Reviews by Mimi Gardenia

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    Mimi Gardenia
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    Showing 1 to 30 of 303.
    rating

    Petite Chérie by Annick Goutal

    For the EDP :
    A very true Bartlett pear note opens big with Petite Cherie and quickly rose is quite prominent followed by a light non foody vanilla . The grass note is not perceptible to me but as a previous reviewer mentioned - there seems to be a watery accord in there towards the dry down . No cumin for me ,the rose is not musky to me at all.
    Sometimes I get rose-vanilla water syrup and other times I get fresh cut peaches and vanilla. The pear note is fleeting though highly enjoyable. The best pear note I have smelt in a scent so far. This is a sweet fragrance but sweet like inhaling the aroma of 'fruit cocktail' - the good old canned variety (!) and not a huge gourmand.
    Even for an EDP the tenacity is lacking somewhat. I find Folavril has better projection and tenacity even though it is of EDT strength .
    I have read reviews that Petite Cherie resembles the smell of a new Cabbage Patch Doll.Having never owned a Cabbage Patch doll I have no scent associations of Petite Cherie with them.
    I find Annick Goutals last well if sprayed on hair and onto fabric. They all last well if I spray my hair. If you like smelling your perfume - getting whiffs of it from time to time - spraying your hair is the wayto go with Goutals.
    Very few scents are particularly 'girly' to me but Petite Cherie is most definitely very female ,girly, bright and wide eyed.
    I am not particularly girlie but I guess I could use this to 'bring out' my girlie side ! :) It's good stuff but will not appeal to everyone I am sure. It's unusual - it smells fresh ,the accords are quite life like. If you like a sweet light aquatic rose plus vanilla- I think you may enjoy Petite Cherie.
    Advice : Go straight for the EDP for better longevity .Layer with the body cream .

    26th August, 2011.

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    Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel

    I am an extremely latecomer to Coco Mademoiselle- possibly a decade behind those who love this scent so much .
    EDT- bright multi citric opening - sharp , somewhat sweet. Less florals and also less sweet than the EDP. A sheerer interpretation but not necesarily less good. This is more unisex than the EDP - with a sheer earthy ( due to patchouli ? ) drydown . I swear this is used to perfume some of Chanel's expensive facial products as well- the smell is familiar to me .
    Therefore - sharpish citric floral ,sweetish and earthy -woodsy in a good way .

    EDP- fabulous opening notes- sweet and tart ,bright orange ,bergamot and God knows what else. It's very memorable. The EDP is definitely more feminine being much sweeter though still remaining a fruity- floral chypre. No floral notes stand out to me but the clean patchouli always makes itself heard as the EDP approaches the dry down . In fact on my skin, the EDP goes through an almost 'minty ' phase which is delightful.
    Tenacious , mouth watering chypre . Excellent fragrance and I am sorry I didn't give it the time of day earlier.

    5th August, 2011.

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    Eau de Charlotte by Annick Goutal

    A whimsical fragrance that begins lightly green and fruity with blackcurrant . The signature Annick Goutal aroma is always there . Eau de Charlotte becomes sweeter and more jammy, milky as the scent dries down ,all the while remaining ethereal and soft in character. The cocoa note is very subtle .
    To me there IS a similarity with Folavril with the light tart green and fruit in the begining but Eau de Charlottle carries her own style though as it is sweeter and a little powdery as it progresses.
    One of my favorites from Annick Goutal.

    25th July, 2011.

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    Folavril by Annick Goutal

    Folavril - the tart yet plush green of tomato leaf , the hint of lush mango and an ethereal jasmine note . Soft, sweet ( like Eau de Charlotte but not so jammy ,dense and sticky ) Citrus comes out later . It is a melody . So , I found the Goutal I can wear every day . Passion has changed and it is very heavy . Eau de Charlotte is gorgeous but my first pick is this.
    It IS a beauty . Yes there is soapiness and I love my soap . Quite tenacious for an eau de toilette and for a Goutal.

    23rd July, 2011.

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    Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford

    Beautiful neroli scent - quite lasting . I find it intensely soapy actually which is a good thing.

    13rd June, 2011.

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    Fleurs d'Oranger by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    Rambunctious ,full blooming, dripping orange blossom- sweet, heavy lidded and sexy . There is a hint of black tea in there somewhere that keeps Fleurs d'orange from tipping sideways into indolic hell . Yes, there's a hint of sweet tuberose but the orange blossom is 100 % there. Some similarity to 24 Faubourg but the Hermes is a lady and the Lutens is a showgirl .:)
    Lasting power - very good .Sillage very good.

    17th May, 2011.

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    04 Petrana by Odin New York

    Petrana - an interesting unisex. Women should give this one a try too for it's very wearable .
    This is to sum up - an elegant iris fragrance. Sweetish and powdery to start. Sheer and subtle. Candied Violets is what I thought when I applied this.However , the iris shines after the top notes and lasts till dry down.
    If Dior Homme appeals ,then this should too.

    10th May, 2011. (Last Edited: 12nd May, 2011.)

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    Vanille Extreme by Comptoir Sud Pacifique

    I have tried so many vanillas - I think I have tried them all - from the mega expensive and niche to every day oils and designer scents and yet I love this.
    I love this Vanille Extreme- I want straight up ,in your face and 'I don't care if I am synthetic' vanilla.
    My reference vanilla is the low brow Olay Vanilla Indulgence body wash and soap . It is the creamiest ,most delicious foody caramel sweet vanilla ever. Even Tihota can't compare to Olay Vanilla Indulgence- I guess I love it !
    Vanille extreme is the best thing next to Vanilla Indulgence.

    28th April, 2011.

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    Alba by Profumum

    For now, it looks like I'm the only one who loves this.
    Slightly praline , nutty cream mixed with some powder and white woods.F or some reason this is what Nivea in the blue jar/tin smells like on my skin too. Weird but true. This is possibly the last scent I thought would smell like Nivea but it does. The cream woods are skin soft and melt right into my skin. This is a very subtle scent but lasting .

    26th April, 2011.

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    Vaniglia del Madagascar by Farmacia SS. Annunziata

    I have come to the conclusion that I am a foody deep and rich vanilla scent gal or an almondy rich vanilla powdery scent gal. I think I don't like citrus much mixed with vanilla but rather a bit of smoke and caramel or powder .
    Hence I cannot give this 5 stars . This is more or less straight up vanilla but lightened by citrus notes. That's all well and good but I like my vanilla thick and really creamy. This is thinner than let's say Jalaine Vanilla and also CSP's Vanilla Extreme - both of which I prefer.
    This is however still and excellent vanilla scent but it cannot surpass the now sadly discontinued Tihota by Indult.

    26th April, 2011.

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    Garofano by Santa Maria Novella

    This is straight up carnation done extremely well . It's pure carnation flower joy. Clove-y ,spicey but sheer. A thing of beauty .

    22nd April, 2011.

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    Carnation by Mona di Orio

    An interesting scent and I am trying to marry the ad copy and name with the fragrance itself. I don't know how a maiden's blooming cheek smells abit skanky but I am allowing for 'artisitc licence' here ! .
    The top notes are a little bit skanky - not off putting but interesting and then it becomes sweeter, smoother, just a little bit powdery but I never lose that slight citrussy feel . The musk comes around eventually and it becomes a warmer subtle scent- more delicate warmth and a skin scent.
    Again , with this house, there is inspiration from Guerlain here- I am even reminded of Sous Le Vent in the dry down with this fragrance. I wish this perfumer would find her own style a little bit.
    I remain on the fence, kicking my legs, about this one.

    20th April, 2011.

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    Burqa by So Oud

    Incredibly well blended ,incredibly middle eastern and exotic, incredibly unisex. This is like a thick dark syrup of woods,amber, sap and incense with touches of quirky sweetness from jasmine ,cardamom and rose which are not prominent but mixed together,to relieve us of too much darkness. There is a little bit of leather but a lot of incense . Got to be in a gothic kind of mood for this one. Interesting and a little definitely goes a long way.

    20th April, 2011.

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    Crème Bouquet by Stila

    Vanilla floral, mildly powdery ambience of a scent. Like a cloud of vanilla florals.Light ,feminine and quite delicious . A little bit of white flowers, a whole lot of vanilla ,pretty skin scent. Love. :)
    if you like Ava Luxe Angel Face or Doll face , Calypso St Barth's Le'a and Profumum's Vanitas - then you will probably like this. It has the same vibe.
    The list of notes are just vanilla, lilac and lily of the valley although I am sure there must be almond and heliotrope in there . The lily is not pronounced on my skin.This is lovely stuff.

    18th April, 2011. (Last Edited: 20th April, 2011.)

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    Les Nombres d'Or - Musc by Mona di Orio

    First up neroli followed by wafts of heliotrope, a dash of rose and tonka plus a clean white musk . Powdery ,light musk veering towards feminine . It's heavy on the heliotrope for quite a while. I think lovers of almond and heliotrope plus clean subtle scents will enjoy this one. Its like a fluffy souffle or pastry - sweetish ..a touch of gourmand. Definite inspiration from the House of Guerlain here - in particular - their 'muscinade' in their newer scents -for example Cruel Gardenia . The Guerlain scents are better. This Musc is not original but it's quite well done.

    18th April, 2011.

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    Les Nombres d'Or - Ambre by Mona di Orio

    After my run in with Cuir, I appoached with caution . However, silly me- there is nothnig to be afraid of and everything to embrace. On top is cedar - lightly fresh wood- giving way to blended notes of vanilla, tolu ,benzoin and a touch of ylang . Spiced earth and drama concoction ,unisex and darkly sweet. Smooth , some powder. Not over the top - just right. Lovely amber.

    18th April, 2011.

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    Portrait of a Lady by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

    I am going to have to try this again because my 2 samplings of this have produced little love so far.
    Intially though this is what I think- it is a blast of patchouli ,woods and incense. The rose is not fore front for me at all . It's dark but verging more on the masculine side of scent offerings. Will try again.

    18th April, 2011.

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    Musc Ravageur by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

    When I was very new to smelling niche scents, Musc Ravageur oil had me running to wash it off and hiding my sample somewhere it could not harm others ! It scared me with it's overtly sexual smell.The EDP is slightly diffferent .
    Firstly, Musc Ravageur - oil or EDP has a slight fecal or skanky factor to it. It is as Off Scenter has said in his review- there is a Jicky vibe to it. A dirty-ish ,rakish vanilla - naughty and sexy.It's what gives this fragrance 'the edge'.
    The oil is stronger in the sweaty pants department and the EDP is more forgiving and cuddly.
    All these years later, I am still scared to try the oil again but the EDP is one I do love.It is a scent that although is warm and sexy , has a disturbing darker side to it. I do not get foody associations with it- simply boudoir and darkness covered by cream.
    This is a bold scent, strong and lasting. Good stuff. If you want to ramp up the sweat factor- get the oil.
    Despite the name,I believe there is little or no actual musk in Musc Ravageur - it is more of a concept.

    18th April, 2011.

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    Noir de Noir by Tom Ford

    Mmmmm, Noir de Noir. Absolutely devastatingly gorgeous for a woman or a man . I tried this several times duty free and the only thing that stopped me from buying this was the liquids ruling on aircraft and a lack of space in my LAG bag.
    Deep and sweet , unisex, definitely dark and alluring. The only thing is , I didn't find it lasted too well on me. Still , this is a worthy fragrance. I hope Tom Ford doesn't chop this one of the block any time soon like he did with Moss Breches.

    18th April, 2011.

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    Intense Tiare by Montale

    When I first tried this at the Montale boutique in Paris, I got a headache and I love gardenia ! Now I put it down to too much perfume sampling at the time. My good friend Aromi sent me a sample of this and ...it's heaven . It's that smell of gardenia macerated in coconut oil- monoi oil - which I love !
    It's indeed intense and it is tiare. What more can a gardenia girl want.

    16th April, 2011.

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    Lux by Mona di Orio

    Lux is a moving scent for its progressive aroma and for the story behind its creation - Mona di Orio's tribute to her mentor Edmond Roudnitska - quite beautiful in many ways . Lux meaning 'light' in latin but also I feel this scent is about the marriage or union of opposites.

    Light and dark, masculine and feminine , happy and broody and so it goes on.This scent IS yoga- a union. It begins light and ends dark ,it is both male and female ,it 's both uplifting and thoughtful .

    It starts intensely citrus yellowy -lemon with hints of lemongrass and slowly moves through to green with vetiver. The basenotes and the dry down are simply superb with rock rose or labdanum ,vanilla, musk and amber. There is so much depth of feeling in this.

    Now I have to say that Lux ,though gorgeous, is not very original. It smells like Shalimar and somewhat similar to Le Labo Labdanum 18 - in the dry down . The lemony ,vanilla feel and the sexy lingering basenotes. Lux's vanilla ,to me, is slightly sweeter , a little more gourmand than the special burnt vanilla of Guerlain.

    The middle notes of Lux remind me of Eau Sauvage by Edmond Roudnitska. Benjamin at the Harrods' Haute Parfumerie said that Lux is Mona's finished version of Roudnitska's Eau Sauvage so it is closely related. It's Eau Sauvage with a lasting base - when that was explained to me, I understood the scent more. To me, it's also Shalimar and Eau Sauvage joined - what a combination !

    Longevity is also very good - the labdanum stays and stays especially on hair .
    The bottle is quite something with heft. Love this. Well done .

    4th March, 2011.

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    No. 5 Eau Première by Chanel

    It's taken me several years and several major samplings of this ,to eventually get the smallest sized bottle. 40 ml. It is an exercise in orde rto get to know this jus properly.
    Eau Premiere is a lighter and different interpretation of the original No.5 whose blueprint lays hidden beneath a watery vanilla and citrus emphasis.
    Citrus, lighter washes of rose and jasmine that exit quickly to vanilla and some sandalwood I am guessing. Again this version of No.5 is nothing like the EDT or the EDP or even the extrait. The vanilla is very evident ,making it sweeter . The softer and fluffy citrus leads the opening .
    Longevity is not that good. Several large sprays lasts for a couple of hours..... if that.
    I will say this smells rather dilute compared to even the EDT which lasts for ages on my skin. Instead Eau Premiere is softer , it's smell is that of some sort of rosy face cream to me.
    I believe I love it for that aspect- the rosy creamy face cream smell.

    9th February, 2011.

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    2000 Fleurs by Creed

    Infusions of a myriad flowers all rolled into a bottle and shaken up with a fruity accent - melon, I think .Magnolia,rose,lilac,jasmine,iris, jonquil,amber,musk are the notes but I swear to you that melon is in this scent. The amber isl ight and airy ,the musk is subtle and chic. It's modern and rich in its own way . This is not a loud floral fragrance but one that weaves a little mystery when you wear it.
    Lasting power is quite good and there is decent sillage for a perfume that is so subtle in character. This is my first bottle of 2000 Fleurs but it won't be my last.

    13rd January, 2011.

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    Kiehl's Original Musk by Kiehl's

    I refrained from commenting on this fragrance before . I originally tried this duty free and it was instant revulsion . it just seemed so 'dirty knickers' at the time. It reminded me of how my weights' gloves smell when I haven't washed them for awhile ! Yikes !
    I just re tested this- the spray version and was surprised that I like it now. It's animalic, dusky, powdery , dirty - ish but wearable. Interesting fragrance to me and one I believe I can now wear .

    20th December, 2010.

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    Allure Sensuelle by Chanel

    Fruity- floral ( not very exciting ) and woodsy overall- a rich ,sweet and moderately deep fragance- surprisingly not that girlie smelling on me. I find it quite unisex.I like this very much even though it has the dreaded pink pepper in it . Definitely aimed at the younger target customer but definitely wearable and that is what counts.

    16th December, 2010.

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    J'Adore L'Or by Christian Dior

    A nearly completely different scent from the original . This flanker deserves to stand alone in terms of quality ,elegance and artistry . Beautifully made with the best jasmine and rose de mai from Grasse=from Dior's own fields . For me this scent is all about the jasmine and rose duo which reminds me of Joy but a modern take and sweeter in character .
    The effort put into the juice is great and you should read Octavian Coifan's review of this on his blog. I cannot describe it better than he .
    The packaging is exclusive with an inner and outer box, a small card stating that the rose and jasmine comes from Grasse and that the perfume was hand packaged .
    This all takes me by surpise as Dior is making an effort to put some exclusivity back into their 'mass' perfumes ,it seems.
    Tenacity is excellent - 2 sprays will last the next morning and then some . The depth of the fragrance is outstanding - oily with natural essences ,soft and rich.

    7th December, 2010.

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    J'Adore L'Absolu by Christian Dior

    Ah! J'adore Absolu - you evil white floral minx , catching me off guard when I'm jetlagged! Begins as a foghorn of sweet , rich tuberose candy and other big white flowers and decides it's gonna try to be 24 Faubourg by Hermes in it's mid notes and drydown. Definitely more interesting than the original and has excellent lasting power. Lovers of the original Caroline Hererra and Givenchy's Amarige may like this. Now I'm no longer jetlagged , I find this a little too much every day. Still a worthy scent for my ' big floral wench' days!

    15th November, 2010.

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    Cristalle Eau Verte by Chanel

    This is an interesting Cristalle flanker and one that I actually do 'like' / love. It opens hugely biting with lemon and bergamot .This is the strongest aspect of the scent. It reminds me of the the newly formulated Shaliamr type lemony top . I find it sharp ,savory and interesting - even if it 'may' be synthetic . I get very little magnolia and mostly green with a back drop and dry down of light iris. This is not the same iris of No.19 - again, I think it's synthetic iris but still fresh and quite wearable. After the invigorating opening ,I admit the rest of Eau Verte is like Eau Linen .
    For me, the top notes make this a viable fresh fragrance. However if it is actually 'verte' you are after, perhaps.No.19 especially in the EDT will be a better choice. Buy this only if you have spare cash you don't mind spending to try out a 'different' Cristalle otherwise it would be wiser to stick to the orignal Cristalle EDT or No. 19 . Longevity is not great,- even the original Cristalle EDT has slightly better tenacity on my skin.

    15th November, 2010.

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    L'Oiseau de Nuit by Parfumerie Generale

    An interesting scent with liquer of davana - which is why I decided to test it. The top notes smell like sweet fruit candy wrapped in thick plastic. Not a bad smell but not the best. It becomes more transparent as the top notes burn off, hanging on to the sweetness and becoming ambery . Not bad ,not the best.

    8th October, 2010.

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    Epic Woman by Amouage


    Here's another Amouage I have decided I love. Medicinally cool , pepper- like green with depth from the oud - lightly floral touches to smooth away the rough edges. Lovely bay and cinnamon . I actually like the Oud in this . The Oud note reminds me of the Oud note in Ajne's Desir - wonderful . It does remind me of Ormonde Jayne's Woman and as Epic Woman dries down, it also resembles Absinth by Nasomatto but Epic is less herbal. but I prefer Epic Woman . Nicely blended - this is a green magic forest scent . This is a scent the mythical "The Green Man ' might bestow on the women he favors.

    7th October, 2010. (Last Edited: 8th October, 2010.)

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