Fragrance Reviews by tessera

I actually do get the resiny opoponax out of this one. It's a warm, rich scent that probably shines best in fall. Definitely worth a try if you're looking for an opoponax with a little more character than just resin in oil.

Opens with every single note clearly definted, which is strange because mint and sesame shouldn't be in the same latte as mocha and musk. The second stage is just like deodorant soap, clean, bright and very fake, but this passes quickly and ends in a drydown of a strangely peaceful marraige of grapefruit, mocha and mint. I really can't tell why this even works, but on me it does and I love it.

First blast is green and anise, very strongly. The next stage I get is a lovely tobacco-like texture that melts into Praline and Vetiver over vanilla musk. Ignore the au Masculin bit: Women can definitely wear this too and it's far nicer than the little-girl women's version.

This one can definitely be unisex. I don't think it's sex in a bottle, either, but it's got a great dry down, green, woody, vetiver. It goes through the top, mid, base stages very clearly, and is a lovely clean, fragrance that wears on female skin very well, without being too masculine.

The EdT didn't offend me as it seems to have so many others. The dry down ends on mostly Tuberose, very white floral that reminds me of a more expensive and richer Jessica McClintock. And it lasts for absolutely ever, whether you like it or not. If you like pale florals, this is a good one to sample.

Both the Violet and Rose versions of Angel have a component that smells distinctly like body odor on me. It might be the courmarin, don't know. Without that note, I really love the Violet, but I just can't get past the feeling that I've blown through my deodorant. Angel Rose doesn't even make it to dry down on me before I'm scrubbing it off.
Guess I'll stick with the original and Innocent (watered down and bland, but very nice anyway.)

Somehow this always reminds me of grape KoolAid. Not a bad scent, but very dated to my nose. I smell this and it's the 80s all over again. Not sure that's a good thing, either.

My husband doesn't like my other carnation scents but this one is okay with him, which pleases me very much. (I have a lot of perfumes I wear to work when he doesn't have to smell them on me) Coup de Fouet is a wonderful, strong hot and spicy carnation scent. If you like carnations, this one is a knock out, assuming it works with your skin chemistry. Gorgeous.

If I liked orange blossom, this would be lovely. I don't like orange blossom at all, and that's all I get; powdery soft floral and nothing else. I was hoping for more guts and incense, but I get orange blossom. Definitely try the sample size of this one before buying the whole bottle.

I'm afraid I got nothing but Liddle Kiddles...does anyone else remember those little scented dolls? This is powdery, oversweet and very young. My husband said 'Yuk.' It's not actually offensive, but I definitely don't want to smell like I'm five years old. I detect nothing sophisticated or elegant about this. Makes me sad: It's another historical scent that just smells outdated on my skin. Glad the others here have found it more pleasing.

Apparently widely available in the 50's at the five and dime stores, so everyone had it back then. It smells alarmingly like Love's Baby Soft to me (another drug store scent. Very young, as in 10 year old girls playing grown up with girl perfume, powdery and soft. It's not a dreadful scent as many online memoires indicate, but it's definitely not what I'd term true perfume. It's more like the play perfume you get in the sets with plastic lipstick, flavored lipgloss and 'diamond' jewelry.

MItsouko fit the bill of what I am looking for: A layered, complex scent with excellent pedigree and a history. Too bad it's so plain on me. Faintly oriental on first application, she dries down quickly to a almost invisible waft of spikey wood. There's no depth and no life to this scent once it hits my skin. My sister had better luck and perhaps orientals just work on her and not on me, but she at least had more layers. Still, this is not as elegantly layered as I had hoped. I'm so sorry to give it a neutral rating.

Day Wedding scent. Delicate light floral that would offend no one and smells like pastel formals. Would maybe work for a tea party, but is more dressed up than that, yet strangely plain. Mother of the Bride perhaps.

Powerful start,very aggressive and spicy, then drying down to peppery bergamot with a strong solid base of woods, with the vetiver topmost. An active, very alive men's scent that makes me think of guys in expensive suits around a polished wood table negotiating some major deal with the window open and the sunny breeze filling the conference room.

Idole smells like a 70s guy about midway through the disco. There's a slightly sour note that might be the saffron and bitter orange together, and a sweat edge that says he needs to change his shirt. Smoke and a certain 'cologne' note from the sandalwood and rum complete the picture of polyester-clad, slightly ripe dude rocking out to the glitter ball music. It's not an all-out gross sweat scent, but there's definitely a fragrance portrait here that has zero appeal for me.

This ends much more woody on me than leathery, which is a shame, as I'm looking for a nice buttery leather scent. Still, a fragrance of amazing character and complexity, mature in that black-tie, classy, sexy way that's more James Bond or Frank Sinatra than mature as in your folks. Well worth a look in for someone looking for a gourmand-type that still somehow smells black tie.

Lovely lasting resinous myrrh. Not sweet precisely, but rich and elegant. I agree completely with Zenobia on the 1920's fancy dinner scent description: It's easily a formal, but also wears well during the work day if you use it sparingly. Benzion, sandalwood and citrus give it a slight masculine tone that still sits well on female skin. Amber and Vanilla round out the base. I love to wear this between my breasts (sorry, overshare, I know) so that it rises gently up to me all day. Gorgeous scent.

Wow. I wanted to like this just for the name and the scent description, but it is pure Rabbits on me. I'll explain: My friend has pet rabbits and the house often smells pleasantly like alfalfa hay, warm silky fur and a touch of rabbit feces (just a touch, and they're hay eaters, so it's alot like faint horse) This is all Film Noir did on me. Rabbits. Not offensive or bad, just very very weird and not something I want to walk around smelling like. I'm going to give my sample to my rabbit-owning friend.

A blast of bright soap dries down to a grassy green inhale of spring day. Almost like a men's cologne, it reminds me of something I can't quite place. Still a very cool, pleasing scent that makes me want to inhale endlessly. Not sure I can wear this myself, but I'd probably follow a guy down the street if he had this on.

"Tabac, Honey , Raisin , Aubepine, Indian jasmine , Amber, Sandalwood, Spices
Incense, Musk"

I get the honeyed tobacco, amber and musk in a lovely, gentle meditative dry down, which is nice, since it starts out like an ashtray. There is no really smoke at the end though. Its a very edible scent but lacks any real tobacco power. Still very nice.

Aquatic floral with a sharp woody note to give it that 'incense' quality. I agree with castorpollux: Another mall-girl scent.

This smelled so overwhelmingly of orange blossom that I never did find any other notes in it. From the other reviews, there are leather notes, and the name certainly suggests it, but you couldn't tell from my experience.

Woody with spice and cream. The cedarwood is very prominent, but somehow toned down by whatever else they put in here. It's elegant wood, dressed up, as Caitha says, and with a high polish. I'd expect silk to be more soft and flowing, but this is an excellent fragrance nonetheless, especially if you are fond of woody spice that is still somehow feminine. A strange but noteable accomplishment.

I don't know about cuddly, but it's definitely an approachable fragrance. Not so sweet as to be girly, and not quite an ice cream scent, it's still the heart and soul of vanilla with just enough amber and musk to make it sexy. But not too sexy. There's still alot of vanilla there. Still, a wonderful white scent.

Oddly, I wear this at Christmas only. Perhaps the Mandarin with the incensy dry down in the vetiver and orris make me think of this holiday, but it's my Christmas season fragrance. Then again, Christmas in Seattle tends to be gray and drizzly, and this scent does brighten things up.

This will always be a powerful lemon scent in my memory. There may have been other notes in there, but the overwhelming lemon silmoultaneously reminds of sunlight and little girls playing dress up. I'm not sure if that's what I want to smell like anymore. I don't detect the 'french' element that flathorn speaks of, but it's possible my nose shut down after the first blast of lemon. Ah, well. It's undoubtedly a happy fragrance.

The old version of this was fantastic. Sexy, male, alpha. And I could wear it, too, so it wasn't exclusive to male skin. (very spicy citrus on me, a great summer scent without any girly powder or fru-fru floral. Refreshing.)

The new version IS different and not nearly as nice. Still fresh and clean, it's very much lacking something. I miss the original.

This will always smell like clean man to me. Definitely a bright scent, and you need the right attitude. Alpha dogs only should apply. If you are uncertain, it will wear you and smell cheap.

Way too musky and growling when I was a little girl, but still smelled great. Would be a much better scent now in my adult years. I remember it as a golden musk with some floral edge, but mostly as musk. It was my idea of what a sexy, seductress would wear. (but I was pretty young then. Would have to smell it again.)

You either love this or you hate it. As a child, I used to sniff this for hours, but somewhere along the way it got so that a little whiff made me feel a bit ill. I recently tried again and got the same reaction. It's a very dense fragrance and once you've maxed out your tolerance for it, it's all over. I can see where people really like this one and it is very sexy, but I also agree that it is sexy in a sleazy way. There are sexy perfumes that don't make me think of an unwashed prostitute.

That said, it won't smell like that on everyone. I will, however, continue to avoid this like a plague.

Heavy on the spices, drying down to intense, wonderful incense. Too bad about the civet. I have a moral objection to anything that tortues an animal so I can smell nice. I live in hope that Schiaparelli will answer my email by telling me that they have achieved this exact same wonderful perfume with a comparable synthetic...(yes, I know that's unlikely, but one can hope.)

For years, I have only smelled this in a vintage bottle. It's notes are Mandarin, orange flower, bergamot, orchid, neroli, iris, mostly becoming orange flower and bergamot on dry down. The vintage version is a somewhat resinous mixture, but is very warm and pleasant, like lying in the sun near rock rose in spring. Not that it smells of rock rose, but the resin is in there somewhere.

Recently, I got ahold of some of those little ampules from the 1950s and sampled Indiscret again, this time with less aging. It's still lovely, but the fresher sample lacked the resinous edge, coming out as a light, crisp summer scent softened by the Neroli. If there's Iris in there, it's buttery, not green, and any Orchid is simply another layer in the build. Not entirely orange blossom, but something more like a bouquet of fresh golden-toned flowers on a clear day.

I recommend this one in any form, so long as the vintage hasn't turned off. (Huge bottles are still available on ebay) Also of note; if Shalimar goes too powdery on your skin, this will too. All my notes on this experiment are based on my sister's chemistry, as I have never been able to wear Shalimar or Indiscret. She can wear both and Indiscret has been a favorite of hers for years.

I cannot wear Shalimar. She opens beautifully, delicate, warm and airy all at once, then settles down to powder. I'm not a fan of the powdery fragrances; they smell like little old ladies to me, and this one becomes powdery on my skin almost instantly. If I put my nose to my wrist, I can detect lovely, warm vanilla with a rich layer of opoponax, but out where it can be smelled faintly by others in my personal space, it smells like somebodies nan. This will never be for me.

I actually love gourmands, but the rhubarb in this does nasty things on my skin. Like black currant, sometimes this note just doesn't agree with the others, and I found an unpleasant dirt-like note in this one. From the other reviews here, it's obvious I'm in the minority, but definitely try this one on your skin before buying the bottle.

Sweet, smooth, round. The original Obsession is a long bad memory for me, but this has none of that in it. I get vanilla without the powdery tones, amber without the sour notes and a flirt of sandalwood to keep it from being just a bed of little-girl vanilla. Not too sweet, not too bland, this would be an excellent day-scent on the right skin.

Lovely opening, disappointing dry down. I don't know what's in this, but the creamy, rich, velvet opening ended up a two-note floral on me: Tuberose or possibly Gardenia and something a little White Shoulders underneath. Nice and rounded, but boring, with many 'o's. Boooorrriinnggg.

Men's scents work better on my sister's skin, so I tested this one out on myself. That initial note is indeed a lot like cleaner-I suspect it's the lavender and peppermint together. Then it fades off very fast and I get a vanilla patchouli so dried down that it's a velvety, chocolate/sandalwood. Since I hate patchouli, this is a plus. It's lovely, warm and attractive. I would snuggle up to a man wearing this.

I tried this out of a vintage ampule. It is a lovely light orangey floral, very reminiscent of L'Aimant on my skin. L'Aimant was my first perfume, so unfortunately this also reminds me of being about 9 years old, and while that's not a bad thing, the scent is a little young for me now. Fragrance notes are reported as: Citron, Mandarain, Bergamot, Ylang Ylang, Rose. There is probably also sandalwood and a light vanilla in the base, which generally turns powdery on me.

Worth a try if you like the older Cotys and can find it.

I want to love this, and it's possible I might in the EdP, but I have the EdT which has zero staying power. After about twenty minutes there's nothing to detect. I might as well be sniffing my watch band.
What I can detect is a lovely, clear floral with that honey touch you get in a lot of mimosas. The almond seems to leave a nice base (for 19 minutes and 55 seconds...) Sigh. Will have to hunt out the parfum.

I wanted to love this on me. My mother wears it as her Black Tie scent and has for 40 years. My sister can wear Tabac Blonde in all it's glory. I want a Caron to call my own and cannot seem to find one. Nuit de Noel on my mother is a gentle, elegant, truly classy perfume that smells historic but also timelessly beautiful. On my skin it turns sharp, then tar-like, then powdery. I ran for the sink. This was two days back, when, thinking the last time I'd tried it on, I was 12, so maybe my chemistry has changed.

Not enough, I guess. Lucky you, those of you who can wear this. It is beauty distilled on the right woman.

Is it tarragon I'm smelling? The first blast of this hit me like a fist in the nose and I gave an involuntary 'yuk!'. Dry down was much better, with soft vanilla and sandalwood, but overall, Mitsouko seems a more blended, harmonious mixture. Probably great on some women, but it's never gonna work on me.

Smells exactly like clear-burning pine resin incense. There's a slightly metallic edge on dry down on my skin, but the overall effect is exactly what I'd hoped for: the scent of incense. So far no other incense type fragrances have captured this so well for me. (Though I undesttand that that could also be dependant on the type of incense I was expecting to smell.)

The opening notes of this one smelled horrible on me. There was a touch of public restroom scent, complete with the person who missed the porcelain. Then it dried down to a soft, spicy cinnamon. The Big Red gum edge never quite went away, but it was a pleasant, warm mix of tonka and cinnamon and possibly tobacco.

Still, I don't like the end enough to wait through the dreadful opening.

Soft without the remotest touch of that dreaded powder edge I can't wear. I have to use the cliche and say 'lyrical,' because it is. Layered, subtle and elegant.

The carnation I've been looking for forever. It's spicy and clean and a tiny bit creamy and smells nothing like the plastic scents I've come across. A true, wonderful winner.

Maybe coconut will always remind me of suntan lotion, but if that's the case, this is the sexiest, smokiest suntan lotion out there. Tovah is utterly correct in her assessment. The only thing I would add is perhaps a vision of a gorgeous woman walking barefoot on the beach in an evening gown with her sandals in her hand or perhaps a veiled arabian dancer with her dark eyes reflecting the colored lights from a pierced gold lamp. Something like that.

Exotic, sexy, dark coconut.

Mandarin and vetiver are the overall screaming top notes I get on application, then it dries down sharp and stays that way. I expected a much fruitier, clear floral, but it's way too sharp for me. Maybe someone with different chemistry will wear this one as a bright summer casual.

Bright, fresh and foody, but a touch of bug-spray in the dry down. Ginger, citrus and green tea with sweet pea underneath. Total ten minute dry down just fine.

Very light, very unoffensive. A perfume as casual as the price it costs, which isn't a bad deal

Bright fruit and green flowers with a dusty, sharp patchouli base. Dries down to a more mellow vanilla and citrus scent with that "sneezy" note misspring mentions, and which I suspect is the patchouli

Opening richness of citrus and very clearly Chai, dry down to a clear vanilla-musk with faint touches of summer flowers. This is a summer bare-skin type scent on me. I only wish it lasted longer.

Curve dries down to a citrusy, cool aquatic on me. It's nice, but I prefer less citrus. Crush or Chill are much nicer and seem more layered.

I bought this unsmelled just on the scent breakdown. I was disappointed when it hit my skin. It smells like watery, vanilla soaked violets, which would be great if there was personality. It has none on me. This dries down to pleasant, mediocre mall-scent on me. Oh well.

The opening notes all clash horribly, then it begins to dry down to a bright, warm comfortable place. I honestly don't get chocolate out of this after that first nose-punching blast where it's arguing with the mandarin. Dry down is vanilla without the cream and sugar (thank God), a breath of sweet patchouli and a little whisp of mandarin, I suppose: whatever that whisp is smells slightly floral so who knows where that's coming from.

I agree with Tovah that it's very much a summer scent. I don't wear it in winter either. And I personally abhor patchouli in all forms. Once again, who knows why this form works on me? It just does.

I have to agree with treazurekitten on the leathery quality. Arpege starts strong on me and dries down to a very soft and subtle leather-with-flowers scent. I'm honestly not sure I like it or not. It's a tar-like leather, very resinous and dark, with that clinging sweet waft of floral. It's definitely what I'd call a historic scent and it lasts FOREVER. A dot of EDP put on in the morning lasted all day, through my evening shower and into the next morning.

This one went smokey like an ashtray on me. Not sure what happened there, but it was pretty awful. Contrarily, my friend who smokes loves it and it's very nice on her skin. Men ask her what she's wearing, they like it so much. As a side note, this friend also often refers to herself as 'an old lady.' (not quite the case, but I found that amusing after reading the reviews that call this an old lady perfume.)

A lovely, simple, clear floral, but I have to agree with the others here: It has no depth or variety, just gardenia and honeysuckle.
Still, it's very nice for casual wear.

It's nice, but, yes, doesn't last at all, and it wasn't distinctive enough for me to want to wear it regularly. Maybe a nice summer day scent.

Of all my fancy and varied perfumes, this is the one that the men always compliment me on (unless I'm wearing the vanilla that smells like cookies: they go for that, too.) A soft, vanilla-y oriental on me, it's nice without being aggressive. I tend to wear it in winter around the holidays.

I really love all the layers on this one, but it dries down to almost total vanilla on me and ends up, oddly, smelling alot like Curve Crush. Still, some nice initial layering and definitely a warm, happy scent.

Chaos on me is spikey and sharp and dries down a bit too loud. My sister, however, loves it and it's a gentle woody spice on her. Tabac Blonde is her other favorite, just for comparision purposes.

I also wanted to love Fracas, but on me it turns somehow and ends up smelling oddly like plastic flowers and mothballs. Not exactly the exuberant, floral fantasy I'd been hoping for. Oh, well, next!

I agree with madridbatabid: "soft crisp floral fruity aquatic." Unfortunately, I also agree wtih VintageVogue. While I actually like aquatic florals, I certainly don't want to pay this kind of money for a scent that reminds me of the mall. On my skin, it becomes exactly like all the other 'cookie cutter' (thanks, VintageVogue) perfumes out there: Curve, that purple stuff from Icing (yes, I like cheap perfumes, too, sorry, ladies)and the like. With the descriptions I've been reading, I expected to find something more deeply layered and rich. This ain't it. Summer girly scent? Yup. That's the one.

"Appletini, fig leaves, red peppercorn, red poppy, black orchid, frangipani, calla lily, amber, musk, leather, mahogany" are the notes advertised.

What it smells like is a slightly watery "mall" scent. Don't get me wrong, I really like it, but it hasn't much character beyond that pleasant, rather generic perfume d'jour fragrance. I'd wear this if it was given to me as a gift, but would rather spend my money on a more unique, evocative classic or something equal to that.

Maybe this needs to be on male skin to smell good. I smelled it on the sample card in the store and the sales girls agreed with me that it's sort of awful. It starts strong and nicely spicy, but fades down to what we could only describe as 'sweaty fat biker guy.' I had to hit the coffee beans to clear it out of my nose. KISS her is, contratily, okay though fairly generic.