Fragrance Reviews by luckylouie

All of the Un Monde Nouveau perfumes smell as if they should cost under $10AU, instead of the $30-40AU they used to sell for. They are cheap, chemical, harsh and with no merit whatsoever.

This smells old, musty and decrepit on me. I was given a bottle by a friend who assumed that because I loved Gaultier's clothes, that the perfume would be perfect for me. Instead I smell like a mouldy piece of old clothing that was put away slightly dirty in layers of tissue paper 50 years ago, and have now been taken out of the box, only to have the owner realise that the garment wasn't worth keeping in the first place. This is the only perfume I have ever worn where friends have actually told me how awful a fragrance smelled on me. Enough said.

Why on earth would you want to use the word Tabu in connection with this perfume? To my nose it has so very little in common with the original that it seems laughable. This particular fragrance is a real mongrel - there's some floral notes, something vaguely ozonic, a tiny bit of spice and they've tried to update the origial Tabu to make it like one of the current "sheer" fragrances. Don't bother. If you hate the original and like light safe fragrances, then Tabu Pure may be right for you, but no more so than dozens of other sheer drug store perfumes.

Smooth and spicy with a powdery drydown. I feel like I'm wrapped in velvet when I wear this. Definitely a cold weather only fragrance. People may faint if you overpower them with it in summer. This is a love it or hate it perfume, so you have to be certain of yourself to wear this, as it is sure to offend some people. But as you're wearing it to please yourself and not others, that's not really your problem. Steer clear of it if you're a people pleaser, and never ask other peoples opinion of it. You have to love the way it makes you feel, and how it blends with your chemistry. If you love it, wear it!

This is a gloriously light and lovely fragrance that smells quite nice on me, but doesn't make me swoon. I like heavier perfumes. Having said that, this is a fragrance that everyone should go and test. It is easily available and often on sale. In general I have found that it suits younger people, up to 35, and those with a fair complexion. Definitely worth a sniff.

Light, boring, nonexistent and yet suprisingly expensive. If you want to smell this neutral, buy something cheap from the drug store.

Mmmmmm....I'm at a party and every man in the room is talking to me, and every woman is wondering why? Guess which perfume I'm wearing? Warm, rich, sinfully sensual, and yet not an obvious come hither perfume. No woman could accuse of you of being a tease because you wear this (although they all want to).

I love the deep earthy tones of many Donna Karan perfumes. however this is truly one of the most awful scents on me. It smells like lillies mixed with camphor. As with all Karan perfumes, sillage lasts forever, and I couldn't scrub this off no matter how hard I tried. My mother (who secretly sniffs moth balls) loved it.

Warm, smokey but with an underlying crispness that lasts all day. This suits my chemistry. I can possibly get away with it during the day but it's best left for evening as it is a real man magnet on me.

Why oh why is this no longer available in Australia? This is a lovely warm, slightly dirty smelling musk that lasts much longer on me than Jovan Musk. There seems to be an animal fixative in it, at least on my skin, and even after it has nearly worn off, I keep getting wafts of it all day (or night) long.

I love floral, aldehyde based perfumes, and normally they love me. This smells like a really nasty fly repellant on me. I have tried it many times over the past 10 years, so it wasn't as if I was testing from an "off" bottle. My suggestion would be please test first before buying. This is definitely one of those perfumes that body chemistry affects strongly.

This always smells cheap and synthetic to me. Available in Australia as an eau de toilette only, it has no staying power, and that's the best thing about it. Please there are better florals available at good prices.

This is a really pretty fragrance, very clean and fresh, while still having the richness of real gardenias. A true, single note perfume, my only complaint is that it has very little sillage. For someone who loves gardenia and wants something luscious and simple for summer this is an inexpensive thrill.

French Vanilla is a strong, slightly chemical floral with strong vanilla overtones. It dries down to a fairly decent perfume, but smells a but cheap. Most Dana perfumes manage to smell a lot more expensive than their actual cost, this doesn't. A simple formulation, I find it more pleasant than Coty's Vanilla Fields, but not something I would wear on a regular basis. Save it for evenings or cool weather, it becomes a little overpowering in hot weather.

This is a gloriously well balanced fragrance with excellent sillage. Although made for men it is one I love to wear in warmer weather when anything too floral is oppresive. Perfect for almost any occasion, and particularly appropriate as a compliment to a day in the great outdoors. Unfortunately it doesn't smell good on my husband. Oh well, I guess the bottle's mine now.

I was 13 when this perfume came out and I desperately wanted it. It was so daring. I told myself I loved it, forced myself to love it, but whilst I am an oriental lover, I cannot honestly say I love it. I can't honestly even say I like it.

In the past 30 years I have regularly sprayed both the extrait and the edt when at counters, and once again willed myself to love it, but alas it is not to be. This smells flat and monotonous on my skin, drying almost immediately to nothing more than sandalwood and vanilla. I hoped that as my body chemistry changed, it would smell better on me but it never has and I've decided to stop trying. Unfortunately people who know I love orientals but don't know me very well keep giving me the damned stuff.

Instead my husband wears it and I wear his Opium for Men which has become one of my favourite orientals. Now we both smell mysterious and sexy and no one ever guesses that we are wearing fragrances meant for the opposite sex.

Go figure.

Clean, soapy and unutterably bland. An extremely dull white floral that is more boring than the cheapest of pharmacy perfumes. Luckily it wears off quickly.

When I was younger this was one of my all time favourites, but I have become much more floral with age. However I still have a bottle and these days I tend to layer it with a touch of jasmine.

I find the deep woods and fresh, sweaty musk notes compliment the indole compounds in jasmine absolute and leave me with a fragrance that is perfect for a night of slow dancing with my love.

On my skin this fragrance is never overpowering, and if worn without the extra jasmine, it is perfectly acceptable for daytime wear.

For those people who like a dry chypre perfume, but find AE a little too strong, have a spray of Tweed. There are considerable similarities between them, and I sometimes layer Tweed with musk oil to give it extra staying power.

A crisp green floral with decent staying power. In many ways this reminds me of Trussardi with brighter fruity top notes and minus the deep smoky drydown. If you find it on sale cheap it's worth getting as a good daytime fragrance that will only need one possible application after lunch. However, try Trussardi Light or Ma Griffe for similar effects.

The fragrance remains true from the first spray to the last sniff. There is very little distinction between top, middle and base notes. After half an hour or so the fruitiest notes have toned down to reveal more of the florals, but that's about it.

Overall a decent fragrance but one that I won't particularly miss now it's discontinued.

Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! In winter when other women are wearing Opium or Spellbound, I'm wearing common old Tabu and getting hit on by men from 16 to 80.

I regularly get compliments from men when I wear this perfume, women move to the other side of the room and my mum asks if I'm wearing patchouli oil (mind you she says I smell like I've been drinking when I wear Mitsouko so that gives you an idea of her taste).

My only complaint is that I would love this in an alcohol free solid perfume as I think without the alcohol, it would be an even smoother sexier creation. Long live Tabu.

A light, smooth, easy to wear floral that works really well on blondes and people with fair complexions. On anyone else it lack punch. This really does work well with softer romantic style clothes, but is quite at home with jeans on the right lady. If you are feminine and looking for an every day floral that is easy to wear and not too assertive, then this might be the one for you.

This is a good dry, slightly green perfume and I agree with booklover76, excellent for winter. It seems to die in the summer heat. In some ways this reminds me of Miss Balmain minus the lily of the valley notes. Not particularly long lasting, but even at the end of the day there will be the faintest whiff coming up to greet you as you take off your jacket or sweater.

For people who like a green, not too sweet perfume but find something like Ma Griffe too sharp, this could be an elegant alternative.

This is a lovely lush white floral fragrance, drying down quickly on me to a very smooth, long lasting, somewhat creamy gardenia tinged concoction. I know gardenia isn't listed in its formulation, but it sure smells like a mix of gardenia, jasmine and a slightly earthy animalic fixative that comes from the mix of amber and oakmoss. On me this is a pure pleasure, intense without being overblown, and I can easily pull it off in the daytime. Somewhat loses its lustre in very cool weather.

This is a fragrance where the only way to see if you like it is to wear it. There is no way of telling if you can get away with it just from sniffing a tester.

Panache is a lovely light aldehydic floral, quite elegant and perfect for daytime. Perhaps its main failing is its lack of strength and the fact that it is only available in edt (in Australia anyway). However small purse sprays are regularly available for a couple of dollars and so the cost makes up for its fleeting nature. This is a fragrance that works well on some men as the aldehydes give it a crispness and tone down the florals.

This smells lovely on me. The top notes dry off quickly leaving me with middle notes of cyclamen and heliotrope layered over a beautifully soft musk. It has fairly good lasting qualities on me, but really isn't strong enough for anything but warm weather. If I could get this in eau de parfum it would probably work even better.

Definitely a lovely and very different floral that is anything but old fashioned in my opinion.

I wanted to love this perfume, I really did. Unfortunately it doesn't love me. This fragrance makes me physically ill. Unfortunately all tuberose perfumes give me dizzy spells and so alas this is one I will never be able to wear.

Luckily there are at least a dozen good orientals I can think of to take its place.

Well cedriceccentric I have to agree with you here. My main problem with this fragrance is that it has a very plastic note to it which never seems to disappear. It's a pity because it has excellent staying power and is really very pretty.

I am giving it a thumbs up because it works nicely on my skin in winter when the cooler weather seems to suppress the plastic notes and enhance the powdery woods in the base.

A genuinely warm clean musk that can be worn anywhere anytime. Both men and women regularly ask me what I'm wearing when I have it on. I would agree with calchic about layering it. I occasionally layer it with Charlie Blue when I want something clean and floral but still sexy for evening.

A rebellious individual with little regard for convention or following fashion. This fragrance is a perfect compliment to the idiosyncratic but perfectly constructed Westwood clothes, and I for one am very miffed that it has been discontinued.

A perfect warm weather scent, particularly appropriate for wearing to parties, gallery openings or any event where you want to attract attention without appearing overtly sexy.

Seductive, but not obviously so. Think of really well made, well fitting clothes, paired with one off pieces of jewelry.

A lovely oriental that is just a touch too soft on my skin. Although I have this in my fragrance wardrobe it is only because a friend keeps giving it to me and I don't have the heart to tell him that it isn't really a favourite.

Whilst on other people this is incredibly sexy, I just wear it to bed alone. The combination of vanilla and bergamot makes it a very soothing fragrance for anyone having difficulty getting to sleep.

A lovely sweet floral oriental with a beautifully powdery dry down. This is comfort fragrance at its nicest. For anyone who likes lily of the valley mixed with carnation and vanilla this is a winner.

Although most people would classify it as a romantic perfume, I personally find it is an excellent daywear perfume, in part because of its inexpensive price tag. I first bought this because I had just started working for myself and was too broke to buy something like Bal a Versailles or Shalimar. It has now been a standard in my fragrance wardrobe for over 10 years.

Pros - inexpensive, lovely fragrance, pretty bottle, excellent sillage.
Cons - having to admit you bought it at the chemist.

Perfume snobs of the world revolt. Sneak into your local chemist and seek it out.

An underrated fragrance, probably because it is so inexpensive. This is a lovely greenish floral with a slight musk on the drydown. It seems to work well on most skins and is a wonderful daytime perfume. Although it doesn't have a great deal of staying power you can cheaply buy small purse sprays for reapplication during the day. I personally have found that it layers well with Jovan Musk for evening wear. The combination is sexy and long lasting. Another trick is to use a drop of white musk oil before applying Charlie to give it a little extra punch.

Another plus for Charlie is that you will never find yourself in a room surrounded by other people all wearing the same scent. It's been around too long to be flavour of the month but long enough to prove itself. Although I never approve of buying perfume for someone unless you know it smells good on them, Charlie is one perfume you could buy on spec and it would be appreciated by most people.

This was love at first sniff. I have been wearing it on and off since I was 16 and 27 years later I still wear it regularly. I personally have never been able to smell the peach note in it.

This is an intimate perfume, to be worn when seeing friends or lovers, not aquaintances. Take it out to dinner but not to a big party. Wear it at home when you are the elegant hostess, or home alone when you want to be your own best friend. Wear it when you want to feel rich and refined, just don't wear it when you're feeling depressed. The vetiver and spices give it a wistful note that can evoke memories.

Bliss on the right woman, absolutely dreadful on everyone else. Some men can get away with wearing it.

On me this smells like a mix of furniture polish and Jean Nate cologne. Quite possibly one of the worst things I've ever smelt. I can smell musk and lavender after the drydown, but the furniture polish smell never ever goes away.

Ahh, Joy. I was given a bottle of this when I was 20 and it smelt like cheap nasty soap. However body chemistry changes and in my mid 30's when my favourite green perfumes began to smell sour on me, I discovered that Joy now smelt truly joyous on me.

The rose and jasmine blend so well together that one never dominates, and the civet gives this such wonderful lasting qualities. Perfumes with an animalic note work well with my skin, without being overtly sexy. When I wear Joy, both men and women are friendlier towards me and even turn and stare in the street. In fact the first couple of times I wore it, so many people turned when I walked past that I kept checking to see if my fly was undone.

To those people who have wanted to love Joy because it is a classic, don't. The only reason to love a perfume is if it loves you back, and now that I'm older, Joy loves me, and I am happy that it does.

Yum, Jardins de Bagatelle on steroids! If you want a big clean floral that isn't too sheer, powdery or soft then this is the perfume to get.

On my skin there are no top, middle and bottom notes. What you smell at the beginning is what you get at the end of the day, a clean, bright, sociable floral that loves barbeques, champagne lunches and parties. Although encarnacion thinks it is perfect for a romantic date, this is not intimate enough on me for romance. Instead it wants to socialise, chat, laugh, see and be seen. A fun floral with excellent sillage.

Although it's been discontinued there are enough bottles available on Ebay to satisfy my lust for now.

If you want an oriental but don't want to spend your money on something like Bal a Versailles or Shalimar you could do worse than test spray Lace.

Deep, sweet and woody with a powdery finish and excellent lasting qualities, this is inexpensive enough to use every day, particularly in cooler weather. it may be too old fashioned for some people, and blondes and younger women will find it smells "little old lady" on them, but for brunettes past the age of 30 this is a delight.

Sweet, spicy and oh so intense! A perfume so strong on me I have to limit it to cool weather only. Having said that the fragrance remains fairly close to the body and never blows other people away. A perfume that makes men want to lean in closer. Every man asks me what I'm wearing, and apart from Joy, this is the only fragrance men have ever asked about.

Excellent sillage, one spray lasts all day. Just be careful not to spray it directly on clothing. You may never wash it out.

Its formulation is smooth and the spicy top notes never disappear. Dry down is woody and rose sweet without being sickly. The violet notes never appear on my skin and the fragrance remains true to form from the moment I apply it until I wash it off. I can see why this has not taken the market by storm. It's far too individualistic for many younger people used to the plastic perfumes of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. The green notes in it remind me of some of the great green perfumes such as Ivoire and Ma Griffe, not because they smell similar, but because it stands out from other fragrances of its era in the same way they do. May they never, ever, ever discontinue this gem.