Fragrance Reviews by Aznavour

Very friendly pastel fragrance. I agree with Myspunge that it's "cuddly," but don't mistake it for smothering. It's very faint and becomes increasingly soapy over time. It's alright.

I swear this smells like sea grass mats. Pretty nice.

Everything about this is fairly amazing in its depiction of "tropical garden after the rain" -- I grew up with one, so I love it. But the melon just kills, KILLS it.

Smells more like fruit-in-a-can than actual fruit, and I have no idea which specific fruit, drowned as it is in syrup. Starts off quite strong and megafruity, stays strong for about an hour, and then weirdly and suddenly collapses into wispy musk. And I mean collapses -- it almost completely disappears.

I was hoping for a sense of decadent, acidic sweetness but it's really just a bit chemical.

It's pale peach at first, not too juicy but absolutely real, then morphs into a sheer peachy sandalwood. Quite charming and dreamy; reminds me of Kay Nielsen drawings of fairytale princesses.

Opens up generic-floral-perfumey, then has a nice, brief (and faint) jasmine moment before turning into something that quite frankly smells like vomit. Overrated as a green.

Bright enough to be easily wearable but has a thread of spice running through it to give it some character. Not exciting but personally, I think this is the best of the line as the other ones are pretty interchangeable.

Fraiche Passiflore has a vein of green running through it that gives it some vibrancy, and the treatment of passionfruit is very nice. It's not a confused tropical cocktail; it has simplicity going for it.

However, it's very light and disappears within minutes. I wish it had more density and richness, because otherwise it's just not worth it.

Honestly it basically ends up smelling like potpourri, but I kinda dig it.

I would define this mostly by its middle, which is a nice serving of jasmine-tiare -- emphasis on the jasmine. I'd swear there's also a tea note in this, but maybe I'm just making that up.

It's a nice floral fragrance for people who aren't necessarily into florals, like myself. I think it works because it keeps things fairly simple and renders its edited bouquet of flowers fairly realistically for a fragrance at its price point.

It's a nice jasmine fragrance for the price and a good representation of the brand.

Very nice herby-citrus as described, with a mossy base. Certainly green, but not really bracing or fresh despite its notes. I thought it was more "cool" and a little reserved, a green along the lines of Chanel No. 19.

The name's a bit of a misnomer, because it's not all that dramatic or gothic or earthy. An herbal-citrus opening that strikes the right balance between mellow and bracing, and dries down to a soapiness that, of all things, smells exactly like the soapy drydown of Prada Infusion d'Iris, both the male and female versions.

Basically, this is the current No. 5 EDP without the monstrous old-lady-smelling aldehydes and with more powder in the drydown. Others are citing citrus in the opening, which I don't get, but it's certainly bright enough. EP sits nicely on the skin, maintaining a lovely buttery quality throughout. This is well-made, totally wearable, and more than just "nice" and "classy" (ugh, that word), but I wouldn't call it transcendent. Still, as a young person I do appreciate the effort made to "translate" Le Monstre for a younger generation.

A close cousin of SummerbyKenzo, only with less sunblock. A powdery mimosa opening progresses into a brief but nice tiare moment (not super-realistic, but alright), then becomes a mimosa musk with a hint of the tiare/gardenia remaining to add some depth. Really good lasting power for an AA.

I enjoyed this. Not amazing nor original but by virtue of not being another watery AA, it's automatically less boring. It has some personality; I found it flirty and girly, in a pastel yellow style, and should entertain the wearer enough for its price. Would be a good accessory for a summer date.

I don't get the chocolate, but I do get the plastic-y soap as well. There's something reassuring about its powdery blandness that makes me want to give this to my dad or some other paternal figure.

Smells like harsh bleach-powered cleaning product. Ugh. And I'm the type who always tries to understand synthetic smells, but this is just unpleasant. An absolute scrubber from the first sniff.

Cool pepper on top, a bitter, medicinal vetiver middle, and then Iso E Super's faux-cedar in the base, overtaking everything else as it progresses, as usual. This reminds me a lot of Escentric 01, that king of "urbane" pepper/Iso E synthetic scents.

You either love or hate this type of fragrance, I guess. I happen to be drawn to Iso E fragrances, so I enjoy this, and the whole marketing narrative ("eau de skinny Hoxton hipster", basically) is hilarious. Plus, the juice is the same color as mouthwash! I mean, come on. L-oh-freaking-L.

Wearable and chilly and sure, urbane enough. One could do worse.

I seriously can't fathom how a perfume that smells like My Little Ponies and cheap sandalwood fans has got anything to do with an obscure 19th century empress. Marketers need to get a grip.

A plastic peach-strawberry opening gives way to sandalwood and a bit of incense, and that's it. This is a scent for delusional socially-awkward types who still dream of turning into Disney Princess swans.

Very peppery floral, with a green character, but also a bit 'perfumey' -- has a tendency to be blowsy in its notes. Would be something if it was more minimalistic.

I'm wary about vanilla on the best of days, and as it turns out this particular combination of vanilla and lavender is toxic to me, though I can see how it may be fascinating to others. The warmth and sweetness of the vanilla does not, to my nose, make for a pleasant contrast with sharp, herbal lavender. It make me think of lavender-flavored desserts (in a bad way) and, ugh, I found it suffocating.

Much love for Andy Tauer, but no thanks.

This isn't the HG jasmine scent for me either, but still, it's lovely: astonishing verisimilitude in the opening, then a sweet, gourmand-y drydown -- maybe this is the 'tea' thing others are smelling (if it's jasmine tea, it's tea with a lot of sugar and milk). I hated it at first, but there's a warmth to it that has grown on me. It holds on to enough the floral of the opening, but loses any hint of green. Would probably be too sticky in warm weather.

Sillage is decent, longevity same.

Very light notes with a pastel quality and yes, it's insipid, but I'd been looking for something like this, a fragrance calculated to be naive. There's something mouthwateringly wet about Petite Chérie's fruit and florals. It does remind me of fruit and petals in water.

That same 'water' accord does begin to smell plastic-like after a few minutes, which might be a turn-off to some but it reminded me of the toys I played with as a kid in the 80's, so I was pretty charmed.

Sharp, cool, and green -- more leaf than fruit, as the others have said. You'll feel like you've rubbed crushed leaves all over your body. I smell very little progression: there's only a small difference between the slightly (and I mean slightly) citrus opening and the sweeter drydown. I prefer Jo Malone slightly fruitier 'green fig' take in Wild Fig and Cassis, but there's something about Figuier's unadorned, straight-up green fig that I find really comfortable and easy to wear. There's something unconcerned about it that I find chic.

This is a great fragrance for spring and summer, for those who don't like citrus/florals as hot-weather fragrances.

Oh, but longevity is bad. Better than blink-and-you'll-miss-it Wild Fig and Cassis, but very annoying for a product in this price range. Sillage is close to the skin.

Oh good lord. If they're going for a clean fruity floral, my impression is that the fruit and flowers are plastic.

There's something promising in the opening and middle where it does smell like icy flowers in a naturalistic way, but as soon as that phase passes -- and it passes quickly, okay -- it just becomes a big, generic 'white floral' with an added does of 'freshness' that makes it annoyingly chemical. I guess you'll smell socially-acceptable, but I don't know if you'd smell good.

You have smelled something like this before (it reminds me of True Star, for one), and odds are you've smelled something better.

I enjoy wearing this a lot more than the women's version; it's got a greener kick, especially in the opening, that I find a good counterpoint to the sweet, musky milkiness of the progression. The drydown is comforting and warm without being heavy or cloying. Something in its character reminds me of pearls -- something subtly lustrous -- yet it's definitely modern.

Has the lightness yet also the limited range of rosewater. Enjoyed this, and I feel it's an approachable rose for non-rose-lovers (of which I'm one), but it's not very interesting.

I only get a very faint jasmine and can't really discern the mint -- more like a bright herbaceousness that I find hard to define. This is pleasant, though not charming like others in the line. If you are looking for a subtle, non-indolic jasmine, try this on for size.

Very, very lime, about as true to the real thing as one can get without rolling in a basket of them. But it's lime without the sourness, and mellowed with a herbal note that I'm assuming is the basil. Sillage is minimal, longevity is not that great, but despite the fact that this smells like a drink I'd order at the bar, it is very appealing. Fresh and clean without being "fresh" and "clean", if that makes sense.

Sienne l'Hiver is the unlikeliest perfume I've ever tried: cool without being fresh, earthy without being heavy, and manages a light touch that lasts all day. A stunning fragrance -- cerebral and casual at the same time.

The milky tea opening is quite brief, and quickly dries down to slightly sweetened smokiness. It smells almost exactly like skin after standing next to a campfire. It's a love-it-or-hate-it thing. I happen to love it. This would be a great scent to wear in fall, with t-shirt and jeans and some nice boots. Quite chic in the right environment, I think.

Gotta love the verisimilitude. It does indeed smell like animals in a circus, and leather. Splendid workmanship, just not for me.

I go back and forth on this fragrance. I think if one is unfamiliar with Iso E Super and the whole idea of synthetics in perfumery in general, Molecule 01 can be quite captivating. Because there's something slightly otherworldly and unnatural -- of course -- about that pepper, incense, and Iso E Super's idealized cedar, a combination that smells familiar enough to grab your attention but is weird enough to keep you guessing. But over time and as one smells more fragrances with Iso E Super, the veil is lifted and a lot of Molecule 01's narrative interest sort of falls away. Still good, but perhaps not mystical.

But the price they ask for this stuff is HILARIOUS. Totally not worth it. Now, if they'd charge less and perhaps cut out some of the pretentious uber-designer nonsense that surrounds it, then this fragrance might be worth your while.

Brilliant. I love the retro-cool mix of spice, florals, and leather. There's something sexy-professor-ish about it.

This fragrance is hilarious! Smells like berries right off the bat, and hangs on to the candy and sugar until the drydown. I have to give it credit for the sheer ballsiness of creating something so unironic and upfront about its, uh, cuteness. I have no idea who would wear this apart from 14-year-olds, but I'm sure it'll find a larger market within those obsessed with kawaii-culture and all things Gwen.

This fragrance has no character. I wouldn't even rate it amongst the 'nice and inoffensive' scents, because it so faint that to call it watery would be an overstatement. It smells like all those generic bright, fruity body sprays, only watered down with the sugar content turned to 'low'. I guess you can give the brand credit for not trying too hard, but on the other hand, I'm annoyed they're charging so much for something so boring.

To be perfectly honest, it smells like water-logged dirt in the drydown. Yet I mean that in the nicest possible way: there's something watery and delicate about that interplay of 'lotus' notes, especially, that I find lovely, but it has enough weirdness to make it interesting. Longevity is poor, however, which I feel has been the great weakness of the Jardin series, but maybe it's symptomatic of Ellena's minimalist style.

Performs exactly as expected. The opening is nice -- the mandarin/lychee opening has some sparkle, but overall this smells like a vaguely fruity room candle. And I like odd scents, but Look never quite makes me want to smell like... Look.

More 'safe' than 'sophisticated', but perfectly fine for a young person who doesn't want to smell like she's trying too hard.

The violet leaf + meteorite description is bang on, especially the meteorite part. This smells incredibly metallic and... technological, like a perfume for computers.

It's interesting, but I don't know if I want to personally smell like this, or smell anything else like this, for that matter. But it's definitely worth a try.

To be perfectly honest, this is just a slightly more refined version of all those sugar-sweet 'body sprays' they market towards young girls and women. If you like sweet and pink, then you'll love this. Personally, it gives me a headache.

Uh, it smells like something I'd clean a bathroom with. Then again, my tolerance for citrus (especially lemon) is limited, so I'm not the audience this is speaking to. Citrus-lovers are rightfully agog -- this delivers one whallop of a lemon bouquet, for sure.

Well, it's musk -- end of story. A refined light musk that would probably layer nicely with other fragrances, but musk all the same.

A sweet, slightly gristly opening that I don't identify as any fruit in particular -- nor do I want to, because I don't want to be thinking 'apricot' every time I spray this -- then fades to that beautiful suede. Simply luminous.

But! Sillage is poor, longevity is poor, though I think part of its charm is its subtlety (or weakness -- whatever you want to call it). Not that I don't find it annoying, you know, but I wonder if I would love this so much if it lasted longer on my skin. Probably something about its ephemeral quality makes it more enchanting to me, like it's a scent I'm constantly chasing after.

The head and middle are brilliant -- delightfully peppery, neither cold nor hot, and slightly bracing (for something that's non-watery). I like this sort of fragrance, more straightforward than coy. But the drydown is pure church incense that's dry as dust. I suppose that's part of the appeal of this fragrance, but I couldn't quite stand smelling like old church.

Smells old and frumpy and soapy. No.

Opens with vinyl/rubber, swiftly settles into vanilla, and finally a vanilla-tinged musk that is slightly baby powder-ish. I don't find this 'edgy' or as complex at all, save for that fleeting bike tire opening. I think some people are being swayed by the name and presentation -- otherwise it's a unisex vanilla with a bit of a twist. That said, it is very wearable, and I wouldn't mind a small bottle.

I don't get leather or honey or any distinct florals out of Kelly Caleche, but I did get a remarkable bright, vegetal heart -- almost green, but rounded. Unsurprisingly, I also smell this -- whatever it is, accord or not -- in the Jardin series, especially Méditerranée and Mousson (which, looking back, now smells like a concoction made of Kelly Caleche + Sur le Nil's earth notes + melon).

To me, Kelly Caleche also smells remarkably like a non-powdery Chanel no. 19. Not the same notes, but a similar quality of brightness and unsweetened florals.

Opens with powdery citrus then dries down as Iso E Super's synthetic cedar (or if you like, it dries down as Escentric 01). I find that I like the smell of Iso E Super, so no complaints on that score from me. Over all this fragrance strikes me as clean and pleasant, if not exactly exciting. It's a nice step up from the floral or musky nightmares aimed at the general market. I would find it more interesting on a guy, if only because it would be more unexpected.

Incredibly dated, but unlike many of the old classics, I still found this interesting. Very powdery and perfumey and oddly familiar, even after smelling it for the first time -- it must have been copied like crazy in the ensuing decades, I imagine. Or maybe it's all those aldehydes.

Definitely worth a try if you encounter it, but as a twentysomething young woman I can't imagine it being relevant for my generation anymore. Then again my taste runs a bit anti-perfume.

Yep -- bell pepper. I enjoy unconventional scents as much as the next person, but I wish more effort had been made to make this into a wearable scent. Because there's something here -- like one component of a hypothetical, indie fragrance.

Very interesting opening with lots of berry and a hint of chocolate, but the middle and drydown is just the sort of faded, generic patchouli.

Indeed, very fresh without seeming sharp or chemical like other aquatic fragrances.

A fresh bright opening, then quickly mellowing into an interesting chemical-spice middle, then a woodsy drydown.

I don't quite understand all the negative reviews of this frag. But although it's hardly groundbreaking, Tokyo is exactly what its advertisement seems to evoke: a modern scent for modern young men who would be better off using something relatively complex yet muted like Tokyo than some other musk-and-vetiver-ridden frag.

Interesting and lively citrus/grapefruit -- indeed 'yellow-green' with a uncomplicated sweetness at its base. Citrus lovers would enjoy it.

People looking for a modern rose should try this, especially if they liked Stella McCartney Stella. Now, if Stella is the older, cosmopolitan sister in her 20's, L - L.A.M.B. is the more appropriate rose scent for her younger sister -- it's that powdery, soap-y quality in L.A.M.B. that keeps it from having the clarity and bloom of Stella. But all in all it's pretty without being cloying, and would be a more interesting scent choice for a young teen rather than those terrible body sprays they usually wear.

For the money, Guerlain's Herba Fresca is the better mint fragrance.

It does smell like Manila -- but a memory of old Manila. ~Literally~ old, because it smells like that floor wax that people in the Philippines use on floors in old Philippines houses. So basically this smells like the floors in grandma's old house, with a strong dose of chemical-banana on the opening.

But for verisimilitude, it sure got me. Great to have and sniff, or even as a scent for the home, but not as a perfume.

You know what, as glaringly ubsubtle and bourgeois as this is (from the cotton candy overload to the "Sexy" in the actual product name, for crying out loud), this is a fun fragrance. Great for a weekend in Vegas with your girlfriends, or something.

It's like Carolina Herrera 212 Sexy's cotton candy/floral/fruity sweetness tempered by J'adore's serious white florals. Very pretty effort, but lacking nuance and interest that, for example, set J'adore apart from the rest of its (old-lady-white-floral) field.

Lovely and golden-flowered, but a grown up woman's perfume -- serious, sober, and elegant. Great longevity, though it tends to become 'generic expensive floral' after a while. Not my cup of tea, but I do admire it.

(I have the Absolute version.)

Many people have said it before, but it bears repeating: this is a modern rose perfume. It's light enough to be wearable during the day, but complex enough to be taken out at night. Not groundbreaking by any means, but if you're a 21st century girl with a latent romantic streak, you should try this. It is straightforward rather than flirty.

Very prominent tropical florals with an interesting musk base. Having grown up with frangipani and jasmine in 'the tropics', the character of this scent resonated with me and, sigh, I went for the big bottle.

This scent can be overpowering; it's not subtle by any means. It also lacks complexity and, looking back, those tropical florals can degrade into old-lady-gardenia-perfume territory.

A wearable mint fragrance that strikes a good balance between floral and green. Not that it's floral, but it doesn't have a harsh, grassy quality to its greenness. Very refreshing, especially in the summer. Doesn't last, but then it's subtle enough to be sprayed multiple times.

Fun grapefruit fragrance with a vanilla drydown that's fun without being overly-flirty. Good for daytime wear; very refreshing. Doesn't last terribly long, but that's fine.

I obsessed over this for months! It's completely unlike anything else; there's something more abstract about it, perhaps because of that high Iso E content. From the pepper and citrus opening to the cedar-chemical drydown, this scent is amazing. AMAZING. Modern and nuanced and exciting.

This was my gateway drug into perfumemania, so I can't hate it.

It's musk and white flowers with powder. It isn't subtle, however, which baffles me whenever people say that. It sure overpowers the air whenever someone's wearing it (and I've noticed that people tend to wear a lot of it). Looking back, there is a slightly chemical quality to the 'warmth' that now strikes me as jarring.

Smells like sunscreen with a yellow/powdery dry-down. You either like the sunscreen thing, or you don't. I didn't like the idea at first, but I've grown to appreciate it. It's definitely a comfortable, day-wearable scent that's at least a little bit interesting.

I found this quite unlike most perfumes I've experienced. It has a wonderful "oriental" feel that isn't a literal, watery, Japanese paper-cranes-and-white-tea type of "oriental" -- it goes a bit further, a bit South East Asian, with a wonderful jungle-y (ha) feeling: that smell of depth and vegetation and humidity. I'm originally *from* South East Asia so I found this very compelling.

I think this is a great evening perfume; a bit too heady for daytime/office wear. It's distinctive and VERY long-lasting -- a little goes a long way!