Fragrance Reviews by cedriceccentric

Less than an hour after sampling the new Private Collection Amber Ylang Ylang yesterday at Harrods, I was the proud owner of a 30ml EDP. First let me say to you that even if I don't care about such things, I find AYY very unisex. On me it opens on a great tonka bean/ Play-Doh note. I don't smell any Ylang Ylang and IMHO that's for the better. So don't expect an exotic, warm floral here. No, what you will get is a soft version of Ambre Sultan, without the patchouli ( or at least with much less patchouli). Thought it is not really overpowering, be carefull not to over-spray. Because like most orientals, it lasts and lasts. It's one of those fragrances that lingers several days on cashmere/wooly jumpers and scarves.

After Sensuous, Estée Lauder comes yet again with a wearble, "Serge-Lutens-in-spirit" fragrance. It's like Christopher Shaldrake moved to Lauder instead of Chanel...

Only down-side, but it's really nothing really... just some collector nonsense. I would have wished for a packaging (box) with a different color scheme than Tuberose Gardenia. Brown and gold would have been perfect.

Anyway, bravo to Estée Lauder! This has been a good year!

The scent reminds me of a discountinued Crabtree & Evelyn fragrance called Meridien which was launched under their Scarbourgh (spelling?) brand and also of L'Instant pour Homme. Fresh/minty start, rich/warm spicy/woody base (opposed to the "cold" spicies of Déclaration); with some sweetness in between it all. More of a fall scent IMHO. Roadster smells expensive and grown up. Good lasting power.
The bottle design, if somewhat "nouveau riche" is pure luxury. Very, very heavy glass. Cartier will need to introduce a travel model if Roadster is a hit, I mean it's so heavy it could be used as a weapon. The cap screws up perfectly.
The year isn't over but I predict that Roadster probably will be my favorite meanstream release of 2008.

Cacharel tried too hard to please the American market with Promesse. The brand is big in Europe's Mediterranean countries but they still needed to have a real hit in North America, one of the biggest market. What did they come up with? Well, a somewhat lovely pink fruity floral targetting teens ( the funning is that the marketing in europe is done so to please an older customer than say Amor Amor, go figure). I smell blackberry, peony-like florls and musky blond woods. Nicely done, but we smelled this already too many times before. Promesse got drowned in a market already overly "pink-a-tised".
Flop!

Montana parfums were at that time produced by Clarins. They had entered the group together with marketing genius Vera Strubi, who had sucsessfully introduced Montana Parfum de Peau and Montana Parfum d'Homme under Lancaster. Ofcourse at Clarins she was behind Thierry Mugler's Angel. Arround that time Angel started to turn from a cult fragrance into a blockbuster. I think Clarins tried to do the same marketing plot with Just Me as with Angel. Make an unsafe love-it-or-hate-it juice, keep advertising to a minimum and hope that word to mouth will do the rest. Yet the perfume bussiness is a bit like gambling and Just Me didn't win. Was the juice too avangarde (like the original Montana Parfum d'Elle) for it's time? Too strange, too stickeningly sweet? Did designer Claude Montana private life bring bad publicity ( an article in Vanity Fair brought suspitions he killed his wife)? Didn't Clarins have the time (like with Angel) to wait till the word to mouth made it's work? Anyway, Just Me soon became Parfums Montana's swan song under the Clarins' lisencing.
Just Me was composed by Francoise Caron and included
topnotes of grapefruit, ginger, caramel and pepper;
heart of jasmin and ylang ylang; basenotes of musc, vanilla and amber. The opening reminds of coca cola but the drydown leaves leather notes on the skin.
I truely believe that this unique fragrance was born too soon and could have build itself a niche.

Rouge Hermes is somewhat related to Chamade. Both fragrances have a green start and the mix of iris, sandalwood and vanilla accentuates the Guerlain-like effect. But where Guerlain can be bolder, Rouge has has that typical Hermès restrain. Rouge is all about basenotes, the more it evolves to more sublime its oriental softness becomes. Rouge is chic yet sensual. I would call it a "parfum de fourure".
Hermès just rereleased Rouge's first incarnation, namely: Le Parfum d'Hermès. I own just a tiny sample of the vintage scent and compaired to my Rouge edt, there isn't that a great difference. Maybe Parfum d'Hermès is somewhat leathery.
Really my kind of fragrance, yet if I had to choose I would go for Chamade (but only in pure parfum) at night and keep the Rouge edt for daywear.

At first spray, maybe for 3 seconds, it smelled of the original Poison (fruit and spice). But poof! ... that disappears completely. Strangely I detected the heart first, strong notes of rose and patchouli. Not the dry earthy type like in Voleurs de Roses or even SJP' Lovely; but softer certainly because of the amber/vanilla mix. I also smelled right after that some sort of peach or prune wich further rounds the edges of the patchouli. It's only after about 10 minutes that I experienced the sparkling topnotes of bergamot and orange. Of course bergamot is not your typical citrus, bergamot isn't acid or bitter; it's much softer, which I'm sure even makes the composition even rounder. Still for all this round feminity I smell spice and it's not coming from the patchouli, I wonder what it is...?

Though Midnight Poison could be a chypre with its bergamot-rose-patchouli accord, I would say it's rather a fresh floriental. Overall I'm sorry to say that I left with a very synthetic feeling. This is a Dior fragrance with a very commercial appeal. I think that MP's nose Jacques Cavallier was more lucky when working on The original Stella McCartney fragrance (which is also based on rose and amber), YSL Beauté gave him more beautiful material to work with.

At first sniff I thought... Angel, but while developing on my skin it reminded me more of Angel's little sister: Innocent. Well, Innocent with a more natural base. It's also much longer lasting. Think of something like orange cookies (citrus/vanilla) in heaven (slight ozonic/musky note). Sexy yet clean.

Very aldehydic at first spray, after a while the scent settles as green and tropical (pineapple?). Reminds me of 2 creations of the '70s: Choc de Cardin and Bambou de Weil.
Rather original.
Have to admit I thought it was horrible in it's first few minutes. Horrible like in "fruity baby vomit".

All week I tried to figure out where I smelled Miracle Forever before. Yes there is this Ralph Hot connection, but yesterday I finally figured it out... Chanel's Allure Sensuelle. Yes, Miracle Forever is a softer, more gourmand version of Allure Sensuelle. The floral notes are less prominent and especially the patchouli was soften down.
Basicly Miracle Forever a younger AS.

If like me, you like spicy floral orientals in that typical late 80s - early 90s vipe like: Bijan, ET's Passion, EA's Red Door or EL's Spellbound... than you need to add Rapture to your perfume wardrobe. It's not subtle and it's not chic, but it sure is sexy. Great for winter, as it's warm and comforting and very longlasting. When sampling wait till the topnotes have evaporated, that's when all that sexy warmth appears.
The bottle is so horribly "kitch" that it's almost cool.
Ok, you get the picture I love this stuff.

Upon application I first smelled the cacao. Directly after that the red fruits and the floral heart; and next to that a soft cinnamon note. Rather quickly, after about 5 minutes, all the different notes become one. The result is something not too far from Dolce Vita by Dior and Féminité du Bois by Shiseido, but not exactly the same either. There is this strange oak barrel note in the base that further reminds me also of Cellar candle by Pierre Frapin.

I would say Blue Agava is unisex even with it's floral heart, the woody notes make it masculine enough. Of course in true JM style you could layer it with another fragrance to make it either more feminine or masculine. The JM website advice to layer it with the Amber & Lavender cologne.

For a cologne Blue Agava has a good staying power, something JM improved upon with Nectarine Blossom & Honey and Pomegranate Noir.

Overall a nice, different Jo Malone!

Rumeur is a more delicate Narciso Rodriguez and SJP's Lovely. I think will many of these "Nouveau chypre" clones the coming seasons.

The topnotes are awful: sickly sweet, like fruit bubble gum at it's most artificial. It becomes better after an hour as the basenotes are rather woody and warm.

I imagine it on a woman which has a hard time growing-up or on a teen who wants to act like a woman...

I don't get this new D&G at all. Too bad I rather liked the bottle and packaging. And Gisele in the ad... the ultimate amazon.

It's not bad, if a bit generic. the start is very similar to Lacoste Inspiration which is creamy, fruity and musky. Noa Perle seams a bit stronger, with warmer basenotes. The hazelnut stands out, with almost coffee and cacao qualities. Noa Perle could be a more floral version of Ralph Hot. Though Ralph Hot is more original to me, btw Hot was one of my favorite spring 2006 releases.
Nothing in common with the original Noa (except for Piony and coffee) or even Noa Fleur.

Rose de Nuit can be nauseating to some, my BF hates it. It's a very rich ambery rose with a green start. If Joy is the best jasmine fragrance and Fracas the best tuberose, Rose de Nuit is IMHO the best oriental rose available. I find it very chic, makes me think of a 1970s Catherine Deneuve in a fur coat.

I sampled the re-issued version of Sous le Vent at La Maison Guerlain in Paris. I find it a rather strange fragrance. Though it smells of another era, its very green spicy notes (galbanum, clove, patchouli and though not listed I smelled also cinnamon) doesn't make SLV your typical vinatge perfume. It's a green chypre but in a style much more aggressive than Miss Dior for example. SLV is closer to a very spicy Vent Vert. Maybe I didn't wait long enough, but I didn't get the famous Guerlinade note in this one. Like with the re-issued version of Vega I don't find it's concentrated enough, seams like an edt strength.

I would call Inspiration a transparent oriental. It's not revolutionary: but the more I smell it, the more I like it. It's biggest achievement is it's ability to created a cocoon-like effect and staying airy at the same time. The ideal scent for people who don't like their fragrance too perfume-y. I don't know what makes me say this, maybe the reassuring basenotes, but Inspiration smells like a young mother...

My advice: wait till the fruity top note has disappeared before you makeup your mind.

It's a very soapy fougère part of it reminds me of the powdery basenotes of Acqua di Parma Absoluta (it too contains amber). There is really something vintage about it. Overall I'm surprised, It's totally the opposite of what I was expecting. This is not the gay-club-overpowering-Amber-Patchouli-overdose I imagined when I read the ingredients list (There is the Prada for Women for that purpose). Prada Amber has that British classic touch Italian love so much.

Good point is that for a gourmand Vera Wang Princess is not tacky or vulgar, but the downside is that because of this it's a bit unremarkable.

Nice oriental with à la Liz Claiborne musky base. A "Friday-night" cologne.

The ultimate scent for doing yoga or meditation. The violet and incense combination makes FlowerbyKenzo Oriental a truly mystical scent.

MyQueen by Alexander McQueen has the same olfactoric style.

Great modern vetiver with spicy topnotes (cumin) and soft dry woody base (cedar I think). It's the cologne my BF gets most compliments on at work. I prefer the more discreet edt to the edt Intense version, in which the cumin is too prominent.
Unfortunately this scent doesn't seam to get enough attention of mainstream consumers.
Too bad, KenzoAir was IMHO together with Gucci pour Homme the best male releases of 2003.

Somewhere in between La Chasse aux Papillions Extrême and Marc Jacobs gardenia.

KenzoAmour is described as a musky floral.

I was expecting Amour to be much more floral; yet it's rather woody, but not like the spicy woody notes of FlowerbyKenzo Oriental. Amour opens on a cherry note (rather than cherry blossom) and the soft rubber-like aroma of white tea. I don't detect much of the fraginpani, no white flower animal "indole" here. The floral element that really gives Amour it's central character is the heliotrope. Those almond-like floral notes combined with thanaka wood (like a soft spicy cedar) and vanilla base really are reminiscent of Dior's Hypnotic Poison, yet Amour is much less extravagant (and less gourmand). Amour finally ends on Kenzo's signature musky powdery trail.

The packaging is really eye catching.

Final verdict: FlowerbyKenzo (minus the violet) meets Hypnotic Poison's almond. Good but a little disappointed.

Almost every women in France or in Spain wore Anaïs Anaïs at one point in their life, usually as their first perfume. In a recent article a representative from Cacharel explained that Anaïs had a very loyal following: many women who wore during their teens or early 20s wear it again once in their 40s, as it brings happy memories.
Young girls might prefer fruitier notes now a days but Anaïs is probably the "youngest" smelling classic available. Beware, not as innocent as it seams!

Nice soft oriental in the lines of Estee Lauder's Intuition.
I personally prefer deeper slightly more spicy orientals like Cinnabar or Opium. But I could wear Tomorrow during the day.

No flowers or animals were killed to make this one, that's for sure, as it smells completely synthetic. Yet it quite interesting, specially after 15 minutes in the dry down. Soft Musk's aldehydic notes are reminiscent of N°5 and even of Serge Lutens' La Myrrhe. Those become less aggressive when the vanilla starts to appear. I also seam to smell incense.
Soft musk combines the clean notes of your regular drugstore musk with deeper somewhat mysterious undertones.
Soft musk is a weird one, not sure I either love it or hate it.

If you ask me, Sweet Honesty is the fragrance that inspired to soapy-powdery notes of Jlo's Glow.
If you are looking for the perfect clean, fabric softner-style fragrance, this is it. Can't beat the price either.

Great green chypre in the androgenic style of Miss Dior. There is something vintage and chic about it. Very good for the price.

Nice day time fragrance reminding me of a softer Escape.

This is one of the best chocolate perfumes available. Extraordinay is more grown-up than for example CSP's Amour De Cacao, because the gourmand notes are balanced with a classic warm floral bouquet.

Kenzo Jungle is described as a gourmand, but in my mind "Gourmand" equals vanilla-ish, chocolaty and sometimes fruity cake-like scents. Kenzo Jungle is none of those things. It's dry, spicy and powdery. Yes, it contains many gustative elements like: cardamon, clove, mango, licorice and vanilla. But this is more about South East Asian cuisine than French patisserie. Kenzo Jungle is a spice market somewhere in Thailand or Vietnam. A true "far-away-places"scent.
One of the only other scents that gives me this feeling of Asian Cuisine, yet in a completely different composition, is the marvelous Bois Farine by L'Artisan with it's distinctive stay peanut sauce accord.
Kenzo Jungle also contains masses of patchouli, which is one of my fetish ingrediants.
Very, very longlasting.

Maybe the most original gourmand scent available on the market.

I love this. Very woody notes, accentuated by the dryness of spices. Sort of a spicy cedar. Just enough roundness thanks to the touch of vanilla.
It's the least "Sweet" in this particular CdG Series, and maybe also the most typically masculine.

Orange sponge cake mixed to Angel without patchouli. The loss of patchouli makes it indeed a bit boring but it wins in wear-ability. The box of Innocent describes it as "airy", though it's a gourmand there really is something clean and fresh to it.
on a plain, I think many people will rather prefer sitting next to someone who wears Innocent than next to an Angel-addict.

The best in from the 3 original Garden of Stars series IMHO (had not tried Angel Rose when I wrote this). It's much brighter than good old Angel and indeed much more wearable. The Piony has a spring feeling. There is a hint of spice that balances well the sweet caracter of Angel.
Though it's edp, I feel that the Garden of Stars series is less concentrated than Angel. The new body lotion should add longevity.

After more sampling, on the skin this time, I somewhat have to change my first impression. There is much more deepth than I thought.
Like Maurice Roucel's famous creation for Frederic Malle: Musc Ravageur, "L" is very ambery and vanilla-ish. "L" has a brighter opening made of oranges, I would say it's more of a very sugary preserved orange note. I smell more the spiciness of the cinnamon than that of the everlasting flower. The everlasting flower is much spicy in AG's Sables and in IUNX's Eau Ivre N°3. I get also somesort of mocha/coffee bean effect. Except for the very early stages after spraying, the fragrance is rather linear, which suits this type of gourmand well.

Quite a few non-perfume addicts talked to me about this perfume, so think it must be selling very well. Ofcourse having such a gorgeous eye catching packaging (love the orange box) helps, people are attracted to it like magnets.

This is for sure one of the highlights of 2006.

Somewhere between Estée Lauder's Intuition and Shalimar Light. If you love orientals but are looking for something brighter Voile'Ambre could be something for you. Though it's not very concentrated or long-lasting, it really smells like an expensive perfume.

It reminds me a bit of Romance but with a chypre finish. It's rather long-lasting (which is not the case of all Yves Rocher fragrances, yet never overpowering. See it as a nice basic blazer you can either dress down with a jeans or dress up with pearls.
Great office scent, colleagues will ask what you are wearing.

Plastic-like peach notes or not, Trésor has become a classic. It reminds me of Eternity (another Sophia Grojsman rose classic), but where Eternity is clean, Trésor has a "flesh-like" quality (charnu in french)... more naughty. Tresor is like a woman who wears a strict suit with sexy La Perla lingerie underneath, not what it seems at first sight (or first smell).

Except for the crisp feeling Pure WL has nothing to do with the original WL.
At first spray I thought of Pleasures (I'm in a big time Pleasures phase right now), but soon the true character of the fragrance appears. First with with predominant pear notes. The heart is green yet sweet, must be the honeysuckle. The patchouli is rather contrasting at first but the earthy note becomes more harmonious within the composition after a while. Overall it reminds me of the original Lauren by Ralph Lauren.

Pure White Linen does not seem as concentrated as other Estee Lauder fragrances. The edp is more like an edt IMHO. Should be very nice layered with Jo Malone's Honeysuckle & Jasmin cologne and bath & body products.

A better version of Gaultier Classic.

If you like 'Pleasures Exotic', but are looking for an evening/warmer fragrance than Hypnose might be the right choice for you. Same mango and passionfruit notes, but where Pleasures Exotic is frsh and floral, Hypnose is oriental (vanilla) and a little earthy (vetiver). Though not heavy at all.

Though I still don't like "pink" teenage fruity florals, it would certainly help me to enjoy them more if they were on the same level as Miracle So Magic.

OK, It's no masterpiece but I don't think it tries to pass like it. Absolutely no relation to the classic Beautiful, the classic is more sophisticated. Beautiful Sheer also is much greener and has that "wet floral" note so typical of Lauder fragrances since Pleasures. If you like other soft green florals with a tropical feeling (Ginger Lily), like say Cabotine or Tendre Poison, but are looking for something with less vanilla try Beautifull Sheer.
Beautiful Sheer is one of those optimistic fragrances, you will feel like there is sunshine even on a rainy day. It's made to wear for every occasion. It's longlasting... don't overspray.

Not for those who like "dark/mysterious" fragrances.
... also BS contains a lot of "living flower" technology notes, I know some people are sensitive, me included, and can get headaches when wearing fragrances which have them in their compostions

The first time I sampled Happy To Be it reminded me of a watered down version of Simply, maybe because of the pear and soya.
Now, I get White Linen, not very strongly but they have definitively an accord in common. White Linen with a citrussy start and soya instaed of aldehydes. Both are crispy florals with a powdery base, Happy To Be is more dewy.
Nice every day scent.

A more complex version of Jo Malone's Lime, Basil and Mandarin? A refined casual fragrance.

Very soft and talc-like. For someone who is looking for an innocent fragrance. I can imagine this very well on children, maybe a little girl's first fragrance.
They should have called it Eloise, like the Eloise in the Kay Thompson books.

Inspired by great "Grande Dame" aldehydic fragrances of the 50s and 60s like Madame Rochas, Calèche, Magie and Climat. It's very well constructed and very elegant.
The name suits the fragrance very well. I can already imagine those rich Upper East Side ladies in their Oscar de la Renta dresses at a benefit at the Metropolitan Museum.

I agree, one of the best of 2005.
Though I don't find the name "Lovely" to match the composition very well. It's much more "Daring" than sweet and lovely. It has this rose-patchouli note which reminds me of L'Artisan's Voleur de Roses but also the musky rose from Maroc by Ultima II.
Quite daring too for Coty to have chosen a chypre composition for a product with a mainstream target.
Lovely is the best celebrity fragrance with Elizabeth Taylor's Passion (Yes! I can see your eyes rolling) IMHO.

Sorry this is terrible.
This must have been marketed to tweens, "I'm not a (little) girl not yet a woman". There was a time when such cheap compositions were sold only in drugstores (though drugstores also have little gems). How Elizabeth Arden dares to make something so cheap, from juice to bottle, and let people pay departement store prices for it I don't understand. It's me that must be crazy, as Fantasy sells very well...

The best in the Brit series. This one is all about basenotes, the top and heart notes are just here for decoration. Lot, lots... lots of sandelwood, add some iris and vanilla and you get a very powdery finale. KenzoFlower Oriental, Bulgari Blu Notte Woman and MyQueen lovers might also like this.
Very good for something produced by Inter-Parfums, their creations are usually not very interesting IMHO.

I love Chanel pour Monsieur. The topnotes remind me of those old Hungary Water preparations (rosemary and bitter orange) but it's really the basenotes I like most. It's chic and uncomplicated but never boring. If you are wearing Pour Monsieur while shopping for a new fragrance, you will comeback empty handed, as modern compositions smell so unrefined and synthetic compaired to this timeless classy cologne. Pour Monsieur would be the ultimate cologne would the edt have a better lasting power, the concentrée version is almost an entirely different composion (not as good)IMHO.

Except for a little mandarin in the topnotes and touch synthetic honeysuckle, it's all warm and delicious. Hot is a gourmand but, like in Un Bois Vanille, the sweetness is balanced with drier, somewhat powdery, woody notes. Like all Ralph Lauren creations it's still very wearable, there is nothing heavy about Hot.
The best in all of the Ralphs series.

Reminds me of Electric Youth. That says enough.

I really like it. Yes, it's brighter and lighter, but overall I think they really stayed close to the original. They have the same animalistic and powdery base. The heart is less spicy, now that they replaced the carnation with rose. With the changes made, there is something that reminds me of the discountinued Venezia by Laura Biagotti.

Male J.H.L fans, you might like Amber Nude very much too.

I adore this CSP it's so conforting. Childhood memories in a bottle. Amazing!
Strangely I hated Matin Calin (then Lait Sucré) the first time I sampled it. I thought it was discusting, to me it smelled like baby vomit. Though with time, I learned to love it. It is now my favorite in the CSP line.
Don't buy, don't even sample if you hate milk!

Molto macho! You need chesthair to pull this one off... and even if you don't have any, when you wear Azzaro everybody will think you have lots of it. The most "stereotypicaly" masculine cologne ever IMHO.

Sorry, but this is very bad. It's the citrus of Happy for men with "patchouli noir" or in other words: a synthetic earthy note that give me a headache.

This perfume was composed by Chanel perfumer Jacques Polge, this is IMHO his best work together with Coco. A floral with fruity notes (not a boring 2000s fruity-floral)with woody basenotes. Fans of the discountinued "Courrèges in Blue" and original "Armani" could find in Tiffany a very elegant alternative.

Recently Liz Claiborne had more success with her male fragrances, no wonder they stopped making good female fragrances after Vivid. Their first fragrance is still the best imho. Though strong compaired to todays fruity floral, Liz Claiborne was soft when launch in an age of "power" scents like Giorgio, Poison, Obsession, Bijan... The marketing campaign wasn't about 80s luxurious decadence but more about being yourself.I can imagine a working girl wearing this. It reminds me of a more full blossomed Lauren by Ralph Lauren, both are florals and share green and fruity topnotes. Too bad it has been discountinued, but there is still plenty available on Ebay.

Alliage green-aromatic notes are very androgyn. I read in an ELLE article that in the 1970s Alliage and Charlie were the first working girls perfumes, green (somewhat masculine) scents that wouldn't disturb their male coworkers. I used to wear Alliage a lot during my late school years, I (a boy) could wear it without any nasty remarks LOL.
It's one of Estee Lauder's most original compositions IMHO. Alliage wouldn't pass any marketing department now: much too daring. Estee Lauder also launched a male version of Alliage under Aramis which is called "Devin".

Transparant and lemony at first, later Vétiver Tonka becomes sensual. Who would have ever thought that vetiver could turn out as a gourmand? Another great Jean Claude Ellena.

Don't worry this is not "pepper spray".Poivre Piquant starts very peppery and hot, but then everything turns soft. They contrasted the spiciness of the white pepper with a note that reminds of warm milk (A bit like in Etra and Le Feu d'Issey) and a sugary honey note. I also smell sandalwood (which sometimes can also be "milky"). Not much sillage though.
Poivre Piquant is a warm pepper compaired to the "cold" pepper of Poivre Samarcande by Hermès.

At first sniff City Glam for Her smells like yet another boring fruity floral with lots of red fruits in the topnotes. But then comes the typical 70s chypre note: coriander, rose and patchouli. it's not about a chic classic chypre, here we are talking about a very synthetic "fun" chypre. Like Light Blue, City Glam is deliciously plastic-like. But where Light Blue is fresh, fruity and musky, City Glam is fruity, warm and earthy. It's rather vulgar yet very much fun.

La Myrrhe : Mandarin, bitter almond, sandalwood, honey, jasmin, amber, musc. There are soo many themes going on in La Myrhhe. It's ofcourse very rich and deep, like most SLs. First you have a contrast between bitter notes of mandarin and almond against soft honey. Later you get the same overdosed soapy/aldehydic notes as in Chanel N°5, but in a much darker woody base. The classic french mademoiselle had a bohemian make-over in Marrakech. It's bold and intimate at the same time and very mysterious. An absolute must smell!

I ordered this one more out curiousity because I'm not a big fig lover. I like fig notes on others but not on myself. Like with Philsykos the start is very green, the fig leaves hit you in the face. The hyacinth makes it even greener. But than...Yeeeaaahaaah!...comes the saver: cassis. The cassis tells the fig leaves to calm down. It's a great contrast. The soft sugary notes of the cassis balance much more the figleaves than the coconut used in l'Artisan's Premier Figuier. No bitterness. If Philosykos is the fig of the Italy and Greece than Wild Fig and Cassis is a bit more french/nordic

This was my first Demeter and I still like it very much. It's green yet very soft. There is even a moist effect. A very comforting vegetal scent.

The best Lancôme!

There are a lot of "pink" easy-to-wear soft florals arround these days, Miracle is one of the best. Fresh and soft with just a bit of spice that makes it different from the others. Great for daytime.

I understand that in the United States Red Door has sort of a bad/cheap reputation. Smells a bit synthetic. But this happen to be one of my 10 favorite fragrances. It's scent was created at a time when American scents were all about being sexy, and RD delivers: warm, voluptuous, exotic and fun. Take care not to overdose thought.

This one is the revelation out of my F.Malle test box. I knew I would like Vetiver, Bigarade and Noir Epices...But this was the last one I tested. It's very powdery at first but the drydown is masculine enough. If Chanel would have made a No5 for men this is what it would have been like.