Basenotes - Reviews by E-beth

Abu Dhabi

Showing 1 to 6 of 6.

Black Vetyver Café by Jo Malone

I had been warned off by perfumistas who claim that everything Jo Malone has ever done is underwhelming, but this is one I like and wear semi-regularly.

Its a journey perfume-- starts as coffee and ends as vetiver. A little perfumey for my taste, but sooo interesting that I can't resist jumping on every once in a while for the ride...

I agree with Surreality that the coffee note is very gourmande, but I fine the vetiver to be refreshingly sharp and green, and not so smoky.

The longevity is decent, and though the coffee open fades quickly, on my skin it makes an encore appearance in the dry-down.

31st July, 2008.

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Angel by Thierry Mugler

Sickenningly sweet. Fruity to my nose, with just the smallest hint of insect repellent.

22nd July, 2008.

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Louve by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

Opens with frothy marzipan and maraschino cherries. VERY light and sweet and girly. The cherry gives way to powder and airy musk, which weave in and out of the marzipan. Suddenly, ten minutes in, a sharp bitter almond upstages the other nights, and predominates for 5 minutes or so. When the bitter almond fades, the marzipan-marchino-powder-musk returns: subtler, gentler, well-blended and less sweet. This is my favorite phase of the perfume.

Not an everyday perfume for me, but perfect for a girly-girl mood: wear this one to get a pedicure with your pre-teen niece.

17th July, 2008.

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Memory of Kindness by CB I Hate Perfume

Very crisp and green; acrid with a shadow of sweetness. Open with pure tomato leaf, but there's an underlying metalic/salty note that develops over time. This is not a complex scent: pure, straightforward, and simple. Despite the lack of layers (and their mystique), I find this scent compulsive-- I keep returning to my wrist for another fix. The perfect scent for a non-perfume occasion like gardenning, the farmer's market, or an early morning walk.

15th July, 2008.

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Poivre by Caron

Open with a blast of clove, and an underwhelming hint of pepper. For the first 5 or ten minutes I have the unpleasant sensation that my body has been puntured with cloves like some kind of gigantic holiday decoration gone wrong. The only evidence of pepper, or any other scent, is the tickle in my nose.

The clove mellows with time, sharing the stage with cardomon and vanilla (?), and vaguest shadow of pepper. An elegant and indulgent potpourri, which is not exactly to my liking, but it is hard to ignore the quality of the composition.

On my skin, the potpourri fades rather quickly into the caron base, which itself fades even faster. After 20 minutes, I can't tell it was ever there.

15th July, 2008.

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Eau des Merveilles by Hermès

Opens with a blast of wood and citrus, with the wood burning off rather quickly. The scent delivers the salt promised, from the first note through the dry-down. I was, however, surprised and slightly dissapointed with the powdery softness of the scent. More "Tiempe Passate" than "Sel de Vetiver". The vetiver note, incidentally, holds on my skin through the drydown, tempering the powder. My husband thinks it smells like Holiday Inn soap, which is not quite the insult it sounds like.

12nd July, 2008.

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Showing 1 to 6 of 6.