Basenotes - Reviews by cedriceccentric

Belgium

Showing 1 to 30 of 95.

Bleu de Chanel by Chanel

Total deception.
"Sporty" grapefruit meets classic Allure accord with plastic patchouli drydown.
I'll put Bleu with the more recent generic Chanels: Chance Eau Tendre and Eau Fraiche variations aimed for a less tradional Chanel customer.

28th July, 2010.

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Balenciaga Paris by Balenciaga

Distinctive, yet with this reassuring "I-smelled-this-before" element, which makes it easy to wear.

Balenciaga does remind me of 2 great fragrances of the late 1980's: Boucheron and Kenzo. They share that same powder/spice/honey base, but Balenciaga (without being shy) is more subtle and therefor ,of course, more modern. That spicy-powdery base has become somewhat of a signature of Olivier Polge (see Flowerbomb and KenzoPower)
I would qualify Balenciaga as an abstract fragrance because I don't distinct any note in particular. Yes it has violet in it, but does it smell violet-like? No, not really. It is spicy, but which spices enter its composition I would not be able to tell. I find it even difficult to put into a particular fragrance family. I bet soft spicy floriental?
Frankly, I very seriously think that this juice is completely synthetic, but who would care when something smells so good :-)

It's virtually age-less I can see a young fashionista wearing this as much as a classic lady.

Bravo! Olivier Polge!

24th July, 2010.

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L'Homme by Yves Saint Laurent

A terrible generic opening for a very nice drydown.

14th June, 2010.

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Après L'ondée by Guerlain

A lady-friend of mine smelled it on me and bought herself a bottle. She loved it. Unfortunatelly after getting a few "smells old" comments from family and coworkers she stopped wearing it. Frankly, when you are 40 and single you really don't want to hear any associations with the word OLD, so I understand her reaction entirely. Not a first date scent either I guess. LOL

It's rather old fashioned. Most people won't get the "vintage" thing. Wear it for yourself and forget the "mortals" around you.

Some men can really pull it off.
Better on dandies than on "old"spinsters! : )

30th December, 2009.

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Attrape Coeur / Guet-Apens by Guerlain

AC is one of those typical "perfume lovers" scents, you know how we all love our chypres. I and my €175 got caught. It is a beautiful scent but now somehow I feel like I have been there already.

AC is a very classic peachy chypre/oriental, very "Guerlain". AC falls right in between 2 other chypres: for the fruity side Sophia Grosjman's YSL Yvresse (which has a bit of a Nahema theme) and for the spice Frederic Malle's Noir Epices. AC is more chic and less fun than Yvresse, but less austere than the "brainy" Noir Epices.

Perfect for colder days. Good sillage - medium lasting power.

If you are crazy about chypres and don't already have 50 in your collection, get AC as soon as you read this. THUMPS UP!
Otherwise, like it was for me, it might be one too many. NEUTRAL

29th December, 2009. (Last Edited: 30th December, 2009.)

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Mitsouko by Guerlain

Review of Mitsouko edp (2008 version)

I'm also one of complainers...

I remember Mitsouko being more mossy. I could wear it days (weeks) at a time (an achievement when you have a collection of some 300 perfumes). Now the base is all vanilla-ish sandelwood. Though I love the sandelwood based Guerlains like Jicky and Samsara, I find that in this new reformulated version of the Mitsouko edp it is a bit too much, it makes me almost sick. I have to admit I always prefered the edt over the edp (and or even before that the Parfum de Toilette) concentration, but still I feel like "Mitsu" needs a re-reformulation. Ok they can't use oakmoss anymore, I'm not a nose, but there must be some sort of alternative.

I give Mitsouko the tumbs up only for what it was and what it represents in the perfume history.

24th November, 2009.

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La Collection Particulière Passage No. 9 by Christian Dior

My favorite of the 3 exclusive Passage scents. A warm sensual tuberose. Bold, strong and very blond! Yeah, definitively something Donatella Versace would love even if it's Dior (she loves her tuberose). Very well composed/quality ingredients with just a bit of vulgarity to make it memorable.

I would have a full bottle but I''m not as rich or blond as Donatella. Too bad!

18th September, 2009.

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La Collection Particulière Passage No. 4 by Christian Dior

A vavavoom version of the rose/amber accord Stella and the rose/amber/spices of Lancôme's Mille et une Roses. Thumbs up for quality.

18th September, 2009.

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Wanted by Helena Rubinstein

Wait for 20min and Wanted dries down as Estee Lauders Sensuous without the spice, and Sensuous as a floral is still very nice, if a bit boring.
Very appealing bottle and packaging too.

10th September, 2009.

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Magnifique by Lancôme

It's Trésor for a new decade. A very feminine floral heart with a masculine base. Longlasting edp. An everyday scent for every occasion but with a recognizable signature.

If you want something special or "never-smelled-before" look elsewhere. Magnifique is a great commercial scent.

10th September, 2009.

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Palazzo by Fendi

Reminds me of the scent of Clarins Suncare products with a powdery base. Summer vacation in a bottle. Solar floral.

If you can't find Palazzo anymore try Eau Ensoleillante/Sunshine Fragrance by Clarins which is a lighter all-over body spritzer that can be worn in the sun.

Too bad this beautiful fragrance wasn't succesful.

8th September, 2009.

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Eau de Rochas by Rochas

One of the ultimate chypre "eau fraiche" of the '70s, together with Ö de Lancôme, Eau de Guerlain and Chanels Cristalle. Eau de Rochas is the most refreshing of the lot, with just a touch of patchouli.

Unisex 20 years before CKone.

8th September, 2009.

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Elle by Yves Saint Laurent

It took me a while to really appreciate Elle. Didn't like the original campaign (though I like Coco Rocha a lot), the cheap looking bottle (though I like hot pink) and "at first sniff" the fragrance seamed to me like a patchouli version of Stella McCartney Stella (also by Cavallier) . I quickly concluded that it was all too young for a "real" YSL.

Yet, now 2 years after the launch I changed my mind. I'm still not so sure about Elle's fruity topnotes (which remind me of Givenchy's Hot Couture) but I love it's distictive and sexy (if a bit masculine) amber/patchouli drydown. Like all great YSL fragrances Elle has an excellent sillage: it can fill a whole metro car. So, Elle is not really one of those inoffencive office scents. Elle is not "younger" than Opium, the great Paris or Cinema but it is just more contemporary. It's for all sexy women (not girls) 21 and way up.

Love the simple and affective new ad campaign for Elle Shocking, which is much more in tune with the modern YSL fashion lable image.

Still hate the bottle (the refillable handbag spray is way more chic-looking), I would have much prefered to see Elle in the new Parisienne bottle.

Dior makes a more volumptous (and peachy) version of Elle under its Midnight Poison line (Cavallier again). If Elle is a black YSL smoking suit, than Midnight Poison is a black lace push-up bra.

26th August, 2009.

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Essence by Narciso Rodriguez

Gives the impression of a minimalistic composision (few components). Somewhat metallic and green for the first few minutes. Softens to a rosy and aldehydic (soapy) heart. Later even more powdery white musk. Sort of a very soft White Linen. Quite discreet, clean and close to the skin: a real skin musk. A baby scent for adults.

Essence is longer lasting than I expected.

If For Her is your going out scent (strong and sexy), then Essence is your relax sunday scent.

One of the best bottle designs of the past few years.

Wonder how it will do... as its soft musk notes can be difficult to persieve to some people, especially in a space (departement store) which air is crowded with fragrances.

12nd August, 2009.

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Fahrenheit 32 by Christian Dior

When Fahrenheit 32 was released I didn't care much for it as I was still under the spell of the sublime Dior Homme. I only redesicovered it recently while sorting my samples.

This is one of the few fragrances for men in which I like the predominant orange flower note (I can't stand Infusion d'Homme and hate Fleur du Male even more). It starts of as a classic eau de cologne, with very soon a strange earthy note (vetiver). This duality is rounded out thanks to the vanilla. Dry and round notes are in perfect balance. There is something that reminds me of suntanning oil, the beach... it's almost salty. The mix of vetiver and vanilla is somewhat reminiscent of Tom Ford's Black Orchid at one point. It's sexy but not in a cliché way.

The advertising is stunning.

12nd August, 2009.

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Hypnôse Homme by Lancôme

Vanilla Drakkar Noir. Nice if it was Axe deodorant. Lancôme you can do better!

12nd August, 2009.

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L'Eau Bleue D'Issey pour Homme by Issey Miyake

An aromatic and very resinous (rosemary, pine?) opening, then spicy (ginger), for a very dry (patchouli) and somewhat powdery (sandalwood?) drydown. After about 45min the amber kicks in to soften the edges. Yet the whole always stays quite airy, in a montain-forest-ocean kind of a way. I

Though the L'Eau Issey pour Homme theme (top notes and the very dry drydown) is present in the composition, the overall effect of L'Eau Bleue is of something never smelled before. It's not the sort of scent that is appealling right away, it's a smell more than a fragrance. The Eau Fraiche version is easier to wear.

It's not really for me (too dry), but I admire Shiseido for having dared to put something like this on the market.

Love the monolithic outer space bottle.

12nd August, 2009.

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Antidote by Viktor & Rolf

I was so excited about the whole Antidote launch. I even bought it unsiffed on ebay 2 months before its official release. What a deception! I learned my lesson since.

Indeed, way to many ingredients leading no where. Oh! It's fresh, no... it's spicy, wait it's an oriental. Oh! No it's fresh again! Very tiring in the first 15min for a rather boring finale result.

I'm a bit hard. I can't say it's not pleasant to wear, but it's so much more mainstream than what I was expecting. And like with most mainstream colognes, the few times I wore it I got compliments...

31st July, 2009.

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Armani Code for Women by Giorgio Armani

This one is very popular right now. It's Armani's first real hit with women.
I too find Alien and Code for women quite similar. On the street I'm often puzzelled if someones sillage is one or the other. Compaired next to each other, Code is creamier with almost a suntan lotion quality. Alien is more woody. Code is more casual and easier to wear. With a stronger concept (image), I used to prefer Alien. Now I'm not so sure anymore.

Now, I have a nice tip. Don't waist your money on either bath & body line as there is a cheaper alternative. Yes, there is third fragrance with a similar structure... The Body Shops Neroli Jasmin. Maybe the edt is not that similar but you won't find much of a difference in the bath gel or body lotion. They match Alien or Code perfectly.

31st July, 2009.

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Fahrenheit Absolute by Christian Dior

Only the top notes and some of the amber notes reminds me of the classic Fahrenheit. Otherwise you get that perfectly agreable musky-woody aftershave smell you also find in Liz Claiborne colognes, but with added spicyness. This is oud for people who don't like oud.

It's darker than the original but not as daring.

30th July, 2009. (Last Edited: 12nd August, 2009.)

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Kapsule Woody by Lagerfeld

Iso E Super and not much else, but I like it.

30th July, 2009.

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Black XS by Paco Rabanne

I totally agree with Col, this is the real Light Blue for men and not the one Proctor & Gamble produces for D&G.

30th July, 2009.

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Bouquet Imperiale by Roger & Gallet

Smells like L'Artisant Parfumeurs Mûre & Musc on citrus. Delicious!

22nd July, 2009.

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Private Collection Amber Ylang-Ylang by Estée Lauder

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!

25th October, 2008.

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Roadster by Cartier

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.

4th July, 2008.

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Promesse by Cacharel

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!

3rd August, 2007.

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Just Me by Montana

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.

29th July, 2007.

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Rouge Hermès by Hermès

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.

21st July, 2007.

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Midnight Poison by Christian Dior

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 or a fruity nouveau chypre. It lasts and lasts.

Now that Dior finished with it's overdose of promotion, it's time to discover Midnight Poison. It's not that a big success and you don't smell it everywhere.

If you like this one I strongly recommend to look for Elle by Yves Saint Laurent as they have a lot in common. Elle is also sexy but somewhat sleeker. As I said in my Elle review: If Elle is a YSL smoking suit, than Midnight Poison is a black lace push-up bra.

12nd July, 2007. (Last Edited: 26th August, 2009.)

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Nuits de NoHo by Bond No. 9

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.

3rd May, 2007.

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