Basenotes - Reviews by Kismet

United States

Showing 1 to 9 of 9.

Gaiac by Martine Micallef

This is my favorite Micallef fragrance so far (have tried Note Ambree (not good), Black Sea (reminds me of DK Black Cashmere), Note Vanille (too much vanilla for me).

Gaiac is warm, woody, sweet and cozy.
It smells like sweet, woody gingerbread. Not sickening gourmand sweet but pleasantly sweet. It reminds me a bit of Guerlain's Tonka Imperiale.

27th April, 2010.

Report Review

Alahine by Téo Cabanel

Alahine, what am amazing fragrance. It is so beautifully well blended that no single notes stick out. Overall it's an ambery oriental but it's totally different from the usual sweet ambers that are mostly vanilla. Alahine is not too sweet at all - in fact it leans toward being dry. It's dry, spicy, warm and I know there are floral notes there, in it's heart, but I can't pick them out. I'm trying to think of something to compare it with and I'm coming up blank. I suppose (this is a stretch) that it's a much much more incredible sort of Coco. I'm thinking of Chanel because there's a wonderfully sparkling aldehydic quality to Alahine - and aldehydes remind me of Chanel. Coco is Chanel's spicy oriental so therein lies the comparison. But I can't underscore how much better than Coco this is! It's buttery and deep and dark and intoxicating. For this sort of gorgeous quality I don't think Teo Cabanel is expensive at all. In fact, I think it's a bargain for it's uniqueness, it's excellent longevity and nice sillage (not too powerful but definitely present). If you like retro/classic fragrances like Chanel and lean towards orientals you must try Alahine. I'm in love.

25th November, 2009. (Last Edited: 16th February, 2010.)

Report Review

Osmanthus Interdite by Parfum d'Empire

Gorgeous, simply gorgeous.

This is my favorite osmanthus scent. It smells fruity and floral and tea-like with a citrusy apricot undertone. A musky leathery base adds dimension and it's overall very smooth, creamy and refreshingly joyous.

Just beautiful.

16th May, 2009.

Report Review

Ambre Russe by Parfum d'Empire

Gorgeously rugged, complex and multi-facted amber fragrance with excellent longevity.

I LOVE Ambre Russe.

24th March, 2009.

Report Review

Amarige Harvest Mimosa 2007 by Givenchy

This is an UNBELIEVABLY Gorgeous fragrance.

It bears a strong resemblance to the original Amarige (of course) but is *cleaner* less artificial and more obviously focused on delectable mimosa.

It smells like it has very high quality ingredients, even more so than most niche perfumes. All the Givenchy Harvest Editions are sublime and so smooooth.

I suppose you must like Amarige to begin with, because if you abhor regular Amarige I doubt you'd like the Harvest edition; but these Harvest Editions are absolutely amazing. The boxes and bottles are gorgeous, too.

Striking. Stunning. Beautiful.

1st January, 2009. (Last Edited: 21st May, 2011.)

Report Review

Alien by Thierry Mugler

Alien is not Angel. It is nothing like Angel whatsoever.

Alien is a jasmine-heavy floriental. Alien is potent and leans toward being sweet and synthetic. It's mostly a sweet jasmine fragrance with a brief green-ish phase and an ambery-musky base.

I would compare Alien to Dior Poison in style and potency.

I happen to like Alien. In small doses it's beautiful.

1st January, 2009.

Report Review

Lalique Le Parfum by Lalique

LaLique Le Parfum is surprisingly gorgeous. I have not been amazed by anything from LaLique until I bought Le Parfum which is a "real" full-bodied and sexy fragrance. Most describe Le Parfum as a fl-oriental but on me it wears like a vanilla-oriental with tiny dashes of patchouli and pepper. After a full day's wear I smell a soft marshmallow-y scent on my skin.

I imagine someone like Marilyn Monroe wearing Le Parfum. It's voluptuous, fleshy, sexy and unabashedly feminine but in a soft, gentle and old fashioned way. To me, "old fashioned" is not an insult but instead a compliment, because I prefer complex and full fragrances over the more sparse & modern style.

And, not that compliments are the best judge, but Le Parfum gets loads of compliments - everyone thinks this stuff smells wonderful.

31st December, 2008.

Report Review

Angeliques Sous La Pluie by Editions de Parfums Frederic Malle

Smells like a Gin & Tonic and lasts for 90 seconds. Unacceptable longevity. JCE needs to understand that fragrance is worn to be smelled.

31st December, 2008.

Report Review

Golden Amber by Becker.eshaya

I like amber. My favorite ambery scent is Teo Cabanel Alahine.
I can't say I was eager to try this because the first becker eshaya was decent but nothing special.
Golden Amber is the second fragrance from becker eshaya and I think it's a million times better than their first try.
I won't list the notes because others already have before me. It's a nicely blended floral/fruit/amber. It's nowhere near a heavy thick amber - it's light and wearable. It's somewhere in between sweet and dry and it's a little salty.
I smell mostly light not-too-sweet amber, musk and sandalwood with a dash of floral/citrus tossed in. The floral/citrus notes are only detected in the beginning and once it's dried down is all smoooth amber, musk and sandalwood.
This is a nice little number. You can wear it anywhere at any time of year.
The lasting power is excellent - at least 5-6 hours
The sillage is soft but present, not overpowering by any means.
I like it. I'm surprised it doesn't get more attention.

17th August, 2008. (Last Edited: 14th February, 2010.)

Report Review

Showing 1 to 9 of 9.