Reviews by luckylouie

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    luckylouie
    Australia Australia

    Showing 1 to 30 of 39.
    rating

    Jovan Black Musk for Women by Jovan

    This is horrible, heavy rotting fruit and not much else. Just as well it's not heavy on the musk or it would be unbearable. I'm no good at describing individual notes, so I would best describe it as being one of the new breed of fruit based perfumes that smell like harsh chemical toilet cleaners mixed with melted lollies. You know, the cheap stuff marketed at young girls who then come at you in packs all wearing the same suffocating fragrance. Run a mile from this, and SHAME SHAME SHAME Jovan at ever having made it.

    30th July, 2010.

    rating

    Gold by Donna Karan

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

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    Tabu Pure by Dana

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

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    Sauvage Vanilla by Un Monde Nouveau

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

    rating

    Ciara by Revlon

    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!

    21st December, 2007.

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    Arpège by Lanvin

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

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    Jean Paul Gaultier Classique by Jean Paul Gaultier

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

    rating

    Organza by Givenchy

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

    rating

    Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan

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

    21st December, 2007.

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    Donna Karan by Donna Karan

    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).

    21st December, 2007.

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    Tatiana by Diane Von Furstenberg

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

    rating

    Classic Gardenia by Dana

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

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    French Vanilla by Dana

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

    rating

    Wild Musk by Coty

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

    rating

    L'Aimant by Coty

    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.

    21st December, 2007.

    rating

    Tabac Original by Mäurer & Wirtz

    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.

    1st January, 2007.

    rating

    Opium by Yves Saint Laurent

    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.

    1st January, 2007.

    rating

    Splendor by Elizabeth Arden

    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.

    30th December, 2006.

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    Aromatics Elixir by Clinique

    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.

    30th December, 2006.

    rating

    Patou For Ever by Jean Patou

    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.

    20th December, 2006.

    rating

    White Satin by Fine Fragrances & Cosmetics

    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.

    16th December, 2006.

    rating

    Tweed by Fine Fragrances & Cosmetics

    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.

    16th December, 2006.

    rating

    White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor

    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.

    16th December, 2006.

    rating

    Tabu by Dana

    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.

    16th December, 2006.

    rating

    Panache by Fine Fragrances & Cosmetics

    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.

    15th December, 2006.

    rating

    Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker

    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.

    6th December, 2006.

    rating

    Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood

    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.

    6th December, 2006.

    rating

    Avon Soft Musk by Avon

    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.

    6th December, 2006.

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    Libertine by Vivienne Westwood

    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.

    6th December, 2006.

    rating

    Charlie / Charlie Blue by Revlon

    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.

    6th December, 2006.

    Showing 1 to 30 of 39.

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