Blazing Mr. Sam is a luxurious fragrance from Penhaligon’s. It’s a warm, spicy, and slightly smoky scent that radiates confidence. The opening hits with a bold mix of cardamom and cinnamon, giving it an immediate spicy kick. As it settles, black pepper and saffron emerge, adding a rich depth. The dry-down is where cedarwood, vanilla, and tobacco create a warm, slightly sweet yet masculine finish with a hint of sensual smokiness. I have heard of bottles having poor performance, but my bottle lasts a good 5 hours!
Gentle Fluidity Silver definitely nails the category of name - it is both gentle and certainly connotes the idea of silver; clean, crisp, metallic and straightforward. It’s a nice fresh scent, with that recognisable synthetic cleanliness Kurkdjian likes to use so often. Juniper berries are the focal point here - they’re sweet and juicy, yet their dry and aromatic facets are highlighted by vague woods and a hint of spice. However, metallic musks and citruses liven things up a bit, giving you that feel of a refreshing gin and tonic. It’s a good fragrance, and I find myself enjoying it on my skin - it’s refreshing, simple and satisfying to wear. I’ll definitely enjoy using the remainder of my sample in the warmer weather, but I just can’t justify the price for such a simple scent profile.
Cristalle - Edt - Henri Robert & Edmond Roudnitska Vintage early 80’s or possibly late 70’s bottle. Bergamot, Petigrain, Galbanum, Lemon, Cumin, Basil, Hyacinth, Honeysuckle, Peach Jasmine, Lily of the Valley, Narcissus, Cyclamen Oakmoss, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Musk, Patchouli, Civet, Ambergris Official notes for the original vintage edt. Taken from syllektikaaromata.gr, a veritable encyclopedia for anyone who speaks Greek. A crystal echo… Cristalle is (or was?) the bitchy ice queen Chanel, a title usually given to N°19 unjustly. But underneath the cold façade, there are hints of darkness and grit which may be undetectable most times, but give the fragrance its beauty. They anchor it -vintage Cristalle has a good tenacity- and at the same time they serve as a backbone and counterweight for the rest of the notes to shine. Not every animalic note has to be front and center all the time! I love them and can’t get enough of them, but let’s remember that half a century ago, they were also fixatives. And any proper perfume that was proud of its worth had them. Cristalle is a member of the fresh Eaux family that reigned supreme in the late 60’s to late 70’s. Every house had them, all displaying various commonalities and more differences. I don’t find Cristalle icy cold, but cool. Grey with specks of emerald green. There’s raspiness but also gentility. The greenness is offset by a gentle floral embrace to soften the edges. The freshness of the citrus is not tart or bright, but slightly fermented. Every fresh Eau of the time made allusion to freshness, drops of carefree youth…a burst of invigorating vitality that none the less was a prelude to a perfume underneath it. It’s not about a light and ephemeral sensation. It’s about a fragrance that sparkles because of its jovial opening. The icy bitch side, for me, it’s the reveal of its tease. Under the green canopy of galbanum and moss and vetiver, under the gentle nectar of honeysuckle and the raspy woody base…that’s were you find a spicy cumin tease not too dissimilar to the heftier Eau d’Hermès and a gentle salty naughtiness that like a good salad dressing, enhances the explosion of flavor. This young Mademoiselle Chanel has the naïveté and the fresh sparkle of an endless spring day, the grey of an early sky before the sun comes out, the bloom of a Parisian garden…but she also has a reservedness, a distance. A slightly dark mind perhaps, when said distance becomes close distance. A Chanel rigidness that never becomes frailty, but familiarity. She’s not the carefree laughter of Diorella, Eau Folle, Y, Eau Vivre..she’s not the Ô de Lancôme or Eau de Roche (and Rochas) tomboy. She’s the serious and intelectual one, the one that makes you wonder what happens when the glasses go and the jacket falls…what’s underneath??
Baccarat Rouge has become one of the most famous fragrances of all time, but I’m struggling to decide whether I understand why or not. It certainly encapsulates what was driving the market in the 2010s - clean, inoffensive scents which are above all, minimalist and unisex. This, to the mass market, is basically a license to print money, but for enthusiasts it seems to come across as boring and uninspired. Sweet, honeyed saffron and soapy white jasmine take centre stage among a concoction of clinically sanitised amberwoods, ambergris and white musks. It smells very clean, almost too clean - like a hospital. But it’s got the sugary sweetness to at least give it some substance, however still leaves me wanting more. I get why it’s popular, I just can’t feel that for myself. It’s not a bad scent, but in this day and age the countless clones of it will give you much better value for money. Of course it gets lots of positive attention if that’s all you want, but you’re unlikely to be remembered for a smell like this.
I’ve always been a big fan of Ganymede, I love it in fact, there’s something so undeniably addictive about it. With Ganymede Extrait I was hoping for a similar situation as B683 Extrait - an improvement elevated beyond imagination. Instead, I’m left with what is basically just the same old Ganymede with a slightly spicy twist. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t make it a bad fragrance - as I said I adore Ganymede, and so the fact that this retains the exact same core scent profile means it smells absolutely incredible. The only difference to my nose is that very subtle warm spicy, incense-y touch which is lovely, but not all that impressive - as B683 Extrait took on an almost entirely new scent profile. Overall, I think this is a fantastic smell, which is why I’ve rated it as a love because I truly have loved wearing my sample. But for the difference in price? You might as well save yourself a good chunk of money and just get the original Ganymede.
Ambre Sultan really is a fantastic reference Amber, for those that want to familiarise themselves with this fragrance family more, but it’s so much more than that. This is easily one of the best ambers on the market even today, which is seriously impressive given how cheap it can be found online. It takes Amber into a more aromatic direction than you might expect. The Amber accord itself is very rich - heaps of dry, thick resins and powdery woods resting on just a whisper of sweet, creamy vanilla. Before this gets too warm however, this dense aromatic herbaceous-ness comes into play which is utterly sublime; what smells like bay leaf which is both dry and green, leafy and stemmy which somehow complements the antagonist notes perfectly. I adore this fragrance, it’s easily one of the best from Serge Lutens and for the price it would be insane not to own it. I’m going to thoroughly enjoy wearing this sample and will hopefully pick up a full bottle very soon. Incredible perfumery here.
All I’m saying, if I had to choose one fragrance for the rest of my life this would be my choice. 10/10
This star shines, a gentle gourmand, not overpowering but also not weak. Smells much more expensive than it actually is
No set for that home was pretty good. Longevity wasn't that long, but for the most part, had a good aroma and having smelling pretty good.
I first learned of Hanae Mori on a blog that I was pretty obsessed with, back in the early 2000s. This person wasn’t a perfume enthusiast or fashionista, or even a popular blogger as far as I could tell...she seemed to be a gentle quiet weirdo, like me. She had a goth Betty Page bob and she did something in tech and updated sporadically about her little Seattle apartment. I thought she was the coolest. When I began to really delve into fragrances a few years later, I recall her mentioning this one in passing, and so sought out a sample. I was disappointed at how ordinary it seemed. Twenty years later I quite disagree with past me! Hanae Mori is a perfectly lovely woody vanilla and creamy, milky musk with hints of dusty dried grass and the airy green tang of blackberry leaves. A lot of reviewers mention fruit, but I don’t get any of that at all. If you enjoy the sweet comfort and nostalgic 90's whispers of Vanilla Fields or the bitter Miss Havisham melancholia of Fleur Cachee, I’d say this scent falls squarely in the middle and I am surprisingly obsessed with it.
Someone mentioned that I should try M from Mariah Carey because it smells like marshmallow incense, and though I love marshmallows and incense, I didn’t have high hopes because I think most celebrity fragrances are either boring or kind of awful. But how could I doubt the performer who sings what can only be spoken of as the most splendid and fabulous Christmas song of all time? Mariah’s version of All I Want For Christmas Is You is perfect and excellent and I am taking no questions on that point. These are *cereal marshmallows* perfumed with lush, night-blooming flowers, sweetened with rich amber rock sugar, all gone soft and creamy in a bowl of milk. And then left on an altar to smolder lazily in a dish combined with dragon’s blood and pomegranate. Not a summoning. But an offering of thanks. She doesn’t want a lot for Christmas. Because she’s a giver. And she gave us the best holiday-themed song to ever exist in this world or any other. All hail Mariah, the vocal acrobatics of All Want For Christmas Is You, and to a lesser extent... this perfume which is actually pretty ok
I have had to reframe and rescript all of my internal dialogue about Lady Vengeance from Juliette has a Gun. It is an entirely different creature today than it was when I first tried it. Almost a Jekyll and Hyde performance, if the good doctor was a sociopath and his alter ego was actually a hapless hero. Let me explain. Initially this was a fragrance of soft, cedary woods and ambery musks, a combination which I tend to love... but it was missing something. It was like observing someone with a human mask on, going through the motions of what humans do, but behind their dead, black eyes there was no light, or spark, or soul. Today this scent is the most theatrical, scenery-chewing rose; a rose that sweeps in to save the day with roses embroidered on its cape and a rose between its teeth and some sort of rose-related catchphrase-- in case you, you know, forgot it was a rose. On one hand, it’s too little, and on the other, it’s Very A Lot and between the two, this lady has forgotten about whatever she wanted vengeance for in the first place.
Mojave Ghost from Byredo is a wistful floral. A little milky, a little woody, a little sad. With a gently soapy violet aspect to it, more like laundry soap than handsoap. Something that you might use to clean a dusty Edwardian frock. It first calls to mind the girls in their frothy ivory dresses from the film Picnic at Hanging Rock, and their mysterious disappearances. It makes me think of ruffles and lace period, I suppose, worn by people who’ve yet to encounter loss or grief. A child who one moment has no concept of death, and then in the next second when they learn of their missing sister who will never return, or their terminally ill relative or a grandparent who died in their sleep...and then with that knowledge that none of us will be here forever and eventually we’re all going to shuffle off of this plane of existence... things are just different. Perhaps we’re not going to disappear into a massive and uncanny geological formation, possibly ushered along by unseen forces (like the Hanging Rock girls) but that our lives will one day end is a certainty. Mojave Ghost smells like the moment just after you’ve come by this information, and you know you are never again going to be as happy as you were before you knew it.
Poudre de Musc from Parfums de Nicolai is all shimmering, gossamer aldehydes and soft, musky rose, and a gorgeous arrangement of sandalwood and orange blossom that a particularly artsy florist composed. It lights up a room with scintillating conversation, it’s both lively and restrained, people would invite it to parties and no one would ever give it weird looks or call it “extra,” or say, ",man you were acting weird last night." Mothers-in-law would love it. It would never ever forget its mother-in-law's birthday, as a matter of fact, it probably calls its mother-in-law once a week to say hello. Objectively, it is beautiful. It’s perfect on paper. But it makes me feel awful about myself because those attributes are all of the things I am not.
Fleurs d’Oranger from Serge Lutens is everything lush and lovely and radiant about a little bottle of orange blossom water, right up until the time I add it to a cold drink or a confection, thinking how exquisite it will taste and then realizing, uggghh... this literally tastes like a mouthful of perfume. Fleurs d’Oranger is the extreme version of that ill-fated swallow, all syrupy narcotic, summer damp, fleshy-musked florals, balmy honeyed jasmine, and tuberose, intensified by cumin’s bitter, polarizing pungency.I adore the scent of orange blossoms and enjoy this interpretation more than most. It’s heady and heavy-lidded and hypnotic whereas many others have a lighter, somewhat “clean” aura. I’m fairly certain that the deliciously cunning and charismatic Lady Sylvia Marsh, immortal priestess to an ancient snake god in Ken Russell’s trippy 1988 horror film the Lair of the White Worm, wears this exact scent and as she goes about her days, heartily seducing and eating men, looking fabulous, and enjoying herself tremendously.
I’ve been trying my sample of Squid on and off for three years, hoping to find something different in it. It still does not wow me. But it’s not terrible, either. I’m typically really impressed with Zoologist's myriad creations and from this scent I expected something that shares a kinship with the moody, murky, and mysterious nature of this creature, or at least the slithery and inky perceptions of it? But I’m finding it overall an oddly crisp aroma, like freshly snipped sweet green herbs, coupled with a vanilla salt aspect very similar to Tokyo Milk Dark’s Arsenic, and the added subtle floral zest of pink pepper. It’s pleasant enough, but it’s not terribly interesting, and it certainly doesn’t evoke the squidly wizard vibes of the label illustration. Now if that artful cephalopod depicted, say …an executive admin who gets you to sign an office birthday card? I could have tempered my expectations appropriately. This is less marine monstrosity from the deep and more Angela from The Office.
One of my favorite Manceras. Beautiful and versatile scent imo and the performance is very good.
This is another one from Mancera that just does not perform, the other being Lemon Line. It doesn't matter how good it smells if it lasts only an hour or two.
What a beautiful scent! Smells like By the Fireplace and Ameer Al Oudh Intense except more refined and longer lasting. Worth every penny imo.
Beautiful smelling water. I say water because it's weak as water in its performance for me. Shame because it smells so nice but for me it's gone in an hour or so.
Opens with salt and pepper across smooth and creamy ink and ambergris.
It's warm with resins and delicately spiced with incense.
There's some sweetness and a little smoke.
Really lovely, not at all challenging.
Not only fruity scent but a dense, vintage style rich floral with Ambery base This fragrance has received very mixed reviews, and some of the reasons I completely understand, some I don't. Of Roja's latest releases, Isola Sol (you can find my review) and this one are the ones that have caused a lot of emotional turmoil. I think the biggest reason in both cases is the name, although personally, the name Isola Sol fits the scent quite well (more on that in the review of that particular scent). Aoud Extraordinaire , on the other hand, as a name, gives a completely different picture of what the fragrance contains and if you are very inexperienced with Roja's fragrances, then I understand the disappointment. However, if you consider the other fragrances in the Aoud collection, then Aoud as a word in Roja's fragrances has never meant a heavy, challenging Oud, so why would it hear? Take Enigma Aoud (Parfum) for example, which is one of the most beautiful and elegant clear fruity fragrances: the amount of Oud in it is also minimal, but just right to bring the necessary depth to both the peachy scent and the peachy soft powdery character. I think the bigger issue is the word "Extraordinaire" since for many of us Chypré Extraordinaire is the best Chypre in that style, in that category ( Diaghilev , Femme Rochas, Mitsouko, Jubilation 25 Woman etc.) and the combination of those two words "Aoud" and "Extraordinaire" made many of us think and imagine some very special Oud scent, possibly distinctly oriental, and it led to huge disappointments and emotions because it wasn't. Aoud Extraordinaire opens up with an intense cocktail of fruits, with only Pineapple clearly standing out first. It also blends in very quickly with the others. As the fragrance develops, the clear fruity aroma fades slightly and the huge floral bouquet typical of Roja takes the stage. The heady scent of the flowers remains under the fruity veil for an hour, yet creating an elegant and adult style to the scent from the beginning. When you add to this a complex base, where depth and a subtle darkness as well as softness and sweetness come from many notes, it is very difficult to find a similar concoction (or even close) in existing fruity or floral fruity fragrances. I am happy to accept suggestions, because fruity fragrances have been difficult for me precisely because they are either too youthful, too clearly juicy fruity, too simple and/or shockingly synthetic. Most often, fruity fragrances combine all of the things I mentioned. If there is something comparable, it is unlikely to be at the cheapest end of the spectrum, and I personally don't need it, because quality rarely comes cheap. If this fragrance were a simple fruity scent, if it only had the top notes with some musky base, then it would be generic. However, this fragrance is much more than that. There are no three dramatically clear phases in the fragrance, but there is usually nothing more in Roja's fragrances, but all the scents are skillfully, elegantly and ingeniously mixed. However, those phases are always distinguishable. If you are familiar with Roja, Aoud in the name or Oud in the ingredients does not necessarily make the fragrance an Oriental, so I will mention it now so that this does not cause disappointment or misunderstanding. Don't expect overly sweet or clear Cotton Candy or Caramel either since they don't perform in that kind of way. Caramel for example is not like in Lost in Paris. As the fragrance progresses to the 1.5 hour mark, the abundance of fruit fades into the background, while still maintaining the irresistible, a tad tropical undertone like the vibrant and luminous vibe as well that fruits give to this style of fragrance. The scent is also extremely unisex, thanks to the deep, intense and Ambery base, and it is not too sweet at all, thanks to the floral heart. On my husband's skin, the leather and Vetiver come through more than on mine, which partly changes the experience of the scent. The texture is extremely thick but I don't find it creamy. Fruity scents can also easily be made too strong, making simple scents tawdry and somehow girly, while such a dense and rich scent like this would feel suffocating, even though the quality is the best. Although at first I myself thought that the scent should project more, this way it is more versatile, especially for the work environment. Personally, I love this luxurious, golden, energetic scent and especially the phase it develops into after an hour, which lasts 6-7 hours. On clothes, the scent lasts forever. Fruits are always welcome in my fragrances, as long as they are not clearly edible or drinkable and are part of a more complex blend like they are here. This is definitely not that typical feminine fruity scent and if you are sampling this one, please give it at least a couple of full wears. The magic really happens when the aroma of all those fruits fades. First, this didn't made that kind of wow effect like for example Turandot, Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie 15, Chypré Extraordinaire or some others did but there is not this kind of scent in Roja's catalog so after the initial astonishment I started to like it a lot and I found there some kind of vintage style complexity that you find in 80s floral fragrances. Thank you for reading, I hope you liked my review. I would appreciate if you follow my IG: @ninamariah_perfumes It gives me a lot of motivation to write more. 🤗
This smells like a vintage perfume.
It's warm, spicy, and incensey.
Fruity and floral across a depth of resinous leather, with warm furry animalics.
A modern take on something classic like Youth Dew.
As the scent settles it brightens up a little with citrus coming through.
It's comforting and sultry.
I absolutely love this fragrance. This is my favorite scent profile and Angel Dust is such a comforting yet slightly spicy woody skin scent. I love wearing this scent when I am WFH or even when I go in the office.
