Fragrance Reviews by Eryn

La Chasse is a gorgeous, subtle floral. I will use up my tester and perhaps buy more samples, but I don't think I could purchase a full bottle, if only because it has no lasting power whatsoever. I love layering Guerlain Herba Fresca with this because the mint/linden combination is summery and fresh.

This is absolutely true to its name: starts out honeysuckle, ends on jasmine. It is very pretty, but while I like my fragrances fairly linear, I also enjoy just a touch more complexity. Apparently there's sandalwood in here, but I can't smell it at all. I've been layering a lot of florals lately, however, and Jo Malone is wonderful for layering.

Vintage Gardenia is a creamy, lovely gardenia with a beautiful touch of spice. (I like any perfume that makes me feel like a Raymond Chandler femme fatale.) It's nice to layer, of course, given Jo Malone's fragrance philosophy--I love combining it with JM Orange Blossom--but Vintage Gardenia is one of the few Jo Malone fragrances that stands on its own.

I like this--but I agree with the previous reviewer who said it wasn't all that sexy. Sort of a cider-at-the-beach kind of fragrance. Very nice, very fresh and clean--only for the summer, smells like an all-purpose kitchen cleaner otherwise.

I liked this quite a bit, but not on me. It reminded me a lot of Jo Malone's Lime, Basil & Mandarin, though this one has a great leather note and the herbs don't smell as stale. I think of this one as very masculine; I ended up giving my sample to a guy friend, and I hope he appreciates the artistry.

To be honest, I would own this one for the pop-art bottle alone. (And can you beat that name?) I like this fragrance; a bright, artificial citrus on me, like fizzy orange soda, chewable vitamin C tablets, lemon hard candies, all that good stuff that reminds me of being a kid. I don't think this particular scent fits my personality now--but damn if it doesn't make me want to pull my hair back, throw on a pair of sneakers, and muck around in mud puddles. I can see how people really love this one.

This is wonderful for colder weather, a smoky, incensey sandalwood. Very sexy and mysterious. I think of Mata Hari, Luisa Casati, Theda Bara and the like. I can't compare but it allows me to delude myself for a while.

Chanel 19 is one of my favourite fragrances, though as a 30 year-old woman I feel it can smell a bit too rich and mature on me. Hopefully one day I'll develop enough panache to pull this one off; but I always keep it on my vanity even if I don't wear it often. I prefer the EDP.

Probably my absolute favourite. I've heard complaints that it is a masculine scent, but I think it is darkly feminine. Spicy and warm without sweetness, stunning but understated.

Received a sample of this with another purchase. I wore it occasionally a couple summers because it struck me as an uncomplicated, clean citrus scent. I've since gone off it, however, because it smells unremarkable.

I can see how if you like this, you would really be committed to it. It's just not for me. I was looking for a spicy scent when first I smelled this, but it just screams "Cinnamon room deodorizer!" to me.

Oh dear God I LOVE this fragrance. At the initial spritz it's pure mint, which is bracing but slightly odd; that quickly changes, though, into the most gorgeous spring-meadow-after-a-cold-rain scent. It fades to a trace of fresh, sweet herbs. In the summertime, I actually look forward to getting out of bed in the morning now because I know I'm going to wear this scent.

Crystal Noir reminds me terribly of a cheap perfume I wore in high school, some sort of berry/vanilla/musk monstrosity.

This is a very simple, pretty scent. It's certainly a soapy fragrance as previously noted in these reviews. It reminds me of those decorative soap balls that my mother put out for company but that no one, even company, dared touch. I can't explain why I like to wear it since that's not the sexiest image; but it has something very appealing to me. I find Jo Malone's scents do not have any kind of lasting power. While this one lasts a little longer than others, it has faded to nothingness in two or three hours. As I said, I really like it; but I must be allergic to linden, and I can't wear it at all anymore.

Maybe it's my body chemistry, but this one is overwhelmingly soapy with a slight scent of grapefruit peel. Not unpleasant . . . . But not really perfume either.

I love this when it starts out, but within an hour--less?--it turns on me. The whole thing fades quickly and I'm left with the smell of wilted basil.

I've tested this several times, always hoping Mitsouko would decide this was the time to turn on her charms. Unfortunately she isn't for me, or rather I'm not for her. When I wear this scent I always picture ancient rose petals pressed in a musty old volume; when one picks them up, they simply crumble. (Unfortunately this is also my impression of Vol De Nuit.) This is certainly one of those occasions where I assume the fault is with myself and not the fragrance. I can't give Mitsouko a thumbs-down because the legend is too much!

I fell in love with this but made myself test it a half dozen times before breaking down and purchasing it in a duty-free shop. I can't say I know what a green mango smells like, but this seems like a not-overly-sweet mango mixed with lemon tea. Every so often I get a flash of reeds along a river--I am a sucker for advertising copy, so I distrust myself just a little on that note. But maybe a little fresh, green wood? It may be the perfect fragrance for summer but I am using it to get through a godawful Northwest winter.

I was surprised to find this amongst the other MAC fragrances, which always strike me as very typical, the smell of mall-rats, each one more so than the last. The initial experience of MV5 is ripe grapefuit, quickly followed by green leaves; then my friend pointed out a note of fresh tobacco. I'd never have placed that but it definitely comes out after the citrus and greens. I'd buy this if I weren't already inundated with green scents. I think it would layer beautifully with any number of fragrances.

I love the Sugar body oil, which is theoretically the same scent as Lemon Sugar the fragrance, but . . . . Wow. As wearable as stringing a car air freshener around your neck. Starts off strong & fake, doesn't die down to anything, and then simply disappears after an hour or so. I really, really wanted to love this one.

This is a very pretty scent that smells of candied violets and the earthy underside of a clump of moss. I know, not the most lyrical description, but to me it is very accurate. All violet scents smell of vintage cosmetics, but this particular one has an even stronger 'grandmother' memory for me; I had an Irish grandmother and this smells like her old-fashioned violet pastilles with a whiff of the olde Irish sod in the air. It makes me a little nostalgic, but the sillage is as fleeting as any memory.

Lime isn't listed among the official notes, but my first impression of this scent is bergamot and lime. The orange appears shortly after. Bergamot Citrus seems to fade quickly but does cling faintly to the skin for several hours. Sometimes I think it's unfair to expect long wear from a citrus fragrance, because citrus is notoriously short-lived. Very refreshing; I'd use it all year long. It's appropriate for men or women.

Along with the No. 19 EDP, this is my favourite Chanel. I rarely wear either, though, and very recently realized it's because bergamot makes me melancholy. That is a very apt description of this particular fragrance--perfectly balanced, achingly beautiful, warm like the late afternoon as the day moves away from us: Unbelievably melancholy. A Tennessee Williams heroine would have worn this.

Too much of this is really too much, but at its best, Gramercy Park melts onto the skin as watery, fresh salad greens. After a couple hours a subtle lily scent comes into play. After reading so many critiques of Bond No. 9, I was pleasantly surprised at the lasting power; just when it seems to have disappeared, I think I'm walking near white blossoms and greens, only to realize it's me. Gramercy Park is clean and crisp, like an icy gin-and-tonic on a sunny day.

I wore this for about a year straight, but I find it very pedestrian now: bright honeysuckle and sweet vanilla. I'm not crazy about vanilla scents, so I'm biased. I can say honestly that I received more compliments for this fragrance than any other I've worn; I wish I liked it more. The bottle is far too fussy for my taste

Oh Tabac Blond, how I love you--and how deathly allergic to you am I. One more attempt to wear this fragrance will result in my fatal asphyxiation. I don't exaggerate; my lungs actually shut down when I try Caron perfumes. I keep hoping this is caused by something, anything else in my environment. If that turns out to be the case, I vow to spend my paycheques on this divine house before I'm tempted to use the money for anything frivolous like rent and groceries.

I became obsessed with sampling this perfume as a kid reading the Auntie Mame books. Warm, expansive, gorgeous--and then a paroxysm of asthma. My sister-in-law also nearly choked to death when I wore it. I envy those who aren't sensitive to it, because it is surely one of the greats.

I remember getting this for Christmas as a teenager, and it seemed like the world of adulthood was just a little bit closer when I sniffed it on my wrist. I cannot isolate specific notes--just marvellously blended perfection. Absolutely not my personality now, but I love to smell it on anyone else.

Vetiver, sap, sandalwood--and chocolate?! Normally the slightest gourmand note makes me terribly queasy, but VO is simply beautiful.

Arabie is sweet, heavy, and quite lovely. I don't get curry or the like--this is mulled wine and dried fruit to me. It isn't my idea of an Arabian market, which would have a lot of different scents coming from all directions (some pretty, some not). This seems far more planned, a fragrance that starts at one point and doesn't diverge from the path at hand; but the trip is enchanting nonetheless. I daresay my rating could go up at any moment. Apply lightly.