Petals is a very realistic floral scent, which reminds me so much of the blooming linden trees here in the parks in Germany. Very pretty! The orange blossom is very dominant and uplifting, I also feel the jasmine and ylang-ylang, but not really any fruity notes. It lasts very long, even after 6 hrs I am able to smell the base notes. I'm impressed, a perfect perfume, if you love a natural realistic flower scent, mainly white flowers though!
Pink is a light and airy mimosa scent, a bit powdery too. A soft skin-scent with very light lasting power. More suitable for spring and summer, that is for sure.
You really get a lot of clementine and water lily from this fragrance. This is a really soft and light, happy scent. Coral has aquatic and fresh but also flowery vibes, I like it. Easy-going, for warmer days.
I feel Calypso is more a male than a unisex fragrance, but also wearable for women who like herbal scents. You get a burst of freshness, green/wood and citrus notes. Reminds me of the Cool Water fragrances by Davidoff. Such a refreshing summer scent. I personally wouldn't wear it according to my taste preference, but I think it would be nice on other people who enjoy this scent-profile.
Hopefully when I review it properly I'll be able to say things like 'set phasers to stun!' or this 'boldly goes....' etc... I'm not really a Star Trek fan as such, I like it though and usually these kind of scents wouldn't appeal to me but I'm actively going to seek these out.
A mainly woody fragrance, with dominant notes of cedar...maybe a hint of rose (floral notes) and pepper. It is a nice and light fragrance. Could imagine someone wearing it as office-scent or on a daily basis. If you like woody scents, you should try this one.
God! This is uninspiring, and while I would normally write a fairly neutral review which said it was okay, today I'm actively choosing to dislike this one. The reason being I'm quite partial to the original Jag fragrance and I like the brand, it's a British institution. Not going to talk about notes or performance because I'm boring myself already... Although I will say this...It's not a tea fragrance (of any note) it does open quite nicely. Soon it descends into a synthetic muskiness, mixed with an aquatic seasideyness (see re:Azzaro Chrome Legend) and then a bit of god awful, suncream and white floral 'freshness' (again see chrome legend) If you want something generic I'd normally say don't go for the well known stuff explore the discounted treasures like Dunhill and Jaguar but in this case, maybe don't bother.
Blonde is (was) a knockout tuberose. As if Donatella took Fracas and glamorized it; a bit of blush here, a bit of shadow there...Fracas dressed for a party, 50 years later. So where do you go when you come from the 40's and you suddenly time travel to the 90's? My bet? A private party. Leaving aside the obvious, Blonde is a massive buttery tuberose, far more buttery than any other, to the point of turning nutty. Rich, full on cream with a side of gardenia, ylang ylang and pitosporum, a tiny white flower with huge scent. But how do you balance such headyness? Throw in some spicy carnation, a dollop of civet, a hint of narcissus and you have Versace Blonde; better than what Fracas was in the late 80's/early 90's. Massive sillage, day long longevity and a joyous laugh; after all you were modeled after the Queen but just in a different era. Younger, naughtier, sexier, Blonde throws its narcotic spell without a worry in the world. Sensual, decadent, narcotic, this tuberose is not for the faint of heart. It takes some appreciation to enjoy and discover the glamour behind. But like most good things, Fracas was suddenly resurrected and brought back in a good as ever shape. And Blonde had to leave. I guess there wasn't room enough for two. Highly sought and still around if you search hard enough, Blonde is one of the better Versace's, and the one I enjoy the most. If you love tuberose and white florals try and give Blonde a try; decadent and glamorous, narcotic and sexy, it wouldn't disappoint Germaine Cellier had she been alive.
So....fragrantica finally got to listing this one, no sorry I shouldn't be moaning they've responded pretty quickly it's only been FOUR YEARS! Anyway, I wrote a review at the time which I tried to spread via the forums, I can't remember exactly what I said but it was likely...."This smells a lot like Aventus." and it's true it does but when I first smelled it, either I'd forgotten what Aventus was like and didn't make the connection or I had some degree of nasal fatigue that day. The point is I liked it enough to purchase and it was only upon arriving home that I began to get the Creed connection. Since then we've had many reviews and people discovering this scent as an Aventus clone or alternative but in truth batches of Aventus seem to be so variable the dopplegangers evoke many different qualities from many different batches. This one I'd say is a very rich, deep and thicker incarnation of this 'genre' for want of better terms. One of the other Rumz (the one with the cheetah on) reminds me a lot of Black Afgano and this even has more of that deep leathery, woody texture, with pretty intense birch and cedar. This is not to say that 9325 isn't musky or pineapply because it has that going for it too. It's weird because although very similar and cheaper than Aventus I still own and enjoy both because it is mildly different enough to do so. For those who just want a good clone at a cheap price this is a must have. I'm definitely not one of those people who is bitter because they bought Aventus at full price and desperately defend it at all costs when people even mention clones they like better. It's all personal preference, and I enjoy this but genuinely prefer my bottle of Aventus. I can't even give a decent explanation as to why? I just prefer the smell. If If my arm was twisted I'd say this feels a bit heavier and clunkier than the Creed which can be cloying and annoying but when Applied sparingly is heavenly stuff, I'm just not as passionate about this one. So performance wise this is superb as you'd expect and 100% worth adding to your wardrobe...Simple.
Passion comes from a time when putting your name on a perfume bottle wasn't just marketing or cashing in, or following trends. It comes from an era when a famous person would sign a perfume that they would actually wear and take pride for creating. A perfume with Elizabeth Taylor's name was a major happening back in the day, and smelling my vintage bottle I have no doubt that a) Liz was definitely a perfume lover and user, b) she must have participated actively in its conception and c) she was determined to put Passion up there with Coco, Mystère, Poison and the other expensive best sellers. This ain't a cheapo, though it's price might make you think so. Having no idea how the current formula fares, Passion smells expensive, glamorous. Ingredients wise, they are of good quality, perfectly blended to compliment a fur coat, a diamond necklace, a beautiful dress. A soirée, a gala, and why not, ladies who lunch; perfect occasions to wear Passion. On my skin the perfume feels more like a floral chypre rather than oriental. The flowers are blended so that not one stands out, apart from maybe the creamy tuberose but mostly gardenia. The incense comes and goes, making the florals smoky and with the honey it gives of a beeswax sweetness. The heliotrope with its powdery beauty is highly present on my skin, making the whole feel decadent, narcotic. The drydown is predominantly strong oakmoss with a hint of vetiver and patchouli, and the sandalwood feels very creamy and buttery. Mysore? Why not? All of this, the creamy languorous florals, the green oakmoss, the buttery sandalwood, heliotrope, comes wrapped in an exquisite leather that is drenched in civet, giving of an irresistible animality to the entire composition that feels rough and strong, romantic and gentle at the same time. Just like Liz. Amazing sillage and longevity, easily fills a room making the wearer the center of attention, something that I personally love. Smelling it blind I would never have thought of it as a celebrity or drugstore fragrance; instead it is in the same quality ballpark as any designer scent from the decade. If you enjoy drama powerhouses and are ok with just a bit too much animalics, this is for you. Highly unisex today, this belongs in all vintage collections, especially chypre lovers and anyone who enjoys the golden decade, baroque scents and a good perfume in general. Review based on edt bottles, from 1987 and 1989; first formula with purple stone cap and yellow pattern on bottle with no reform between them.
I test drove one of those F Paces a few months back and was considering getting one as I was suitably impressed, unfortunately it's fragrance namesake is a little short of the mark but only a little mind you. It opens very generic, with an aquatic, somewhat 90's feel but soon shows what it's all about as that herbal Rosemary and lavender start to woody it up. It's soapy and mega clean, almost impossible to hate but hard to love or get excited about in any way. It reminded me of a few scents but thankfully one that comes through stronger as it dries down was Paco XS/Creed Himalaya but sadly not quite as nice as either of those. It has a bit of the Mr Burberry too a scent that I'm sure I'll be slated for actually enjoying on some level, there's shades of other stuff too but it's all very roll on deodorant and forgettable. It's died back considerably after 2 hours but still there and doesn't remind me of XS anymore (frankly I kinda wish I was wearing XS right now and that kinda sums this fragrance up.) I'm not mad at it and as far it goes Jaguar have another perfectly usable and still masculine fragrance here, exactly the kind of thing which appeals to the sort of no nonsense bloke who purchases a fragrance from Jaguar.
I love what CT does in makeup, even have one of her lipstick (only one because of their price, would have more items otherwise) and it's fabulous, nice formula, great colour, good staying power all in a luxe packaging. So I really wanted to like this perfume and was very interested on trying it, but a tiny voice inside my head kept popping up saying: "this might be a huge disappointment", so I didn't actively went looking for it. In the end I got the occasion when an eager salesgirl came up to me inside a House of Fraser last winter. Biggest mistake ever. I ended up with this thing on my wrist that assaulted my nose and not in a good way. It smelled cheap and conventional and took a lot of scrubbing to leave my skin. Not only that but the fragrance literally stuck to the woollen jumper and coat I was wearing for daaaaaaays so that I had to wash the jumper and air the coat to get rid of it. Not a fan. I even got a sample one day and spritzed it again to see if anything had changed, but I still dislike it. But of course it's a very personal thing and I actually thought that I remember having smelled something similar on a lot of women in the past, so I'm sure there is a market for it.
Ella is the kind of scent you want to love, the one you're sure it's a safe blind buy. The one I'd use if I was gifted but wouldn't buy for myself. And the thing is, no matter how much I like it, there's something missing. The picture is there, the intention to let go and disco till dawn, but it is all hidden behind a smokescreen. There's no intensity, no color; it feels diluted and kind of dull. There's a very promising start with honeyed jasmine and the touch of civet really makes the perfume shine. Mild aldehydes in the opening, a narcotic floral heart with moss and animalics in the base, that unfortunately doesn't last and hold on skin. Numerous tries have given me the same result, so maybe it's just me or maybe it's the way the formula was created. But I somehow think that if you want the feel of 70's decadent and glamour packed Acapulco, disco pumping until early morning, when you head to the beach for a skinny dip instead of home, you have to go big and loud. That's what the era was about. And Ella has the potential but it lacks the power. It's a very good fragrance, I can see and smell snapshots of its salty, animalic licking husky voice, but I wish Arquiste had pumped it up a bit more. Él on the other hand does feel a bit stronger; he is the tanned, good looking stud that went to Armando's Le Club drenched in Kouros, and later on went to the pool, got naked, had a quick swim and then got the sexy blonde. I guess that the blonde (Ella) wasn't really in the mood that day. None the less both are a very good try to revive a genre and era of perfumery made gold, but sadly forgotten. Edit: just the other day I was wearing Ella from a sample and I was somewhere that got pretty hot. Suddenly I started getting whiffs of a beautiful scent, looking around until I figured out it was me. I guess this blonde needs heat to warm up, and thus I think it will make a great summer perfume! Needless to say, I now have a bottle!
Songes... I truely understand why it has so many fans :) Such a nice white flower scent, I guess it's my personal favorite from the Annick Goutal house so far. It starts of with a mix of all white flowers - ylang ylang dominates, but you get the creamy frangipani and vanilla from the heart notes to the end and the dry down is most enjoyable. A really soft and comforting fragrance. No headaches, not overpowering, just lovely and great for warm weather too actually as it has some sort of freshness to it. Highly recommended for all tropical flower lovers out there, especially ylang-ylang! The one I tried was EDT by the way.
The notes sound pretty nice, but the scent smells so awful to me, sorry for the people who like it. I didn't even spray it on me! My sister was testing this today and I just smell it everywhere... even when she was not around me, it still was with me all the time. This scent gives me nausea and headaches. It feels so unnatural to me, and has this masculine touch...maybe the chestnut or the combination of notes that do not work with my chemistry. Really not my cup of tea. Just be careful with your dosage, it appears to last a lifetime :S
A lot of ylang-ylang and jasmine, very strong and no coconut to find... I was hoping for a bit more light, creamy and easygoing fragrance for summer, but this is not for me. I would recommend trying before blind buying this.
This is just a masterpiece by Bissoumine! BTW I think the brand is kinda underrated, at least for me Bissoumine scents smell very natural and are not as overpowering as other niche or designer brands, but they still last all day long. Exactly what I have been looking for. Nuit des Iles is a nearly one to one adaption of the white and yellow type of frangipani you can find nearly everywhere on the east coast of Australia. You can notice a bit of citrus and vanilla too, which gives it a comfy feeling. This sweet, flowery creamy scent brings back wonderful memories, and it's so easy to wear. If you love plumeria/frangipani you should try.
Opulent and dramatic; two adjectives that define Teatro Alla Scala to the bone. Released in the mighty 80's, Teatro, like many Italian fragrances of the era, came to compete with orientals such as Coco and Opium, the blockbusters that defined spices, debauchery and shoulder pads. But Teatro has more drama going for it. Amidst the spices, incense and resins, there's hot blooded temperament a la Italiana. A magnificent beeswax note that hasn't been replicated and a very animalic base. It's not just an oriental; the flowers, carnation primarily, are on fire. There's a deep winey tonality and an amazingly potent civet note that dirties up the base notes suggesting what will be revealed as soon as the furs and lamé dress come off. Smoke, deep red roses, carnation, honeyed beeswax, incense, civet! A syrupy nectar, a spicy ménage a trois; If Coco goes to the theatre and Opium to Studio54, Teatro goes to the opera and then to a slinky hotel room to have wild sex. Unapologetically potent and languid, it made sure that Krizia was on the map along with K, a beautiful aldehydic floral launched earlier. No doubt woman, it is a mighty oriental for men as well; no sugar, no fruity frou frou. Evocative, sensual, and sexual, the animal that growls inside the slightly kitsch faux tortoiseshell splash bottle is one of the most beautiful perfumes of the decade. Forgotten but very easy to come by, and much cheaper than Coco or Opium, it is a must try for fans of vintage orientals. Both edt and edp (very similar and equally strong btw) offer humongous sillage and longevity. Do seek it out before it's all gone. Review based on 1985 bottles of edt and edp.
So I finally got my nose on this and I had to blind buy to do so. This was reasonably confident due to my prior knowledge and high expectation of Scent Story fragrances. Oh boy I wasn't disappointed! Elixir delivered the same same wow factor I experienced with the original 24 Gold and even the Oud edition. (The OA admittedly to a lesser extent.) So this is brilliant then? Well...not really, and for one simple reason the honey note is very strong and very accurate. For honey fans then this is comes highly recommended but that isn't what 24 Elixir is all about by a long way. The opening is a complex blend of sweet spices cinnamon and even a hint of fruit but it's mainly a dense oriental comprised of deep, resinous, amber woods and a touch of vanilla. This part of the fragrance is hats off amazing but the honey note is there to provide an icky, borderline unpleasantness to something which is otherwise sweet and rich. Don't get it twisted, I think it actually works very well and needs that extra dimension because if it was all fun and games, 24 Elixir wouldn't be half as memorable and probably too safe. There's obvious comparisons in my mind to the recent release from CdG Floriental, then there'e a pinch of Parfum de Marly Oajan and a considerable amount more of Back to Black from By Killian. So the resulting offspring of a three-way between these is not far off what you get. The performance is good as you'd expect but goes on very strong and projecting madly then fades considerably. This coincides with the fading of the strong honey note and what you're left with underneath in the drydown, is all the good stuff associated with honey and non of the bad. Not to mention the resins and woody goodness in the base of this scent, I found the drydown very enjoyable. I can't give this too much praise for simple taste reasons and my aversion to honey in this quantity. However, this is a largely successful exercise for Scent story showing that they continue to innovate and hit, huge, stunning orientals out of the park every time.
So I bought this on the spot and I often worry about such extravagant, impulse purchases because I usually regret them, if not entirely then in certainly in a minor way. I must say Iris Nazarena has held up well, it's two weeks later and I still love this fragrance. The opening was a real eyeopener for me, a soft, creamy, powdery leather and not unfamiliar from many fragrances I would've perhaps dubbed 'a bit feminine' in the past. It's brilliant though. The Iris is obvious in the opening and throughout but what struck me was just how real and buttery the leather smell is in here. It's not rough or aged this is brand new, modern, Italian, white leather. It's also woody in the extreme from the getgo. I mean there's an unmistakable quality sandalwood in this fragrance that perfectly compliments and accents the Iris and leather. I'd say there's trace hints of spice and that comes over more in the deep satisfying drydown. The one critisim of this scent could be that it's not all that strong or long lasting. I would argue that it smells so good I can forgive it these minor issues and I put plenty on, so it easily lasts all day and sticks to clothing very effectively. It's an intimate scent which doesn't need to announce itself or project wildly so that didn't bother me either. Like I mentioned, It's not totally unique or like nothing I've smelled before, I mean loads of iris scents spring to mind but few deliver the sandalwood and leather in such abundance and balance. It's a bit like Dior Homme/Homme parfum, Zegna's Florentine Iris, YSL's Noble leather, Ann Gerard Cuir d' Nacre and any quality sandalwood fragrance you'd care to insert here. The point is Aedes de Venustas Iris Nazarena is a perfect storm of all of these, arriving on my radar at a perfect time and therefore getting fast tracked into my wardrobe. I don't know why this elegant scent spoke to me so much... but it did. This fragrance is an absolute winner. Oh before I go! Just briefly on the bottle design. I tutted and rolled my eyes at the SA who couldn't wait to show me AdV and the fancy stopper mechanism but actually it was only upon getting it home and handling the bottle for myself that I actually think it's a cool design.
For anyone who missed out on these, I'm elated to tell you that most (if not the entire line?) are coming back, with new packaging. This one is especially sort after because it's gorgeous but I also really enjoyed some of the others including the rhubarb and ginger of Signature by Bertrand Duchaufour. A rare treat and recontinuation for fragrance fans.
Some people might think that Amouage have gone off the boil, non moreso than me as I've been vaguely critical of their last couple of releases but I still believe in the creative direction of the brand. I'd go as far as to say that Bracken is an effort to further diversify and broaden their range away from the super complexity and incense laden compositions they became famous for. I don't think there's anything wrong with covering the fougere base and I think this perfume does a really good job of evoking ferns and woodland greenery. Bracken is gently masculine and grown up composition which opens with clean citruses and hints of spice from cloves and cinnamon and I got quite a bit of lavender. Then giving way to an awesome combination of earthy patchouli, cedar and cypress. It hints all the main criteria for a classic fougere fragrance and I for one can dig it. I need to try it again properly to determine whether it is worth the money and has the lasting power compared to cheaper alternatives. Speaking of those it does bare more than a passing resemblance to Fougere Royale but definitely stronger and more brash. I like Bracken very much but depending on expectations some might see this one as a filler release from Amouage.
Okay so I agree with the comparisons to the obvious it's like one of those sweet, raspberry leather concoctions in the shape of the usual suspects. However, Nejma just about has it's own thing going on and especially in the opening. I can believe there's oud, rose even saffron in here because it comes across slightly smokier with an all together darker tone and less of a blatant clone of...you know what. I can tell you now that side by side they develop ever so differently but ultimately to the same end. Well I'd actually say it shares more with Clive Christian C than anything else, the leather seems a it more genuine and it's not quite as intrusive but also means that it's not quite as strong either. Apparently according to some this is reasonably priced and could be a viable option if you love this kind of scent. I think because I've smelled so many of these, I can detect subtle nuances in the way they come over but frankly once you've tested these and decided which one works for you budget wise and longvity/silage it's really not something you need to own a load of and for that reason, although lovely smelling Nejma 1 is a bit redundant. I've avoided mentioning it so far but on balance you might as well get Tuscan leather. It's not the best value but in truth it's slightly louder and longer lasting.
Rhubarb is quite possibly one of my favourite things and I've been suckered in my rhubarb scents before from the likes of CdG and the last one I purchased from Hermes. However, I was never really convinced by the accuracy of these and frankly I didn't care all that much because an augmented apple/grapefruit note or a rhubarb and custard sweet is just as enjoyable as something authentic, orgainc and accurate. Aedes de Venustas makes the above mentioned seem like Clinique Happy compared to the smell of a ripely cut orange. It's probably very much down to the vegetal, tomato leaf surround and the green vetiver an slight hint of effervescent, zing from a touch of frankincense which gives the rhubarb more credibility and it's quite a long lasting top note too. Although not massively complex there's enough going on in this scent to keep me very interested throughout and it dries down to a calming vetiver and perceivable floral notes. (must be the honeysuckle) My favourite aspect though is ginger. Not listed in the notes I hear you cry?!?! Well I get the classic culinary combination of Rhubarb and ginger in here. It could be the other elements like vetiver creating that effect but it's definitely there, and wonderful it is too. The quality is evident in this scent and although it's not massive in lasting power or silage it was okay, mellow but passable. I liked it. Not quite enough to buy but I admire it.
Anyone who reads my reviews will be aware that I'm a massive fan of Comme des Garcons but I have been a little out of the loop fragrance wise recently, so this release had passed me by somewhat. I've acquired some samples now and I've got to say on measure I don't think it's very good. The opening is fantastic and has all the excitement I'd expect, not only from CdG but from a pepper focused scent. I love the idea of black pepper being the central attraction of a scent and really like Marc Jacobs Bang and Clive Christian V for example. Unfortunately my main gripe with this fragrance is that it suffers from the same lack luster performance and intensity issues as Bang does. Blackpepper opens well enough with an unmistakable and aromatic pepper note which is both sweet, hot, dry and then into a steaky, gourmand peppercorn sauce sort of vibe. What interests me is 'where does this scent go from here?' that is the question, knowing that pepper notes are fleeting in most other outings. This one actually goes into nice CdG territory and becomes oddly sweet, reminding me of something I can't quite place. It's complex and more like a pink pepper after 20 mins or so but with some elements and style from Amazingreen or Man 2 and that incense modernity which is always a theme CdG nod to in most of their creations. The tonka is hinted at and patchouli works well with the pepper promoting an earthy but almost creamy vibe. All this complexity does please and intrigue and I'm never one to be unfair to a fragrance about lack of performance but this one on my skin was a joke. I wish I could tell you what it was like after the first hour but the fact is Blackpepper had all but disappeared. I wanted to love it so much and it does have some merit, all comme des Garcon scents please you right out of the gate but then after a few wears in hindsight, become one trick ponies. This ran the whole series of emotions in double quick time and now I'm at the last stage 'acceptance' of the fact this just isn't that great. I will wear the rest of my samples and maybe even do a revision of this review, perhaps it was my high expectations but there you go.
