Fragrance Reviews by kasae

Not as green as I expected, and just too sweet for me. A bit of spiciness emerged as it dried down, but it didn't lose its sweet edge.

The bottle is fun, although I don't know how much I'd like it sitting alongside my collection - it would seem out of place.

The verdict? I enjoy many different fragrances, so I must not be *that* hard to please. But even at $5 and with a unique and fun bottle, I passed.

On spraying Rousse I got a blast of cinnamon candy - cinnamon hearts, specifically, and not that far off from some sweet cinnamon chewing gums gums. I knew I was about the test a cinammon fragrance, but I was nevertheless surprised by the strong hot, sweet cinnamon. It was a bit much, like the candies, but I could see kind of liking it too... just not something I would care to smell like.

After 20 minutes or so the initial hit of cinnamon started to subside. The dry down was both nicer and more wearable to my nose, and the fragrance was still going strong after 4+ hours (I don't recall how it fared after 8 or 10, unfortunately). The scent that remained was sweet and warm in a way I associate with gourmands (maybe because the sweet has a sugary or candy-like nature), a bit in the vein of L by Lolita Lempicka perhaps? The woods were not prominent to me in the later stages of this fragrance, which was fairly linear after the opening burst of spice subsided; the drydown did not read as complex. If I ever re-test, I'll be paying more attention, looking for woods.

Some will love this, some will hate this, I'm not sure how many will remain indifferent - could be many or few. Worth trying if you love cinnamon, or sweet gourmands, but don't expect a foody scent. Rousse is not a scent to buy unsniffed.

Notes? (These I collected from a few sources, so it is not a definitive list by any means.)
Mandarin, cinnamon, cloves, spices, floral notes, iris, aromatic notes, fruit, cinnamon wood, precious woods, vetiver, balsamic amber, musk and vanilla.

I have enjoyed Arabie the 2-3 times I've worn it, and I would consider adding it to my collection except for one thing: at the end of the day, I have a yellow mess on my alabaster skin where I applied Arabie. I don't love this fragrance enough to work around that issue (and the only other fragrance I can think of that left its mark with colour was the turqoise Sui Dreams).

This is a pretty scent, and *far* gentler than I expected. The jasmine and neroli are both soft, light, delicate here, and the scent well-blended. Very wearable without being banal.

I like it. Shi doesn't overreach herself, but does a light straightforward soft musky pretty scent better than many of her contemporaries.

Nothing exciting, but a fragrance I sometimes reach for, and likely a safe gift.

The bottle is quite nice. I prefer Shi in parfum form, but may grab the larger spray bottle because it is easier. The minis have cheap plastic caps (and these screw off, by the way), but the larger spray bottles have a metallic cap that pulls off.

While I do like Santal Blanc alone, I probably wouldn't give it a thumbs up. (That said, I'm surprised no one else has yet.)

Lutens has talked about layering his scents on several occasions, and layering is where Santal Blanc truly comes into its own. Play around if you dare, but there is one particular combination I want do draw your attention to.

Samsara (parfum and/or Creme Rituelle) and Santal Blanc together are truly beautiful on my skin. Samsara is nice alone, but amazing with help from Santal Blanc, combining to make one of my most-loved fragrances.

Warm, powdery, gently aldehydic, classic. I have a little bottle of parfum and have only worn it once. Very nice, but I'm not lovestruck.

Notes, as best as I could gather: aldehydes, bergamot, hyacinth, egyptian jasmine, Florentine iris, ylang-ylang, bulgarian rose, labdanum, cedarwood, musk, amber, spices, vanilla.

I'm ambivalent about this scent. If you are a fan of Aqua Allegorias you might really enjoy it. For myself, while I appreciate many of the AAs (and am a great fan of many of the Guerlain line), I don't tend to find them very wearable.

I liked this when sprayed in the store, and there was but one left, and on sale, so I bought it. When I tried to wear Winter Delice, however, I got a strange metallic note. Not like blood, exactly, and not dirty like some metals nor particularly cold like some others. And yes, there is something reminiscent of Old Spice in Winter Delice. But that isn't a bad thing, and in fact I bought a bottle of Old Spice for myself at one point. (I don't wear it either.)

Since I should appreciate Winter Delice based on notes, reviews, and opinions I respect, I kept at it, and discovered that I needed to spray it on a bit more generously. Dabbing cautiously from a tester vial gave me the metallic odeur, but two spritzes and I could smell spices. In one of the spices I recognize something that becomes metallic when there isn't enough of some of the notes there to balance it.

All said and done, I will eventually pass my bottle on to a better home. I like Winter Delice, but I don't love Winter Delice, and I have too many other fragrances that I do love, and do reach for on the days when Winter Delice might be nice.

This is a simple, light, clean pink grapefruit scent. Not anywhere near as sweet as pink lemonade, not sugary or saccharine, not fake, nor is it in the least bit sweaty. A pretty, innocent, pink grapefruit. No reason it wouldn't work on a guy, but I might describe it as girly.

I can't wear Pamplelune, but went through half a small bottle of this when I was first becoming more interested in fragrance. The only time I sniff it now is when it is in my hand, about to be put in the discard box.

Given that Mitsouko parfum is my fragrance sister-soul, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to love this fruity chypre.

Luckyscent lists the notes as:
bergamot, rose, jasmine, musk, patchouli, oakmoss, fruits.

Description from LuckyScent: "Richly blended but not heavy, this rare beauty is filled with the beauty of a sultry spring day just before summer is in full swing. Lush bergamot, rose and jasmine lay on a seductive blend of light patchouli and oakmoss, while fruits weave in and out from start to finish. Bewitching and beguiling, Chypré Fruité is sexy, hypnotic and refined, a fragrance for a woman who isn’t afraid to make men weak in the knees but doesn’t need a club to do it—she just needs to walk by wearing this. Elegance personified."

I haven't seen specific fruits listed, but I'm pretty sure there is some peach in here. Lush peach, though, not a dry or sharp peach.

Chypre Fruite is the first Montale I had the chance to try, and I'm eager to try more after this treat. One of the very few newer fragrances to wow me. I've worn my sample several times, and will require a decant of this, possibly even a bottle.

I find MV2 to be a polarizing scent. I've heard great reviews of it, including from people I know to have tastes in fragrance I respect, and fairly well-developed noses.

My nose can' t get past the smoke-machine at a high school dance, and another note I won't mention for fear of ruining the scent for others. Again, complaints I've heard from several sniffers.

For me, this is a nondescript scent dominated by an unpleasant note or two. I would never wear it, and would prefer not to have to smell it on someone close to me. That said, some of you will like it. Sniff before wearing, and don't douse yourself in it the first time you try it.