautiful times when he was small. ❤️ If you have some memories with this scent I highly recommend to buy a vintage one. The most new formula is totally different and all that amazing complexity is missing. If you need help, feel free to ask. Top: bergamot, clove, coriander, cascarilla, basil, peach, orange blossom, gardenia Heart: iris, jasmine, tuberose, ylang ylang, may rose, lavender, orchid, broom, lily of the valley, galbanum, honey Base: clove, sandalwood, amber, myrrh, patchouli, opopanox, vetiver, castoreum, oakmoss, cedarwood, musk, ambergris Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
GUERLAIN Shalimar Parfum Extrait Jacques Guerlain 1925 New formula At least some of the original notes (Kafkaesque) Bergamot, Lemon, Jasmine, Rose, Orris, Opopanax, Tonka bean, Birch tar, Patchouli, Incense, Vetiver, Civet, Castoreum, Vanilla, Musks Possibly in the new version Benzoin, Peru Balsam, and Sandalwood (The Perfume Shrine) If you check the list of the notes nowadays it’s very simple and unfortunately it is the case in new formula of edp but in this extract there is a depth in it which includes a way more than “Bergamot, Florals, Iris, Rose, Jasmine, Vanilla and Tonka Bean” (extrait, Fragrantica). For sure you can find there a leather note which is from Birch Tar and from the combination of balsams and resins (Opoponax, Myrrh, Benzoin, Peru Balsam) and there is a beautiful slightly smoky feeling, like Sandalwood like creamy texture as well blended with Vanilla. I’m sure in the old formulas Civet, Castoreum and Musk play the big role and bring the sensuality, glory and some mystery to this scent and I will haunt some vintage version. Parfum is definitely better one than edp and it has more personality as well. From fragrantica (edp) “Some people may find the scent too strong or overwhelming”. The reason for that phrase imo is not that the juice would be that strong but the most of the people voting here are maybe more used to mainstream designers and therefore it feels exceptionally heavy and very different. Yet, the both edp and the new formula of extrait de parfum are very wearable and versatile but it’s also good to bear in mind that even if I’m not categorizing the perfumes so strictly into the seasons, Shalimar is shining when the weather is cold. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Take Le Lion de Chanel, add spices and a musk overdose and you have this. It's magnificent, but Le Lion pips it for me, as this is almost unwearable for most occasions, whereas Le Lion sits just on the other side of the line. Update: the musk keeps getting stronger and more cloying, and after a few hours, when it was nothing but wave after wave of cloying, sweet, synthetic musk, it was really pissing me off. So glad I only bought 10ml of this, thank god for Le Lion.
Not horrible, but it's like Lipstick Rose with the amber warmth taken away and using cheaper ingredients, with a sprinkle of ginger. It's quite in line with other ELDO scents. For me, it just immediately makes me wish it was Lipstick Rose, a far superior fragrance, although PdP is way cheaper.
I believe EO Green is now discontinued but I’ve only recently acquired a decant of it. I can see why this got the axe, I find it absolutely revolting. That’s not because I’m “inexperienced” or “unaccustomed to high grade natural materials”, it’s purely down to the fact that this composition of notes simply do not work well together. I pick up an incredibly luscious, dry and addictive combination of smoky oud, castoreum and incense, but this is completely ruined by the other notes. The sharpness of the yuzu mixed with the waxy sweetness of tuberose and lotus makes the scent smell like toilet cleaner. Combine this toilet cleaner accord with the dark, dirtiness of the other notes and it genuinely does smell like public toilets. The materials are obviously incredible quality but this is simply a bad mix of notes, horrible smell! Ensar has far better offerings available these days
Semi Bespoke No. 14 is one of the few Roja ouds that actually smell like oud - this is noticeably dark, animalic and bold, not his usual style at all. Upon first spray you’re blasted by this woody concoction of dry cedar and earthy oud - this earthiness is elevated with a heavy dose of patchouli which continues throughout the life of the scent. There’s a strong green and damp element from cypress and vetiver, which makes you feel like you’re walking through a dark forest after a rainstorm. This is overall smoothed out by touches of cashmere and sandalwood, with a gentle spicy sweetness coming from saffron in the base. I get strong Encre Noire vibes from this due to the powerful cypress/Vetiver combo, obviously this is far higher quality though. For those who love dark, earthy ouds then this might be the Roja you’ve been searching for. It’s a fantastic scent but personally it’s just not my style.
This is Zara’s Barbie rebottled. Sprayed them on both my wrists, it is the exact same perfume, exact same juice in another bottle. Edit - after a few hours, it’s still Barbie, but there’s a slight sugary vanilla undertone in Forbidden pink. It’s only noticeable if I hold my nose up to my wrist, you definitely wouldn’t catch wafts of it. It’s not noticeable enough to differentiate or call it a whole different perfume. Still, Zara didn’t bother to change the descriptions of the two perfumes. They’ve copied and pasted the description from Barbie.
So beautiful, it smells like Parma violets. I don’t see any mentions of violet but this reminds me so much of Insolence by Guerlain. Insolence is sweeter, but this still has the same powdery kick.
This is amazing. It's definitely a sweet floral vanilla, which I have come to learn is my favorite variation of vanilla perfumes, like Burberry Goddess. It's definitely scratched the itch I had to buy Dama Bianca. I wouldn't say they smell the same, but they share a similar vanilla icing note. Silk Santal is still for sale in my country so I'm going to stock up a bunch! Edit: Mona has confirmed that it will be returning next summer under some tiktok comments ❤️
There is no hiding from the fact that Basso is heavily inspired by Terre D’Hermes, but it also does its own thing (which is more than can be said for Oligarch/Isola Blu). It almost expresses some Chypre qualities which is very interesting. The scent is dominated by the exact same combo as Terre D’Hermes - a juicy, rindy grapefruit and earthy vetiver. However here, the earthiness of the vetiver is magnified by oakmoss, whilst the grapefruit is softened and contrasted by thick florals of labdanum and carnation. Personally I would still choose the original Terre D’Hermes, but if you wanted a much earthier and floral version of that scent profile then this is a great option.
Originally created in 1892, this scent is inspired by a Japanese princess who left the Victorian Court in awe with her elegance. This fragrance definitely translates that oriental elegance - it’s gentle and subdued, but not lacking in character or interest. A refreshing opening of juicy bergamot and a kick of pink pepper pave the way for a heavy dose of mate tea - this is softly green and earthy, with gentle steamy qualities. This is very well balanced with whispers of indolic jasmine, resting on a woody fir base. This is a very enjoyable scent overall, however I find it quite linear and lacking a sense of journey or development. The story behind the scent comes through but it’s missing some heart, I would love to be able to smell the original 1892 version. I think for the price Clive Christian is asking for, this is definitely not worth it.
When I first spray Woody Leather, my mind thinks of only one thing - Tuscan Leather. It’s an inescapable truth that this scent is a riff on the Tom Ford classic, which is unfortunate as from the notes I was hoping for this scent to have a lot of potential. This has the exact same thick, cloying, jammy leather accord as Tuscan Leather - except here the overall scent is more tolerable with the absence of raspberry. The saffron is amped up to replace that sweetness but it’s still not as sickly as the Tom Ford. As you can probably guess I really don’t like Tuscan Leather and so I don’t like this scent either, although I will admit it’s a more wearable version. If you love Tuscan Leather then this is redundant, if you can’t stand it like me then avoid this fragrance.
Dead of Night is a gorgeously regal and sophisticated yet dark and animalic oud fragrance. Straight away I notice the sweet metallic tang of violet leaf, which contrasts beautifully with soft rose, jasmine and tuberose. The florals in here are not overpowering at all - the rose doesn’t come across jammy and the white florals don’t come across like thick soap, they’re perfectly balanced. In the base, a dark and brooding, smoky oud takes the stage supported by a touch of sweetness from a subtle vanillic amber. I would argue this is actually one of the safer options from Strangelove. This isn’t an unusual array of notes and it’s not particularly challenging, but nonetheless the high quality of ingredients and masterful perfumery is obvious. This is a fantastic fragrance and even though I’d still choose Fall into Stars over this, I definitely want a bottle of Dead of Night.
After I got a sample of this and smelled it for the first time I fell in love with it immediately. I opened straight away the package of it - it was just waiting if I would love it or not. Personally I love more Tom Ford’s perfumes in Signature line than in Private line. I don’t know why but they feels more special to me. This is an amazing high quality scent, it’s very different than all other Iris / Violet scent’s which I have. It’s an elegance in the bottle. It’s a little bit vintage style but not in a soapy way and it’s not so “dry” powdery. it’s very cozy, soft and warm but in the same time it’s very unique and romantic. Benzoin makes it different from other warmer Iris scents and I love the way it does it warm without Vanilla like sweetness. Violet is there but the name is misleading imo since Iris and Orris are more dominant - together with Jasmine they make an irresistible core for this scent. Musk and Suede in the base make it not only so cozy but very very sensual as well. Concoction is somewhat full of contrasts. I don’t get any ozonic or aquatic which are included in accords here in Fragrantica. This scent was released 2011 and was discontinued only 5 years later. I don’t know if it was too special or too old fashioned as a designer scent or if the reason was the name but so sad that this kind of creation is not produced anymore. Top: Italian Mandarin, Baie Rose, pink pepper (?), Violet leaf Heart: Tuscan Iris, Jasmine Sambac, Tuscan Orris butter Base: Musk, Suede, Cedar, Vetiver, Benzoin Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
The Amber Xtreme almost ruins it, it's so dominant and designer-like. The only fragrance I've found by this perfumer that doesn't suffocate with Ambro chemicals is Russian Tea. This is like Geranium Pour Monsieur made by Mancera/Montale.
Being a staunch hater of strong amber bases, I hated this the first time I smelled it. But then I wore it for a day. What a marvelous perfume. It's now among my favourites. I reckon as woody ambers go, amber extreme is one of the least obnoxious and scratchy, despite the name.
Loads of cardamom for me. It's like a creamy, cardamom dessert, but just slightly too woody to be a gourmand. On card it smells like Santal 33, on skin it's way better, the vetiver stands out more.
EX NIHILO Iris Porcelana Dalia Izem 2022 Eau de Parfum Unisex year around scent My scent of the day is Iris Porcelana from Ex Nihilo. It’s so delicate and subtle. It’s bright and luminous, very innocent. It’s fragile like a snowflake and these very old coffee cups made of the finest porcelain around 75 years ago (these belonged to my grandmother's sister). (*picture in IG) Iris Porcelana is like a second skin. Iris is a light breath inside a cloud of soft and warm almost transparent musk and woods. It feels that it has made for elfs and for angels. It feels like a scene from the movie when someone is dreaming of the best moments of their lives and the brightness of the screen fills the whole theater. This was a must have to my collection of versatile yet attractive scents. It’s quite simple yet indulgent and sumptuous. This makes me happy and it makes me smile. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
How 'in' of Lebreton to have a perfume named perfumista because that's exactly who this brand seem to be for, by my estimation. I mean this certainly tickles my fancy, you can tell by the opening that it's a classical perfumery trope turned up to 11 and that would be hyper, chypre, powder with musty, aloof, haunting of roses which comes on stronger and stronger until it's almost Arabian in stature. Not for the faint of heart and certainly not for those who moan about folk smelling like an old lady. To me this perfume opens in such a bright, powdery way with hints of exotic floral like ylang or something but it's so shortlived before locking into a much less spacious but much more diffuse musky rose and patchouli, which I have to warn you although not loud is pretty prominent for the next 12 hours or so (at least it was on me) then the dank in the base!!! It was there all along but genuinely couldn't smell it until the 14 hour mark or so....and reminscent of Amouage gold in this sense, the animalic base comes chiming through but in quite a muted, skin scent sort of a way, exactly how it should do!!! I found it to be that spicy, dirty hair and civet, saliva skin thing of the costus based, Kouros/animalis type of base, but very subtle and nestled in to a pretty huge, dark-ish powdery rose perfume. This is the reason why this perfume is so good, that lurking depth which sets it apart from a billion and one overly strong and silly rose perfumes. What a ride!!! Highly recommend this, even though you may mistake it for another rosey dominator, the subtle differentials and progression make this perfume great. The relatively, cleanliness of the opening, evoking fruity, powdery chypre, to the more hardcore perfume fan heart and the dirty bird base, perfumista should appeal to perfumistas, it definitely does to this one and I didn't think I could get so enthused over a massive, fairly opressive rose like this but I did!!
For those who are picking up leather/suede/saffronic notes, this is likely coming from the osmanthus which can either go fruity/creamy or leathery. I have not tried Sakura, but I HAVE tried OJ Osmanthus, and her interpretation does go the leathery route.
AMOUAGE Gold Man Guy Robert 1983 Luxurious Naughty and erotic Animalic I just don’t get enough of this! I love the animalic musky base in it, it’s so gorgeous. Civet and Oakmoss make it perfect. White florals in very vintage way are beautiful. The scent is little bit powdery because of Orris, very warm because of Myrrh. It’s bold. I think the only negative thing is that your partner has to like it as well. I’m lucky, he loves it. 🔥❤️ I tried the newest version and it’s easier but it lacks the original character imo. Some day I will have this in the original vintage bottle like women’s counterpart as well. 🤩 Now when they will do the limited editions in old shaped bottles I wish they will make the juice as close to the originals as possible. In-depth review later, the review of Gold Woman written. Thank you for reading and if you want to follow me on IG: @ninamariah_perfumes
Rubbish! Yeah sorry Anetole but I thought this was awful. Subjectively, objectively and technically bad as well. I went in to it thinking it was a pure cake, gourmand affair, I didn't even give it the high expectation of living up to being a perfume at all, merely a pleasing, foodie smell and I'd have given a favourable review but what I got was not that. I don't even get a hint of brioche, not a hint and brioche defintiely has a unique smell to it buttery, eggy, sweet, bread stuff that it is, but no. Nothing. Just a weak honied nothing really. I wish I got that hay like bran absolute smell or anything else listed here but I didn't. Not only that but I found the experience to be nothing memorable, I didn't even hate it, it just passed me by. Considering this brand has some highly intriguing releases and is very much something perfume lovers will salivate over this one doesn't do anything for me. A dud.
Very appealing men's aromatic and not something I'd managed to smell until a friend sent me a sample recently and I was particularly impressed with how intact the top notes were considering the age of this. Bright citrus but specifically the basil chimes pretty big and makes for a different perfume to the usual crop of spicy/leather/woody perfumes this decade is reknown for. That could be the problem with this as well, for a perfume which came out in the decade of the powerhouse (and let's face it the previous decade was pretty powerful too) this is a bit of a strinking violet. Just a turn of phrase there, can't say I detected any violet. Not a strong perfume it's pretty tame leathery, carnation with that clove/cinnmamon again very subtley there, it's a little transparent and I can see a Halston Z14 comparison in spirit and subgenre rather than directly the smell. Enjoyable and worth seeking out if the price is right and has been stored well, however I defy anyone to have this as their favourite Men's fragrance of this era or any other, it's just not quite good or distinctive enough, that's not to say it doesn't go it's own way, Missoni Uomo just doesn't do it with enough purpose for me.
Some reflection and mental digestion had to occur with this one to truly give my thoughts, although just to be totally incongruent (why break the habit of a lifetime Houdini?) they were kinda initially apparent in some sense as well, I knew that I liked this fragrance despite the most prominent theme in Dead air being something I'd usually say isn't my bag. As for this as an overarching genre, crudely 'greenish, modern, hipster shit' I'd say I do like that, but this had a metholated camphor which could be construded as cheap and annoying and edgy for the sake of it, but in this context I just got that sensation of really, really, good frankincense (or other similar resin) which usually has these very sharp, nose tingling, camphor to it. Dead air is complex to me, had it just been one dimensional I'd have tapped out and chalked it up to yet another fancy, trendy, artistically packaged brand, stocked at Bloom London or whatever? I liked the green opening, the woody aspect, the scratch of vetiver and faint suggestion of smoke (looking at the notes from cypriol perhaps) and the sea. However, what I most like about this perfume is that for such a highly artistic work (even including stuff I'd shy away from), I found it very much a perfume. A wearlable, likable, collection of familiar beats but with a individuality and strong underpinning, not just a collision of edgy smells. Also looking here at the notes I find perfumer Mark Buxton which in hindsight doesn't surprise me at all, in fact it makes total sense. Check this out, I liked it way more than I thought I would.
