Reviews by illyria

    illyria's avatar
    illyria
    United Kingdom United Kingdom

    Showing 1 to 30 of 30.
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    Icon by Gorilla Perfume

    Lush's sister shop, the defunct BNTBB, had a scent called 'Om' for a while. It smelled like an incense sweetie (if that makes any sense..) It was nice as actual incense, but not very wearable as a scent. To me, Icon is a darker version of Om. (Or, I guess, Om was a lighter version of Icon, since Icon was created first).

    When I first bought my bottle of Icon, I couldn't wear it. The notes didn't gel at all. It was like layering two different scents which did not play well together. So I put it in the back of the cupboard. I tried it again recently (this is about two years after buying it), and it seems to have aged well. It hangs together now, and I like it.

    21st September, 2011.

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    Scent by River Island

    A Giorgio 'lite', almost a dupe. Not bad, but why bother?

    13rd July, 2011.

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    Perfect by River Island

    To my nose, this is a dupe of Kenzo Flower, with perhaps a tad less foot-powder. I like it better than Flower, anyway, and I think that's why.

    13rd July, 2011.

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    Absolue pour le Soir by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

    You're not kidding! Shock, indeed.

    I found it fascinating, but I can't imagine where I could wear it. I don't generally attend fetish clubs, and I have a feeling that my friends would recoil from it at any other social occasion. I do like it, though.

    The drydown reminded me rather of Ambre Fetiche. Which was nice after all the heatedness.

    8th April, 2011.

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    Yvresse / Champagne by Yves Saint Laurent

    I love the peachy champagne sparkle of the opening, but after a while it goes all Dr Scholl foot-powder on me. I have the same issue with Kenzo Flower, and Rochas Femme (original formulation). Perhaps they have a note in common?

    8th December, 2009.

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    Kiehl's Amber Essence Oil by Kiehl's

    A pleasant warm amber, which reminds me rather of the discontinued L'Occitane amber absolute. It's less toffee-like than that was, but otherwise quite similar. Anybody who misses the L'Occitane could do worse than try this.

    Kiehl's Amber is an oil, with resaonable sillage and longevity. It comes in a handy little rollerball bottle, great for the handbag and for travelling.

    3rd November, 2009.

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    Marilyn Blue by Andy Warhol

    I got three of these (Blue, Red and Pink) from an Amazon trader for about £3 each, just for the bottles. At that price, I didn't really care about the juice, but I assumed it would be cheapish and generic.

    This one, as purinzzang says, is pretty much a dupe of Flower! Without wearing them side by side (I don't have Flower), I can't say how exact a copy it is. But it smells close to me, and doesn't smell any cheaper than Flower itself. It seemed to last a while, too.
    So if you like Flower, but don't have the bucks, try this. (Also, the bottle is cute).

    16th October, 2009.

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    Marilyn Red by Andy Warhol

    I got this and the other two Marilyns (Pink and Blue) from an Amazon trader for about £3 each. I bought them for the cute bottles. I didn't really care about the juice, though I asumed it would be generic.

    Listed notes are: blackcurrent, jasmine and sandalwood.

    When I sprayed Red, my first thought was 'Le Jardin de Max Factor'! And indeed, it was close. But it warmed up rapidly, and became a lot less shrill than Le Jardin. It's a pleasant, not-too-fruity jasmine, nothing special. Wearable as an everyday scent for a teenager, perhaps, but it's too boring and generic for me.

    16th October, 2009.

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    Azurée by Estée Lauder

    I love leather and chypres, so Azuree sounded right up my alley. It's hard to find, though - even online retailers seemed to always be waiting for stock. I finally found some in Selfridges. That night I sprayed it on before going out, then proceeded to get rather drunk with friends. ;-) So I didn't wear Azuree again for a while, as it was associated in my head with 'the bed-spins'!

    I tried it again recently, and I'm over the bad association (thank goodness). To me, Azuree is Bandit with a fake tan. I like it, and so does my skin, but it's a louder and less classy Bandit. I'd wear Azuree on a hedonistic holiday, or to a drag club, or to a big dressed-up but fun party. But never to the office!

    21st September, 2009.

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    Aramis 900 by Aramis

    Yep, it's very close to Aromatics Elixir. So much so that if I had that, I wouldn't need to get this. But having said that, as a woman I'd happily wear Aramis 900. And I'd be happy to smell it on a man. It's really rather nice.

    18th September, 2009.

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    Vintage Rose by Sonoma Scent Studio

    I love this one! The combination of a warm rose with a deep plum note is just intoxicating. And it lasts for ages. This is one of those 'can still smell it in the morning' scents, and I'm always happy to do so.

    10th September, 2009. (Last Edited: 17th November, 2009.)

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    Kiki by Vero Profumo

    Yummy lavender.
    This is my favourite lavender scent - both warm and refreshing, strong but not cloying. At first blast, it's almost Angel without the fruit, but it mellows nicely.
    I'd call it fairly linear, but there's nothing wrong with that. And it lasts all day.

    26th June, 2009.

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    Fleurs d'Oranger by L'Occitane

    The one I have is called Fleur d'Oranger, not Fleurs. So I don't know if it's the same thing. It's a tiny bottle of parfum extrait, I've had it for a few years, and it's discontinued as far as I know.

    It starts very floral, the lovely lift of orange blossom. Then it deepens and warms, but never loses that floral note. Something in it's drydown reminds me of the Body Shop Neroli and Jasmine, but unlike that synthetic smelling oil, this one smells natural.

    12nd June, 2009.

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    Cinnamon Spice by Body Shop

    I don't smell any cinnamon in this. It smells like an Angel knock-off to me.

    9th June, 2009.

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    Song de Chine by Crabtree & Evelyn

    This is very soapy. Soap and tea. Not a good combination, for me anyway.

    25th June, 2008.

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    Cayman Winds by Crabtree & Evelyn

    I agree with tvlampboy.
    A boring citrus, rather pointless. It might be ok used as a room spray, though.

    25th June, 2008.

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    Om by B Never Too Busy Be Beautiful

    Karma's sweeter cousin. Overwhelming as a perfume, but the home incense was nice.

    18th June, 2008.

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    Ladyboy by B Never Too Busy Be Beautiful

    Banana and violet - yikes!
    This is not for me.

    18th June, 2008.

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    Assassin by B Never Too Busy Be Beautiful

    A strong green scent, with an earthy base. Takes no prisoners!

    I think it's been discontinued, though.

    18th June, 2008.

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    Love by B Never Too Busy Be Beautiful

    It's supposed to smell like apple pie.
    To me this is acrid. The top notes shriek 'synthetic green apple' and they don't blend well with the clove-y rest of it.
    I had the soap in my bathroom, but I threw it away because the whole place smelled of it and it made me sneeze.

    18th June, 2008.

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    Keep It Fluffy by B Never Too Busy Be Beautiful

    Does anybody remember the Cosmetics To Go scent Himalaya? I have that, and I have Keep It Fluffy, and as far as I can tell they are the same juice.
    I say 'as far as I can tell', because I'm no expert, and obviously the Himalaya is an old bottle (though it hasn't turned).

    Keep It Fluffy is a warm powdery musk, a little too sweet for me on most days, but my girlier friends like it. I wear it as a comfort scent in winter, when I like to wear it to bed, with warm pyjamas and a good book.

    18th June, 2008.

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    Special Edition Crisp Cotton by Body Shop

    If this is what I think it is (I have a bottle somewhere), the 'cotton fresh from the dryer' note it uses has now been appropriated by Sure deoderants!
    It's one of those synthetic notes which is discovered, then everyone makes scent with it, then it's in deoderants and cleaning products and shampoos and... well, you get it - everywhere! Rather like what happened to Green Apple in the 70's, if anyone can remember that far back.
    This does really smell like sheets straight from the dryer, it even smells warm, somehow. Not unpleasant, if you want to smell like laundry.

    2nd June, 2008.

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    Roma by Body Shop

    This was produced when the Body Shop seemed to be making oils which copied popular big-name scents. They didn't ever say that was what they were doing, but all the same...
    Anyhow, Roma was a 'dead ringer' for Paris. The opening notes were very Paris. I can't recall what the drydown was like.
    Another scent they produced at the time was L'Aird, which was very like L'air du Temps. I still have that one. And Juba was very like Prescriptive's Calyx.
    Of their current crop, I find Cinnamon Spice to be rather like Angel and it's imitators, and the Neroli & Jasmine reminds me strongly of a designer scent. I can't quite put my finger on which one, though.

    2nd June, 2008.

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    Sandalwood by Body Shop

    I would disagree with pandabear25 - even in the bottle, Woody Sandalwood (I assume it's the same scent) is not at all sharp. It's heavy and sweet, with a lot of cinnamon in with the sandalwood. Quite cloying for me, but lovers of those two notes may like it better.
    It's not discontinued as far as I know.

    2nd June, 2008.

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    The Spirit of Moonflower by Body Shop

    I like cucumber notes too, but this one is too cloying for me. I do have a small bottle, but when I want cucumber I generally reach for the Fresh one or my old Keihls Cucumber oil instead.

    2nd June, 2008.

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    Karma by Lush

    I can't stand the edt - it's throat-manglingly harsh, and you can't get rid of it! It's the reason you can always tell when there is a Lush shop nearby.
    But having said that, the solid perfume version is miles better. It seems to skip over the initial harshness a lot more quickly, and it is warmer. I actually wear it, when I could never wear the other one.

    23rd May, 2008.

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    Winter 1972 by CB I Hate Perfume

    This starts with a blast of cold, sinus-scouring 'earthiness' - like a cross between powdered household cleanser and the sneeze-inducing result of opening a package of forgotten, uber-mouldy bread. It certainly gave me an impression of winter, though
    I disliked this top note so much that I almost scrubbed. But I decided to give it a chance.
    Soon enough, the blast faded to a murmur, and a warm middle note came out to play. I have no idea what it is - I don't know too many notes - but it's lovely. Not foody, more floral, but not indolic. I can't place it. It's a comforting, close to the skin scent. It was worth my braving the opening 'blast' to get to it.
    I only have a small sample of this - if I try it a few more times, I may even decide it's bottle-worthy.

    30th April, 2008.

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    Lavender Moss by Aftelier

    Lavender Moss was one of the Aftelier solid fragrances. It is the only one of the Aftelier solid perfumes I have tried which has much sillage and lasting power. (My favourite, Boronia, disappears on me almost immediately... *sad*).

    LM has an unmistakable 'BO-ness' to it. It is deep and dark and naughty. I've heard perfumes with this effect described as having ''skank' - well, this one definitely has it! But it's a sexy skank. A person smelling this on your skin could never be sure whether they were smelling perfume, or you. Some people love that, me included. But it's not for the faint-hearted!

    23rd April, 2008.

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    Tolu by Ormonde Jayne

    This reminds me strongly of Dune. It's nicer and far more complex than Dune, but still, the resemblance is unmistakable to me.
    It's another good Ormonde scent, but I'm giving it a neutral rating because I dislike Dune so much! See, I used to work next to a woman who drenched herself in the stuff. She would even spritz at her desk when I was eating my lunch right next to her. Dune-flavoured sandwiches... mmmm... ;-)
    Sadly, that memory lingers, so Tolu is wasted on me... but if you like a warm, long-lasting, complex amber, this may suit you.

    Update December 09: I've had more time with Tolu now, and I have more of it than just one tiny vial. It helps to be able to spray more, it turns out!
    I really like this now.

    23rd April, 2008. (Last Edited: 7th December, 2009.)

    rating

    Gardenia by Demeter Fragrance Library

    This starts with a very buttery note - so buttery it surprised me. Later that disappears, replaced by a beautiful warm floral drydown which seems to stay the same until (in common with most Demeter scents) it fades, rather too quickly for me.

    Most scents with Gardenia in the name blast the back of my throat, but this does not. I like it a lot - that I have to also spray it a lot more often is no great hardship, as the bottle is handbag-sized anyway!

    23rd April, 2008.

    Showing 1 to 30 of 30.

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