Reviews by Lian

    Lian's avatar
    Lian
    Netherlands Netherlands

    Showing 1 to 30 of 89.
    rating

    Nohiba by E.Coudray

    Hello strong no nonsense oriental. A little goes a long way, the woods are very strong and present in the opening and there is a touch of a powderyness to it as well and a hint of spices. It settles down quickly into something less woodsy and strong making it more feminine than the opening. Then the spices really become more present.

    I would almost guess there is some cinnamon in here or somehow some notes working together give the effect of it. I think this one begs to be worn in winter time when you need a little spice to keep you going.

    16th May, 2011.

    rating

    La Rose Jacqueminot by Coty

    I first encountered La Rose Jacqueminot as a sample in a basenotes go around package. It had leaked and the while package smelled like it and it was STRONG. And heavenly. I bought a bottle on ebay and it smelled the same but weaker so I think it is a bottle from the 80's not the original issue.

    You can still smell and understand what made this a great perfume. It is a masterful blend of very strong notes that are soften down by softer notes(violet). It ends up as a wonderful mix of these notes mingling with eachother and neither side really 'wins'. The only winner here is me who wears it and can enjoy this perfume that combines delicacy and persistence and strength.

    15th May, 2011.

    rating

    Lily of the Valley by Penhaligon's

    I needed a light fresh and unoffensive scent for an occasion and on a whim decided to give this one a try. I wore it for a week and grew to love it. It is uplifting, uncomplicated but remains elegant and fun, sometimes that is exactly what you want.

    3rd May, 2011.

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    Tilda Swinton Like This by Etat Libre d'Orange

    gourmand ginger that is wearable and not sickly sweet. Unusual enough to be interesting but not so over the top that you are afraid to wear it anywhere you'd like.

    26th December, 2010.

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    Jasmin et Cigarette by Etat Libre d'Orange

    A very nice variation on jasmine, the jasmine reminds me of the type found in Thé Pour un Été. The two fragrances are pretty alike and the difference lies in the tea vs tabacco note. I think the L'Artisan is nice during summer days and the Etat libre one would be a nice one to wear when it gets a bit colder or you want your perfume to have a bit more depth.

    26th December, 2010.

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    The Smell of Freedom by Gorilla Perfume

    The very first blast is of a rather unpleasant generic masculine notes but then it settles down to a more smokey tea scent, it reminds me very strongly of Tea for Two but the jasmine give it a hint of soap. The combination of the bitter notes and the freshness jasmine works rather well. I would say it's a very unisex scent because of it.

    5th October, 2010.

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    1000 Kisses Deep by B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful

    I found the orange note reminded me of organic cleaning products with the combination of the resins. Not a pleasant association for a perfume.

    19th September, 2010.

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    Chypre de Coty by Coty

    Through the kindness of basenotes I can sample this gem of the past. And it's an entirely different thing. This perfume seems to work on many levels.

    For instance it acts very differently if you smell it from a distance or close up. Close up it smells green and bitter, like dark green plans on the ground in winter. I'm assuming this is the oakmoss and it is stunning. Now I know why Bandit is a leather chypre and where the chypre in Bandit comes from. It's this. None of this bright sparkling like champagne nonsense, it's bitter, dark, beautiful, sharp, almost woody at times. I recognize just a little bit of this in Bandit.

    From a distance this smells a lot lighter and a more flowery. It's still unlike anything else, you couldn't call it bright. Modern chypre always seem to rely on something to counter the bitterness and sharpness of the base by adding a lot sweeter notes or fruit or a touch of vanilla, basically turning it into another genre.

    Chypre seems to rely on the lighter green to lure you in and the closer you get the more bitter the scent becomes.


    I think combined with our modern taste of sweet and fruit smells in our shampoo, lotions and potions wearing Chypre is a lot of fun. It will counter the bitterness from a far and just render it out a bit more green and less sharp/harsh. As people get closer they will pick up on the bitterness and it's makes it very mysterious to wear.

    20th April, 2010.

    rating

    Notre Flore Jasmin by L'Occitane

    Summer Jasmine that doesn't break the bank

    2nd March, 2010.

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    Encens & Bubblegum by Etat Libre d'Orange

    There is bublblegum but it just doesn't last for very long, on me this had almost no longetivity to speak off. It almost dissapeared after spraying it on but what I smelled was very fun and interesting. You do get this juxaposition between the bubblegum cheerfulness and something that is lurking underneath.

    9th December, 2009.

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    Promesse de l'Aube / FK1 by MDCI

    This didn't blow me away and left me rather unaffected. It's not vile but it doesn't wow me. It feels mediocre and reminds me when I was young, perfumes when Tresor and Dune were the most popular scents out there. For the price you want to be head over heels and not left feeling ' not bad, but not great either' .

    17th November, 2009.

    rating

    Rose de Feu by Les Parfums de Rosine

    A very pleasant scent. To me the spices take the lead and are smoothed out by the rose that reminds me a little bit of the rose in eau de elide and Voleur de Roses, a bit of a watery rose. In this perfume though it's not dirty but I thought it was a pretty clean scent but with obvious spices in it, a bit of a kick.

    Not offensive and a different fun take on rose and spices. If you are interested in spices but you don't want to rush in this could be a great introduction because there is only a kick to it. To me though the rose was more on background but very agreeable with the firey kick to it.

    13rd August, 2009.

    rating

    Rose d'Homme by Les Parfums de Rosine

    A very pleasant scent, although it doesn't scream roses to me. For a while I thought it smelled a bit like Zwitsal baby lotion which might be the sandalwood in there. My bf who wore it said it smelled like potpourrie. I liked it because I like sweet and dry scents. A more masculine rose perfume would be Black Aoud or layer Dzing and Voleur de Roses together if you want to give a raw edge to your rose scent.

    I'd give it a thumbs up if it wasn't marketted as this dark beast of a perfume.

    13rd August, 2009.

    rating

    Le Baiser du Dragon by Cartier

    Absolute proof that you should always try before you buy and I'm glad I did. The opening is just unbearable because it is so overpowering. It's not subtle, it's not friendly but it's a hammer against your head. It's like hypnotic poison in a very concentrated form that spilled on you.

    I'm used to strong and loud fragrances( 5 sprays of aoud rose petals works nicely for me) and when I read the reviews I figured it couldn't be that bad but the opening is so powerful it actually gave me a headache.

    When it settles down it becomes nicer but the opening makes it unwearable for me. Spray and dab with caution if you own this one or else you'll qualify as a environmental hazard.

    6th July, 2009.

    rating

    Dark Season by Neil Morris Fragrances

    I wanted to try this and I was hoping for a dark forest kind of smell, not fresh like a pine airfresher but dark, wet and a bit heavy. Sadly it was none of that and I found the opening to remind me of cherry couch syrup. Maybe the sample was old or there is something wrong with me, but this didn't smell green at all. The dry down was lovely though and I think the vanilla, labdanum and myrrh are responsible for it. The drydown makes this a thumb up fragrance and not a thumbs down.

    3rd May, 2009.

    rating

    Scandal by Roja Dove

    To me the opening is fresh and warm because of the orange blossom. A little while later the flowers mix in with the top notes and the top notes fade slowly. The flowers are blended very nicely and the pyramid of notes arent all the notes, at the haute perfumery they told me that there is clove in here as well but everything is blended so much that nothing really overpowers one note or another.

    I love jasmine and I can detect it´s magic in here as a greener aspect that gives elegance but also a touch of green that stops it from becoming too overpowering. i think Scandal takes all the good stuff from each flower and uses it to make a very nice floral perfume that has the brightness, the richness and elegance you look for in different florals.

    It´s not a soft delicate floral perfume but a very present, elegant and confident floral. It´s not overly sensual or over the top anything. But it´s there and present and it won´t back down, there is no need. It´s a nice blended, well rounded floral that won´t make excuses. I like a bit of attitude in my perfumes and this one has a professional attitude, it does what it does ( being a floral perfume) and it good at what it does ( being a well blended perfume).

    The base is a bit softer, but I can still smell floral for ages but once the base notes start to mingle in it becomes a bit softer and mellowed out.

    If you like all sorts of floral you should give this one a try and you might find a way to fit it into your wardrobe ( Can´t make up your mind what floral you want today? Have a bit of everything, brilliant)

    15th April, 2009.

    rating

    White Patchouli by Tom Ford

    A spicer version of Voleurs de Roses, it´s more warmer and almost honeyed. The medicinal quality is not as strong as oud would be and it´s sweetened. It´s not a wall flower scent and I love it for that. This is more all the flowers get together and have a party, you can´t ignore it fragrance.
    Application for this would be a very tricky affair because I think there is so much going on people might complain of headaches if they are near you and catch a whiff.

    14th April, 2009.

    rating

    Cornubia by Penhaligon's

    A dry oriental that is sweet but not overly fruity, it's a heavy scent compared to the other female penhaligons. In that sense I could say it's darker and has a bit more punch to it which suits me fine. I think this could work for anyone who liked Hammam but found it just a bit too much to wear daily, just make sure not to over apply. Other scents it reminds me of would be angelique encense from creed, it has the same heavy powder base and incense feeling to it.

    4th April, 2009.

    rating

    Rose 31 by Le Labo

    Reminds me very strongly of Voleurs de Roses and the difference between the two is that Rose 31 combines the green with wood and maybe some slight animalics in there. The wood and animalics are used to create a certain affect, you do not pick them out and say ' oh this is wood, or oohh I think that is civet' but they warm the fragrance up a little and settles it down on your skin. The opening is very green and made me sneeze. For the price I'd go with Voleurs de Roses and layer it with something if you insist on having the basenotes there. It is warmer and less fresh than Voleurs de Roses, but still very closely related to it.

    26th March, 2009.

    rating

    Sweet Almond / Amande Sucre by Ava Luxe

    Starts off with a blast of amaretto and it reminds me of amaretto biscuits, we call them bitterkoekjes in dutch. It's lovely but it doesn't last long because it settles into a normal almond smell. It's lovely a bit sweet but it has lost the fabulous opening notes. I also got a short whiff of play doh note, the first time I smelled it in any fragrance.

    It doesn't last that long on me, the other ava luxe fragrances I have tried lasted longer. I think for an almond kick I prefer Jour de Fete from L' Artisan but this is a very nice and cheaper alternative.

    26th March, 2009.

    rating

    Tubéreuse by Maître Parfumeur et Gantier

    I love tuberose and I love jasmine, for a real tuberose kick there is always Fracas but this fragrance from MPG offers more warmth and depth, a sensuality that I miss in Fracas. I also think this perfume is a lot more powdery than Fracas which can be a selling point for some. For me this is a less in your face and more sensual perfume than Fracas which can be just what you need. I would recommend to try it first because it's very heavy and very indolic and powdery.

    26th March, 2009.

    rating

    Private Collection - Un Crime Exotique by Parfumerie Generale

    I smell cloves very strongly and cinnamon, combined with a hint of pineapple. It's a very strange combination and I think I would love it if it wasn't for the cloves smell. I think it should be called Clove Crime. If you love clove you should try this, if you hate clove avoid this one at all costs.

    25th March, 2009.

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    Vanille Banane by Comptoir Sud Pacifique

    It´s smells like a banana milkshake, very chemical very fake banana and I thought it was hilarious. You need to be in a good mood for this, don´t expect people to take you serious at all because well you do smell like a banana milkshake. It´s fun though and made me smile.

    23rd March, 2009.

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    Liaisons Dangereuses by By Kilian

    The notes that I was able to pick out are coconut, blackcurrant, peach, rose and some other flower, woods. I wouldn´t describe it as a fruity floral, it´s very well balanced and not as loud as what I´d normally expect when I think of fruity florals. I think it´s more oriental, or woody than floral or fruity. It reminds me of Cedre by Serge Lutens with fruit. It´s a nice skin scent, it doesn´t have a lot of sillage power I think and it lasts moderately. If you are looking for something very pretty, feminine, well balanced but still interesting that you want to wear for yourself I would recommend giving this a try.

    5th March, 2009.

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    Spring Flower by Creed

    I was hoping for tons of nice fresh flowers but I find this too be a pale musk, the ´clean´ type of white musk that is very popular at times. It´s a little sour as well with almost no flowers, I don´t get anything else that would redeem this fragrance for me either. It´s bland, unoffensive, uninteresting.

    3rd March, 2009.

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    Marcadam by Il Profumo

    Starts off strong but settles down into a very demure sensual scent that won´t offend anyone. It´s beautiful but it could have been louder for me. I was reminded of an icecream with caramel and nuts, that warmth of the caramel and nuts combined with the creamy vanilla icecream. I didn´t notice a lot of floral action though but I seem to bring out warm notes much better than floral ones ( that´s why they need to be loud and very present otherwise the base notes just take over on me). The opening is interesting, the middle is tasty and the drydown is a bore.

    17th February, 2009.

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    Jasmin Full by Montale

    I found it to be a rather dead Jasmine that missed the sparkle I get from A La Nuit that sings, this one snores. It smells plastic and fake to me. Maybe it´s the indoles I am missing but for me they give the flower a bit of life and make it interesting.

    17th February, 2009.

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    Putain des Palaces by Etat Libre d'Orange

    I think this will turn out to be one of my top favourites of this year. It is a floral but it also has that incense or animalic note from Rien that is just incredible. In Rien it is there with nothing else to make it a little bit prettier and more wearable, it's an aquired taste and hard to pull off on a day to day basis. PdP has the art aspect of Rien, the complexity and art is in there but it is made more wearable by the florals. It is balanced wonderfully well and there is a harmony between the easy pretty side and the edgy notes. I get tons of compliments wearing this as well and for me it'sd a perfect combination between something you can wear daily but that won't bore you either.

    17th February, 2009. (Last Edited: 4th April, 2009.)

    rating

    Rien by Etat Libre d'Orange

    Leather, ashtray and cigarretes with a bit of smokey incense feeling. It starts rather strong and harsh but settles down into something very tame and pretty. I´d say it´s a very masculine fragrance during the top and middle phase but the dry down could be worn by a female. It reminded me of Bvlgari Black but without the vanilla and more cigarettes tossed in. A very interesting fragrance that won´t bore someone fast.

    17th February, 2009.

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    Stella by Tocca

    Starts with a strong orange/mandarin blast that turns creamier by the minute. The opening is the best part of this fragrance, I never smelled such a delicious fruity opening. It´s not overly sweet but a realistic fruit/tart smell. When the cream comes in it reminded me of orange icecreams with vanilla icecream in the center. I could almost taste it. Then it fades off completly and it smelled almost exactly like Anaïs Anaïs. I´d buy it if they find a way to make the start last for hours.

    17th February, 2009.

    Showing 1 to 30 of 89.

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