Fragrance Reviews by moondeva

Top Notes: Blackberry, Orange Blossom, Lychee
Heart Notes: Apricot, Lily, Strawberry
Base Notes: Musk, Vanilla, Oak Musk

Oh dear. It is hard to believe that castorpollux and I are writing about the same scent. Fendi Fantasia is clearly one of those ‘love / hate’ perfumes that morphs on the skin (regardless of listed notes). This is an exciting gamble if you win but a real bummer if you don't...

Luckily for me, in this case, I am a winner. In the bottle and on paper, Fantasia opens very similar to many other sweet fruity florals that dominate the mainstream perfume world. In fact, the first time I smelled it my first thought was: “Ah! A wearable, non cloying Angel…”

This initial similarity is quite deceptive and the perfume soon settles and blossoms into a sexy aura that tantalises and seduces others rather than the Angel (more direct) ‘club you over the head’ or ‘knocking you out with chloroform’ approach to seduction.

I think it is the fresh lily at the heart of this blend that distinguishes and separates this scent from the rest. The lily, along with the delicate orange blossom, adds a dreamy feminine sensuality to the other ‘summer fruit bowl’ notes providing elegant complexity to the otherwise generic blend.

The dry down is lovely and subtly sexy, at least on my skin. The classic amber, musk, vanilla and woods create a sexy skin-but-better scent that, along with traces of the opening fruits and florals creates a wonderful warm sun-kissed skin aroma that entices one to move closer. I am not sure what exactly ‘oak musk’ is but I am assuming it is a dry ‘woody musk’ note.

Fantasia is perfect for summer flirtation wear, although it works well at any time of year. It is a much underrated seductive Lolita scent in the same class as Chopard Mira Bai, Dior Miss Dior Cherie, and Badgely Mischka. My skin tends to mute the base notes so sadly it appears not to last on my skin, but I realise that it is still working it’s subtle magic due to the compliments and flirtations I receive long after I think it has worn off.

Feminine fruity florals are not my usual scent of choice. I tend to only reach for them in the warmth of summer. In fact to be honest they are usually anathema to me but occasionally, in the proverbial blue moon, there is one that slips through and actually registers on my radar. Fendi Fantasia is one such scent.

Fendi Fantasia was a blind buy that smells ok / mediocre in the bottle but which blooms on the skin. The bottle is adorable also. It has a wonderfully sensual, comforting weight and feel to it that makes you want to continue holding it – like a pet rock. Fendi Fantasia truly does remind you that it is fun to be alive, a woman, and desirable – with the salivating admirers to prove it.

Top Notes: Bergamot, Elemi, Cardamom, Tarragon, Star Anise, Thyme, Coriander
Middle Notes: Pipe Tobacco, Suede, Incense
Base Notes: Patchouli, Dark Plum, Sandalwood, Dried Fruits

At first this scent is all plummy and smokey with tobacco and incense, at least for the first 1/2 hour - 45 minutes, but in the end this scent is all about sueded musks and patchouli...lots of patchouli!

Personally, I adore it! At least for that first 1/2 hour, but then it becomes much drier (less sweet), smokier and patchouli dominated, which I still find great but not as knicker-wetting sexy as the opening. Discreet application is best and I find that this works best in cool winter weather or (a tiny 'decant & dab' application) in heatwaves.

I am actually quite shocked by how wantonly I respond to this brew and currently it is the sexiest scent I have ever smelled on a man. :blush:

See it as a patchouli scent, rather than tobacco, and apply accordingly - you will be happier for it. And even though it may not blow your socks off it is probably playing havoc with the undies of the women around you...trust me!

The poor cousin, once removed, of the much more distinctive and impressive (sadly discontinued) Yardley Sandalwood.
A wonderful, warm yet clean woody scent that would be much more impressive if I had not met, and succumbed completely already, to the Yardley. I won't throw Gucci pour Homme out of my cosy collection but I'll not be repurchasing. I already have and own the best.

3.5/5.0

Personally I have found this one of the sexiest scents known to man. I prefer my men clean shaven, witty, professional, and preppy and Paco Rabanne XS pour homme is perfect on this type of male. It starts out all sharp herbaceous citrus - perfect for the office or going about your business, but eventually the softer, smoother, animalic (leather, musk) ambery wood (cedar, sandal) base notes begin to come into play and then I find it very hard to keep my mind on business when I am around a man wearing this EDT. XS pour homme is masculine from beginning to end and sexy as h*ll with it! It is so geared to bringing out the best in masculine chemistry that not even I (who can carry off such masculine 'heavies' as YSL M7, Halston Z-14, Crown Perfumery Crown Fougere, Chanel Egoiste, Crown Perfumery Town & Country, etc) can wear it. I just smell like I have been making out heavily with a gorgeous smelling guy. A true classic and a definite member in the 'scents that send women weak at the knees' hall of fame...

Top: Bergamot, Fruit Notes, Galbanum, Green Note, Lavender, Lemon, Rosemary, Tarragon, Violet
Heart: Geranium, Jasmin, Lily of the Valley, Orris, Ozone, Rose
Base: Amber, Cedar, Leather, Musk, Patchouli, Sandal, Vanilla
(from scentdirect.com)

Top note : Bergamot, Lemon, Rosemary, Tarragon
Middle note : Geranium, Rose, Juniperberry, Mint
Base note : Sandal, Musk, Patchouli, Vanilla
(from osmoz.com)

Top: Mandarin, Pineapple, Berries
Heart: Muguet, Rose, White Lilies
Bottom: Woody, Cedarwood, Praline, Musky, Ambery
This is a great scent for summer / all year round. Sadly on me it is rather forgettable. But I love heavy florals like Mahora, Fleurs D'Oranger, Carolina Herrera and heavy orientals like Tabu, Opium, and Lagerfeld KL, so if you prefer lighter florientals this may work for you. It's a pretty, feminine floriental but as I said, for me, quite forgettable.

Top notes: Frangipani, Mimosa
Heart notes: Jasmine, Gardenia, Jasmine Sambac
Base notes: Amber, Sandalwood, Cassie

I have been searching for a jasmine soliflore for years. Upon first application of Yasmin I thought my searched had come to an end.
A pure unashamed jasmine that envelopes, intoxicates compelling total surrender and yet leaves you still craving more. Here is jasmine in all her full blown heady glory making me feel completely feminine – I am woman, hear me roar!
But sadly, it is not meant to be.
The jasmine in Yasmin is already fading and as the scent settles and melds with my skin, it morphs into a caricature of its former beauty. Somehow the lilting, heady delight of the intense jasmine has now sadly become heavy and ‘mealy’. Even the amber and sandalwood listed in the base notes, which usually turn to smooth, creamy sensuality on my skin, cannot save this scent.
Like a tragic heroine, I am once again bereft, left aching with the memory of a brief perfect love that was not destined to be. My search for my ideal jasmine soliflore goes on...

Dedicated to Ayala's daughter Tamya does convey an aura of youth and freshness. Tamya is that rare thing a 'true' jasmine scent that is sensual and feminine but remains clear and translucent. This perfume is wonderfully blended, so well that it is almost impossible to separate the different 'layers'.
Tamya opens with a softly green fruity accord (Japanese citron, blackcurrant buds and coriander) which quickly succumbs to the dominate heart of this scent - Jasmine. The listed heart notes are sambac jasmine, hyacinth, and frangipani but jasmine is truly the reigning queen in this parade. Tamya dries down to a subtly sexy skin-but-better scent, smooth and creamy, yet still retains the bright-eyed freshness of its more innocent opening - one cannot help but be seduced.
Inspired by the twilight hour before sunset, Tamya spoke to me of summer and the scent of sun caressed skin at dusk.
Like youth, summer and a first kiss, Tamya is too delicate and fleeting to secure a place in my wardrobe, with little or no sillage. I believe that Tamya would be perfect in summer, on long balmy evenings and this is what comes to mind as I sniff my wrist. I may reconsider purchasing this next summer but until then I shall savour the sweet memory of this homage to the beauty of a girl on the threshold of womanhood.

Top: Bitter Almond, Caraway
Heart: Sambac Jasmine, Moss
Base: Jacarander Wood, Vanilla, Musk

Resampling Dior Hypnotic Poison on this bright but chilly day and am rather surprised at what I am smelling here. Instead of the cloying woody gourmand floral mess I remember from past samplings, I am getting a rather pleasant, unremarkable watered down sweet men's cologne!!!

Hypnotic Poison reminds me of vanillic woody men's scents like Givenchy Pi (nowhere near as toothachingly sweet), Mont Blanc Présence pour homme, JPG Le Male YSL Body Kouros and the final drydown of Bulgari Black.

Where is the suffocating sambac Jasmine and the sickly gourmand almond, over the unrelenting base notes of headache inducing, cheap sickly woody vanilla musk??

There is none of that horror to be found here, only the softly sensual scent of a sweet man's cologne at the end of a long day.

This to me is not a sexy scent and as before I am left bemused by how others find it so rapturously seductive.

This could easily be worn by a man, specially one who likes jasmine and any of those male EDTs I have mentioned above. I can imagine he would receive many compliments because it is so sensual.

A surprisingly pleasant revisiting but(on my chemistry at least) Hypnotic Poison is still not worth the hype.

moondeva

Light classic leathery cologne, quite fresh in nature for such a 'heavy' type of scent. Unfortunately, especially after all the raves I have seen on here for it, I am finding it very 'meh!’ I live in a very cold climate though and believe that it may come more into its own in spring / summer. Not sure I like the spray version (too much aerosol) and may have to seek out a splash bottle to decant. (I will also look into getting a vintage vintage bottle, with the darker liquid to see if there is a difference in the formulations).

Now this is a truly masculine cologne! Unfortunately, the first thing that came to mind as I opened the bottle was pine detergent. A very smooth, refreshing, expensive / well blended detergent but pine detergent all the same.
As the cologne warms on the skin this changes and it mellows into a very earthy, woody leather scent which is delightfully masculine, without being butch. I get impressions of the great outdoors: moss, woods, camp fires and a healthy male body shaped and honed by the elements. This cologne reminds me of the smoke, tobacco and leather of Gres Cabochard but without the sweet florals to soften and confuse matters. More unisex in dry down but still assertive. English Leather Lime is a very sexy well-crafted cologne. I would definitely find myself trying to get closer to a man who smelt like this (once the top notes were gone)…yum!

Oh my! Oh my! I find this delicious and surprisingly rich and long-lasting - especially for cologne. A little goes a long way. The sillage is gorgeous without overpowering. If a man wore this...well I'm not sure I could be held responsible for my actions...but I think the man in question wouldn't be complaining! ;) Luckily for the unsuspecting male population I totally love the way it smells on me even more. I am an unashamed glutton for leather and spice and this rich, leathery spice is heavenly. Again maybe I should blame the cold weather. Amazing alone, I believe this is quite similar to and would be amazing layered with Fendi Theorema, Diesel Zero Plus Masculine, and TBS Woody Sandalwood. I also think it would be pretty amazing layered with YSL Nu / M7 and Donna Karan Black Cashmere. This is a definite winner.

Light subtle, soft 'skin scent' musk that is surprisingly unisex and sexy. I expected it to be more heavy and cloying but this appears to be another warm weather fragrance. I find it a bit 'airy and elusive' at the moment, again probably because of the cold weather, but think it is very similar to and will work well layered with my favourite musk perfume oil - TBS Mostly Musk.

1947 : (Vintage) REPLIQUE!

This amazingly spicy, sexy oriental may have been inspired by Dana Tabu and shares many of trademark attributes of an old school oriental: deep woods and spices over rich but discreet florals over a warm sultry patchouli and vanilla base. www.scentdirect.com lists classics such as Dioressence, Estee Lauder Cinnabar, Basile, Chanel Coco and Karl Largerfeld KL as sister scents, and though similar Replique stands apart in a niche of it's own.

I believe that Replique may also have been the inspiration or at least a strong influence upon many modern day fragrance formulas for men including YSL Opium, Tiffany for men & Balenciaga pour homme. Replique could definitely be worn well by both men and women.

John Oakes in 'The Perfume Book' describes Replique as an elegant deep green, the smell of 'liquid emeralds'. Maybe my Vintage bottle has lost its green notes for I found that though distinctly woody, chypre to my nose, Replique is all about the spice. From the nose storming beginning to the refined elegant end, spices are the major theme of this 1940's scent.

Where Replique shines is that even though it is a full-blooded, red in tooth and claw oriental it is never ostentatious or over blown. Where Tabu can be too much for many due to its heavy emphasis on patchouli, Replique reins in everything with the use of leather and oakmoss in the bases notes making the dry down more elegant (non-powdery) Chypre in nature than dynamite seduction.

I have happily found yet another beauty to add to my arsenal. A full bodied Chypre oriental for Winter and the times when I want rich spice but without the gourmand vanilla of Organza Indecence, Fendi Theorema, etc or the animalistic cat on heat patchouli of Tabu, KL or Bal a Versailles.

Top: Bergamot oil, Clary Sage oil, Coriander, Neroli, Orange,


Heart: Clove Bud oil, Jasmin, Orris, Rose, Tuberose, Ylang-Ylang,


Base: Amber, Civet, Leather, Moss, Musk, Patchouli, Vanilla,

My bottle is a brand new, filled to the brim 75ml bottle!

I love this stuff! To me it is a cleaner less dense / cloying, more woody version of Givenchy Organza Indecence (discontinued). Zero Plus masculine is less sweet, dense, and overtly feminine. It is a gorgeous unforgettably sexy, moreish fragrance that garners many compliments and is a perfect autumn / winter scent for both men and women. It also has many similarities to other spicy vanillic oriental favourites of mine: Donna Karan Black Cashmere, Fendi Theorema, and Jean Pierre Sand Paris (another absolute steal). I intend to wear this all year round, mood permitting and will keep buying as long as their selling.

[size=12][b][color=#ffcc99]Femme[/color][/b] by Rochas

A true delight! ;D

There is a pastry you can get in patisseries & coffee shops called an almond slice - it is light flaky pastry spread lightly with ground almond paste (not marzipan) and folded over on itself. It is then baked, sprinkled with golden toasted almond slices and dusted with icing sugar! Totally Yum and very moreish. They are very rich though, so it is very hard to eat more than two at any one time! :P

Femme is the perfume equivalent of that gateaux confectionary. It is very french, elegant
and refined but in the experience totally lush, mouthwatering, and full flavoured but never overblown or cloying. The peach, prune and cinnamon top notes immediately set your mouthwatering, the Grasse jasmine, Damascene Rose and Ylang-ylang of the mid notes are all at their most 'fondant' - dense, rich, creamy and the oakmoss, sandalwood, amber & musk basenotes are divine on the skin with the whole leaving you smelling almost edible! ;)

Although classed as a fruity Chypre, Femme to me is also a gourmand delight which has much to teach the many brash vanilla / patchouli / caramel drowned gourmand fragrances of today.

A fantastic, underrated classic! J'adore! :-*[/size]