 | Cartier de Lune by CartierI agree that it isn't original, but the quality is very good, better than other department store scents that are similar in type. It's a pretty floral scent. I wouldn't go out of my way for it, but I enjoyed sampling it. i wonder how well it is selling (?). 5th February, 2012. |
| | Bois Plume by EstebanThis is lovely. It is woodsy/cozy without being harsh or overwhelming. It reads a little bit *masculine* to me - the kind you borrow from the men's shelf because it is irresistible. It is somewhat sheer, refined yet laid back, easy for anyone to enjoy, any age, any gender. The cinnamon and lavender give it a touch of sweetness. Nicely composed and I like it very much. 3rd February, 2012. |
| | Violet Blonde by Tom FordI love it. The violet impression in the beginning is fresh and clear, and the combination of violet + pepper + citrus gives the fragrance an up energy. This is modern and sheer, but it is long lasting on my skin. The dry down is soft and fuzzy, and toward the end my skin seems to amplify the benzoin vanillic quality - a bit of residual sweetness there that is a very, very nice ending. Love this and I want a bottle. 29th January, 2012. |
 | Les Nombres d'Or - Musc by Mona di OrioI love it in the beginning when there is lots of Neroli to give it a fruity zest and juiciness. The drydown is powdery, pleasant, a little boring. I don't smell the musk, just the tonka and heliotrope. It reminds me of Miller Harris Fleur Oriental. 9th January, 2012. |
 | Roses Musk by MontaleNose-searing, acrid, harsh accord is all I get, and no discernible musk. Was I sent the wrong sample? I hate this. It smells like ammonia, I'm not kidding. I was very disappointed. And baffled. 7th January, 2012. |
| | Jovan Woman by JovanI bought this last week, and I'm still trying to decide whether or not I can wear this outside of my own home, but I'm very attracted to its mossy floral chypre quality. Old style, that is. I need to spend some more time with it, but it is so potent that one spray, and not near the face, is all I can take. It initially goes through a chemically cheap smelling stage, but that blows off, and it becomes very interesting, intensifies with drydown, and becomes a little tedious after a while. I get the nutmeg, but that's about it for spiciness. I like the fragrance, I just can't decide whether it's wearing me, or I'm wearing it. I'm on the fence, but giving it my approval because you can actually STILL buy this! 7th January, 2012. |
| | Brooklyn by Bond No. 9Very pleasant scent, fun bottle, grapefruity and eau de cologney on my skin, refreshing for summer. I feel it's a tad masculine for me, but I especially love the juniper note in it. Not distinctive enough to make me want to purchase. I'll enjoy my sample. 5th December, 2011. |
| | Dulcis in Fundo by ProfumumSmells caramelized like praline. I don't really smell any orange per se, but I do get an acidity - a bit of harshness, actually, which might be grapefruit because sometimes grapefruit strikes me that way - that balances the syrupy sweetness, so that's good. I like this very much, don't I looooove it. I could change my mind. :) 3rd October, 2011. |
| | Éclat d'Arpège by LanvinÉclat d'Arpège has been a staple go-to fragrance for me this summer, and it has been a miserably hot and long one. I was aware of having tried and liked it before, but I finally purchased a bottle earlier this year and I'm SO glad I did. It is somewhat similar to Light Blue, I agree, but not as intensely lemony. Éclat d'Arpège has more delicacy and floralcy. It is refreshing but very feminine as well, imo. I like the combination of the citrus and lilac/wisteria in the beginning. I don't find it short lived. It is subtle, releasing little whiffs of fragrance hours later. Considering its pastel / water color character, it has remarkable tenacity (the woods and musk in the base, which are soft but long lasting). I love the beautiful lilac color of the liquid, I love the bottle design and its gold emblem, resting inside the acrylic presentation box - the whole package and the fragrance itself are very, very well done. Photos don't do the actual packaging justice, imo. 28th September, 2011. |
| | Jovan Musk by JovanThis is one of my favorite drug store fragrances. I use the oil version. It isn't as great as it was in the 70s, but once I got used to it having been de-sexed, or de-musked, or whatever they did to make it more bland, I decided that I still like it anyway. I almost can't smell it in the beginning except for a vaguely floral soapiness - seriously, like hand soap - but hours later it comes into its own and becomes more musky. Good for layering. Some people like Coty's Wild Musk oil for layering, and it's ok, but I prefer Jovan's. 25th September, 2011. |
| | Tuberuse Couture 17 by Parfumerie GeneraleGorgeous tuberose. Moist, humid, jungly tropical, wild. I get gardenia, too, but it is not listed in the notes. I also get a sweet, ripe fruit in there, almost like overripe pineapple, which is not listed either - these are just my *impressions*. This is a rich and sweet, lush, sensuous fragrance, but it keeps its clarity and brightness and does not devolve into muddiness. Brilliant. I love it. 25th September, 2011. |
| | Love by By KilianBig huge LOVE for Love, and both thumbs up. Its sweetness is intense, but it is also very creamy and lush and rich, like dollops of Chantilly cream faintly flavored with vanilla and orange flower water. It reminds me of Christmas divinity (a type of candy) and marshmallows - fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. Clouds and cherubs. Maybe there is a tinge of skank under the panniered pastel skirts, but musk and civet are friends to me. I have no problem with that. The combination of orange blossom and vanilla are what I particularly love lately, in other sweet fragrances as well (e.g., No. 22, though that has the incense). This is a terrific fragrance. Probably not for those who don't like tooth-achingly sweet fragrances. 21st September, 2011. |
| | Vol de Nuit by GuerlainI'm trying a decant of the vintage edc that a Basenotes friend sent, and I think it is heavenly. At first I thought it smelled similar to Mitsouko (which I have trouble wearing), but VdN soon turned sweet - like the most delicious pastry cream - on my skin, with no clovey spiciness, and that sweet Guerlain base underlies the autumnal chypre aura, so that VdN is bittersweet, not too bitter, nor too sweet, just perfectly, perfectly balanced. And the rubber tire note, whatever that is, is genius. This is the only version I've tried so far, so I'll be interested to compare it with more recent versions when I encounter them. Guerlain's vintage colognes are the MOST amazing formulations. 31st July, 2011. |
| | Eau de Star by Thierry MuglerI agree with Off-Scenter that an aquatic Angel might be inspired lunacy. There is something very likeably off the wall about this, but the proof is in the wearing, and the aquatic thing wears on my nerves after a while. It really does smell like Angel Sport Scent for a guy. I haven't yet decided whether or not I can actually wear this. It was a blind purchase. I love the star embedded in the bottle. It looks like a jelly-starfish. I could just look at that and be happy with my purchase. :-) 28th July, 2011. |
| | Sycomore (new) by ChanelBonfire at the shore is a perfect description. It is salt air and wood smoke, and a vegetal, resinous sweetness underneath. It has nothing to do with gender. It's just divine, like incense. Can't' stop sniffing my wrist. ♥ 5th July, 2011. |
| | Amandes Orientales by MontaleI like the praline sweetness in Amandes Orientales, but the dominance of the wood notes gives it a more masculine edge than I like on my skin. Not for me. I wouldn't mind smelling it on someone else, though. 25th June, 2011. |
| | A*Men Pure Malt by Thierry MuglerI looooove this! A very kind Basenoter sent me a decant to try. The first time I tried it I was watching a dvd of an old Scottish TV series with Robert Carlyle (Hamish Macbeth). Everybody in the series was always drinking pints and whiskeys in the local pub, and I felt like I was right there with them, lol! That's how truly whisky-like this is. When I was a teenager I liked a boy who wore Givenchy Gentleman, and it smelled so good that I bought my own bottle. I think I would buy myself a bottle of this, too, it smells that good to me. I thoroughly enjoy its sweet, peaty, woody, malty, boozy, caramel lusciousness. It isn't often that a masculine fragrance feels so good on my skin, but this one does. Great stuff! For me, it's an evening scent. Not for daytime for me, unless I want to feel like I'm sitting in a dark bar all day in winter. 25th June, 2011. |
| | Tendre Poison by Christian DiorWhen I was student teaching there was a bottle of Tendre Poison with a few other fragrances that someone had left in the ladies' room - rejects from someone's wardrobe. Every day after a quick lunch and before going back to class to teach small children the rest of the afternoon, I would stop in and have a spritz of Tendre Poison. It got me through a trying time. :-) I think it's lovely - green, fresh, uplifting, pretty florals, and a fairly sophisticated, long, sweet/woodsy drydown, as I recall. I don't know whether the formulation in the most recent bottles was tweaked, but this was a good fragrance. I think it was overlooked, not underrated but easily overlooked. And now it may be too dated, not sheer & transparent & modern enough for today's taste. If I found an intact older bottle I'd grab it. 12nd May, 2011. |
| | Haiku by AvonI love Haiku in the same way that I love Clinique's Happy. It is a citrussy floral that cheers my mood. It is really very pretty - crisp & fruity, clean & soft in the drydown - but if you don't like Happy you probably won't like this either. 16th February, 2011. (Last Edited: 7th January, 2012.) |
| | Chantilly by DanaThis is for the current Chantilly edt by Dana Classics. I was surprised by how pleasant it is. I like the old fashioned powderiness of it. My nose picked up citrus, creamy orange blossom, amber, something spicy, sandalwood, vanilla. It went sweet on my skin...then it was gone. It isn't long lasting, and it's a wee bit thin and cheap - but it's not gadawful & nasty. It's pretty enough to give you an idea of how lovely it must have been years ago, and it leaves me longing to try the real (Houbigant) Chantilly someday if I encounter any. Too bad we can't buy these oldies in their original forms. :-( 21st January, 2011. (Last Edited: 10th December, 2011.) |
| | Eau d'Iparie by L'OccitaneA kind Basenoter sent me a decant of this and I love it. I don't quite get the red pepper either; and right in the beginning the patchouli gives me an impression of a dank, earth-floored root cellar. That doesn't sound very nice, but that's how patchouli often smells to me (or sometimes like camphor, or both), and I like it mixed with the sweet/spicy, incense, and rose notes. Eau d'Iparie is not long lasting - it's truly an eau in that sense. It's perfect for the Christmas season. I can imagine this melange of odors in the wake of the caravan of the three magi following the star to Bethlehem. Very enjoyable. :-) 29th December, 2010. |
| | Ambre by MolinardI suppose "church lady" and "bookish librarian" describes me pretty well! :-) I really like Ambre. Some ambers are too overwhelmingly potent and masculine for me. Sorry, but I don't want to smell like a guy. But this one is sweet, warm & cozy, and rather pie-spicy on my skin, and it lasts a long time. I do get some of the amber powderiness in the beginning, but that wears off and what's left is just very pleasant and easy to wear. This is one of my favorite ambers now, thanks to a very kind Basenoter who sent me some. 9th December, 2010. |
| | Kuan Yin by Essentially MeWhen I first looked at the juice in the vial I thought, "Dioressence!" because it's the same green. I thought I caught castorium at first, or something charry/smoky, and clove, but then it gets sweeter and greener. As it began to dry down I was reminded of L'Origan or Mitsouko, but long into the drydown it's a lighter style of chypre, maybe Dioressence Lite because of a spicy touch, and a bit of Eau Sauvage. It's quite pleasant. I don't mean to compare it to all these others, as if the scent doesn't have an identity of its own, but the above are my scent references. 4th November, 2010. |
| | Tangos by Essentially MeI smelled oakmoss and I wasn’t sure what else on first application, something woodsy. This is like the other scents in this line in that it needs time to come into focus, and it’s fun to see what develops. Which in this case is a very pleasant autumnal and somewhat incensy fragrance. Ingredients listed include oak moss, violet leaf, vetivert Bourbon, tobacco, jasmine, ylang, rose otto, geranium Bourbon, vanilla, rose Maroc, hay, coriander, tonka bean. Very nice. 4th November, 2010. |
| | Souk by Essentially MeSmells similar to a few others I’ve sampled from the line. I thought I might have got a little dusty oak moss, but it’s not listed in the ingredients. As the frangrance comes into focus I get a mix of goodies - spicy, sweet, resiny, incensy, woody odors. Notes listed for Souk on EM's website include sandalwood, frankincense, cedar of Lebanon, balsams, rose Maroc, jasmine, orris, neroli, citrus fruits, herbs and oriental spices, opoponax. Again, I can't pick out all these indidvidual notes. On my skin, a creamy sweetness intensifies and becomes the main event, while all the spicy/woody /incensy whiffs are accents to that. This one is probably my favorite of the line. 4th November, 2010. |
| | Fauve by Essentially MeThis one is sweet & spicy with lots of good things in the mix. I thought I smelled cardamom, definitely vanilla, possibly benzoin, and something incensy, but notes listed on the EM site are vanilla, jasmine, ylang, rose otto, rose de mai, sandalwood, vetiver, oak moss, patchouli, frankincense, beeswax and lavender. I can't detect all of those, but I get a few of them, particularly the beeswax and lavender as well. I think it's my favorite of those I’ve tried so far. It doesn’t make me feel joyous the way mandarin or orange or pineapple does; it has a soothing and sobering effect - not depressing, focusing rather. My reference for frankincense is church...prayer and meditation and powerful spiritual ritual and protection, so I get some of that imagery, but it also just generally brings an incense- & antiquity-saturated atmosphere to my mind. I can see Fauve as a fragrance for a room, clothing, skin. 4th November, 2010. |
| | White Blooms by Essentially MeWhite Blooms reminds me of Creed's Jasmin Impératrice Eugénie, although that one has bergamot listed, and this one doesn't. I picked up orange blossom, jasmine, greenery, soft woods. It's a classic style that I associate (and this is just me) with classy and soigné matrons from the past like Princess Grace of Monaco. Not bad - not at all - but it's not me. Ok, I had a pretty strong psychological (subjective) reaction to it. This fragrance made me feel a bit angry and rebellious when I wore it, for my own subconscious reasons. It's not for me. 4th November, 2010. |
| | La Joupe by Essentially MeRight at the top, I get a dried & vegetal impression like the mingled odors of an herbalist's shop. I thought I smelled sweet fruity mandarin (which always makes my nose HAPPY!), and I thought this is going to be an interesting fruity chypre. Reading the notes on the Essentially Me site, I see no mandarin listed, but rather orange blossom, tuberose (florals that do smell sweet & fruity), oak moss, labdanum, patchouli, and all kinds of ingredients that make this intriguing. The EM site lists this as an oriental and heady floral. Very nice. 4th November, 2010. |
| | Classique by Essentially MeWhat I’m enjoying about trying the Essentially Me fragrances is that you never know what you’re going to get when you first apply them. It takes them a little time to settle on the skin and come into focus. I enjoy the surprise. At first sniff of Classique I got a rich rose and I supposed it was going to be a very different type of fragrance than it turned out. This is indeed an archetypally classic and old fashioned fragrance, one many of us will recognize. In my frame of reference it’s a classic Elizabethan potpourri or pomander (rose-citrus-spice) scent, with holiday associations and old-fashioned Englishness. Notes from the site include: Rose otto, rose de mai, orange blossom, neroli, ylang, geranium Bourbon, jasmine, bergamot, green mandarin, petitgrain, coriander, bay, clove bud, vetivert Bourbon. It’s a bit sweet, and clove is troublesome for me…it always seems to amplify out of control on my skin. I like this type of scent, though. The ingredients in this smell like they're of good quality, but I would probably spritz lightly on clothing in December around the holidays – and not on skin because of the clove, which is giving me that clove hot/cold analgesic/deadening effect on the top of my forearm where I applied. If you’re not overly sensitive to clove it probably won't do that to you. 4th November, 2010. |
| | Trade Wind by Essentially MeTrade Wind is pretty much what I expected from the name...a tropical islandy concoction. When I first applied it I got pineapple, spices, woods. My nose doesn't get much more specific than that. I defintely get the nutmeg, and I don't know what the citrus is but it's juicy, sweet pineapple to my nose. The woodsy notes come on a bit strong for my taste. Trade Wind is pleasant but it hits me as a bit masculine with that bay rum type vibe. I might enjoy this if I actually were on a sunny island right now, rather than feeling a little chilly here in Virginia on this October morning. 4th November, 2010. |
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