Reviews by castorpollux

    Showing 1 to 30 of 318.
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    Eaudemoiselle by Givenchy

    I like the bottle, it looks vintage...now the scent is a very sensual floral with fruity accords which reminds me of the classic Trésor with the rose absolut middle.
    It's airy, feminine, and very pretty, fresh. The base has woodsy notes with ambrette, cedar and tonka which make it a little more interesting than the usual white musks used in the new feminine fragrances. Cute without being too bland.

    9th August, 2010.

    rating

    Parisienne by Yves Saint Laurent

    This bipolar scent is a mysterious floral with a woodsy base that has damask rose, peony violets on the top and then goes on a freefall to the base with patchouli and vetiver , a bit powdery and kind of sexy, it's a safe bet for those who want to look vamp without really being one and then discovering that they really are afraid of the consequences of being so.
    While pleasant, I think mystery has been done in a better way.

    9th August, 2010.

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    Ricci Ricci by Nina Ricci

    Fruity floral? check. Sweet? check. fresh top with rhubarb, bergamot, flowery mid with roses and a light sandalwood on the base? check
    Points off for unoriginality. It has been done before with better results.

    9th August, 2010.

    rating

    Idole d'Armani by Giorgio Armani

    Ok, this is looking like it'll get 100% positive reviews so far, and i have to say I fully agree. This scent has everything that made in a poorly fashion would turn out to be either quirky or really insulting, in the way perfumers nowadays seem to fall head over heels for a soft fruity floral (the trend is still very much strong), but in this case, it's clearly well blended. This lady of a scent is a softly spiced floral that has what it seems a natural elegance and i specially like the bottle which it seems 30s-inspired.
    What i get at the topnotes are some ginger and oranges the kind that's not quite ripe but still a bit green, still a bit sweet, the it becomes a rather magnetic mid and base with even more spices with a leather kick and of course, the ever present roses in women's perfumes, only here it's very welcome and it adds to this very attractive woman a touch of flair and delicacy that combined with high quality jasmine, has all the winning notes.

    9th August, 2010.

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    Zegna Colonia by Ermenegildo Zegna

    Zegna wants us to think of La Dolce Vita, but i say stress on the Dolce.
    It's an attractive scent, with a fresh opening of neroli, bergamot and galbanum with an interesting iris mid and cedar and musk base, it's not bad at all, but it's just not quite there yet. Lacks longevity.

    9th August, 2010.

    rating

    Private Collection Jasmine White Moss by Estée Lauder

    This scent has a very retro style that may not be for everyone, but i think it fully represents what the good old days of E.L. were and it takes a lot of confidence to release a scent like this in the current market.
    This is a very green chypre very saturated floral with heady , rich white flowers and if used sparingly, it is a very nice elegant and chic scent, it has a base of moss and woods. The top smells very much like galbanum, similar to the top of YSL's Y, but where Y remains green throughout the drydown, this one changes from green to jasmine-ylang to white moss. It's good, but can be cloying.

    9th August, 2010.

    rating

    Midnight Charm by Christian Dior

    Now, to make things clear from the start, the only thing in common this one has with the fantastic Dolce Vita, is the bottle design, and that's where the similarities end.
    This scent starts like some wet, mossy, twigs with added bergamot that feels very cool but never really frozen, almost like an abandoned garden project left out in the cold rain, then suddenly the scent changes and very fast, to a warm ,then warmer , then creamy warm liquid that feels like you're close to a fireplace of sorts, but see, it just so happens that someone left the xmas fruitcake inside the fireplace by accident and the fruits start to feel smoked and intensely sweet.
    The base is someone realizing the scent has gone too sweet and warm, decided to throw some water onto the fireplace, that left the smoked fruits wet and with dry woods , but with an added dose of a very "familiar" musk.
    Ever smelled the base of a fruity floral by Givenchy? Enough said.
    I kinda liked it, but i keep the bottle for "research" and because it just looks so damn good.
    For fans only i guess. Good thing it was a limited edition!.

    13rd December, 2007.

    rating

    Midnight for Men by Avon

    For a scent called "midnight" this is a very sunny, clean scent.
    At first the top notes come shining through with some aromatic herbs and tries to be provocative with some lemon and oranges, the mid has some spices and few flowery bits that are not bothering the masculine notes at all, but the fragrance stays somewhat mute and quite unoriginal. The base is just soft woods. It doesn't smell bad, but it's been done. And i get the sour feeling that they copied themselves as well.
    Sexy? passionate? I don't think so.

    12nd December, 2007.

    rating

    Sensual Amber by Bath and Body Works

    This is a sweet fragrance at first blast and then it settles into a semi-sweet powdery scent, when i say powdery i mean dusty-library powdery and not soapy powdery...not even musky powdery.
    This one has musk as well, and the base is all about this musk, which is a kind of dirty musk, not the soft white musk of the regular feminine scent of late. It has an aura of old times, like it has been macerating for years before opening it, but that doesn't mean at all that it's bad or that it turned, it's just a darker type of fragrance. Somehow it also reminds me of a late night at a luxury condo of the 70s, meaning soft lights, scotch and gold furnishings and whatever tacky decor you might think of.The flowery middle is all about the lotus and iris, and to a lesser extent, about a sweet orange blossom, the white rose is rather non-existent.
    The scent is not tacky per se, in fact quite the opposite so i don't understand why i thought of that imagery, in any case, if you think it's too sweet or strong, then go for the very wearable body splash of the same name and brand, and you'll still get noticed, and you'll still have decent sillage, and you'll still smell good.
    Very nice in the Fall season.
    Happens to be one of my favorite B&BW frags, along with Japanese Cherry Blossom, Black raspberry & Vanilla,exotic coconut , moonlight path and and coconut lime vervena

    12nd December, 2007.

    rating

    Surreal for Her by Avon

    Somebody at Avon thought that making a cheaper version of Beyond Paradise for women was a good idea.
    I think they were right, because i think that BP is a cheap smelling scent anyway, and Surreal for her skips the terrible banana note entirely and goes for the berry, exotic flowers, airy sun sandy clean scent with a powdery finish that's not too musky.
    In short, i liked it better than BP, but it's not truly something to buy a second time.

    12nd December, 2007.

    rating

    Floral Prints - Sheer Rose by Avon

    Mix equal parts of white musk and rose absolute, wash it down in some watery mix, add a new and very interesting salty skin note, and voilà, you got Floral Prints: Sheer Rose.
    It's not bad, and it's very interesting, only because think it shares a lot in common with Light Blue for her: when FloralP: S.Rose has roses, Light Blue has apples.Only difference is, the Avon one is less fresh and more -way more- musky.
    The rose note is well done and very pretty but nothing too original, but it does smell good AND it mantains its power next to the white musk note, and we know that sometimes white musk can take over a scent entirely.
    I like to smell it on other people's skin, not mine.

    12nd December, 2007.

    rating

    Bogart pour Homme by Jacques Bogart

    This new Bogart is my favorite when compared to the old one.
    The old one was ok, but it was intensely dated and it was pretty much a copy of older scents from the 80s, so this one is a nice breath of fresh air.
    This one is apparently an oriental fourgère, but to me it's fresher than that as the base of patchouli,cedar, and tonka bean seems to fade rather quickly. J.Bogart says it has oakmoss, but who know s if what they used here is the real thing or something else, to me, it doesn't really matters because this oakmoss is a very nice, wet, green and gritty one that takes over the base and stays like that. The top is more about very fresh bergamot and other aromatic leaves and it has a heavier dose of some orange blossom, way before the current trend of "let's all use a heavy orange blossom note on the men's scent" that's been going on since early 2006 or so. It surprisingly, has also a very green note of lily of the valley, one of my favorite notes and yet they still make it very masculine. It doesn't last as much as i'd like to, but i just spray on and problem solved.
    Easily one of the best frags you can get for a cheaper price.

    12nd December, 2007.

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    Hugo Dark Blue by Hugo Boss

    Dark Blue starts very nicely, and somewhere very rapidly it turns sweeter and sweeter and it does a sharp right turn into the synthetic, strange chemical department that makes it feel like a plastic Christmas tree. It's warm and dark at the same time, it smells cheap and well, like it tries to be something interesting but can't quite get there.
    I quite like it, but i keep it only for the top notes.
    The mid-base notes feel like i'm a kid going into a wild willy wonka ride, not knowing what i got into and a little bit scared.

    12nd December, 2007.

    rating

    Eau de Lotus Bleu by Roger & Gallet

    This is a very fresh, semi-sweet scent, very sunny and very conventionally pretty, the main note, the lotus ,is very much represented here, and the scent at firt might come off as too sweet, but this sweetness subsides and it becomes more of a watery-green pond with lots and lots of flowers in it. Even though this one is an eau parfumante, as is Green Tea by R&G and the new fragrant water scents, this one has the longevity of an EDT on my skin, so that's a plus i think.
    The top citrusy notes are sweet to my nose, but that doesn't take any shine from the whole composition, and as i said, this first sweetness will be tamed down by the lotus mixed with a very good rendition of a rose, but it's not a "regular" rose, it's fresher one, one that goes wonderfully well with the lotus note.There are more notes to it, like a few fruits,and other flowers like a soft ylang, but they don't stand out very much, the main attraction and the one that steals the show is the lotus, as it should be.
    The base has a very barky sandalwood that smells more like driftwood but it's a very nice soft sandalwood and it also has weak patchouli which is not strong at all, it only adds a hint of 70s to it i think, and on my skin the incense gets lost entirely.
    All in all, a very nice, different scent, when you'll smell it you'll notice that there are not too many scents that smell like this one, and it certainly differs from the current crop of fruity florals.

    29th November, 2007.

    rating

    Citron Cedrat Fragrant Water by Roger & Gallet

    Intensely fresh, this wonder of a scent has a cooling effect that's not pungent nor camphoric to the nose as other "frozen" scents, this eau fraîche parfumée is incredibly luminous,shiny and like a ray of sun, it can lighten up any day.
    On summer temperatures, this scent becomes a joy to wear only because the fresh lemon will never turn musky nor stale on the skin, it has the particularity to stay fresh all the time.
    Sadly, this scent also suffers greatly from lack of longevity, so be ready to spray numerous times throughout the day. It has notes of white amber, vetiver and ozonic notes which,again, like a ray of light, if you blink you'll miss.
    The sillage is allright, but nothing out of this world. Get either the 200ml spray or the 500ml splash. I know i did.

    29th November, 2007.

    rating

    Japanese Cherry Blossom by Bath and Body Works

    This scent has been one of my favorites these past couple of weeks. It's intriguing, but not in a mysterious kind of way but because the notes always exchange places whenever i spray them on, sometimes i get fruits first, sometimes i get the flowers first and other times i get woods first, and then the rest.
    Very fresh and delicate at the beginning, this scent follows a quiet path of pebbly roads with petals falling in the chilly weather, bringing comfort and minimalism.
    The main note, the japanese cherry blossom comes through very clean and in a constant way, and will never truly fade away in the basenotes, so it will stay with you all the time.
    It has a silky quality to it as well. It shines but only when in movement you might see real beauty.
    Bad thing? It should be made into an extrait version!

    29th November, 2007.

    rating

    Eau d'Orange Douce by Hermès

    I really like this soft, orange-y scent. It's very fresh and quiet, never a screamer and always elegant. It's difficult to find the balance between elegance and a proper sillage, and Hermès i think chose to go for a minimal sillage to avoid any mistakes. Longevity is another major problem here, as is with the rest of the Eaux d'Oranges by the house. I guess i'll have to buy again and again the big bottle versions so i won't run out of it so fast. Marketing genius? Could be, but when i'll find a better verison of soft fresh oranges i'll skip this one in a second.

    29th November, 2007.

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    Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker

    This fragrance took me back ages when i fist smelled it, it just so happens to smell like something else that was launched decades ago.
    This very light musky scent is all good, it's very much unisex and it has a tenacity to it that i admired for a scent that opens rather strongly but fades quickly but stays that way for a long time on the skin. It has a hint of fruits that i found very attractive, and a base of ,well, white musks and rosewood that are very comfortable.
    I will mention that Rigaud had a scent called Lovely too, but that one was more about Lily of the valley, jasmin and other flowers than musk.
    So, i have smelled this one before, give or take a few other notes, and i think i'll keep smelling it in the future thanks to its success.

    29th November, 2007.

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    American Classic by Avon

    I think American Classic is Avon's rendition of what the green Polo is to Lauren, only less successful and discontinued to boot. It can be found on other markets, outside the U.S. and well, there's always the net.
    A very pine wood-like scent, it's true to its name, and the vintage quality of it is very alluring. The soft woodsy base is a very nice one, with touches of moss. I believe this is one of Avon's best fragrances for men. Longevity and sillage are ok, and well, it's just a very nice fourgère.

    29th November, 2007.

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    English Lavender by Atkinsons

    Much less powdery than Yardley's version of lavender, this very fresh take on the Lavender is still very much a staple in my wardrobe and use it from time to time.
    The base could have used some improvement specially with the use of real oakmoss,and the top notes would be even brighter with some more bergamot, but it's ok, i won't complain too much about this one.
    I like it, i use it a lot.

    29th November, 2007.

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    Soir de Paris / Evening in Paris (new) by Bourjois

    This is yet another scent that suffered from an unfair change and rather unfortunate reformulation, falling victim of the "modern times".
    Having smelled the avenue of elements and sensations that is the original formula, this new version is more of a small Rue with some musty flowers that fell to abandon.
    Not entirely bad, this scent is still better than most new-and-cute-and-soft fruity scent, but it's a slap in the face for fans of the old one.
    And that takes away some of the beauty of this formula.

    29th November, 2007.

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    Agua Fresca de Rosas by Adolfo Dominguez

    Well, the name says it all: It's a fresh, very watery fragrance that smells like softly pink colored roses, not something truly unique,and the longevity is pretty much nonexistent, but it's as pretty as they come. I guess we can get Rose water on a cheaper prices and on simpler presentations, but this one is a crystal clear rendition of what a simple rose water must be. If only it lasted more than 5 minutes on my skin..

    29th November, 2007.

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    Bulgari pour Homme Soir by Bulgari

    I liked this one a lot, and wore it for days at a time, only i kept thinking to myself "i wish the bamboo note -which it says papyrus , but to me it smelled like fresh bamboo- was stronger, more longlasting".
    So there you have it, it's a very fresh scent, demure and masculine, but to be called Soir, it's more of a day scent.
    I wore this one also with Eau d'Orange Verte on my other hand and, as i expected ,BPHSoir beat the Hermès one in longevity by a looong shot.

    28th November, 2007.

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    Kenneth Cole Signature by Kenneth Cole

    It's not too bad, but i just can't shake that feeling that i have smelled it before. Also, the bottle cap, which resembles some kind of wood, is a bit deceiving, because it's not nearly as woodsy a fragrance as it may seem, not even at the basenotes. It lasted a decent amount of time on my skin.

    28th November, 2007.

    rating

    Antilope by Weil

    Calchic pretty much said it all, and i found it also to be not as dirty nor animal-smelling as it sounds, and that would be the old version of it, as i haven't smelled the new one yet.

    28th November, 2007.

    rating

    KL by Lagerfeld

    Agree with Ubiandibeme, this is an intensely musky scent, very sexy, but for me, i see it as a bad version of Opium the parfum version,that alone does make it a good one, not a bad one, but it's still a bar below Opium parfum.
    as opposed to both the edp or the edt. You have to have the right skin to use this one, or it will stink big time.
    Still, it gets a thumbs up from me.

    28th November, 2007.

    rating

    Scherrer 2 by Jean-Louis Scherrer

    Is this Youth Dew part 2? It certainly seemed so.
    A thumbs up for the smell of it and a thumbs down for originality.
    So...

    28th November, 2007.

    rating

    Café-Café by Cofinluxe

    This is a sweet, powdery fragrance that's soft and very "french", only because it reminds me of women sitting at a café in Paris. It's certainly a gourmand and the heavy use of vanilla makes it so. But it's not too sweet, one can live with this kind of sweetness is what i mean. It's a bit spicy as well.

    28th November, 2007.

    rating

    Chloé (original) by Chloé

    This is for the original version of it:
    The EDT is a fun, light, playful and semi-sweet powdery scent that makes me smile.
    It's more of a fruity than a floral scent but that's ok.
    It does feel a bit dated and one has the instant memory of other 70s-early 80s scents like Babe and whatnot.
    I like to smell it on women, whenever i get a scent trail on the streets, which almost never happens nowadays.

    28th November, 2007.

    rating

    CH by Carolina Herrera

    This very cheerful, cute and soft-spoken fruity floral, is elegant and cool but with a serious longevity problem. Another problem i found is that as nice smelling as this one is, the Carolina Herrera perfumes of late are loosing a great deal of personality, something that didn't happen with the older -and sometimes sadly discontinued- releases. This fruity floral is demure and very controlled, but it offers a good, balanced rendition of semi-sweet midnotes, a blast of freshness at the top and a comfortable, velvety finish. I don't find it too innovative or original, but is more of a "chic" fragrance, even more than Herrera's own CHIC fragrance for women, which i found strange.Cute.

    15th November, 2007.

    Showing 1 to 30 of 318.

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