Well, this last week has been a big one in expanding my fragrance collection- a 25% increase in the number of bottles in my wardrobe (went from 16 to 20). Here's what I got, and mini-reviews of each:
Bvlgari Black by Bvlgari - In anticipation of the upcoming Scent Synchronization Day (this is a possible winner) and a long-standing desire to own a bottle, I made the trip out to Ross to pick this one up. Lucky for me, it was recently marked down to $22, so I snatched it up. It's a terrific oriental with great vanilla undertones. It certainly has a bit of a burnt-rubber note as some have described, but somehow it just works very well. It's very close in character to Gucci's Envy, but is unique enough to warrant it's place in my wardobe- besides, the bottle is really nifty and I collect fragrances for not only the juice inside, but the bottles themselves, and this one is quite special indeed.
By Dolce & Gabbana by Dolce & Gabbana - What a hard name to explain to people! Anyways, when I was picking up my Bvlgari Black, I saw its tacky-but-eyecatching bottle on the top shelf, also recently marked down. After reading the reviews, I decided $17 wasn't too much to take a chance on, so I went back and picked this one up. At first blast, it's fairly powdery and rife with "dirty" florals and sandalwood. The powder mellows out a bit and you are left with just... well, raw, dirty sex (I even had a girl tell me I "smell like sex" just tonight). The sandalwood, guiacwood, and ambrox come together just wonderfully. Even though it's dripping with sexyness, there's a sophistication about it that lets you wear it casually- that may seem like a contradiction, but there's just something magical about this stuff. By and by (ouch... sorry for the pun!), it will probably be in my top 3.
Echo by Davidoff - I've tried this in the department stores, and the fragrance doesn't do it for me- synthetic, a bit harsh, and well, somewhat strange. But oh, the bottle! The bottle is absolutely gorgeous, with its simple rectangular profile from the large side yielding to stunning buldges and curves viewed from the other side. The way the buldges refract the light is just gorgeous. Did I mention I like the bottle?
I'm sorta warming up the the fragrance, if anything, it's refreshing for a really hot day and it seems to have fantastic staying power. Maybe next time it's hella hot outside, I'll venture to try this, but until then I'll keep spraying a tiny spray on my arm to get used to the harsh strangeness of this one. Something about it reminds me of some Avon product from my childhood, but I can't pinpoint it. Even if I never end up liking it, I'll still have the awesome bottle.
Samba by Perfumer's Workshop - Only $5 at TJ Maxx for 100ml! I don't care what the fragrance is, at that price, you can't pass it up! Amazingly, this one is *much* better than the price would suggest. The one reviewer saying it smelled like Juicy Fruit gum wasn't that far off, but there's a surprising bit of depth and complexity to this one. It's light enough for a hot day, but also seems like it'd bode well in cooler weather. I'll keep this one my little secret.
Bvlgari Black by Bvlgari - In anticipation of the upcoming Scent Synchronization Day (this is a possible winner) and a long-standing desire to own a bottle, I made the trip out to Ross to pick this one up. Lucky for me, it was recently marked down to $22, so I snatched it up. It's a terrific oriental with great vanilla undertones. It certainly has a bit of a burnt-rubber note as some have described, but somehow it just works very well. It's very close in character to Gucci's Envy, but is unique enough to warrant it's place in my wardobe- besides, the bottle is really nifty and I collect fragrances for not only the juice inside, but the bottles themselves, and this one is quite special indeed.
By Dolce & Gabbana by Dolce & Gabbana - What a hard name to explain to people! Anyways, when I was picking up my Bvlgari Black, I saw its tacky-but-eyecatching bottle on the top shelf, also recently marked down. After reading the reviews, I decided $17 wasn't too much to take a chance on, so I went back and picked this one up. At first blast, it's fairly powdery and rife with "dirty" florals and sandalwood. The powder mellows out a bit and you are left with just... well, raw, dirty sex (I even had a girl tell me I "smell like sex" just tonight). The sandalwood, guiacwood, and ambrox come together just wonderfully. Even though it's dripping with sexyness, there's a sophistication about it that lets you wear it casually- that may seem like a contradiction, but there's just something magical about this stuff. By and by (ouch... sorry for the pun!), it will probably be in my top 3.
Echo by Davidoff - I've tried this in the department stores, and the fragrance doesn't do it for me- synthetic, a bit harsh, and well, somewhat strange. But oh, the bottle! The bottle is absolutely gorgeous, with its simple rectangular profile from the large side yielding to stunning buldges and curves viewed from the other side. The way the buldges refract the light is just gorgeous. Did I mention I like the bottle?
I'm sorta warming up the the fragrance, if anything, it's refreshing for a really hot day and it seems to have fantastic staying power. Maybe next time it's hella hot outside, I'll venture to try this, but until then I'll keep spraying a tiny spray on my arm to get used to the harsh strangeness of this one. Something about it reminds me of some Avon product from my childhood, but I can't pinpoint it. Even if I never end up liking it, I'll still have the awesome bottle.Samba by Perfumer's Workshop - Only $5 at TJ Maxx for 100ml! I don't care what the fragrance is, at that price, you can't pass it up! Amazingly, this one is *much* better than the price would suggest. The one reviewer saying it smelled like Juicy Fruit gum wasn't that far off, but there's a surprising bit of depth and complexity to this one. It's light enough for a hot day, but also seems like it'd bode well in cooler weather. I'll keep this one my little secret.
