Fragrance Reviews by paloma54

I just wanted to point out that the reintroduced scent under this name is nothing whatsoever like the old scent by d'Orsay, which was one of my mother's all time favorite perfumes.

Wafting along with the piquancy of a martini, Cocktail refreshes and sparkles without being really very sweet, or fruity, or very floral, for that matter. I believe there may be a lavender note in here contributing to the dry effect of Cocktail, which makes it so especially unique.

This is, in my opinion, the most beautiful version of the soliflore carnation perfume ever made. It is silky and smooth, the spiciness of the carnation softened with the sweetness of vanilla and powdery notes. Bellodgia is much more complex, and I'm not including it as a carnation soliflore. Blue Carnation is smoother than and slightly sweeter than Floris' Malmaison.

A wonderful, soft, ambery oriental which is usually paired in my own mind with Balenciaga's Prelude. Both of these have wonderful amber accords, although Normandie is a bit less sweet than Prelude, and may have a bit more of an incense note. This is wonderful in cool weather: distinguished and soothing.

Although I'm not really fond of leathery scents on my own skin, I have a high regard for Chanel's Cuir de Russie. I don't wear it, but I can imagine wearing it! I'd say Piver's version is quite a bit more masculine than Chanel's and it would surprise me if there were any women who really wanted to wear this one. I'm embarassed to admit, I bought it for the bottle and the label, which always reminds me of Stravinsky's Petrouchka ballet.

Votre is a classically beautiful scent in the French tradition. It sparkles its way through topnotes and heart notes, then settles down intoa light lovely sillage. Think of First, then lighten it up a little, reduce some brashness, and you might have something close to Votre. Sure wish I had a bottle of the pure perfume!

Givenchy III is one of the rare green chypre or green floral scents still obtainable today. The heart is generously floral, although it remains tailored and elegant, making it suitable for daytime office wear AND for evening occasions. I consider the basenote of this perfume one of the most purely beautiful bases ever created.

I might have missed out on this one altogether, had it not been for the consistent recommendations I received on this perfume from saleswomen familiar with hundreds of perfumes. It's one for a connoisseur/se, and has a tendency to grow on one over time.

It has that rare and, to me, thrilling, combination of stimulating crispness wedded to searing heat.

A light floral described on its label as possessing the following notes: sand jasmine (what is this?), sea spray, mandarin, jasmine, and orange blossom.

When I wear this, I think of vacations in Florida in the 1960s, when the highways there were lined with 1 story motels and tacky (but fun) souvenir shops full of things made from seashells and straw hats. And of course, I think of the famous large billboard ads for Coppertone! Of all the beachy scents I've smelled, this one evokes the most nostalgia, for some reason.

Prelude enwraps one in an incredibly soft and elegant cloud of amber, without any of the harsh, metallic, or synthetic-edged notes which often spoil oriental and ambery perfumes for me. In some ways it is similar to Patou's Normandie and to Dioressence, another impossibly beautiful amber!

I bought my lovely, blue and brown decorated spray bottle of Bakir in my last year of college, when it was undoubtedly way too sophisticated for me!

The scent is extremely unique, very intriguing, with a special spicy greenish-resinous piquancy which makes it different than the usual oriental fragrance. There is something about it which makes me think of Christmas, although I couldn't put my finger on it. I now have a bottle made by Long Lost Perfume Company, and it's very very close to the original. Although I love this, I seldom wear it. It can be overpowering if not carefully applied, and is best suited to a grand occasion, and a very bold personality.

A light fruity floral somewhat similar to Carven's Guirlandes, another perfume introduced in 1982. The top has a bit of appealing greenness, but eventually the dry smoky basenotes reminded me too much of Cabochard, which is not one of my favorites, despite its classic status!

A dark, sophisticated, luscious, creamy and elegant perfume smelling like a darker version of Paloma with more patchouli. Although often classified as an Oriental, I experience it more as a rich patchouli-laden ambery chypre. This is not a perfume to be worn in the spring and summer, but maybe to an evening at the opera in the fall and winter.

Ariane is one of my two favorite Avon perfumes, the other one being Emprise. The opening is soft and flowery, developing into a very rewarding spicy floral heart. They drydown is also soft, feminine, and powdery, and is long lasting. How nice that Avon brings this one back from time to time.

Sourire is one of my more successful attempts to purchase a perfume without testing it first. It is one of many Shiseido perfumes sold only in the Asian market, perhaps even only within Japan. I read its description in the H & R Fragrance Guide, and determined to see if Shiseido would sell me a bottle directly. A very polite representative from Shiseido in Japan responded to my email request, and shipped me a bottle of Sourire. To my great enjoyment, it turned out to be a lovely, very feminine and graceful scent. The opening notes are sprightly, and the floral heart exudes some spiciness contributed by the carnation note. The drydown is truly feminine and powdery.

This fruity floral is unpleasantly similar to so many other fragrances of its day, such as Oui-Non, Tresor, Volupte, and Zoa, all of which contain peach and apricot topnotes, rich floral hearts, and basenotes featuring cedar and musk over a layer of ambered vanilla. Much as I ldislike the scent of Tres Jourdan, I find the packaging and bottle design stunningly beautiful! It's a perfume I bought solely for the bottle and never intend to wear!

Floris' Stephanotis smells exactly like a huge wedding bouquet! It is utterly divine!

Forest Lily smells like spring flowers in bloom, especially hyacinths. Although the scent is pretty, I'm not entirely in love with the way it dries down on my skin.

I believe that Gauloise is possibly a mistake of packaging design. For those of us who find cigarette smoke obnoxious, the idea of a perfume resembling a cigarette package is not exactly an attractive concept, and I think that subconciously it hinders me from wearing this lovely perfume. Every time I spray it on, I'm impressed with its beauty and resolve to wear it more often. It really is a classically beautiful aldehydic floral, with a clarity which reminds me of the other Molyneux perfume I adore: Vivre!

First may be one of the very last great classic French perfumes! I discovered this in the early 90s thanks to a most kind and helpful saleswoman at the May Company in Cleveland, who suggested I try this. My first impression, as well as my everpresent reaction to First is that it smells "French", and "perfume-y".

First opens with a rather brash and in your face topnote which is immediately backed up by a forthright medly of exuberant, elegant florals, which is tempered by a most pleasing combination of basenotes. It is one of my "desert island" fragrances, and never strikes a wrong note, or feels inappropriate. It gives me that "world in a bottle" feeling--nothing is left out that I could possibly wish to feel! It is elegant, tailored, warm, long-lasting, complicated, spicy, feminine, yet assertive

Diva is an elegant chypre perfume redolent with rose, rose geranium, and patchouli. Although closely related to many of the other floral chypres of the late 70s and early 80s, it is rosier and less green than Coriandre, and less full of nuances than Paloma. To my nose, it lacks some of the complexity of Coriandre and Paloma, although I still prefer it to Eau du Soir and Maroc, which it also somewhat resembles. The bottle, with its elegant pleats, couldn't be lovelier!

Whatever it is that makes Chantilly unique and wonderful doesn't appear to show up in any of the basic notes as profiled in the H & R Fragrance Guide. The scent possesses much of the spiciness and sweetness of many oriental perfumes, but it also has an elegance lending it an air of refinement coupled with a very warm heart. So much of this scent is just so basically and fundamentally right where a perfume should be! I haven't tried the current version of Chantilly in the stores out of fear that the ingredients have been watered down, but rather am enjoying some vintage bottles which were purchased on ebay. They are magnificent!

For some reason, Cabriole (Elizabeth Arden 1977)smells so very very familiar to me, and I'm wondering if perhaps my mother may have had a bottle once. It is just absolutely gorgeous, and is what I'd call a really WOMANLY perfume, not old-ladyish, but like an elegant and voluptuous woman. It is a sweet floral, primarily rosey, but it opens with the tanginess of raspberry and galbanum. Soon afterward, you smell the opulent floralcy, but through a veil of honeyed other florals, including the faintest hint of carnation. The floral heart is well supported by the basenotes, which are powdery and strong enough to hold on to the heart without asserting themselves strongly. Once in awhile, the cedarwood contributes a slight ashiness to the powdery base, but this is always the tendency on my skin for any cedarwood. On most people, this ashiness doesn't seem to occur, so I'd go ahead and recommend Cabriole highly!

Quadrille has a crisp, uncompromising elegance. There is nothing objectionable about it, in fact, it is very pleasant, but by itself, I always feel it is missing an element in the heart; perhaps it needs more floralcy. The immediate impression I usually have is of very crisp celery--pleasing, but not sufficient to make a whole meal! Quadrille makes a wonderful, wonderful basenote to be layered over by a light floral which on its own, might not be strong enough. I have never smelled the pure perfume, but maybe it has more floral richness than the edt or edp version in my possession.

Alada begins with a fresh burst of lime followed by a warm fresh eau de cologne heart. The top and mid notes fade away leaving a somewhat musky and masculine type of drydown which, unfortunately, doesn't appeal to me much. This scent could be worn equally well by anyone who enjoys it, male or female. In fact, the bottle design is somewhat unisex in appearance.