Reviews by Chedwick

Maja by Myrurgia

This one is a nice deep dark carnation scent easy to find, inexpensive and worth having if you collect perfumes. The soaps and talc are nice also.

Secret Intention by Guerlain

Smelling this a few years ago took me right back to the South of France in the summertime. It starts out soft and lemony, and evolves slowly into light floral with a dash of herbs. It is so fresh! I found a bottle on line at a discounter. I'm so glad I got it. Yes, it still smells like fresh air and the countryside around Grasse.

Blu Notte by Bulgari

Galanga isn't your ginger root type of ginger--it is more like hot red pepper, so there is no gingerale/ginger note in this. No baby products either, The Iris rhizomes smell typically very much like violets here, with vodka and the peppery note. The base is a real dark chocolate. the blend is evening sexy. The vodka note comes out more in hot climates, the violets moreso during cool weather.

Émeraude by Coty

I just emptied another bottle of Emeraude. I use it as a room spray sometimes, but I still like to wear it -- My grandmother always wore it she began wearing it in the 1940's--it has stayed in her top 10 and is also in mine. It is pretty obvious that the formula has not changed at all over the years, she (or I) would certainly notice any slight shift. There are so many memories....
I used to wonder why they didn't tone down the color, it was always so lime-green! But now it is a treasure. You can find a decent sixed bottle for under $25.00 at many drugstores.

Shalimar Light by Guerlain

When I purchased Shalimar Light, the SA told me there was less Patchouli, no Oakmoss and more Jasmine in this new formulation. And he said it was "creamier" Maybe he knew what he was talking about, maybe not. But I enjoy wearing this.

Magical Moon by Hanae Mori

Beautiful, Lush, almost tropical, but the incense and patchouli keep it from being a tropical. The coconut milk gives the fruit blend a complexity and richness that surprised me. The warm pastry-like drydown had a delicate note that reminded me of orange Flower water. This is wonderful stuff.

Follia di Aquarama by Follia di Aquarama

Another watery scent that is trying to evoke the feel of walking on the beach on a windy winter's day. Actually, they are all about boating, as their sample card prose states:

"We turned our love of boats into a fragrance; beginning with the air,the breezes that caress our lakes... that scent of water and citrus fruits...
we added woody notes... and concluded with a splash of Folly."

I'm not getting that splash of folly, that certain something that would make this scent much better than other ocean scents. I get the air part, it is like cucumber-lily fresh, and the water and citrus and the other nice light florals.

Head Notes:Yuzu, Mandarin, Kiwi, Blackcurrant, Lily
Heart Notes: Jasmine, Aquatic Notes, Water Lily, Cumin, Cardamon, Syringa
Base Notes: Cedar, Amber, Vetiver, Rare Woods

Better by far than Cool Water, less sweet than a lot of ocean scents, I would have to try this again on a hot summer day. It is good, well-balanced, but not
for cool weather. Summer mornings and elegant luncheons more than 'sporty' to me. This is just a little more than a neutral for me so I had to give it a thumbs up.

The Dreamer by Versace

The Dreamer
Imagined by Gianni Versace , and I'd love to know who the perfumer is.
Head Notes: Juniper, Wild Flowers. Linden
Heart Notes: Lily, Iris,Tarragon, Artemesia,
Amber, Tobacco, Spices, Vanilla, Rare Woods

sensual intense fresh spicy sexy
manly, yet unisex... ?...The Dreamer is everything, it seems.
works well when the woman is wearing Guerlain's L'Heure Bleue as it has the same fresh transparent yet spicy, romantic, haunting feel.

10 thumbs way up.

Eau des Vanilliers by L'Occitane

A wonderful Vanilla for chilly or snowy days!
If you love vanilla and you love toasted marshmallows, then you will love this luscious creamy scent. The toasted marshmallow note is not a burnt marshmallow, but one that is starting to carmelize. It smells creamier than just carmelized sugar. This adds a nice touch to the vanilla, giving it more depth. And it lasts. This would be a great gift for Valentine's day.

Gucci Eau de Parfum by Gucci

Right away you get the odd combination of herb and citrus. Since cumin and thyme are in the mix, I believe I sniff the thyme first, and the cumin comes in blending with the heliotrope, orange blossom and other floral notes. There is also orris, musk, vanilla, and the person who sold it to me pitched it as a patchouli scent, although I could not verify that, but could be. I think the cumin gives it a little tangy leathery feel. I do like this scent very much. Gucci scores again. Again, try before you buy, and give it a fair shot-- the top notes are a bit odd, but the heart and base notes are lovely and the drydown is well crafted.

Délices de Cartier by Cartier

The very Boozy opening makes you feel as if you are wearing Cherry Brandy (Kirsch) No surprise here as there is a note of Morello Cherry in Delices de Cartier. The Morello is not a sweet cherry, and that becomes evident once the topnotes relax and the warm floral heart mingles with the fading tart cherry note. The cherry is never an overt note due to the other topnotes, ( bergamot, pepper and violet) unless one is familiar with kirsch and can identify the morello. The heart of Delices is floral, warm and soothing, the jasmine, freesia, and orange blossom are kept slightly tart (by the addition of white peach) right down to the soft, warm musky drydown which features amber, tonka, and sandalwood. It is the tartness of the morello cherry and white peach , combined with the pepper that gives this lovely light floral that something extra.
The first time I tried it, I did not give it enough time to evolve. The topnotes last a while. This is a year round scent . Every so often you get a hint of tart booziness that is so unusual and attractive.

Shalimar by Guerlain

This perfume is my sister's signature scent. No one ever recognizes it as Shalimar on her, as it is simply a lemon sugar cookie when she wears it. Warm lemon vanilla is a good thing, but Shalimar is far more complex on me a soft warm sexy spicy oriental. People think we are wearing two very different perfumes. For awhile I thought this was due to the fact that she was wearing the edt and I the perfume. but she also wears the pefume and the extrait, and we can share the same bottle and ...it still smells completely different on her... that simple lemon cookie.... and this goes against everything I have ever heard about Shalimar-- that it is linear, and smells e x a c t l y the same on every human being. Experts insist!
So, the upshot is, we both love Shalimar, and we see it as a more complex and mysterious scent.
It is in my top ten favorites, along with Habanita and Jicky. Thumbs way up on this one.

Betsey Johnson Parfum by Betsey Johnson

My sister rec'd this one as a Holiday gift. She liked the look of the bottle and we sampled it and were very surprised. Betsey Johnson is so freewheelin', wild , and wonderful --how could she OK a scent that is dull, boring, blah, bland? freakfruit topnotes are followed by uninteresting barely there floral followed by a dry down like zzzzzzzzzzzzz. This is what happens when clothing designers just do not understand scent.

Hypnotic Poison Eau de Toilette by Christian Dior

Hypnotic Poison is my favorite Dior because it feels so good on, smells so good, is so sensual and gets so many compliments. The bitter almond & caraway are so delicious. Jasmine sambac,moss woods, musk and vanilla: What genius blended this together? This is unisex, and must be used sparingly. The sillage is wonderful, the drydown is dreamy. I'm on my fourth bottle and do not see how anything could replace this Dior. The very first time I tried it, I thought "root ber" and walked away... however it began to work its magic and I ended up back at the perfume counter buying the largest bottle they had. For what you get, it is a real steal.

Poison Ivy by Demeter Fragrance Library

Like Randolph, I have never stopped to smell the poison ivy. This does smell of an old garden taken over by ivy. Not bad at all.