Basenotes - Reviews by Kerry Rose

United States

Showing 1 to 11 of 11.

24, Faubourg by Hermès

I've realized that I really need to sample perfumes before buying a bottle on impulse. I really liked this perfume upon first sniff. When I wore it a few days later it seemed incredibly cloying and "perfumey" to me with sillage like a cruise ship! The more I wore it, the more it smelled soapy and way too mature for me. I read somewhere that 24 Faubourg was Lady Di's favorite perfume so I mailed it to her biggest fan, my mother.

6th December, 2010.

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Jasmin Noir by Bulgari

My husband bought this for my birthday and I thought I liked it... at first. The sillage bowled my sister over 3 rooms away with one spray and the longevity lasted for over 48 hours after which point I showered it off. My like for this fragrance was short-lived, I'm afraid. I love Estee Lauder's Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia as the latter note is brought down by the earthy tuberose. However, in Jasmin Noir the gardenia combined with the heady jasmine, woody and tonka bean notes are like listening to a symphony warm up. It's a lovely sound/scent for a few minutes but quickly becomes simultaneously powdery and grating, a real headache inducer. Also, when I wiped my fingerprints off the bottle as I decided to exchange it for a different perfume I noticed it was leaking where the bottom of the golden stem meets the black bottle. Buyer beware! I had a similar problem with my Prada atomizer bottle but solved that problem by purchasing the refillable purse spray.

6th December, 2010.

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Belle d'Opium by Yves Saint Laurent

My husband took me out to select a perfume for my birthday yesterday. We chose Bulgari's Jasmin Noir but the salesperson offered me a large sample of any perfume as a gift with purchase. I've always loved the original YSL Opium but it reminds my husband of his mother and even to me has an overpowering sillage. This updated version of one of my favorite classic fragrances avoids both of these problems. Belle d'Opium captures a similar essence of the original with more floral and less powdery notes, but it does not replicate the actual scent of opium smoke as the original does. . .even if "narguile" (or hookah) is comically listed as one of its notes. My only complaint is that it does not have very good longevity. At all.

29th November, 2010. (Last Edited: 6th December, 2010.)

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Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia by Estée Lauder

Tuberose Gardenia is a scent that I adored from the moment I tried a spritz on my wrist. Then I immediately hated it. I couldn't stop smelling my wrist or make up my mind how I felt about it all night. I knew I either loved or hated it. Terrible! But wait. . .why was it so maddeningly familiar? Mesmerizing. Tuberose Gardenia haunted my thoughts for days. I dreamt of lush tropical places with dark exotic flowers. Sultry tuberose changed to heady gardenia and back. My husband bought it for Valentine’s Day and I just bought another fragrance from EL's Private Collection today: Amber Ylang Ylang. Both Private Collection perfumes are simple, elegant, natural and familiar. I will continue to wear them both as long as they are made.

20th October, 2008.

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Midnight Rain by La Prairie

A good friend hugged me at a party and said I smelled delicious. He asked me what I was wearing so I showed him my sparkly rainbow raindrop purse spray. Fabulous! Several friends tried a tiny drop and it smelled wonderful, yet completely different, on every single person. My chemistry brings out the guava, pomegranate and a green scent that I can never quite place. It is a very nice, high quality perfume but will probably not make it into my permanent fragrance wardrobe.

20th October, 2008.

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Truly Pink by Vera Wang

I opened this bottle on my wedding day. I wanted a natural rose fragrance that would not be too overpowering. I liked Joy but it was too heavy for such a light day! I had a beach wedding and this fragrance was the light, natural single rose note that I was going for. There are violet and wood notes but they are faint. Truly Pink is not my favorite color or scent to wear on a daily basis, but every rare now and again when I wear it I will be reminded of my wedding day. :)

20th October, 2008.

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Insolence by Guerlain

This is a fragrance that has an almost candy-like SweeTart fruity quality to it, but has enough depth and complexity not to become sickening. Violets give way to woods and vanilla. My five-year-old goddaughter and her mother both love this fragrance, but grandma may not be a fan. It is a young fragrance, but I wear it on rainy days when I simply must splash in puddles!

20th October, 2008.

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Amarige by Givenchy

I was impulsively attracted to this fragrance the first time I smelled it, much in the same way that I was drawn to Valentino's Rock 'n Rose. Luckily I didn't buy a bottle of R 'n R before I realized that familiar smell - was dryer sheets! Yeachk! Unfortunately, I didn't have that epiphany with Amarige - a chemical cloying "grandma in an elevator" scent. I bought a gift package with shower gel and body lotion. One day I showered, lotioned and sprayed one spritz under each arm. After a few hours I felt nauseous and had a headache. I did not attribute this to the perfume at all. The next few times I tried to wear this fragrance I experienced the same sickness, but the last time I wore it my headache turned to a migraine and I haven't been able to smell it without feeling nauseous ever since. I have tried pawning it off on my sister (who said it smells like nail polish) and several friends but no one will take it. When I move in two weeks it's going to the Goodwill.

20th October, 2008.

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Private Collection Amber Ylang-Ylang by Estée Lauder

I was on the hunt to find a fragrance for this autumn season that contains some of the sultry qualities of Prada Classic and YSL Opium. After being disappointed by many fragrances offered to me (because they all had that "grandma in an elevator" cloying quality) a sales girl dressed in a cute 40s pinup style came over and suggested Estee Lauder's Amber Ylang-Ylang. I was IN LOVE! Butterscotch Bear! It took me back to my early childhood when I had a scented toy that this fragrance strongly reminded me of. AYY is made from quality ingredients and its strength is in its simplicity. I also own EL's Tuberose Gardenia and receive compliments virtually every time I wear it. EL's Private Collection is onto something here - instead of creating a medley they endeavor to create a harmony of two notes, singing in perfect proportion. This may seem unsophisticated to some, but I find it to be a highly sensual, elegant and refreshing approach to the art of perfumery.

19th October, 2008.

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Prada (new) by Prada

Prada reminds me of a blustery autumn night. Dried leaves and wisps of chimney smoke lead to a dark heart of labdanum and desire. Sex and drugs, but in a good way like a Victorian-era Johnny Depp movie. This is among my favorite fragrances, but there is a significant problem with the bottle design. My house smelled deliciously of Prada for months while the scent slowly evaporated even though I never touched or moved the bottle from its level location. This may be due to a faulty atomizer, or perhaps the concentrated essential oils eventually broke down the seal affixing the atomizer to the bottle. This is sad because the atomizer is the perfect touch to this classic fragrance, but not at the expense of losing the perfume! I highly recommend this fragrance for men and women alike, but the next time I purchase this scent I will avoid the atomizer and opt instead for the Prada Classic Parfum de Sac - 3 miniature 0.34 oz sprays.

19th October, 2008.

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