Fragrance Reviews by rachelsf

I got a sample of this and it was incredible. I bought a full bottle online and it was a real let down. Not the same as the sample at all -much more floral and without the bite. I realize now that the sample was the EDT and the bottle is the EDP. What a difference! I wish I'd read these reviews first. It seems that Bandit varies from one formulation to the next. Try both before you buy!

Thumbs up is for the EDT.

Distinctive enough to be instantly recognizable, but somehow disappointing. On the top I get good dose of red berries, followed by a base that smells like iris and white musk. It seems to clunk along rather awkwardly from one (very) synthetic note to the next. There's something a little 'dead' in the overall effect. I wish it had more sparkle and heart. It's as if the top and base notes are tip-toeing around the edges but the fragrance is hollow in the center. It's crying out for something more radiant in the mix to lift the whole fragrance up a notch. It's just so dreary.

No.5 is undoubtedly beautiful and timeless but on my skin, sadly, has absolutely no staying power. I get 10 minutes of sparkling aldehydes, before skipping straight to the powdery drydown. After an hour it's all gone. For me there is no radiant heart in this fragrance. Tragic, as I have experienced its beauty on other people. However, this disappointment is with the EDT which is the only formulation I've tried. I've read recently that the EDT, EDP and Parfum are three very different experiences. In fact, it seems, they are probably three very different fragrances - the EDT being a 50s or 60s reformulation, the EDP an 80s take, and only the Parfum true to the original 1921 conceit. This said, the varied experiences in the many reviews here are for 3 different fragrances with 3 different characters. My hope is that I am still to find the No.5 that works for me. I look forward to trying a sample of the EDP and Parfum to compare. To be continued...

A scent which stays very true to the character of actual myrrh - a resin which smells different than you might expect. I recently smelled a pure myrrh essential oil and it is surprisingly different to other resinous scents. Myrrh by itself has none of that exotic, oriental spiceyness found in frankincense or sandalwood etc., but a pretty, sunny, peachy aroma with a slight piney woodiness. La Myrrhe captures this light-hearted spirit of the resin perfectly, with a cheerful layer of citrus and sparkling aldehydes on top. Additional bitter and sweet notes add a little variety, but on the whole enhance the beauty of the myrrh. La Myrrhe is notably light and cheerful compared to the many ponderous, sultry orientals in the Serge Lutens line. Well worth a try.

This fragrance is a little hard to comprehend at first... Overall, to me this smells closest to a light, watery, ethereal chypre. I think the chypre accord is there - citrus from the mandarin, woods and amber - particularly in the dry-down. However, its nod to chypre is more as a bearer of complex narrative rather than through any customary notes, which are displaced one exotic step before herbs, flowers, fruit, and spices thrown into the mix. It's incredible with this eclectic melange that the whole thing hangs together with such airy simplicity. For those most comfortable with quiet, aqueous scents, this has a definite intrigue and mystery that stretches beyond usual territory. CdG3 is pleasantly unusual and one of the brand's best offerings.

Passage D'Enfer doesn't conjure fire and brimstone falling from the sky as the ground cracks open and sulphur gushes from the abyss. No, more a recollection of the hellish boredom of sitting in middle school choir practice. All the nostalgic references are there: the chipped and polished wood of the pews; the cracked musty dryness of hymn books; the dankness of stone flagstones; a musky damp from 30 woolen blazers that have come in from November rain; the waft of lilies and linen from the alter; the dust blasting out of the steely organ; and the sickly sweetness of lemon sherbet and cola cubes being sneaked between refrains. However, although all the elements of the final performance are there in Passage D'Enfer it somehow never manages to get beyond the choir practice: a competent rehearsal but without the devilish glory of the final chorus.

A slightly bizarre scent with clear changes from top to base. The initial accord is surprisingly gourmand and spicy, like eating a curry in the middle of a wet, muddy forest. A couple of hours in, I get less of the spicy, turmeric-like notes and more of the cedar smokiness. This phase, between hours 2-3, is my favorite as the scent has a wonderful, warm, outdoors-y character with hints of wet fur and Autumn leaves. Then, all too quickly it's gone. By the 5th hour or so, this has faded to a dry-down akin to several L'Artisan scents, on me at least. Timbuktu, Dzongkha, Passage D'Enfer, Mechant Loup - all smell alike on me after 5 hours. There must be some regular L'Artisan basenote(s) that does this, but I haven't quite identified it yet. It sounds crazy and unlikely I know, but I did a test with the very dissimilar Passage D'Enfer on one wrist and Mechant Loup on the other. After 5 hours, I couldn't tell which was which. This makes me sad! So... a great forest-like scent but as with several other L'Artisans needs frequent reapplication to retain its true character.

A beautiful, floral chypre. The rose note is dusky and smouldering, never sweet, fresh or cloying. The chypre notes give woody interest and depth to the rose at the heart of the fragrance. The pretty melody of the rose prevents it from ever becoming dreary. I am devotee of Guerlain's Mitsouko but readily wear Rose Barbare as a pretty, feminine alternative that turns the volume down a notch but still has the edge of a chypre. Together, these frags are good companions and very versatile.

I just wanted to add a quick note as the reviews here seem to be all men and I'm a woman that regularly wears Pour Monsieur. It's one of my absolute favorite top five scents (and I'm not butch or androgynous, in fact quite feminine). I like and suit good chypres and couldn't believe how wonderful this fragrance was the first time I tried it. I suppose some would say "that's the point" and that I'm meant to find it attractive on a man rather than on myself. But definitions be damned. Many people have complimented me on this when I wear it... and then fall over when I tell them what it is. By good fortune (skin? DNA? karma?) Pour Monsieur doesn't smell like a macho cologne on me. I love wearing it in the summer for the sunny blast of citrus top-notes, which soon settles into a quiet powdery base that lasts all day. So girls, if you like citrusy-chypres surprise yourselves and give Pour Monsieur a try. It's classy and a fabulous day-time scent for warm days.

Be prepared for a shock if you like the fruity-floral cleaness of Clinique's usual offerings (see Happy et al.). In fact, the startling thing about Aromatics Elixir is that it's sold by Clinique at all. This doesn't make sense to me as AE smells like the antithesis of "Clinique" - all those squeaky clean shop assistants in their white lab coats brandishing their three-step skin prescriptions. Even the packaging for AE isn't very Clinique-esque.... and the perfume itself is even one more step removed. AE is a sweet, woody, chypre with a heady dose of patchouli. It's a very well structure fragrance with no rough edges, but as a Clinique product it's surprisingly dirty: a potent, earthy, herbal brew with terrific sillage and longevity.

High quality and accomplished floral oriental, but just not that interesting. Not a patch on Jubilation XXV.

The surprise in Missoni is that at first is seems as if is is going to play out as a fresh fruity-floral, but at its heart is the most delicious, warm milk chocolate note. It's a little bit like your best friend suddenly jumping out of one of those fake cakes. I'm not a fan of sugary perfumes and dislike a cotton candy note, nor do I like perfumes that smell too foodie (who wants to smell like they've been eating chocolate ice cream all afternoon?), but the chocolate at the heart of Missoni is not sugary or foodie: it's warm, friendly and glowing. The only downside is that the chocolate note faded on me after about an hour, and the dry-down was less notable. I'm not sure that this will be become a wardrobe staple but is definitely worth a try at the perfume counter. It's a surprisingly complex, quality and delightful frag considering it's major fashionista credentials.

“At last!” I though, admiring Dzing!’s acrobatic artwork, “A fragrance to revive my childhood fantasies of running away to join the circus!”. However, with the anticipation of feathers and sequins, colorful choreography and some playful clowning, I was sorely disappointed. … Nevertheless, Dzing! is memorable for having more chutzpah than you can shake a juggling club at. In Dzing! is the essence of the lion tamer: under his feet is burnt popcorn ground into the sawdust of the ring by skittish showhorses; around him are the fur and fluids of wild animals; in the air is the fearful adrenaline of a hushed crowd; all these are mastered by the single bold crack of a leather whip. Dzing ! is not for pretty showgirls: it is for courageous artists with wild spirits to tame.

A unique, sombre and potent fragrance which certainly isn't for everybody or for every occasion. For me this captures the spirit of Edward Gorey in a bottle: a monochrome, gloomy cloud silver-lined with shining wit, beautifully drawn by a masterful hand, and perhaps best worn at the wake of a favorite pet.

I first smelled this on a tester strip and thought it smells terrific but overall just too "foodie" to wear. I had a very strong desire to try cooking with the sampler as it smelled so completely delicious, but reckoned that maybe this is not such a good sign for something meant to be worn as a perfume: After all, who wants to walk around smelling like a rice pudding? However, I'm glad I persevered and spent a couple of days wearing "Safran Troublant" as the effects on my skin are less far less food-like. In my mind, it still has all the elements of a divine rice pudding: cream, rice, sugar, saffron, vanilla, cloves, cardamom, rose water, maybe a touch of additional spices (ginger, cinnamon, mace). The fabulous creamy, sweet (but not cloying) accord of the opening soon settles down into a lovely warm vanilla/sandalwood base, saved from being too flat by the brightness of the floral rose. I was really surprised at how pleasant this perfume is to wear and definitely will be adding it to my collection. It is a completely comforting scent from every angle. However, as mentioned in several of the other reviews, the longevity is not quite as good as other frags in the L'Artisan line.

Tuberose, tuberose, and beautifully done: There's a flash of something green and sweet in the top (jasmine and coconut are listed in the notes) and it then settles quickly into a subtle, beautiful tuberose. There is something pleasantly vegetal and animalic in the drydown, but overall it unfolds as tuberose soliflore. I agree with chengfun that the tuberose here is ethereal and exquisite and not the usual heady blast of heavy floral. I am not certain that I would buy "Beyond Love" as I generally prefer more complex frags, but this is a very beautiful and restrained perfume nonetheless. The ingredients are quality, the tuberose is beautiful and the longevity excellent. Probably the best fragrance in the "By Kilian" line.

A well-crafted perfume designed to have more of a purr than a roar. Sensuous is a pleasant and light woody-oriental. The floral top notes melt smoothly into a sweet, powdery base that has plenty of warmth and charm. It's about as sensual and challenging as the ad campaign's aloof A-list models in white Gap shirts, but is very easy to wear and has great lasting power so will undoubtedly sell well. It’s pleasant enough in a rather bland way and ideal for those timid about venturing into amber-oriental territory: this scent will not shout loudly or otherwise threaten. Personally, I get virtually the same attitude and sweet, buttery skin scent from a bottle of Palmer's cocoa butter body lotion: For the price, I'll stick with the Palmer's and save my hard earned cash for a frag with more bite. … Although perhaps Sensuous’ does have bite of a more elusive nature, as a grown-up oriental with mainstream popular appeal toppling the reign of tweeny fruity-floral confections. If so, bravo EL! (and I'll look forward to Sensuous Extreme).