Fragrance Reviews by rtamara41

warm, soothing, ultimate comfort scent. very sensual. easy to love, easy to wear.

I find Cuir de Russie to be MORE feminine than Caron's Tabac Blond, or rather elegant, civilized and understated. I could envision Catherine Deneuve wearing this in Belle du Jour, but never Tabac Blond, for instance. This is a soft leather with a soft floral veil, a beautiful skin scent that wears like a quiet, luminous atmosphere. I would enjoy wearing this anytime , anywhere. Beautiful and appropriate without being boring or necessarily conventional. My very favorite leather fragrance to date.

L'Inspiratrice by Divine, notes from luckyscent:
Rose, ylang-ylange, vanilla, tonka bean, vetiver, patchouli
When I dabbed this one on, the patchouli really got my attention. I like patchouli, but I don't always find patchouli fragrances to be wearable. Some can make you feel like you are ankle deep in earth and I just can't function that way. L'Inspiratrice is different, quieter, softer, gentle, earthy, lovely. After wearing it a while, the patchouli seems to take the background for something more complicated and delicate. I like this one alot. Wish it weren't $120 a bottle!

This is a fragrance that has captivated me with its golden warmth. Its blend of woody notes is pleasing, it is warm and sensual without being at all heavy. It smells like love. It is impossible to wear this and not feel your heart opening.

Having been gifted with this as a sample, I was delighted to find myself transported to a Victorian garden replete with butterflies, sunlight, white trellises and stepping stones. There is a very romantic feel to this, imo.
My blind guess of notes was mango in the top, rose in the heart and musk in the base.
The cedar is a nice grounding touch to the sweet topnotes and floral heart.
Wear it in the garden, or on a walk around a lake on a balmy day.

Bandit: Declaration of Badness through Scent:
Notes include galbanum, orange, bergamot, neroli, jasmine, rose, tuberose, leather, patchouli, mousse de chene, vetiver, musk.

Due to a failed swap of this frag I had squirreled away, I decided to give it another ride.
Let me just say that I have been spending the weekend getting to know Bandit a bit more intimately and I am a much better woman for it!

Based on reviews, I was really eager to try this frag, sure I would love it, and at first sniff I was rather repulsed. Something musty, something not quite proper, something that had been sitting in the dark a bit too long in need of some sun. I put it away, I put it on my swap list. Just couldn't swap the darn thing away.

So I decided to embrace it one more time. Dear God! Either this little elixer has changed or I have become a dark corrupted scentophile who likes things that thrive under rocks. The first burst of scent makes you do a double take, I am guessing it is the galbanum, something sort of like wet grass and dirt, but there is something very pretty and delicate that makes itself known rather quickly after that settles down. There is a muskiness to this with an impression of wildflowers. There is also something incense like here. It's such an unexpected mix of various notes. I guess there is some leather in here too. After several hours I get the pepper, slight incense and delicate flowers with sheer musk. Haunting.

This fragrance is beautifully elegant and yet deliciously bad. It pleases me. It is now officially off my swaplist.

I have read that this fragrance has a "cult" following. I think I just joined.
This has got to be a Holy Grail fragrance for any Patchouli lover. The irony is that I did not think I liked Patchouli until very recently. All that has changed forever.
This patchouli has a sweetness to it which gives it a velvety quality , and is so earthy that it gives me a feeling of delightful groundedness.
Highly recommended for activities involving worship, whether it be lovemaking or meditating, or prayer.
The bottle is gorgeous with a crystal top that has an Aurora Borealis effect.
It is also sold in a refill size which is a simple flacon in a velvet pouch.
How long will 6mls of pure perfume oil last? The more I sniff my sample, the less that question seems to have any relevance. This is an utterly divine fragrance experience.

Dazed, Seigfried opened his eyes, and almost instantly shut them again to block the brilliant glare of the sun - but not before he caught sight of that rounded and undulating belly. Was he dreaming? Cautiously, squinting, he raised one hand to shield his vision and to take a longer look.
There she stood, or rather, seemed to float, naked from the waist up, tiny beads of sweat glistening on her torso. Her legs were covered with flowing, saffron colored silk of the sheerest variety.
Her eyes were dark and intent, and, finished with her dance, she regarded him quietly.

The woman leaned over and a drop of moisture fell upon the man's parched lips.
Salt. Salt of the earth. He smelled the faint odor of her sweat, sweetened by a lifetime of eating spices.

"What KINGDOM have I found myself in?" he wondered.

This fragrance has a pleasantly raunchy quality, but is beautiful, and the drydown is lightly floral, which is merciful.

A unique, winning fragrance.

Complex enough to be interesting, straightforward enough to be decidedly Rose. Very soothing. The fresh wet rose is balanced by the sweet, warmth of the honey drydown. A real beauty of a scent and a great pleasure to wear.

Nirmala is my new found love. Yes, there is a similarity to Angel, but so well put by Lizzie, "royalty does not shout," and Nirmala though unique and arresting, stays close to the skin and has more of a natural feel to it than Angel, imo.
Truly an exotic fragrance fit for a goddess. The mango and other fruits give it a succulent quality, the jasmine elevates, and the vanilla and sandalwood root one to the earth. Simply gorgeous. Make sure you are in your Goddess Mode when wearing.

I was given a sample of this surprising fragrance and immediately thought of some of the essential oils that I am accustomed to using in my bodywork practice.
The citrus and neroli beginning is incredibly uplifting and fresh and the ylang ylang and patchouli give this fragrance experience a wonderful full bodied substance. This is a gem of a fragrance that makes me feel happy and uplifted.

Tonight I am wearily treading home and wrapping myself in a soft cloak of Creed Jasmin Impeatrice Eugenie from a sample I had overlooked weeks ago. It is simply perfect, I must say, just the scent I needed for a gentle night. I have been wanting something decidedly feminine after a patch of whip cracking with my Tabac Blond love, (I still love Tabac Blond, mind you, just I need a softer touch right now) and this Creed is smooth, creamy , elegant and womanly. Soft flowers, soft flowers, I am cloaked in a bed of soft flowery prettiness.
Now, two hours later, the drydown has evolved into a silky sandalwood. ahhh....

Thanks to Djuna, I now have a decant of this, and I agree with the descriptions of smoke, rubber and black tea...but I think that it should not be reserved for Batman only, how about L'Eau du Catwoman? It's soft enough for a woman.
I also see how it could be a good layering fragrance.
I like it very much!

I spent the evening savoring my decant of Aimez Moi, (thank you Mr. Good Life, you warned me I might love it ) and I see what he and others who so eloquently reviewed it here mean...what a unique fragrance, buttery, softly spicy and sweet, with that licorice touch, and yes a sweet pipe tobacco scent...very comforting in a way, easy to wear, I can see it becoming one of my favorites. We had a family gathering tonight with Grandparents and the kids and I felt so enveloped in Aimez Moi,the word that keeps coming to mind for me is "comfort." Definitely a hug inducer. Beautiful without being pretentious.
So far my favorites of the Carons are Tabac Blond, En Avion, Farnesiana, Aimez Moi, Parfum Sacre, and Bellodgia. Not in any particular order. I guess that covers leather, spice and sweet floral.

Today was a day off for me and I puttered a bit at Sephora, sampling some of the scents that you Basenoters have been discussing. I sniffed Hypnotic Poison and knew it right away, for some reason it reminds me of the East Village (?) liked it very much, but not enough to bring it home with me. I also tried Tocca's Touch, and felt somewhat conflicted...it makes me feel like I should be sitting in my study with the fireplace lit, writing letters and reviewing the menu of the day, like the protagonist in Rebecca, but like her, felt like I was not quite up to the task of being Mistress of the Manderly.

But then I crossed paths with Opium and omigod, this scent speaks to me. But I asked myself...am I the kind of woman who can wear this scent in public? It is so sensual, seems to be a boudoir fragrance, and also , in the back of my mind, it reminds me of my Mother...SHE is the kind of woman who would wear Opium. Have I gotten to this point in my life, that I can wear a scent reminiscent of Mom? And also be turned on by it? HOLY COW! WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN????
THIS is a scent that makes me think I should be in the boudoir draped in velvet , wearing high heels, and nothing else. Am I brave enough to declare the intensity of my sensuality as I go about my daily business, amongst my neighbors, my co workers , the crossing guards, the grocery checkout boys? After an afternoon spent in the arms of Opium, I decided, sure I can, what the hell.
I notice a number of folks mention that this is a fragrance for "older" women. Yes, it is true that as a twenty something, I would have turned away from its heady wafting notes. But it is also true that many women hit their sexual peak as they round the bend of forty, certainly true for me, THANK GOD! Opium gets FIVE O's from this "mature" woman.

I have never experienced a fragrance quite like Farnesiana before. My first impression is of almonds toasted in cinammon, which after a time warms down to a smoky, woody vanilla on the skin. Farnesiana creates an aura that is warm, comforting and unbelievably sensual. Deep but not overpowering. I agree with Vintage Vogue's review that there is something sweet and maternal about Farnesiana, but the mother we are talking about here has an exotic air about her. I am reminded of my first taste of Creme Brulee! Delightful.

Maybe Baby has been filling my needs...for now. The peachy tones are not overly sweet as they seem to be balanced with a musky note. But for me it is too light, bright and not quite complex enough for a long term commitment. Maybe Baby is the sparkly little sister tease to the more mature scent of Touch Me and then Try to Leave body cream also by Benefit.The cream is so utterly luscious it makes one want to immediately don a peach colored satin negligee (with matching gown) and then slowly and seductively take it off. Unlike the lighter tease of Maybe Baby , Touch Me and Then Try to Leave takes you all the way with its dusky, powdery, sensual sweetness. Old fashioned feminine sweet with just enough naughty.