Fragrance Reviews by MizLiz

What a shame this perfume has been discontinued. I would classify this as an oriental, but not a spicy one. More ambery. "Golden" is the image that comes to mind, like the beautiful deep golden color of the juice. It is blended quite seamlessly together, enough so I can't pick out any specific notes. It's a bit powdery and a bit floral, but none of these aspects overwhelms the composition. This scent is ideal for chilly autumn afternoons and cold winter nights. The lasting power is very good

Hanami, "spring" in Annayake's series of scents representing the seasons, is a true cherry blossom scent. Not cherries, cherry blossoms. This is a floral scent, with no fruity notes whatsoever. It's a very springlike, fresh floral. Although it contains other notes, I would classify this a soliflore cherry blossom. Such an ethereal scent must be very difficult to catch in a perfume. That's why many "cherry blossom" scents are actually fruity cherry scents. Annayake does it quite well, though. Hanami is true to the cherry blossom flower.

Un Bois Vanille is a fine cashmere sweater of a scent. Vanilla scents can be sweet to the point of headache. Not this one. There is definitely some sweet creaminess to it, but the other notes serve to temper it nicely. There's something smoky in this perfume, and also a definite woodiness. This is a warm and cozy scent, with enough interesting notes to keep it from being terminally cuddly. The smoky-woodiness keeps it a bit edgy. It's my opinion that contrasting elements make a truly great perfume. This is one example.

Fragrances don't get much more floral than La Chasse aux Papillons. This linden and tuberose scent is a spring garden in a bottle. Normally I find tuberose scents to be very harsh and far too buttery, but La Chasse's Tuberose is done with a very light hand. This gives the fragrance just the right amount of depth. If it were all light blossoms it would be far too trifling a scent. The whole composition is kept light by the addition of the linden blossom, a sublimely light, citrusy, soapy floral note. This fragrance almost floats, it is so ethereal. The name is wonderfully appropriate: Chasing Butterflies, as this scent is as bright and colorful as any butterfly. The lasting power is rather weak -about 3 hours - but for the time it lasts it is a true joy to wear.

The name rings so true: Joy is a joy! This elegant tumble of roses and jasmine is eternally lovely. The eau de toilette version is heavier on the jasmine than the other versions, but also lovely. This fragrance can be appropriate for many occasions: Office or night out, daytime or evening. It is a formal scent, but not in a stiff, forbidding way. Joy is far too romantic for that. Eve though it is so versatile, it is before all a romantic evening scent, every bit as much now as it was in the year 1930, when it was first introduced.

It might be easy to dismiss Miracle So Magic! as just another teeny bopper scent, but it does have its charms. I would describe it as a blend of wild roses and a makep counter at a department store. This is not meant in a bad way. The "makeup" notes give it a certain glamour. This is not a substantial scent (although the lasting power is good), but it is a lot of fun to wear.

Youth Dew is no wispy supermodel of a scent. Youth Dew is a rich dame who knows, and gets, exactly what she wants and is very much in control. It needs to be applied very sparingly, especially in the EdP form. But when dabbed on the pulse points it absolutely blooms into a rich, exoic bouquet: Roses, geranium, sandalwood and patchouli. But no one note overpowers. It all blends smoothly into an amalgam of sophistication. This is definitely a long enchanted evenings scent. And its lasting power is top notch. A little dab'll "dew" ya!

There are sweet rose scents, there are spicy rose scents, there are cloying rose scents, and then there is Fleur de The Rose Bulgare, which is the truest rose perfume that I have ever smelled. There's nothing too sweet or cloying about it. It's a garden of roses lightly veiled with dew. There's nothing heavy about it, yet it lasts a remarkably long time. It's a rose plucked directly from nature.