Fragrance Reviews by flathorn

One of my favorite Lutens. One of my favorite roses. One of my favorite fragrances. A lush rose that turns cold, but then is rose ever really cold? In spite of being cool, it emits a smooth nighttime siren call. Which makes this a paradox. Expensive smelling, to be paired with leather, silk, fur, wine (whiskey too, I'll bet). But good on nothing but skin. That one isn't quite as much a paradox. Meant to work on the opposite sex, but in actuality it works on me when I wear it. One of those fragrances that makes me feel like it smells. To tell the truth, that's probably why I wear it. One of the best things about this class of fragrance is it put you *in the mood*. Everyone needs a couple of these.

Notes: Red Thyme, Rosemary, Clary Sage, Rose, Narcissus, Iris, Ambrette, Vetiver, Moss, Woods.

I haven't tried all the Miller Harris line, but this is my favorite so far. It is herbal, salty, twiggy, and grassy, while possessing enough well-integrated floral to recreate the sense of small wild flowers in a salt marsh.
From red thyme and rosemary it gets the bracing freshness of ocean marsh. From clary sage, moss and vetiver, it gets both a moist earthiness and grassy dryness. From rose it gets a light lilting summer note - a rose not damascena, but rugosa. The narcissus is a bridge between the more floral rose and the earthier elements. Ambrette and iris soften and diffuse the medicinal herbs enough that they play nicely with the florals. I like that this fragrance didn't cop-out and throw in token citrus notes to 'freshen' it. It went for uncompromising blooming salt marsh, preventing the sameness that results when you let citrus predominate in the opening of a fresh scent. All in all, it has a fresh, salty bewitching air.
I thought I would like this best in summer, but I like it better now in winter, perhaps because it recreates a fresh summer quality my nose craves in the dead of winter.

The reviews are wildly divergent with this one I see. Cuir Venenum was almost nauseatingly sweet layered over the top of a bitter leather. The notes were so discordant I couldn't wear it longer than 1/2 hour. I've tried it twice, and forgive me if I gave up too easily, but I just couldn't see that we were ever going to be a match so I threw in the towel on this one. It was a bizarre combination. I may have to eat my words in another year, but so be it.

What I love about this one is its subtle, shifting quality. Not many fragrances are able to sustain that quality for the life of the scent like LMPTL does. It appeals to my Piscean water nature very much. It is like watching incense smoke curl lazily through a sunbeam as it wafts, disappears, and returns, the same notes in a new layering. It is haunting in its mysterious wooded incense quality. It touches your nose, tantalizes, then backs off. Yes, I wish it were stronger, but that might ruin the very character I love, so I'm content for it to be the way it is. I find it Zen-like, grounding yet rejuvinating. This is how one should construct a subtle incense, wood and spice fragrance - make it just like the nature you're trying to express.

I like this one's spicy floral zing, but I don't find it to be a distinctively winter scent. It's cool spiciness works as well or better in summer. The lack of warmth in the spice also makes it wear a little lighter than the typical winter spice perfume. The clove note gives a carnation tone to the florals, but this still doesn't overturn the cool ambiance of this fragrance. I don't smell a pomegranate note, per se, so assume it's more of a modifier, to give a pale fruity tone to the spice. I find it quite wearable, lacking a strong sillage, possessing instead more of a wafting quality. This one expands and lives with me more than the original, which merely ran rough-shod over me.

I adore this fragrance. I'm surprised more women haven't written a review yet, because I know lots of women love it. I also love Naed Nitram's description, as his is what speaks to me most in this fragrance: "We tend to think of citrus as clean, sharp, bracing. But New York underwrites this with warm, sweet, seductive, sophisticated, mysterious tones that are quite ravishing in their way."
It's luscious but reserved, sensual but not sexual, uplifting but deep, crisp but soft, authoritative but flexible. And it smells great, it really does. If you've noticed I've made a lot of comparative descriptions of New York. That seems to define it best for me, a wonderful balance between almost becoming one thing then leaning toward something else, the layered quality it has.
Most have commented on its Guerlain sensibility. I guess that must be encoded in their DNA. Thank goodness Jacque was able to pass it on. I even smell a slight Djedi note to it. Another masculine fragrance that translates so well on women it should be considered unisex.

It is as soulful as that most evocative of fragrances, Djedi's sibling, L'Heure Bleue, by the same creator. It is a Goth fragrance par excellence, probably the best - brooding, melancholy (with none of the wistfulness of L'Heure Bleue), dark, cool, mineral.
This is an awesome fragrance - I should never try these impossible to get fragrances. Because there's no way I can leave this at one sampling.
It is sensual, leathery, cool, animalic, haunting, mineral, bewitching and dark, but refined and almost ladylike. It got everything just right. Sous Le Vent felt spritely and annoyingly bright next to it. Dzing was reduced to a leather without the depth that gives Djedi a satisfyingly full roundness. Neither have the animalic smoulder of Djedi. This is a perfume to call your signature scent. I must say this was a bit of a set-up as I love chypres and especially leathers, so I was destined to take a fall here.
It was sensual fragrance right out of the gate, and I smelled the dry earthy quality of vetiver immediately. The presence of the submerged rose was also apparent from the beginning, so when the leather emerged in a few minutes it wasn't the straightforward leather of Dzing, but a subtle part of a bigger picture. But it is there, and in an important way. There is also an interesting mineral note that keeps it slightly sharp and soulful. Also present was a suffuse low-key warmth, in the style of Messe De Minuit. That warmth isn't a sweetness but almost seems sweet compared to the cooler elements. There was a flirting in and out of animalics, in *just* the right amount, and, tmn, the musty earthy spiciness of what smells like angelica. On me it became more the "tremendous animalic vetiver " of Luca Turin than the "driest perfume of all time" of Roja Dove. There is a certain indolic note to it all, which adds to its sensuality and earthiness. But with that angelica note, it's incapable of staying in the earth, as is the paradoxical angelica, a root basenote that reaches to the heavens, as its name indicates (angelica is all about soul, and the ancients took that literally).
It was satisfying and strong in all phases, a requirement for a great perfume. My favorite phase though was the top midnote. It was wonderful, with a strong, wild presence.
There are several things I appreciate about this fragrance. One is that it isn't blatant in spite of being a leathery floral animalic. No note predominates. Everything is made subject to the service of the fragrance as a whole. It doesn't flaunt itself as a leather, doesn't highlight any portion, doesn't proclaim itself a chypre. It feels timeless and beyond category. To label this one is to lessen it. The creator obviously had a vision in mind, not a category.
Two is that it didn't have an hesperidic opening, and is one of the rare fragrances I've smelled that doesn't seem to have any hesperides. Bergamot is a classic component of chypres and leathers and is probably there, but if so it's fairly submerged and used for modification. Sometimes I get tired of the inevitability of citrus influence in the opening.
There is a refined tragic note to this fragrance, in a grand Goth tradition. But it is high-minded, and doesn't involve anything as prosaic as cellars or crypts to me. It would be more the cold mineral rock of a castle, as the energy of this fragrance seems age-imbued. Djedi is the soul scent Catherine and Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights would have in common because of its soulful air of time past.
It's difficult to say where the power of Djedi lies. With this one, it's not about the notes. It illustrates the adage 'The sum is greater than the parts' - a true synergy. It is like holding the Tolkien Ring in your hand and slowly letting it engage your soul. It seems to tap into the limbics more than most, and work on a deeper level where the true power of a perfume lies. After all, the original uses of fragrances were for spiritual purposes, to connect one to the gods. Djedi has the same authority in that it taps into some primal stuff. Jacques Guerlain was more than a genius or master perfumer - considering he created some of the most evocative fragrances ever made, he was connected at a level you can't teach in perfumer's school. He was able to imbue the one quality that makes his classics timeless - soul. After trying Djedi, I would love to have met this man more than any perfumer I know of.

Bursch comes across as unisex,and more naturalistic in its rendition than the heavy sound of the basenotes would seem to make it. It opens resinous and citrusy fresh. Part of the brightness of the opening is from the rhubarb which I would have never picked up if I didn't have the ingredient list. It turns the citrus into something other than "citrus" while still possessing a bright piquancy. The resin becomes more of a poppy resin note after the citrus dries off a bit, which is appealing in it's authentic tone. The fresh cedar helps to make this note possible. It becomes more of an incense in the midnote with the coriander and pepper keeping it from going flat with the appealing sensuality of a boozy edge from the rum. The cedar becomes more pronounced as it ages, pairing with the incense and a dryish vetiver, Thankfully it's a good fresh cedar. I'm a little tired of cedar fragrances as they're so ubiquitous (especially the cedar/iris combo). Frankincense may be present aiding the fresh woody character, as Frankincense can often smell fresh in blends. This cedar has good character and being paired with other naturalistic notes increases the effect. It is long lasting as the wood notes lingered throughout the day. Its final drydown is a more straightforward cedar woody note.

Classified as a refreshing floriental, it's a low-sillage, light-handed fragrance, and is subtle from top to bottom.
The note pyramid from osMoz:
Top: Peach, Freesia, Tarragon, Lemon
Heart: Ylang-Ylang, Orris, Cyclamen, Muguet
Base: Sandalwood, Vanilla, Cedar, Benzoin
Tarragon is a note that can be too strong, and I was a little concerned how it was going to be in this fragrance, but it was handled with judiciousness, and played off against the fruity and floral components to good effect. Its herbal quality stands out in the watery, light opening, and modifies what could be a fruity floral top. It gave an edge to the more floral heart also. The drydown was predominantly sandalwood TMN which is fine with me, as I love sandalwood bases, and this one was a pleasant, subtle-noted, easy-to-wear one.
I love the amphora shaped bottle - it's clean and sleek. I like this fragrance a lot better than other more well-known transparent fragrances. It smells naturalistic and pleasant, has no ozone, and evolves well.

My take on this one is different than Caltha's, and actually than the ingredient list, which includes rose, raspberry, pepper, coriander, saffron, vanilla, and white musk. This is a sensual, beautiful, dry rose leather on me. The rose is the predominant floral and the rest of the ingredients ended up spelling leather on my skin. It took two tries for it to click in with me - on my first try, I wasn't that interested. Then a week later the chemistry kicked in or my nose finally put it together, and I found it compulsively sniffable. Do give this one several tries if you don't like it on the first. Some fragrances are like that - they seem to need time to get your notice, just like some people. This one has become bottle-worthy for me.

The BO note in this is absolutely nauseating. I've smelled way too many guys like this on a fishing trawler on an 8-Day trip. It's like they woke up with last week's clothes still on and decided to dust their armpits with cumin to disguise the odor. It wasn't the odor of private parts, just wide open armpits. I envy those who could smell other aspects, but this would make me throw up if I had to wear it more than 15 minutes. Nose searing.

I didn't know what to expect with En Passant, what with a lack of consensus regarding its effect, intent, and notes. I was pleased to discover it 'works' for me. The total impression for me is of lilac and loam, whatever the single notes. It is evocative, and reminiscent of Apres L'Ondee in that it evokes a spring/summer garden, earth and flower quality. Apres L'Ondee also has a crucial lilac note in it, which is probably why it came to mind. The loam quality is in actuality listed as a cucumber/wheat note, and for some apparently translates as a marine air, which I was dreading the thought of. But on me it became a naturalistic loamy earth, which paired nicely and made sense as the earth from which the lilac grew. What adds to the garden sense is a lack of powder, which increases the wet airiness of the cucumber. Powder on me tends to not let a fragrance expand and merge with the air. What a nice evocative fragrance - it's quite appealing and welcome in my wardrobe, as there's plenty of room for ones of this genre.

I was prepared to love this classic chypre, but after three tries I'm only guardedly positive. There are just so many other chypres out there I like more. The main drawback for me was nose fatigue - after five minutes I couldn't smell it anymore. I could detect the sillage wafting around from time to time, so I knew it was still there. While that meant others could still smell it, I like to be able to smell my own fragrance - it's part of the enjoyment for me.
On me it was a somewhat dry and non-sweet chypre, not at all objectionable, but I had a hard time wrapping my feelings around it, or feeling too much of anything, really. I have a mental ranking system that puts this in my category of "Would wear this if gifted with a bottle, but wouldn't buy it".

A wonderful apple brandy, voluptuous and sweet, but aromatic. Very warming, comforting, pleasant and friendly, it seems to like skin and being with people. This is not over-heavy or cloying as one might fear, which to me is it's true small genius - it was given some lightness and joie de vivre. Though on first glance, I compared this to the boozy Idole de Lubin, and warming Un Cedre or Splash Forte, I ended up feeling it shared most the spirit of Theorema - it has the same sociable, golden feel. Not as vivacious as Theorema, more mellow and warm, but both give a feeling of friendliness.

An ambery resin-like opening, which is no surprise considering the ingredients. I like the concept of the name, though it must be unpronounceable. For some that might be part of the adventure of this fragrance.
It has a mideast resin and spice sensibility to it, is easy to wear, and doesn't stray from its concept, but what I found interesting was the distinct hemp/marijuana smell that emerged after 5 minutes. I don't know if it is a trick of my nose, or it was formulated to do so, though the effect is not unpleasant. The drydown becomes more lightly powdered amber, somewhat comforting as all powdered ambers are to me.
I almost wish the non-amber, spicier, resinous notes were just a touch more prevalent. That is the quality I found most intriguing - the juxtaposition of warm amber and spicier resins, mainly the marijuana resin note. Before seeing the ingredient list, I thought of the sparkier note as cistus, though it may have been the black pepper.
While pleasant, I'd don't know if I'd buy a bottle, though I would certainly wear it if gifted with one, and I would recommend anyone try it. The problem is this is a hard genre to shine in - there are so many nice amber/spice/wood fragrances. I think the hemp resin note was the most intriguing portion of it... and the name of course. These give it it's distinction, which isn't a bad one. All you former pot heads take note.

(Sicilian green tangerines, grapefruit, citron, marjoram, geranium, orange flower, cedar, moss, musk.)

It opens a light non-sharp blended tangerine/citrus modified by slight floral notes. I start smelling petitgrain in the midnote, which is probably where the "vert" comes from. This fragrance stays light and isn't strictly a tangerine fragrance. In the drydown there is a touch of the marjoram and moss though it's presence is light, as is the cedar and musk. They add subtlety and complexity but aren't big players.
This may be an expansion of an old essential oil formula which brings together the different parts of the citrus - fruit, flower and leaf. It involves petitgrain, orange and neroli, and is quite lovely. Tangerine Vert possesses other notes, but seems to be underpinned by that three-note concept. If so, it also has one of the drawbacks of the original, which is lack of staying power. The upside is that it is a nice, fresh light fragrance. Not bad - I'm almost tempted to buy a bottle, but not *quite*. There are other fragrances that fit this niche better which I'd rather spend my money on.
I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.

This fragrance should be my HG. It has all the Piscean traits I love, BUT... I don't like it. Angelica is a complex essential oil that is transporting in the pure state, but I love it so much I only seem to want it straight up. I have never run across an Angelica-blend perfume I love yet. I have also come to another realization after trying this one off and on for a year - I'm not really a fan of incense fragrances. I don't mind them as a note but when they figure prominently, I seem to lose interest.
I want to have what other people describe with this fragrance, and was prepared to fall desperately in love, so it has been a disappointing experience. I will keep trying, and hopefully, one time I'll be transported to the Angelique Encens plane. My experience thus far has kept my feet on the ground.
For now, for much less than the cost of AE, I'll indulge myself in the pure essential oil, burn a stick of sandalwood incense, lay on the couch, and play "Sunlight Through A Vaulted Window" by Peter Davison, the music that evokes the mood AE lovers are describing, and pretend....

Notes include basil, citron, bergamot, cardamom, green tea and delicate spices.
My favorite green to this point. A nice fresh, crisp but soft green, perfect in summer. Its dewy green start-up isn't galbanumic like Cristalle and Trebol Gal. As it's wet but airy opening notes dissipate, green tea and a subtle spicy note start to emerge. They are light and submerged to the main green theme, and stay that way through the life of the fragrance. I like this one because it really feels green, and is easy going, fresh, feminine, and summery. It has the virtue of most green fragrances - it isn't powdered - which always gives this family a freshness and naturalness that makes them appropriate in situations other perfumes aren't.

This one started out nicely - a fresh, contemporary airy floral that didn't smell department store-ish on me. Then in the midnote, it began to lose its crispness and definition, and I began to slowly get enveloped in the ozonic department store hell note. Too bad - it started with promise, but this is unwearable for me.

Ingredients: Sweet Fir Balsam, California Redwood, Cypress, hint of French Sage, Wild Rhododendron, bouquet of white flowers.
Balsam has a nicely fresh, realistic, fir balsam opening. It has that slight resinous, spicy green note of the real thing. This is not a conifer scent, but focuses on the resin. It's a pleasingly natural smelling fragrance, not one-dimensional and evolves within the balsam framework. A touch of light floral comes out in the drydown, as does a sparky balsamic note, which is slightly reminiscent of bay rum (pimenta) and works well in a balsam. I adore a well-done natural smelling fragrance, and I ordered a bottle of this as soon as I sampled it. Recommended for natural fragrance fans.

Not bad, but it just didn't do much for me. It has a warm nut and cool vetiver opening, which gives it a cool/warm juxtaposition. This is interesting, but it never goes beyond that for me. In the drydown it becomes more vetiver than chestnut, at which point the combination is more pleasing, but it's still hard to get too excited about this fragrance. Vetiver fans might find this one an interesting take on the note, but there are too many nice fragrances out there to mess with ones for which I have to work up an interest.

I was expecting something wonderful, and got cheap bazaar fragrance oil, horror of horrors. Not only did it not inspire euphoria, it was harsh enough to make me feel kind of lousy. I washed it off after it refused to meld with my skin or evolve into anything better.

I wanted to like Passage D'Enfer, as it sounded like my type of experience. But what some called a dank cellar note was out and out smelly on me. I can wrap my mind around "dank" but not "rank". I tried it several different times to no avail. This one also ran afoul of another note which usually doesn't work for me - incense. I love everyone's description of the dark, incensy church atmosphere of this fragrance, but that's not what I experience at all. Or if it is, I don't want to visit the church that smells like this...

Ingredients: saffron, roses, spices and wood.

Opone was named after an ancient trade center in Somalia on the east coast of Africa. The fragrance description says it all for me: "Rounding the cape where spices are grown, under full sail, bound for the fragrant gardens of roses and saffron." Wow, I'm there on the deck with this one, pretty much literally. I can feel the warm, curiously dusty, spice laden sea wind, huge ocean vistas dropping away over the horizon, creaking wood and hemp ropes. I don't know why it sparks my imagination, but it does. I can't get enough of this fragrance sometimes. If there was any fragrance that makes the term 'past life' make sense, it's this one.
This dry warm saffrony rose has that slight tinge of stale, dying rose vase water that usually turns me off (like Voleur De Roses), but adds to the hot equatorial inertia here. Some reviewers have called it luscious, sweet, sexy, moist... but it is none of those for me. It's not really even a rose fragrance to my mind. It's just 'Opone' - a unique fragrance that sets my imagination free to go to those spice lands near the equator. Oftentimes it takes me to a dark dry airless room in the heat of the day, searingly bright light peeking through the window shutters. That being said, it's not really a romantic fragrance, nor a sweet or a luscious one - it's all heavy saffron/cumin floral with deep equatorial earth, wood and air overtones. One of those perfumes that you sort of experience, not wear. Sample it first - everyone gets different reactions from it.

Very classicly "French" personae, with a well done subdued fruit in the top, a quality floral piquancy in the middle and tailored warm basenotes that combine into a charming, womanly, casually elegant combination. The aldehydes are borderline sneezy for me though, and while I like this fragrance and would wear it if gifted with a bottle, I'm not sure I love it enough to choose it over others in this genre. Which brings me to it's classification - I found it listed as a floral, while it struck me as solidly floriental because of the strong basenote presence in it. First is at its best in winter weather - try it when you are wearing your wool and out Christmas shopping. It seems to have an affinity for wool.

This is a pleasant, feminine and versatile fragrance. It's versatility lies in its balanced treatment of fruits and florals with a soft base, and a feminine easy-going personae. This makes it appropriate for daytime or evening wear. I find it to be a fragrance that sort of 'fits in' wherever it's at, and part of that trick is that it doesn't have an assertive sillage, just a gentle wafting around your person. I think the name is a little misleading - I was expecting something more oriental, or less floral than it is.

I'm sorry, but the animalics in this made it absolutely unwearable. There's a lovely amber base, yes, but it was wildly rank on me - very dirty and animalic. One of the few ambers I had to scrub off my skin. I'd like to see how it smells on someone who can handle this, maybe Laura Mercier?

I love this fragrance, but what others are describing sounds different from what I experienced. I got an immediate opening whiff of smoky but transparent ruby fruit, quite sensual and piquant. It went on to fulfill my expectations, which I was afraid it would not be able to do, so sultry but light was the opening. This is one Jo Malone fragrance that has staying power, thank goodness, as few of her others do on me. It manages to pull together transparency and darkness in an amazing experience on my skin. If you are a chypre or leather lover like me, be sure to give this one a try.

I love this one, but it's out-of-character for me - a huge, rich femme fatale tuberose, earthy and sultry. I hate BWF's (those big voluptuous florals give me a headeache), so why not this one? For me it's because this floral lives in the earth and doesn't try to breath air. I still don't care for the menthol/rubber opening, though it does set your nose to accept what's coming. I was so relieved when that heavy black note dissipated, I eagerly, almost greedily, devoured the comparative sweetness of the tuberose. Before I realized it, I was mesmerized by the heavy, indolent earthiness of this unapologetic mud flower.
I tried Chanel Gardenia next to it - no contest. Fracas - nope. SL's Datura Noir - no. The Frederic Malle tuberose, and several others with formidable reputations. They were all debutantes playing at being femme fatales next to this true lady of the night.
An interesting note: I was playing with my essential oils, and accidentally put together a rubbery 3-note accord similar to the opening of TC, which involved oakmoss, hyssop, and ylang-ylang.

Am I the only one who thought of Costes when I smelled Chaos? I haven't tried a side-by-side comparison, so haven't been able to tease out the differences between these two, but they are close enough in my mind that I think one could replace Chaos with the Costes fragrance. This is good news, because I immediately loved the sample of Chaos I tried, and if I hadn't known there was something to replace it, would have been heartbroken. They both possess that same sandalwoody, smooth, lightly spicy voluptuousness which makes Chaos so wonderful.

I love this one, and immediately ordered a decant to have ready when the cooler temperatures of autumn start. Even in the warmth of August this dark, boozy, delicious, warm fragrance is irresistible. What a comfy deep leather, so approachable and lovable, yet all you want from a deep leather. I've heard comments on both poor staying power and sillage, yet neither were a problem for me. I wouldn't want any more sillage than it has - it sort of wafts off my skin when I move. Anything more assertive would be too much with a strong, sensual fragrance like this. I consider Idole a "dabber" instead of a "sprayer".

I tried this a year ago, and didn't like the big brash wood note. Then this spring I sampled the entire Montale Oud line, and when I retried Miel De Bois yesterday immediately recognised the wood in this as Oud. There's no mistaking that piercing high and low, brash, rough, uric note - there's no other wood like it in perfumery.
I had thought of this as a concept fragrance before, but in actuality it's a fairly straight up Oud and Honey fragrance. My assessment has gone from thumbs down to neutral, but doesn't make me want to wear this any more eagerly - I just understand it now. I believe Montale does a better job with Oud.

I was wondering if 'Coppertone' would make a good fragrance note, and decided after testing Beach, it does just fine! It's sort of a fun fragrance, and is reminiscent of the *real* experience of going to the beach. It never drifts too far from its Coppertone roots no matter what the ingredient list indicates, and is the kicker in this fragrance. No arty flights of fancy, or mediterranean sea air here! Think of the local beach, wet towels, slurpees, sand in your suit, hot sun. But while I consider it a good concept (a fragrance with a strong nostalgic note) I don't know if I'd wear Coppertone as a fragrance...

I didn't get the same reaction as the other two writers at all - as a matter of fact, it smelled so distinctively old-fashioned I was surprised to see it's a 2000 release. I thought I was sampling one of their vintage fragrances!
I think it was the patchouli that did it. I've never been a big patchouli fan, and it gave my sample a musty note, which combined with the lemon verbena smelled "old". It never really blossomed or evolved on my skin, and seemed muddled and unclear. It wasn't a bad experience, but wasn't pleasant either, and I was glad when it disappeared. Another limited edition Guerlain I don't have to worry about trying to find!

~Cedar, violet leaves and flowers~ The first time I tried this fragrance I passed it off, but the second time it really grabbed me. The degree to which different people smell a different balance of the cedar and violet is all over the board. As is the take on the violet itself - oversweet, dry, cloying, natural. Absolutely no consensus...
The opening, which supposedly is cedar, was for me a sort of boozy whiskey/rum - violet note, rough and quiet, quite sensual. It grabbed me immediately. I got a touch of indefinable wood, which seemed separate from the boozy note. There may have been a citrus causing the wood to turn to whiskey or rum in my nose. After about five minutes a leather note started emerging, smokey, sensual and utterly compelling with that smooth, quiet, deep little violet. I found it compulsively sniffable at that point. I have to say I'm on a leather kick at the moment, and anything that is vaguely leather is blowing me away. So I'm willing to say it may be my nose at the present time, but I'm hoping it will always stay the way I smelled it today. This one finally won me over to Serge Lutens. There really is a superior understanding involved to be able to tease out the darker, sensual aspects of the quiet, soft, intimate little violet and showcase it so perfectly in counterpoint with a leather. It turns it into a violet the color of smoky lavender gray with veins of oakmoss green and shadows of leather brown. Is there a touch of dry chocolate? I don't think so, but it comes to mind. The cedar starts coming out a little more in the drydown and is my least favorite part, though still good. I've been getting a little tired of of cedarwood in fragrances lately, so I'm probably suffering from overkill, otherwise I might like the more cedary drydown just fine.

I agree with Joel Cairo - it's not exactly what I was expecting. As a matter of fact, it's kind of a puzzle. I like it, but found it to be almost a comfort fragrance. So what's the problem? It just didn't match up with its description:
"Remember the time of Toulouse Lautrec, the time of the Moulin Rouge... it was the time of Absinthe. A drink so potent it can no longer be served but can still weave its spell. L'Artisan Parfumeur has brought the smell of this intoxicating cocktail back to life. The top notes are composed of absinthe, a green, slightly bitter note. A hot-cold feeling is created by spices highlighted with star anise. The warm base notes are composed of dry pine needles and the woody scent of cistus."
But... for the reality: It's easy to wear, warm, slightly spicy, and the absinthe gives a light herbal note instead of a bitter quality. I was thinking it was going to be more galbanumic and anisic instead. It has a shaving cream quality which I like, as I always liked the smell of a man with shaving cream still lingering on his skin. That is one quality which makes it a comfort fragrance for me, but the pillowy, sweet, spicy warmth is what really does it. The piney note picks up where the absinthe leaves off, and to about the same degree. So while I think it's scrumptious, I think the personae is wrong - it's not a celebration of the legendary qualities of absinthe, but a tamed green fairy, made to do service to a more predictable, and easy-going elixir. And she doesn't seem to mind, as absinthe comes across very traditionally herbal and companionable here. There is nothing wrong with this take on the plant - what they need to do is change the rhetoric about it representing the legendary drink.
Thumbs up on the fragrance. Thumbs down on the marketing.

I was afraid to try this one. After reading about this raw primal musk, I was sure it was going to reek on me. After enduring a bruising ride with Chergui, and Rahat Loukoum sending me into sugar shock, I figured there was no way I was going to survive Muscs Koublai Khan.
But, there is justice after all!
It's great, maybe my favorite musk now. It's not a rank musk, but a warm, big, rich full one. I'm as pleased I'm able to even wear it as I am that I actually like it!
Okay, it's not screaming 'Sex' to me as much as it is to others, it's exuding more of a primal energy, like all those strong Lutens do on me.
Sniff, sniff, what *is* that fragrance my boyfriend's wearing? Sort of a day- old cotton shirt exuding yesterday's leftover perfume and skin scent... ooh, maybe it is kind of sexy :-) Amazing. It didn't smell that way on me.

I've got chemistry that can't abide most modern florals (most of the floral synthetics turn on me with a vengeance), and I don't like BWF's so when a feminine floral comes along that works for me, it's a day for rejoicing. Sung is such a fragrance. TMN it's a quintessential wedding fragrance - floral but not cloying, feminine, easy to wear but sophisticated and, well... nice.
I like having a few classic florals in my collection I can count on, and Sung figures prominently.

At the moment, this is my favorite fragrance - it's my soul fragrance and I'm enchanted with it.
Giraffe is right - the opening is strong. You're not sure if you're going to love or hate it. The big, piercing note is Oud wood, which is unique in being both high and low in tone. I understand it's from the presence of a form of uric acid, which some people's noses translate as... urine. But after you wear it a time or two, you don't even notice the wild opening anymore.
After the start-up calms down, the rose and (tmn) leather emerge and a beautiful, smooth combination they are! It becomes a bewitching fragrance from that point on. Deep, dark, sensual, winey. The unique high note of the oud keeps Black Aoud vibrationally high, even while possessing the darkest of roses, the smoothest of leathers, the mellowist tinge of black fruit... plum? It has similarities to Voleur De Roses, which I could smell in this from midnote on. VDR didn't work for me, so I consider Black Aoud my VDR.
I can't imagine this one not becoming a classic, or at least a cult favorite. It does something only L'Heure Bleue manages to - puts me on a different emotional plane all by itself. Two thumbs up!

Yeah - I'm glad Jean Nate finally made it to Basenotes! This fragrance has been around forever, and is described as: "Bright and brilliant, the Jean Nate feeling is perfectly portable. Spray it on to awaken your body and refresh your senses throughout the day." It started with the splash, and a concentrated cologne came later.
This is a longtime standard of mine - good year-round (though it shines in summer), inexpensive and can be purchased almost anywhere, refreshing but feminine, the splash is almost better than the cologne (in hot weather I use the splash); the powder has all the good qualities of this fragrance, so gift sets are welcome. Oh yes, it smells great - lemon verbena, bright, fresh, with a subtlety that doesn't hang a lemon around your neck, it seems *french*, as the name implies. The cologne actually possesses a bit of powder, for all it's piquancy.

Notes include tangelos, cinnamon, amber, pepper and jasmine petals.
Nicely constructed, as the notes seem to flow into one another, seamlessly melding and living well together. It's hard to classify this one as it crosses lines, but how pottlegirl defined it typifies it best for me - a light oriental fragrance, which really does feel golden. It's warm, spicy, vivacious, and slightly gourmand, but has a freshness and fruitiness that keeps it out of the kitchen and out of the bedroom. I consider it a sociable fragrance that is complex and loves to be in a crowd, but doesn't showboat, as it has too much class for that. I really like this one and got a bottle as soon as I could.

I was prepared to love this one, so bought a decant unsniffed. I'd heard it was in the same company with Costes and Tam Dao, both of which I adore. BUT, unfortunately the musk note in it is rank on me, and overpowers any virtue it might have. I *could* smell the sandalwood and Costes in it, but when musk turns on you, you have to let it go. I didn't get incense, cardboard or Oud notes, as others did. This must be one of those try-before-you-buy, watch-out-for-the body-chemistry fragrances.

I was underwhelmed by this Bergamot. Kind of blah and generic, in spite of the promise of its short-lived start-up . It doesn't have as much of the beauty of the actual essential oil but shares its drawback, which is lack of staying power. It *is* longer lasting than the real thing, but not enough for me to want to buy it at those prices.

This is a nice marine fragrance, light on the algae, and to my nose, with a definite minty note which makes it kind of a cross between Herba Fresca (Guerlain) and a marine. Mint isn't listed as an ingredient, but then that list is pretty skimpy (Marine algae, Musk). That minty spark adds to the "air" of the fragrance. No ozone, which is great - just a fresh, subtle and wearable oceanic fragrance.

I know Miss Balmain is a fragrance in its own right, but I can't help comparing it to its stablemate 'Jolie Madame'. It has been said Miss Balmain is a younger sister to JM, but to me it is more a not quite successful attempt to broaden Jolie Madame's appeal for a more floral nose. But the floral is old-fashioned, which would make it unlikely to appeal to a younger audience than JM's, only a slightly more floral one. I found it somewhat flat, and also somewhat uninspiring. Why use Miss Balmain, when you can have Jolie Madame? Nevertheless, for those who can't wear Jolie Madame, Miss Balmain may do the trick.

After reading mostly good reviews about Bulgari pour Femme, I was looking forward to trying it. My reaction though was decidedly lukewarm. There is nothing objectionable about this fragrance, neither is it bland or common. It just wasn't me, but I can't fault it for anything else. It strikes me as a fragrance that would be a lovely, soft floral on the right person. Classified as a refined floral.
Notes: Violet, Orange Blossom, Jasmine, Rose, Bergamot, Citrus, Tuberose, Hesperidic, Musk.

I didn't know if I should add another review to Bandit, as many have expressed its facets well. But everyone had such a different take on it, I decided it could bear more input.
I like Bandit, being a chypre-holic, and appreciate its dry, non-floral, rough earth and leather quality. Somedays it's the only thing to wear. But I don't know that I'm entirely seduced by its character into calling it my HG chypre. One reason is Safari, by Ralph Lauren. Luca Turin called Jolie Madame the somber heir to Bandit, but I don't see more than a cousin kinship there, even though both are created by Germaine Cellier. Instead, Safari strikes me as more a sibling in character to Bandit, and I'm not sure I prefer Bandit to Safari. Half the time Safari wins out on those days I'm in that Bandit mood. So what does that say? Bandit is a little dryer and ashier, so it appeals to me on those days I want my chypres rough and bone-dry. If I didn't have Safari, I'd be reaching for Bandit more. Bandit does have an interesting chameleon character though that Safari lacks. Some people smell florals in it, some (as me) smell none or little. Some smell ash, some amber. Some consider it predominantly a leather scent, some think of earth and dirt. Some call it sexy and dirty, some cold, harsh and rubbery ...I'd call it a must-try-before-buying fragrance. I like its minimalist black bottle and plain label - it goes with its character.

Light, springtime Lily-of-the-Valley green chypre. I first tried it on a towlette sample, and adored it. So sprightly, refreshing and cool spring airish. I bought the edp and wasn't as wowed, though I still like it just fine. It has a lot of sillage that comes from an aldehydic-styled note.
I tend to bring it out in the spring, and forget it starting mid summer, so would classify this as a spring fragrance. But for that hard-to-fill niche, it works well. There aren't many florals that are fresh in a non-citrus way.

I liked this one enough when I sampled it that I bought a bottle. Then something happened - what smelled soft, and pleasantly minty/tonka as a dab-on became soft, foggy and irisy/cedar as a spray. I tried dabbing the spray, but it was too late - I had discovered its inherent powdery/iris/cedar qualities, and I just couldn't go back. I must say I'm not a fan of many of the newer soft irisy/cedar fragrances - most are just too soft, enveloping and amorphous for me, so the fact I didn't care for it in this one is no surprise. What I will say is I like it the best of this style, the thyme, mint and geranium adding a little body, but I ultimately couldn't handle that fog following me around.

I've enjoyed all the Bulgari tea fragrances, and wish they would package them as a set, so I could give them as Christmas gifts. Bulgari managed to hit each season with this line, which means "Au The Rouge" is their winter fragrance. It fits this position well, being warm, toasty, smooth, comforting, and yes, red. The first thing I thought as the midnote developed was "Constant Comment"! Does anyone else remember this spiced tea? It was one of the few spice teas available in the '60's, and very good, but not along the same line as Chai tea, having more of a tea elixir quality, like an oolong . This fragrance has definite echoes of that fermented tea quality, which makes it a pleasant, warm tea/spice/wood combo. It seems like it would be a natural for the Christmas holidays, more so than Nuit De Noel, to my nose. This is another winner for Bulgari's tea line.

I could not improve on Ayala's comments about this fragrance, though on me Ivoire comes off drier and less rosy, refined and feminine. It may be considered a green fragrance, but it is more than that.
As with most Balmains, I needed to wear this several times to get the full expression of the fragrance. It is serene and easy to wear, a background to daytime or evening activities. Its elusive cool elegance is always mannered, but the hints of leather and moss give it a slight sensual edge, a quality I like in a fragrance. I didn't detect the musk which would have been a detractant in this perfume, I think. It's nice to wear a fragrance with earthy notes that aren't based around the ubiquitous musk. My favorite green so far.

Not bad, but ultimately I couldn't resolve the collaboration of conifer and vanilla. Mercifully the vanilla wasn't 'foody' or I would have given it a thumbs down. It's mild and even-tempered, a pleasing quality in this fragrance, which made me tolerate the combination more than I might have. Easy to wear, but you need to like the juxtaposition.

The information for this fragrance: "Scent Type: Floral
Top Notes: Hyacinth, bergamot, fruits, greens, coriander, orange blossom
Heart Notes: Tuberose, jasmine, rose, honeysuckle, narcissus, lily of the valley, orchid
Base Notes: Musk, spices, moss.
"Gianfranco Ferré is a sprightly floral bouquet, just right for warm spring days, outdoor luncheons, and brisk business days. Green herbal notes give a fresh lift to the feminine heart of tuberose, honeysuckle, jasmine, and orchid, while musk, spices, and moss warm the composition. An easy-to-wear floral fragrance, the effect is quiet and mannered."
I like this fragrance for the fact it is a light floral I can wear well, that not being the case with most light florals, and it is lovely. TMN, this is a light, innocent-sweet fragrance, with the orange blossom being a predominant note, with a slight touch of green. I like the delicate quality of the EDT better than the EDP, which is more vanillic and less ethereal, but unfortunately the EDT is not especially long-lasting, probably because of the ephemeral nature of the orange blossom. I combined my EDP and EDT, which is a compromise that makes it less airy but more long-lasting. Still, it's a very nice fragrance, the essence of the innocence and joy of spring.

While I'm not a fan of most of this line (too much sweetness, fruit and tropical cliches), I like their earthier fragrances. I'm sort of addicted to the main note of Barbier Des Isles. It's not a fragrance I wear anyplace (I wear it for myself at home), and I've never received a compliment on it, but sometimes when I'm bored with my more traditional and often-used fragrances, BDI sort of clears my jaded olfactory senses, and resets my nose, and at times like that I enjoy it immensely. I always thought it had an unusual main note the ingredient list didn't explain, and after trying several Oud fragrances recently, it struck me BDI has a similar note. Barbier Des Isles gives me the impression of the dark hot dryness of equatorial loam and non-sweet raisins.
Ingredients: Bergamot, Orange, Jasmine, Incense, Clove, Patchouli, Wood of Myrrh, Bois de rose, Vetiver, and Musk.

"Blend of peppermint, verbena, sicilian mandarin, calabrian bergamot, basil, cumin, juniper berry & musk of tonka."
Lovely refreshing light scent. I didn't get the peaches mentioned by one reviewer, though there is a light citrus fruit note which is unobtrusive TMN. I smell a definite lavender/bergamot/citrus note in the start-up, which I always love, being a lavenderholic, but which is more common in men's fragrances than women's, so I appreciate its presence here, and which probably helps to make it unisex. It stays light, refreshing and slightly sweet into the midnote. The cumin and basil are merely modifiers, thank goodness, and don't emerge as independent notes, which I was afraid they might. They have been submerged to the needs of the whole. They keep the fragrance grounded and less floral.
This one is a delight, one of my favorite refreshing fragrances. It has a bit of an Acqua Di Parma sensibility about it. Far too many fresh fragrances have ozone, a note that ruins a scent for me. I'm surprised by comments this is more floral and feminine than unisex, as it doesn't come across to me as overly floral, but decidedly unisex, especially the drydown. But I have chypre skin, as I often feel compelled to say, which played a part in my assessment.

A very nice rose offering, sunny and genuine, it really does strike me as a yellow rose, as listed in the ingredients - "A vibrantly fruity scent of yellow rose, apple and melon. Scintillating and invigorating. Notes: Head - Apple, galbanum, bergamot. Heart - Yellow rose, linden blossom, mimosa, lotus blossom. Base - Ambrette seed, musk."
The apple note is what makes this one fresh, light, unique. It lightens the heart of this rose, and makes it seem friendly, agreeable, and well,...pretty. I also like the apple note in D&G 'Light Blue', but don't like the apple in 'DKNY Be Delicious' at all, so I must be picky about my apple varietal. I suspect the rose in this one is R. centifolia or alba, not the full-blooded damascena, as this fragrance celebrates the lighthearted, sunny aspects of the rose.

Categorized as a rich chypre, it has a sensual little animalic note throughout that well supports the name. The promotional ad states: "Possessed of a deep and mysterious sensuality, it captures the instinctive power of pure femininity ...always desired, never contained. Animale was created by Animale Parfums in 1987, and possesses a blend of bergamot, coriander, jasmine, pineapple, currant, orange flower, rose, violet, ylang-ylang and other exotic flowers. The scent warms to a long lasting woody base of sandalwood, vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli and musk."
I liked this one immediately, and bought a bottle right away. After wearing it every day for a week, I got a little tired of it, as it's not as complex as others I had, and the oriental-type vanillic note (a la 'Obsession')on the start-up was a touch too prevalent for my nose. But it is still a sensual evening brew, and the "animale" note in it is fairly sultry, so if I keep the usage down to every so often, it works nicely. I tend to like my sensual scents a little less vanillic and on the drier side, being a chypre-holic. One perfume site listed this as a daytime scent, which had to be a huge typo - I consider this a quintessential evening/seduction fragrance, sort of in the hot oriental category. I can't imagine wearing this into Wal-Mart. If you like chypres or orientals this will work for you, and if you like vanilla with your animalics, you'll have hit the jackpot.

One that turned truly, awesomely hideous on my skin. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. I have problems with certain synthetic florals (don't know what they are - just know when I have them on), and this one represented what is worst about them. I have no idea about the notes, as I couldn't smell anything other than hairspray, ozone and gas. If you have problems with synthetic florals, run from this one!

A green fragrance, with green juice, riding the wave of aromatherapeutic-type natural fragrances. At first sniff I liked it, being fresh, green and non-powdered. But after several minutes, an irritating note emerged that persisted until drydown. It smelled somewhat like geranium essential oil, which I've never cared for, and may explain my aversion. I've tried it several times since, but that note just doesn't work for me.

I received this in a package of glass perfume nips, and it was absolutely fresh on testing. An amber or amber-oriental (there was a bit of frankincense type wood, and slight muted floral), it has a contemporary-classic feel to it. I don't know why that should have surprised me, as most of the classics from that time period feel modern today, and don't suffer because of their age. It's nonsweet, nonfloral, full, rich, with a certain dry feel of adventure to it. The name 'Confetti' doesn't seem to express this perfume's character - one like Shanghai would be more in keeping. With its name I was actually expecting a floral. This is a very respectable amber, and would hold its own well in today's market. It highlights how older fragrances are not necessarily dated, or a lost one such as this doesn't necessarily die because of the inferiority of the creation. I think an amber lover would enjoy this one, as I did during the too-brief time I got to test it.

This is a fun fragrance. Sugar sweet, breezy, with a little kick of coffee, it doesn't take itself seriously, or let you either. Sort of gourmand, sort of floral. Meant for sunny vacations, but not a Comptoir Sud Pacifique type fragrance - more an Italian sun and beach styled scent.

I'm one of those who has problems with the classic Carons - my skin doesn't like them. The newer Carons are a different story. I can smell the classic 'Caron' accord in this one, and that note doesn't sit well. Unfortunately 'Or et Nor' also runs afoul of another chemistry reaction I have - a certain artificial rose note. My skin is picky about rose notes, some working as they were intended, and some taking me to artificial rose hell. The rose note in this one turned absolutely awful on me, becoming the cheap perfume oil of bazaars and street vendors. I had to scrub it off within 5 minutes. I hate to be negative about a classic fragrance, but that's what it's all about, I think - finding what works for you. I've only tried 11 Carons at this point, but the classic ones have given me problems.

This one broke my heart - when I uncorked the sample the sultry, sexy note instantly won me. When I put it on my skin, the first five seconds were heavenly. I figure that's the amount of time needed to react with my chemistry, because after 5 seconds I started picking up a barnyard scent, like cow patties. Beyond the pasture fragrance, I could smell that tantalizing sexy note, but I was going to have to wade through cow patties to get to it. Eventually the barnyard note dissipated, but so did the sultry note. I could only conclude they were one and the same.
I tried it several months later, and it was better, but still not trustworthy. There's no way I can wear this fragrance among other people without fear of it turning on me, or throwing an occasional odd barnyard note into the air. I wanted so much to be able to wear this, as the smell in the bottle is wonderful.
For those of you who were also rebuffed by this fragrance, try "Daim Blond" by Serge Lutens. It did everything I wanted "Cuir de Russie" to do.

Powdered floral chypre. This is indeed a sexy rose, even a tease of a rose,in a sex-kittenish sort of way. It is powdered and provocative from start-up to drydown. And yet, it has an air of fun about it, as if to say "I want to flirt and enjoy the party, but I'm just out to cause a ruckus and have a good time."
I believe what causes this feeling is the use of rose centifolia instead of rose damascena. Damascena is the rose of passion, depth, intensity, and desire, while centifolia is the one of romantic love, lightness, sweetness. If you pair centifolia with powder and the right spice, it would become teasing, as the come-hither is there, but not the follow-through.
A feminine fragrance that makes you enjoy being a woman.

Interesting and somewhat unique fragrance. A winner for those who like subtle outdoor air/sea scents, but can't abide the ozone. It has a marine note start-up, a light floral accord at the heart, and light cedar, sandalwood drydown, staying very subtle and lighthanded throughout. The opening is dry, warm and neutral. What is called a marine accord lacks the algae component, possessing instead driftwood and sand notes. It smells very much like copaiba balsam essential oil without the balsamic sweetness, possesing that same sun-warmed, dry feel. It develops a slightly more dusty floral note in the heart, like you leaned your head against a piece of driftwood in the sun, and can smell the slight dusty note it possesses. The transition to a slightly more wooded note is subtle - the cedar is more a water-washed and weathered wood note. Clean, light, breezy, natural, linen-like. And without a glimmer of ozone!

This fragrance took my breath away. It is a beautiful chypre from start to finish. There wasn't one wrong note in the entire formulation. I consider this Acqua Di Parma's masterpiece, rather than their more well-known EDC's.
One partial list of notes I found online - Top Notes: bergamot, bitter orange, petitgrain, lavender, sage Mid notes: honeysuckle, neroli, jasmine, ylang-ylang, iris, rose, cinnamon, clove, cardamom Base notes: amber, sandalwood, oakmoss, frankincense, cedar. But that's just partial. It boasts over 300 ingredients. This parfum is loaded to such a degree, that only skill could have brought it all together.
It smells like rough smokey Gardenia on my skin - sultry, classy, sensuous, cerebral. If you're a Chypre person, you owe yourself a sample of this. I bow to its beauty, and intelligence of construction. Profumo is really what perfumes are all about - why we buy them, why we love them.

Well-named - an instant hit with me. Classified as a rich, woody oriental it has top notes of lychee rose, kumquat and pink peppercorn; heart notes of flamboyant flower tree, wild rose and hibiscus flower, and base notes of pink suede, cotton flower, red rosewood and pao rosa wood. I also smell a slight tobacco or patchouli note that add up to a sensual, intoxicating brew. Deep, rich with some sexy animalics, this is for romantic evenings, opera, and parties. It's a BIG fragrance, perfect for those moments when you want big expression. I have a quibble with the spray head, though. It's non-intuitive and looks like a cap - I've tried to take it off on several occasions. It actually comes with a sticky note on the head, warning against doing so. But I'd use this fragrance if it came in a shoe!

Iunx Friction de Iunx Splash Forte (Strong Splash) is a scented body friction currently only available in Paris, but you can get it online. Iunx was created by Shiseido and the house description of this line is: "In ancient Greek, Iunx refers to the fascination and seduction of aromas. Iunx leaves the past behind. Fragrance opens up and moves forward, towards a unique way of combining simplicity, innovation, and technology. Iunx invites us to discover an impalpable realm in which aromas are a luxury, an extravagance, a passion. The promise of Iunx is to offer a protected place to the fifth sense, a territory, an island, where the magic of fragrance, the pleasure of smelling and high techology mix and merge. Like a sip of a fiery spirit, "Splash Forte" is a musky, scarlet elixir jazzed up with red spices. A great unisex fragrance."
I find the above description of Splash Forte isn't mere hyperbole - it is strong, spicy and warming. I found myself liking it very much for bracing winter activities. It really does have a warming quality in the cold, and smelling it as it wafts up off your skin makes you feel toastier. It is also quite long-lasting for a splash. Another anomaly: outdoors in the cold ozonic air, it actually had a powdered-spice note, another quality I didn't expect from a splash. While powder in a winter fragrance is generally a no-no, it worked in Splash Forte, making a warming, comforting, invigorating concoction. I don't know how it will work in summer, but think it shines as a winter fragrance, for those cold blustery days, skiing, and other outdoor activities.

This *is* a fun scent - so gingerbready, spicy, vivacious. I agree it has a sense of humor. It also has a subtle sexy note, sort of a submerged floral/base note that keeps it from being too 'foody', a problem with most gourmand fragrances for me. They're usually about distinctive food notes offset by equally distinctive woods/earth. This one sort of blends it all together - the spice, fruit, and earth meld together into a spicy, juicy concoction that is spirited, with a bit of joie de vivre. The cumin note some speak of didn't come out as an identifiable note to me, but stayed part of the general spice environment, which is why I probably liked it more. If the cumin had been distinct, I would have liked it less. This is one of my two favorite gourmands at this point, 'Charles Jourdan' being the other. It is a long-lasting fragrance.

This has been one of my favorites for quite a while, long before I became seriously interested in fragrances. I'm a chypre person, and on me this works well, coming across as sensual, earthy-dry, active, sporty-casual, easy going, but complex. The florals in this scent are submerged to the service of the fragrance as a whole, and aren't major players. It is quite versatile, being one I'm able to wear at most times, and most places. It is a sensual fragrance in spite of its casualness, and has a sense of style about it, which gives it a note of class. Some sites list it as a green floral, some as a woody chypre. I think it definitely falls down on the side of chypre. This is one of my mainstays, and as many perfumes as I've tried over the last several years, none have replaced it in its category in over a decade.

One of the few gourmands I like. Charles Jourdan manages to take the gourmand notes out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. It is voluptuous, fruity, creamy and definitely sexy. The tag line for this fragrance is "The sexiest fragrance in the world". While that is a bold statement, it *is* sexy. It is to me what many have said 'Angel' is for them. I have always found 'Angel" sticky and queasy, so I was pleased to find a gourmand equivalent for myself. It lacks the predominat patchouli note which inhabits the whole of 'Angel' from start-up to drydown. I am a chypre person, as my skin adores them, so if you are also such a person, and have difficulties with 'Angel', this luscious, rounded concoction may be your plate of gourmand.

If I could give it two thumbs up, I would. One of the most evocative fragrances ever made, it has the magic ability to transcend the physical, and transport me to a plane I call the Bleue Room. It is soul personified - there are many fragrances I like, but they don't touch me in the spot precious L'Heure Bleue does. I like drinking Pernod with this fragrance. Others have said it gives a feeling of an earlier, nostalgic era - I feel that way also, but to my mind it transports us to a way of feeling that one then becomes nostalgic about - sweeter, more soulful, more emotional. It is a good tonic for the soul - it reconnects you to a intimate, soulful spot inside yourself that is easily devalued in modern lifestyles. Not as sexual as its sibling 'Shalimar', it produces a more personal, intimate feeling. I cherish this fragrance.

A winner and well-named - a soft, diffuse, woody-fruity-floral with an airy quality about it, that doesn't step over into citrus or transparent territory. It has a delicious green apple note that never turns gourmand, thanks to the light florals and soft woods. The apple, which seems central to this fragrance, combines with other notes to produce a hauntingly orris-like sweet gale undertone. This fragrance retains its distinctive notes into the drydown, wisely staying light-spirited and soft. It is surprisingly long-lasting, nonetheless, a real plus.

My all-time favorite Lavender and my favortie one-note fragrance. Many years ago, I used to hate Lavender because of my exposure to Yardley's English Lavender for women. Then I happened on this one, and it was a revelation. I've loved Lavender since then, but have never found one that tops Crabtree and Evelyn's. It's a good Lavender yes, but it is also more - it dispels the notion of a one-note fragrance being boring or non-complex. This fragrance has pretty much ruined me for other Lavender formulations. I've smelled quite a few, some by very respectable perfume houses, that just don't hold a candle to it, and are pale ghosts of the power of the Lavender note in this one. Some very respectable ones have Lavender in the name and turn out to be surprisingly tepid compared to this. This is the best you can come short of the essential oil itself, but is longer lasting than the eo, with more powder.

This used to be my signature scent for years, until I realized my Holy Grail would probably be something a little less floral. But I still have the highest regard for it, and wear it to bed some nights as a comfort scent, because the rose/jasmine accord heartnote makes me feel wonderful. It's a rich floral obviously made with high quality ingredients. It never had a synthetic off-note during the 10 years I wore it, and the prominent jasmine/rose accord is rich, authentic, smooth, and luxurious - I believe it must possess a high percentage of these two expensive natural ingredients. I would classify this as a luxury floral/floriental - complex, one to give for a lifetime, and make a signature scent - a true classic, in both construction and quality. Note: this is a classic floral bouquet - it doesn't have the newer sweet, patchouli, or gourmand notes.

Well-named, and the best Pepper fragrance I've experienced. The drydown is absolutely gorgeous - the highlight of this scent. Pepper takes center stage from start to finish, but three different facets are presented during the life of the scent. The opening is predominantly herbal, with hints of spice - the p.nigrum presented here is dry peppery-musty. The more typical woody, warm aspect of pepper unfolds in the heartnote, with the sharper herbals of the topnote dissipating and mellowing, and a touch of enhancing warm spice and slight sweetness emerging. The drop-dead wonderful drydown does something special with pepper and is the raison d'etre of this fragrance - it sweetens, spices and smooths out to a woody, warm, spicy, sensual note, almost haunting in it's elusiveness. Sandalwood isn't listed as an ingredient, but I smell its influence heavily in the basenote, turning this pepper into the smooth sensual creature it becomes at the end. Who would have thought a pepper note could be so sensual? Highly recommended for Pepper fans.

It's a shame this fragrance was discontinued. To my nose, it was a well-done floriental in the tradition of Chanel, classically structured and presented.
It had certain Coco notes on start-up, but diverged into a more floral/myrrh direction than the spice direction of Coco. It had the classic rose/jasmine accord at the heart, which smooths and beautifies the fragrance, but has enough rough base-notes to keep it from becoming floral, sweet, and banal. The myrrh edge begins showing itself early on, and is an excellent counterpoint to the floral, and sweet vanillic-amber notes. It is very wearable, one of those florientals which make the transition from evening to daytime wear - this is one to wear to an art museum, to my mind.
It may have been a victim of it's traditionalness. Many of the newer florientals are introducing fruit, and the "miel" or highly sweet, notes. This one may have never stood a chance, considering the date of introduction, but it's too bad it didn't get a chance to try and establish itself as a classic in the Burberry line.

One of my favorites. It reunites the fragrant and treatment actions of plant extracts. Not only an excellent daytime/outdoor fragrance, but high in natural ingredients designed to energize,lift the spirits and hydrate skin, so it's actually beneficial to apply to skin. I like the scent of this one better than Shiseido Energizing fragrance. Don't be fooled by it's classification as a treatment fragrance. It's an excellent stand-alone scent - one you can wear without worry to the office or functions where other people's noses are a concern - no perfumy, off, or synthetic notes, which cause so many people grief. Be sure and try the lotion - it's better than the spray in some ways.
Fragrance notes: Ginger; Lemon; Cardamon; Orange; Caraway; Rosemary; Thyme; Zinzimber; Patchouli

Sophisticated floral-amber; it has that indefinable quality of class. Actually makes me think of Tiffany, another sophisticated floral, but this one is less sweet/floral, and more amber and sophistication. An evening or dress-up scent, for a dinner party; can also be used for a dressy afternoon function, etc.; a class act; makes you feel more feminine in a sophisticated way.

My boyfriend, who is 55, wears this fragrance, and I absolutely love it on him. It instantly makes me melt. I've read the other responses, and am surprised how many people detest it. Perhaps it's as they say - it was overused and literally EVERYWHERE. I didn't get exposed to it at all when it first came out. I adore it on him. And yes, perhaps it's also an age thing - this may not be a "young" scent. I love that lavender, citrus, sandlalwood, vetiver, green combination - masculine, smooth, fresh, soft-dry...sigh. Isn't it surprising how different fragrance preferences can be?