Fragrance Reviews by Lucy Fishwife

A mixture of vetiver and vanilla, very ambery, very sweet and completely feminine. I have no idea what it's reminding me of, but the first sniff of this gave me a massive nostalgic headrush of butterflies-in-the-stomach, first dates, and first kisses.. I think this is the perfume equivalent of the LBD that never fails. I could go out wearing this and feel unsrtoppable.

Sugary-sweet, migraine sweet in fact, and where's the narcissus? Bought it by accident (as Withnail would say) and promptly offloaded it on a less discriminating friend.

Vodka and orange. Simple as that.

Grapefruit, grapefruit, grapefruit. This is the most perfect recreation of the mouth-wateringly tart freshness of, yes, a grapefruit. Hello summer! It's hard to believe a spritz of this doesn't count as one of your five fruit & veg a day.

I love this. Almost no fruitiness at all (rhubarb is a very tart and dry-smelling fruit at the best of times), but a lovely light incensey feel on the drydown. This is the perfume equivalent of a sexy librarian taking off her glasses and shaking her hair out.

Because of the lemon and brown sugar character of this perfume, it always reminds me of Pancake Day. Really nice balance between sweetness and sharpness, and I especially like the way the lemon fades over time to leave the brown-sugar warmth at the end.

I'd like this more if it was called "Pear", because it certainly doesn't smell like any quince I've ever come across. It does, however, smell exactly like pears, if you like pears.

We all know rain doesn't have a smell (unless you live in a big and polluted city), but if it did, this is what it would smell like. Actually lasts a decent while as well, which is why it gets a thumbs up! If I called it "inoffensive" that would be damning it with faint praise, so I'll say "refreshing" instead. I do like it though.

Love it. Smells like the dregs of last night's peach melba with a healthy slug of expensive brandy on top. And despite that fairly disgusting description, it's beautiful - peachy, musky, warm, and managing to be sexy without being obvious. my husband likes this the best of all the perfumes I've bought in the last few years, if that's any kind of recommendation...

Sometimes the only thing that you want is to smell as though you've been washed, scrubbed, dry-cleaned and sealed in a crisp new box. This is that perfume.

Fantastic, if there's one thing I love it's something that confounds expectation or has a ssting in the tail. Mandragore starts off smelling docilely citrusy, very prim and proper, then hits you with a weird sideways slap of star anise. Normally I hate aniseed above all things so believe me, this is a fabulous perfume...

I love linden blossom more than most smells, so was disappointed by how little I could smell in this. That was the only disappointment, though - the rest is pure orange-blossom and honey delight. I wore this to get married in.

Mown hay and brown sauce (that's A1 Steak Sauce for USA readers). And, at the same time, really dark green roses. What a totally strange and lovely smell. Have tried wearing it during the day (too loud) and the evening (too green), summer (too spicy) and winter (too fresh). Have decided just to wear it anyway and stop trying to pigeonhole it.

It does exactly what it says on the bottle. It smells of grass. Makes grown men blush with the memory of mis-spent evenings behind the park-keeper's hut. Why, Gap, why, did you discontinue this just to bring out another run of gutless Tommy clones?????

Despite the unrepentant "CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE!!!!" blast you first get, this is far less sweet than it at first appears. Really nice in cooler weather, and not too heavy to wear in the daytime.

I love this so much I splash it all over the bed when I've changed the sheets. Luckily the bottle I bought was a whopper so there's plenty to go round. Smells as sweet as a freshly-pulled carrot. Absolutely, hands down, the best summer perfume ever.

This is one of the oddest perfumes I've fallen for. It achieves the objective of smelling like a brand-new kind of flower or plant. Claims to be osmanthus-based but I don't get that except for a powdery quality. It smells spooky, and I mean that in a good way.

Hangover perfume par excellence! Lemony, bracing, smells as though you've just done 100 laps in the pool, showered, gone for a brisk walk and are ready to go. The smell alone is so convincing that colleagues may not notice how bloodshot and slouchy you are.

I normally hate fruity perfumes but the apricot in this is light, never cloying. Makes me smile whenever I wear it.

Cheap and cheerful, creamy, warm and coffee-scented. Great for a winter day at work.

Lovely, fresh, sweet, crisp, hyacinths in spring. One of the 3 or 4 perfumes I wear when I have a hangover because the general aura of it makes me feel clearer-headed and freshly-showered.

Half pine, half patchouli, all aftershave. No way is this intended for women! Love it, but I'd rather smell it on my husband.

I quite like this but on my skin it develops a screechy headache note after an hour or two. Maybe it's just me?

This is fine, but less than I would have expected from Guerlain.

This smell reminds me so much of my grandmother that when I open the bottle I swear I can hear her voice.

I'd wear this if I was having an interview to be the Queen. Sophisticated (which is a faux-naive word I hate but fits the bill). Smells like you're wearing an evening dress costing more than the GNP of a small European country. Amber, fruit, and a hint of neroli/orange blossom that lifts the richness. Gorgeous.

Smells like the best bitter-orange marmalade in the world. Not too sweet, but rounded and warm. Perfect winter day perfume.

Never thought I'd like the smell of an old ashtray (and I'm a smoker) but loved this. Is it just me or are ELdO really quite clever and innovative..?

At first I thought this smelt of melon, and then I found it smelt of something so deeply rude (and subjective) (and male) that I blushed. And I'm no prude. Love it to bits though, and it's a great perfume to wear if you want to see peoples' initial expression of "mmm melons how summery" approval ssuddenly turn to one of "is that what I THINK it is????" as you pass by.

I would have quite liked this one but it seems too much like it's trying to be Guerlain's "Vol de Nuit".

This is exactly what you used to be able to buy in cheap Devon giftshops .. "Devon Violets". Sorry, but it's vile. If you want a big gutsy violet smell, try "Insolence" instead.

Really didn't like this, which is a shame, as I loved Rain and Ivy. I found this simultaneously soapy and weak, which is criminal if you're going to call it Amber - amber should be big, golden and sweet.

"Stringbean" smells more grassy. Gap "Grass" smells more grassy. This kind of smells like really green bananas (like a lot of "grass" perfumes seem to end up doing). Not saying I don't like it, but...

REALLY don't get how this is unisex, given how sweet it is! All I can say about this one is everybody who's smelt it on me has loved it, including one colleague who said "I think I see the point of perfume"!