 | Night Scented Stock by Penhaligon'sOdysseusm is right on the money - This is a lovely multi-floral scent, with spices up front and restrained patchouli/vanilla basenotes. I really like this one a lot, and it *is* my style, though I am not going to be going for a full bottle at this point, because I have an embarrassment of fragrance riches! A wonderful scent that I definitely recommend for anyone who likes spicy florals that tend toward 'natural garden' more than 'oriental.' Nicely done! 22nd November, 2011. |
| | Verveine en Fleurs by MolinardBought this for my daughter, and steal spritzes for myself in warm weather. It's just lovely. Bright, sharp citron and soft, natural florals in perfect balance. A happy, uncomplicated fragrance that makes one wonder later whether it wasn't complex after all... 3rd June, 2011. |
| | Fleur d'Oranger by FragonardI find this to be a delightful, crisp and light neroli. I often have trouble with white flower scents going 'brown and waxy' on me, but Fragonard's Fleur d'Oranger stays fresh and happy. This, in turn, makes ME happy! And the price is nice, too. 7th July, 2010. |
 | Defy Gravity by WickedOkay for a commercial fragrance, but typical. 8th May, 2010. |
| | Hyperessence Matale 12 by Parfumerie GeneraleLove this stuff, but couldn't justify buying both this AND the L'eau Rare Matale, which while ephemeral, was really more of what I wanted in a layered and complex tea fragrance. However, thanks to a great sale, I am now the proud owner of BOTH and will use the Hyperessence to boost the delicious aspects of the L'eau Rare Matale and make them last. Bravo. 8th May, 2010. |
| | Baghari by Robert PiguetReformulated or not, Baghari just SINGS on my skin. This floral chypre somehow manages to keep the powdery violet notes at bay for me... And the jasmine doesn't brown or decay. Gorgeous, elegant, and the aldehydes sparkle like champagne. I'm in love... 8th May, 2010. |
| | L'Eau de Tarocco by DiptyqueOn my skin, L'Eau de Tarocco is one majorly happy fragrance. Deliciously sparkly blood orange, with anchoring wood and zingy saffron and cinnamon notes underneath. YAY! And bravo. 1st May, 2010. |
| | Tubereuse 40 by Le LaboI agree that it's primarily a neroli fragrance, with the tuberose sneaking in almost around "the side of one's nose" to tweak the wearer. Unexpectedly lovely. Damn it. 14th April, 2010. |
| | Gaiac 10 by Le LaboTo me, Gaiac 10 is a clear and clean wood scent reminiscent of the best of Mark Buxton's wood-heavy fragrances - I adore the fact that the wood notes come through so strongly but also seem rain-drenched somehow, rather than dry. There is also sweet musc at the base that rounds and softens the fragrance. Minimalist in the best sense of the word - nothing extra, but complete in and of itself. 24th January, 2010. |
| | Embruns d'Ambre by Stéphanie de Saint-AignanEmbruns d'Ambre is an unusual warm-weather amber, lightened by the absence of sweet back-up notes and the sharpness of lemon and "ocean" notes, which to me come across as salt and sand/silt. The lemon-ocean combination is sometimes reminiscent of citrus-flavored baby aspirin, but I happen to like that smell, and the whole scent is anchored in deliciously resinous amber. Lovely. 24th January, 2010. |
| | Tuscan Leather by Tom FordHoly cow! Literally. To my nose, a delicious blend of really earthy suede and L'Artisan Tea for Two notes. Now I have to go look up the ACTUAL notes... And convince myself that I really don't need another gorgeous leather-based frag. Oh, but I am lusting for this one. ::running to hide credit cards:: 19th November, 2009. |
| | Geranium pour Monsieur by Editions de Parfums Frederic MalleI can tell that this would be a stunning some skin types, but on me it's primarily harsh mint with chemically overtones. The geranium leaf is beautifully done... Wish my skin could make it sing. Try before buying, but revel in it if it works on you! 5th September, 2009. |
| | Brooklyn by Bond No. 9[size=3][b]Bond No. 9 [color=turquoise]Brooklyn[/b][/color][/size] was my sole impulse purchase from the Boston BN get-together in August 2009. It's marketed as unisex, but seems to me to trend more traditionally "masculine." I can see how this could smell fairly pedestrian as a 'masculine' this year (2009 seems to be the year of 'cardamom in guys' fragrances') but on me, it's a lovely light cardamom/transparent floral and leather. I also pull up any and all sweet notes in this, so it's LOTS of fun! I envision walking past someone with a good nose who stops in their tracks as I pass, turns over their shoulder and thinks, "Wow - She's *interesting*..." 5th September, 2009. |
| | Les Elixirs Charnels - Oriental Brulant by GuerlainThis is gorgeous, but more gourmand-y than I want in my fragrance most of the time. Beautifully done, though. Worth re-visiting again... and again. 5th September, 2009. |
| | Black Sea by Martine MicallefThe best of the bunch of Micallef "Seas" on my skin, but underwhelming, all the same. I like it, but don't love it, though was relieved that it wasn't as sweet as most of the other Micallefs I've tried. 5th September, 2009. |
| | Dark Rose by Czech & SpeakeLovely, though not a breakthrough fragrance. Still, like most of the C&S line, exceptionally well done! I'm saving for No. 88, however... 5th September, 2009. |
| | Une Rose by Editions de Parfums Frederic MalleA true rose, in bloom and on the stem, complete with thorns and leaves, earth and a touch of dew. Weird and wonderful. I love this one. 5th September, 2009. |
| | Tuxedo by Long Lost PerfumeReceived Tuxedo as a gift from the wonderful Chaya, who is a sorceress when it comes to finding scents that "work" on me. I agree with Lefay that while Tuxedo may be classified as an oriental somewhere, to me it is a glorious and rich chypre. Dark, deep green, wet woods and spice with flowers at the back. Just fantastic. 5th September, 2009. |
| | Richard James Cologne by Richard JamesRichard James EDT is a nice surprise. Somehow I never expected fragrances with leather and tobacco notes to work so well in the heat and humidity. Happy to learn I've been mistaken all this time! RJ on me is a mid-weight fragrance, shadow-dappled and spicy. On my skin it doesn't make one fall into the depths of the notes (I'd originally only seen five listed - suede, Indian sandalwood, tobacco absolute, musk, and oak moss.- and thought "elegant simplicity!" Oops.) But it doesn't feel cluttered at all, possibly because I don't get *any* of the floral notes other than lavender, it just smells goooooooood. 12nd August, 2009. |
| | parfums*PARFUMS Series 3 Incense: Ouarzazate by Comme des GarçonsWhen I first tried Ouarzazate, it was cold weather, and I got a sort of minty vibe from it that didn't sit right on my skin. Happily, I suspected it would sing in the hot weather, and it does! Not opera, but more like one of those favorite tunes with no words you find yourself humming _sotto voce_ when you're feeling quietly content. Mark Buxton apparently wanted Ouarzazate to emulate the smell of the interior of the Kasbah. I have no idea if he's succeeded, I just know I find this to be an strangely cooling incense, paler and lighter than one might otherwise expect, but which warms gradually (and delightfully!) on the skin, as if the sun were moving through. I think what smelled "minty" to me initially was the combination of the wispy aspect of the incense, the clary sage and labdanum. Very lovely. 28th July, 2009. |
| | Teatro Alla Scala by KriziaI can see why some compare Teatro alla Scala to Coco, though to me there are more sparkling aldehydes in Coco, and as a result the Chanel's got a lot more sillage and an overall "brighter" feel. But I'm finding the Teatro alla Scala nicely structured and classy - a fine blend of gentle aldehydes, spices and wood. It leaves me feeling like I should ramp up my "attitude" -- dress up a little, and maybe put on some ornate earrings. Not for every day, or all the time, but a nice pick-me-up when a bit of extra class is needed. 6th May, 2009. |
| | Cool Water by DavidoffWell done, but I did not find this inspiring. I was expecting something ground-breaking, given all the hype. To my nose Cool Water is a fairly straightforward aquatic that doesn't like my skin chemistry much. 1st May, 2009. |
| | In The Library by CB I Hate PerfumeI really enjoy how "In the Library" smells... I do get wafts of paper, leather, wood and furniture polish. I just don't think *I* want to smell like that. I'd definitely use this as a room spray when in a certain mood - though perhaps I'd need a fireplace, a pipe, or a tweed jacket. 26th March, 2009. |
| | Roses by Ava LuxeAva-Luxe Roses does indeed open with a delicious, stemmy rose scent, and continues into something reminiscent of a big, lush bunch of fresh-cut roses from someone's rose garden, with a hint of some other wildflower that might have snuck into the bouquet. This is my favorite part of Roses' development -- not overpowering, but the sort of thing where you might find yourself (and others) making excuses to re-sniff and get another waft of those blooms. On me, the powdery drydown is backed by dried rose petals, lemon peel (!) and a hint of spice and vanilla pod (probably the honey). I definitely find it light-hearted, but not a lightweight. 28th February, 2009. |
| | Index Tobacco Caramel by FreshBought blind on EvilBay, and am pleased, though not overwhelmed with joy. The caramel does have a bit of a synthetic twang to it, but overall I feel like I've fallen into the inner pocket of some university professor's tweed jacket, with the pipe tobacco pouch and a butterscotch candy. Soft, comfortable and quite nice. 27th January, 2009. |
| | Royall Spice by Royall Lyme of BermudaDry, dry gourmand spices that on "sweet" skin like mine end up smelling like I rubbed pumpkin pie spices all over myself. :) I can see this smelling wonderful on someone who brings out marine or bitter notes in their wearings. Nice, especially for the price, just not for me. 11th January, 2009. |
| | Sandflowers by MontaleMontale Sandflowers is wonderful... Sunny, sandy sea air in a bottle, with just the slightest hint of floral sweetness... The sand elements remind me of the sandy/sweet notes in Guerlain's "Rose Barbare" and also of a lighter version of the sand notes in Neil Morris Fragrances "Quest." 4th January, 2009. |
| | White Patchouli by Tom FordTom Ford White Patchouli is a weird one on me... At first I thought I was in love, then it quickly became medicinal, and the white flowers/jasmine that hates my skin chemistry made an unfortunately persistent appearance. But thorughout the drydown I also get these wonderful whiffs of incense, and *clean* patchouli, and then the medicinal/camphorous element (also the patchouli, I think) is a nice contrast. Hmmmm. This is very interesting! But I'm just not sure I smell _good_ in White Patchouli, which is generally my goal with perfume. 2nd December, 2008. |
| | Guépard by GuépardGuepard is described as a fragrance of "moss and light woods." I think this description is accurate, but it is MUCH lighter than I expected, with some soft roundness I can only describe as "French" going on, and a pale, powdery background that I expected to hate but actually find very classy. I will be wearing more of this, particularly to work when I'm hoping to throw the other meeting attendees for a loop but don't want them quite to be able to put their finger on why they're suddenly finding me so compelling. 8th November, 2008. |
| | Café Noir by Ava LuxeQuite possibly one of the best perfumes on the planet. I was expecting a gourmand, and got rich coffee, spices, wood... and magic. 1st September, 2008. |
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