Fragrance Reviews by jpapillon

Most gardenia scents are so overtly sweet and exotic that they call to mind movies where a sad-eyed girl says to a sailor, "For an extra ten dollars you can have my sister too..."

Jo Malone took the gardenia out of the tropical brothel with her gardenia scent. The spices and woody tones give it a smooth mellowness that invites you to keep inhaling.

I wish my mother was alive to smell this. A new personal favorite.

If a sticky bun and a closet pomander had a baby, this would be it. In my line of work, I am surrounded by three-year-old children, who think this is the prettiest smell ever. (Ever!) Don't let the pearlescent teardrop bottle fool you into thinking this is a sophisticated scent treat. How mistaken was I!

This is truly a skin scent, to the degree that I could not smell it on me. My boss and several co-workers thought it was fabulous, but strange that voile d'Ete has such a spicy and baked smell. Reminiscent of the sun-baked clay perhaps? But there is no earthy smell I can detect from samples. (Remember, to me it smells like nothing when I put it on.)

I have been a Guerlain devotee ever since my first bottle of Shalimar at age 19, but if I had to make room on my table for one Guerlain, it would be Les Meteorites. Perhaps I will love Terracotta Voile d'Ete in another season, when my nose is differently disposed.

I always thought that violets were for girls who would proudly tell their age using half-years, as in "I am six-and-a-half years old," or "I am eighty-seven...and a half!" Violets always seemed to be sweet and coy, coquettish or quaint. This fragrance takes the sweetness and gives it an amber twist to create the impression that you mean what you say, even though it sounds like a lot of sweet talk on the surface. Too light for the winter time, I'll put it on the back shelf and wait for spring, and then let out to play.

It takes a lot to keep the sandalwood/patchouli combination from smelling like an old VW microbus, and Chopard has brought this combination out of the quagmire of the 1970's. It's fruity top may be too heady (or even childish) for some, but there are rewards in waiting for the drydown. Not for those who want to make a subtle statement. Even used in tiny amounts this fragrance is distinctive.

I thought I would like it for its complexity of sweet (iris) and dark (chocolate) scents, but one me it really just smells like someone spilled a drink. The old adage goes, "If you don't want to smell like you've been drinking, drink vodka." After testing Blu Notte, all I can say is if you want to smell like you've had a two martini lunch, wear Blu Notte.

A 1940s kind of fragrance that is captivating. The violets are subtle and not at all cloying. The balance of violet, heliotrope and iris has an old-world sophistication that runs the risk of quaintness (think Sunday School teacher) or blowzy (think trailer park hottie) if used too heavily. A little dab here and there is all you need.

Aaah Neroli. So strange. So continental. So perfectly simple.

A tiny dab and you're "breathtakingly lovely". Too much and you're sporting blue hair and support hose.

Gorgeous only in the hands of those with a sense of discretion.

Ah Dios mio, it's Old Havana in a Bottle! Blessed sensuality that is not for the timid. Ladies who enjoy dark red lipstick, who wear a "wrap" instead of a coat, who walk slowly with head held high not caring who's looking...you want this on your dressing table.

Bitter & fruity settles into spicy without being loud about it. I for one, if left smelling of having had a night of drunken revelry would like to at least have actually HAD a night of drunken revelry, so I was wary of all the reviews with references to liqueurs. Contrary to popular belief, to me, it does NOT smell "alcoholic" at all. An interesting and relieving discovery.

With so many just like it (and made prior to this, thank you Rochas) I guess the only reason I might pay more is for the cute bottle, but even that pales in comparison to the others of the Bond No. 9 line. This taxi might go above 92nd street for the food and the clubs, but not for this fragrance.

Ordinarily, I love the smell of amber. In combination with the rose absolute in Stella, something acrid lurks. I haven't smelled it on anyone else, but on me it does not work.

The PEZ Candy Company called. They want their aroma back.

At first, Tocade is one of those Jasmine/Rose/Lily of the Valley scents that says, "church lady" in a sensible shoes baggy pantyhose sort of way. WAIT FOR IT....because the orchid, vanilla and amber make this scent Not Your Grandma's Fragrance. Lasting power is incredible. You must literally scrub it off to be done with it. (Could be a good thing or a very bad thing...) A good all-around fragrance for the tasteful set not wishing to offend or assault with fragrance. My new "standby" fragrance for those "opt for Plan B" kind of days.

Beautifully like its name, but dries down to a dish detergent scent. I apologized to Madge and told her I could soak in it no longer.

It's the Rose Parade! An old song and a beautiful one, but not for me.

I received a free sample and it is very accurate to its description and the other reviews. I have to agree with another reviewer that you'll fall in and out of love with this scent, depending on your mood and past experiences at the beach. To me, the fragrances says "crowded" which is great for a party mood.

Starts out very green. Obnoxiously so. Florals take over and an ambery almond scent emerges that is elegant in a wives of very powerful men (Jackie O.) sort of way. It calls you to put on more, which you do not need to do, since lasting power is potent. What it dries down to (many many hours later)is strangely syrupy and magenta-smelling in a rather unpleasant manner, like you've spilled grape or berry jam on yourself. Your evening will be long done by the time that dessert is served.
Use it only at night.

Once you get past the aldehydic blast this fragrance is all the pleasures of pipe tobacco without the yellowing of the drapes. Makes me thirsty for a lovely cognac and a long evening with a good book.

This is the cleanest dirt I've ever experienced. The top of the fragrance is spot-on accurate. There is a very pleasant dry-down (which happens WAY too quickly)which smells nothing like dirt, but the impression is already made, so it's still a nice ride. Another reviewer found it pleasing that there was no compost smell to it, and that was my ONLY disappointment in the scent. It had the sharp tones of turning vegetation, but none of the thick, sulphurous smells that make dirt smell, well dirty. They're so close (incredibly so) on this one. I hope the good people at Demeter revisit this formula and re-release it with the needed density, as "Mud".

It is all the things that people have said...green, then warm and caramelly. I also could not find the cinnamon. Given its expense, I can find greater scent enjoyment in other fragrances. Just not for me.

This is now one of my "must-haves". Complex and woody, it takes me back to when I wore Poison to be "serious" and "refined" in my first days of woking. There is noting "cute" or "dainty" here. That's why I love it.

The amber and patchouli notes can be a bit of a turnoff for those raised in the preppie or yuppie mindset. The hippies and lovers of things Eastern will think this smells like home.

Le Baiser Du Dragon comes on vvery strong, but once it settles in, it becomes a warm woody fragrance.

If anything could smell like the color tawny, this is it.

I am always a bit wary when a fragrance is produced with several "versions" following, because generally it indicates that the perfumer is onto something that is ALMOST a good thing. I bought a mini of Cabotine to test it and see if my theory on "versions" (there's also Pastel de Cabotine, Cabotine Bleu, and Cabotine Rose)

The theory holds true for me. Cabotine went on beautifully, with a cool fruity bite, but as it warmed, the ylang-ylang came screaming forth like a banshee. As it died down, Cabotine smelled like old carnations, and not in a charming nostalgic way, more like "someone PLEASE change the water in that vase!"

Definitely NOT a keeper for my dressing table.

The myrrh notes at the base make this first frangrance from Dali the most intriguing. It either creates a "mysterious" feeling or a "churchy" feeling as another reviewer wrote. It is the most complex of the Dali scents, with fruits at the top, rose, jasmine (Dali kept jasmine blossoms with him at all times) and orange blossom at the heart and a base of amber, cedarwood, musk, vanilla, and myrrh. Like many of the Dali fragrances, it can be cloying if not used sparingly. A personal favorite for years.

Use this SPARINGLY -- it lasts and can be suffocating. Lots of citrus at first with heady iris and jasmine at its heart. Sandalwood and amber at the base give it some staying power. This is a very seductive fragrance that can become vulgar and cheap if used too heavily. If you like to walk through a light mist and go, Laguna is for you. If you like to soak all your pulse points, look elsewhere.

The fragrance is exactly like its bottle -- seemingly watery and diaphanous with a cabbage roses head and a substantial base. A fresh and VERY feminine scent.

The distinctive note in this fragrance is apricot, there is not a heavy vanilla tone to knock out the fruit scents and make the whole thing smell "sticky". This is good, because the sandalwood base makes it an "older" smelling fragrance. The packaging is the treat here, but a good summer fragrance.

There are men's and women's versions of this fragrance by Victory International, both created in 1999. I received the feminine version as a gift, and it is a pleasing combination of rose, vanilla and jasmine. Its staying power is not "eterno" and it fades rather quickly.