Basenotes - Reviews by Infusion

United States

Showing 1 to 10 of 10.

Eau de Gentiane Blanche by Hermès

I thought this was a gorgeous, dry, elegant white musk scent which is destined to be a classic. I wanted so badly for this to work on me, but the bitter note sadly tipped the scales towards this smelling like a masculine scent on my skin. While I have nothing against women wearing masculine scents, I'm a woman and I want to smell feminine. That being said, I see Annie Hall wearing this scent and being a force to reckon with. Shoot. I wish I could pull this off - it's the textbook definition of a minimalist masterpiece.

13rd November, 2009.

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Private Collection Amber Ylang-Ylang by Estée Lauder

This is one of those perfumes in my collection that honestly, I like it more each time I wear it.

It's comforting, elegant, sensual and stays close to the skin. This must not be a typical amber scent, because all the scents I've tried after this with "amber" in the name - I have not liked. But this, this is delicious. Delectable, even. No other perfume comes to mind for a reference point, this is unlike any other I've smelled. I did get the playdoh note at first, but that dissipates and the most lovely, creamy scent develops that is neither too sweet, spicy, woody or incensy.

I feel like I own one of the world's most unique and divine scents - it's hard to believe that this is not niche.

7th November, 2009.

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Bellissima by Blumarine

This fragrance is a standout (quite a feat when you consider a new scent is released practically every day somewhere in the world).

From the classic elegance of the bottle shape to the romantic color of pale rose colored juice inside, this perfume is not your average department store release. I have already gone through 2 sample vials and loved every minute I wore this scent. It is described as a floral musk but I would never guess there is floral in this. It reminds me of a slightly creamier/fruitier Bvlgari Au The Blanc. And I do mean "slightly".

Top notes: dew drops, ginger, grapefruit and orange
Mid notes: peony and passionflower
Base notes: sandalwood, musk, cashmere and vanilla blossom

It is extremely well blended, no one note dominates. And it is subtly sensual. In fact, I would love to know which note, or combination of notes, evokes this feeling, I would search it out in other fragrances. Given its romantic sensuality, it would work well as an evening scent. And yet, I would not hesitate to wear this to the office, because it has a sheerness to it, like the aforementioned Au The Blanc. It had good lasting power on me, I'd say 5 hours on the skin and all day when spritzed on clothing.

This is unlike any other scent I've sniffed and I've sampled quite a few (h/e, niche, department store - you name it).

6th November, 2009.

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Queen by Queen Latifah

This had the potential to be a really great scent.

I liked it when I first sprayed it, but then it became overly sweet on the drydown. If they had just scaled back the vanilla and whatever other notes are making it smell so sweet, I think I would have seriously considered buying this. \

That said, I have to give this kudos for being one of the more complex and well-blended celebrity scents.

6th November, 2009.

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Black Star by Avril Lavigne

You know, I quite liked this. Not sure if my scent memory serves me well, but it was reminiscent to me of a scent I used to wear in the 1970's called Blue Jeans. To me, this was a fruity gourmand scent, with the chocolate note being anemic - at best. I read somewhere that during the testing stage, earlier formulations of this had a more pronounced dark chocolate note. I am not a gourmand lover, but I think that would have appealed to me more than the version that was bottled.

All-in-all it's a good scent. One of my favorite of the celebrity scent genre. However, I decided to return my bottle because the scent only lasted 15 minutes or so before it completely disappeared. My rating would have been a thumbs up, but because of the very poor lasting power, this gets a thumbs neutral.

6th November, 2009.

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Roses Musk by Montale

I'm with jrd4t on this one. I, too, am very surprised this hasn't gotten higher reviews. It IS fantastic. It seems to be one of those great overlooked scents.

On my skin, it is a warm, ethereal, watery sueded rose scent that stays close to the skin. It is not your old-fashioned rose scent by any means, rather a rose that is freshly picked from the rosebush. Lasting power is quite good: it lasts about 8 hours on me before I would need to re-apply. Truly an all-season scent, I could see myself reaching for this in the winter and summer. My favorite Montale so far.

6th November, 2009. (Last Edited: 10th November, 2009.)

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Prada Infusion d'Iris by Prada

This fragrance is truly a master class in blending.

It smells like the finest cashmere with a touch of suede. A perfect blend of slightly floral, slightly soapy, and ever so slightly woody notes. One of the few "clean" scents that does not make my stomach turn. There is no dryer sheet or fresh laundry accord, which I despise. Like another reviewer said, you really need to let this one develop on your skin to fully appreciate its beauty. No doubt in my mind that this is a classic scent that is destined to stand the test of perfume fads and follies. I'm sure that 100 years from now, this masterpiece will still be beloved by many.

My favorite Prada scent, by a landslide.

6th November, 2009.

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Hermèssence Rose Ikebana by Hermès

I never knew I liked rose scents until I tried this one.

It's a delightful fruity-citrus-rose elixir that tickles my nose (in a good way), with the rose note being fresh roses straight from the florist's refrigerator. The longevity is okay, I can still smell it on my skin after a day at work. Just wish the price was a little more reasonable. I am coveting the full-size bottle of this in an awful way.

6th November, 2009.

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Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue by Dolce & Gabbana

In a nutshell:

(1) Great, fresh and light citrus scent - with a hint of complexity.
(2) Has very good staying power for a scent of this type.
(3) This is a popular scent, so you will find many others wearing it, which is a negative if you want to wear something unique.

6th November, 2009.

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Cristobal by Balenciaga

Hmmm, I don't get the hype about this one.

It's a strong, sweet non-descript scent. Plus, there is a note or combination of notes that smells really artificial on my skin. Reminds me of the bombastic category of scents that were released in the 1980's, but not as good.

6th November, 2009.

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