Reviews by dimples

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    dimples
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    Showing 1 to 22 of 22.
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    Vamp by Ava Luxe

    VAMP is ultra sexy. Makes me feel very kittenish, with my claws sheathed, but ready to pounce at any moment. Yet it's also a serious scent, a bit heavy on the spices and sandalwood. It's an "evening in" scent... negligee, high heels, boa and candle-light.

    19th July, 2007.

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    Kashmir Spice by Ava Luxe

    From the name, I was expecting something like Serge Luten's Arabie or Ambre Sultan. Kashmir spice is much more subtle and it stays much closer to the skin without much sillage. Imagine dinner at a traditional East Indian restaurant -- an artful blend of spices mixed with woods and incense. Definitely exotic and very wearable.

    19th July, 2007.

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    Venus Sands by Ava Luxe

    Smells like suntan lotion. Unfortunately I'm not a fan of big coconut and white flowers. All in all, not for me.

    19th July, 2007.

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    Sheer Veil by Vera Wang

    Soft, romantic floral. Very simple. I'm still waiting for a reason to reach out and spritz it on. Really don't know what possessed me to buy it. My bottle will turn up on ebay sometime, hopefully for someone else to enjoy it.

    14th July, 2007.

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    Angel Garden Of Stars - Violet Angel by Thierry Mugler

    I don't wear the original Angel very well, and this one surprisingly works well with my chemistry. Gourmand with a hint of florals. I like this one more than Lily, Rose or Peony.

    14th July, 2007.

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    24, Faubourg by Hermès

    The reviews here say it all. To me, 24, Faubourg is not about the scent nor is it about the notes. It's about the feeling that the fragrance evokes in the wearer and those around him/her. Definitely speaks of class and very french to boot!

    14th July, 2007.

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    Sous Le Vent by Guerlain

    A great, go-anywhere scent. Very energizing. It has the old-fashioned appeal of the other guerlain classics. It's my very favourite 'green' fragrance.

    14th July, 2007.

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    Narcisse Blanc by Caron

    I tried NB at Caron (Phyto) in NYC, amongst a few other urn extraits (French Can Can, En Avion, Farnesiana) and this one really stood out with my chemistry. I would describe it as soft with understated elegance -- wearable everyday and definitely bottle-worthy.

    14th July, 2007.

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    Omnia Crystalline by Bulgari

    Simply lovely and one that I reach for often in the spring and summer. It's clean and fresh with a hint of floral. Very easy to wear however, it only lasts a few hours on me.

    24th June, 2007.

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    Champs-Elysées by Guerlain

    This is one of the very few Guerlains that I cannot wear. Yes, I agree that it is a joyful scent, very bubbly and a definite mood lifter upon the first spray, but it turns bleh on me. So 'meh', not for me.

    24th June, 2007.

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    Youth Dew by Estée Lauder

    I wanted to try this one because of all the hoopla surrounding it and today was the day. I'm glad I did! Complex, spicy, yes! Old lady smell? ... I prefer use the term 'vintage'. This one definitely has a vintage feel and smell. Priced right for me to be able to get both the EDP and the bath oil.

    23rd June, 2007.

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    Aqua Allegoria Angélique Lilas by Guerlain

    This is my first AA and it's a fabulous summer scent. It's a light floral that works well for any occasion -- work, drinks, summer tea party, dressed up or dressed down. After the initial citrus notes, the darkness of the angelica marries very well with the other florals, predominantly lilac, jasmine and ylang ylang. Thumbs up for me.

    22nd June, 2007.

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    Prada Tendre by Prada

    This was one of my main staples last winter and I prefer it over the original Prada signature scent. It's a well balanced woody-oriental -- soft, woody with a touch of amber. The drydown is lovely with the sandalwood, patchouli, and vanilla. Understated, elegantly sexy, yet very wearable to work.

    22nd June, 2007.

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    Ange ou Démon by Givenchy

    I really like this one. In my mind, it's a flori-oriental, with just enough florals not to be overpowering. The spices are rich and stays close to the skin. Vanilla adds warmth to the base. It's fairly long lasting with just the right amount of sillage for me. Great for work and it's garnered many compliments last winter.

    22nd June, 2007.

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    Black Cashmere by Donna Karan

    This is my first incense scent -- the one that launched many that came afterwards for me. Very rich and heady, to the point of headachey. At first whiff, the smell reminded me of a buddhist temple or better yet a buddhist funeral.

    This is not an everyday scent and I will only wear it if I'm in a certain mood, especially when I'm alone. It remains as a favoured bottle in my collection and my bottle will likely not be used up quickly.

    22nd June, 2007.

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    No. 5 by Chanel

    I guess I'll have to try this in the parfum version. I've tried it many times in the EDP and EDT and simply do not like it at all. Perhaps it's my memories associated with it or perhaps it's overly used. I certainly do not know what the fuss is about.

    22nd June, 2007.

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    DKNY Be Delicious by Donna Karan

    I took this on vacation with me to Cancun this past winter and wore it almost exclusively. Now that we have summer weather up north here, I'm reaching for this bottle time and again. There's something about this scent that is addictive, especially in warmer weather. The apple and citrus notes are refreshing, it's long lasting and with the right amount of sillage. It's popular in my house as I now have to share my bottle with my two daughters.

    21st June, 2007.

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    Cuir Mauresque by Serge Lutens Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido

    This is easiest my favourite Serge Lutens and in the list of my top five favourite leathers. Think the leather of Tabac Blond, Chanel Cuir de Russie, the ever graceful Lanvin Scandal coupled with the candied fruits and spices of Ambre Sultan or Arabie. Very unique and wearable -- it has a "don't mess with me" type of attitude.

    Definitely worthy of a bell bottle purchase.

    21st June, 2007.

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    Scandal by Lanvin

    I'm a die-hard leather-holic and after reading many reviews of this fragrance I was very afraid to try it -- especially as it's been discountinued and hard to find. My fears are correct. It's very easily in my top 5 favourite leathers of all time. Extremely wearable for all occasions, casual to formal, not too edgy. Makes me feel very womanly. Refined floral leather with a slight hint of a wild side. They sure don't make them like this anymore.

    21st June, 2007.

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    Jasmin Impératrice Eugénie by Creed

    Although I love this scent, I cannot wear it too often. It's sprays on too strong with too much sillage. But when I'm alone at home, watch out! I'll be spritzing this one like mad. It's beautifully crafted and the florals are perfect. It dries down beautifully.

    21st June, 2007.

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    Djedi by Guerlain

    I've started on the Djedi journey. About an hour ago, I dabbed the Djedi on my left wrist and the Dzing! on my right wrist. I did the same to my eighteen year old son, hoping to see how our individual chemistries react to this scent.

    Initial notes:

    The opening smells very familiar, very true to a guerlain. The smell is similar to another fragrance that I cannot quite put my finger on. I smell the vetiver, some rose, and some spices in the initial blast. It's not a sweet scent, as noted before, but a really warm scent. It's not dark but not bright either, quite elegant and understated. Of course the initial blast smells the same on both my son and I.

    After about 30 minutes:

    I simply cannot stop sniffing my wrists. The beauty of the guerlain is in the evolution of the scent and this one is no exception. I detect the the strong leather notes now, but they are not animalistic, but rather understated. I can make out a light floral but it does not compete and it works very well with the leather. I do not smell the incense though and it does not remind me of bare basement. To me, this scent reminds me of Chanel Cuir de Russie, but somehow crossed with a Guerlain? Wow, can you imagine that?

    My son does not wear it as well as I do. On him, the leather is not as pronounced. I do detect musk and I smell the mustyness, still no incense.

    After a couple of hours:

    My Precious, my Precious.... I cannot stop sniffing my wrists. After my last report, I sprayed Chanel Cuir de Russie on the inside of my elbow, just to try to get a comparison going. There are many similar notes in common. The CdR is brighter, more sparkling than the Djedi, even after the drydown, but the leather scent is very much the same. Djedi is much smoother, gentler, more soft than CdR, less leather in your face, if you will.

    At this time, I'm noticing the musk, again a rather understated musk, not sexy, nor even sensual -- it just, simply, exists. There is a very, very, very light powder as well and the floral has long flown away. This fragrance reminds me of dusk, turning into a night with a huge luminous full moon in the horizon to make my surroundings almost bright. It certainly is not dank, nor is it gloomy. It reminds me of the colour deep indigo.

    I sniffed my son again. Djedi now smells almost the same on him as it does on me, but with more leather and less musk. We must share similar chemistry.

    Truly, this is an exceptional, elegant, remarkable fragrance and it works very well with my chemistry, *sigh*. Simply marvelous.... my Precious.

    18th April, 2007.

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    Encre Noire by Lalique

    I've nabbed some samples of this last week. I'm a woman and I've tried it on myself. I really like it.

    As others have said, it's dark yet soft. I found it elegant and subtle at the same time. My nose did not detect the ink so much, as I'm unfamiliar with ink smells. I smell mainly wood in the initial spray and as it dried down, it smells rather "earthy". It lasted a long time, about 8 hours on me.

    I think it is a really very unusual scent, it would be something I would wear in fall/winter with my black cashmere turtleneck sweater.

    8th March, 2007.

    Showing 1 to 22 of 22.

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