Today I sampled.. ( MAY 2010 )

Thanks for the review Mysticknot! I'm afraid from the reviews I've read the general consensus on Gardenia Grand Soir has been that it's not grand, not gardenia, and simply - not good.

I must say I'm a little disappointed to hear this about a fragrance from PG, as his Tubereuse Couture is excellent and really unique ( if you haven't tried it, do! ) I guess every perfumer has their ups and downs. I was also disappointed by Ether de Lilas, which is En Passant done badly in my opinion.

Today I sampled Kyoto. In my opinion good karma.

Today I sampled the new Guerlain Cologne by T. Wasser. Very nice, it reminded me a little bit of Prelude to Love, but better. I predict this will be a big hit for Guerlain, it is simply beautiful verveine with flowers.

Editing: I am not sure what the notes are, but I don't think it has verveine, it may be orange blossom?

Annick Goutal Le Chevrefeuille
Notes: honeysuckle blossom, honeysuckle vine, narcissus, jasmine, and lemon tree.

Lovely scent, much more citrusy in the opening than I expected, soft and sweet without being cloying like Honeysuckle can sometimes be. It's sweet, light and dewey smelling - I love the fresh, crisp green element in this fragrance; it was unexpeced but privides a nice balance to the heavy white flowers. It lacks the syrupy density that somes makes honeysuckle unbearable (particularly in the hot weather) and I think this could be a year-round perfume.

Les Parfums de Rosine Rosa Flamenca
Notes: orange blossom, bergamot, petitgrain, jasmine, rose, fig leaf; sandalwood, benzoin, musk.

Wondeful! Very warm and voluptuous smelling, a ting hint of spice combined with the sweet freshness of orange blossom layered over rose. I love that the rose feels almost secondary here, but at the same time it is certainly not forgotten. There is a very slight powderiness but the overall feel is luminous and vibrant. Absolutely lovely.

Bond #9 Chelsea Flowers
Notes: White Peony, Mimosa, French Tulip, White Hyacinth, Magnolia, Rose, Musk, Sandalwood, Vetiver, Tree Moss.

A huge dissapointment, I've worn this for a few days now in different settings and temperatures to try and find the hidden beauty...but apparently it's just not for me. This was boring and far too generic smelling for such an expensive fragrance; I would definitely wear either Le Chevrefeuille or Rosa Flamenca over it any day.

Ellen Tracy Inspire, one of a handful of carded samples tossed into my bag when I bought something (L'Heure Bleue, and don't I wish I were wearing it right now!) at a little local perfume shop. At the shop, I sampled a ton of stuff on skin -- Eau Sauvage, L'Heure Bleue, Habanita de Molinard) and I came home REEKING. so after a deodorant-and-Palm-Olive washdown I put this on to have something nice and presumably not overwhelming to smell. As I recall, it smelled quite pretty in a soft, dewy, fresh floral way and I thought "Wow, I might get some of this as a casual scent." It's DIRT CHEAP online, whch is always nice, and I'm always hoping to pick up a neglected treasure.

So, I splashed some on this morning, looking forward to easy/pretty/fresh ... and, not so much. Perhaps my nose was just completely out of wack the first time after the assault I'd inflicted on it earlier. Today, Inspire went on in a blast of hot-pink fruity-floral sweetness on top of muddled generic woody/musky. It was really unpleasantly sweet and I couldn't distinguish any particular elements in the mix, just "perfumeness." It settled down after about an hour and got less aggressive, but sweet and melony. The citrus, which was supposed to be in the top notes, finally showed up and cut the sweetness a bit and made it much more wearable, but I don't much like melon.

Now, five hours on, it's a pleasant-enough sweetish skin musk with a tinge of tart fruit -- and maybe some cedar? My nose still isn't that educated, so it's hard for me to single out notes. Not bad at all, but I don't think I'd wait through the opening again! And I'm not at all tempted to pick up a (sadly rather ugly) bottle anymore -- in fact, I doubt I'll give my sample a third try.

Vintage Odalisque, thanks to Hillaire! Big difference to my nose. The modern version of Odalisque is, well, a little anorexic for my tastes, but the vintage is lovely and rich. Both are good it's just... Vintage Odalique is Arte Nouveau - Modern Odalisque is Bauhaus.

fluers de gardenia by creed

Do tell! That's one of the few Creeds I'm really curious about.

DKNY Be Delicious.

The first spray delivered a lively scent of green apple & white grapefruit, which I love. Also there was a little cucumber, more like melon. It was a nice mix with the apple. It settled into a very light floral, predominantly magnolia & rose, but very subtle. Light on the tuberose which is fine by me, as lately I've been noticing an overwhelming tuberose in a couple scents I've tried. The apple was a nice companion, continuing along. Then on it went to the soft white amber. Mmmm. It didn't get a powdery note which was great for me.

I'm lovin' this! I have to admit that my tastes run toward fruity-floral and gourmand. And, I'm guilty of liking a certain celeb's fragrance line. There, I said it.

* Top Notes
* Grapefruit, Cucumber, Magnolia.

Middle Notes
* Apple, Tuberose, White Muguet, Rose, Violet.

Base Notes
* White Amber, Woods.

From the Basenotes description.

Today I tried Chance Eau Tendre for the 2nd time on my skin. I'm not sure how I feel about. I like it, but it's not bottle worthy at this time.

I tried Ange Ou Demon Le Secret on my skin today. I don't really like this one.

I purchased Versus by Versace today. When I 1st smelled it, I knew right away that my Aveda Patchouli would really make this pop. So, I sprayed one arm with just Versus and the other arm with Versus and Aveda Patchouli. O-M-G! the patchouli really makes this frag intoxicating. It is just as amazing on its own though. I don't know which one I want to try 1st today lol.

It was quite citrusy in the opening but it didn't last too long, I find citrus scents don't seem to hold well on my skin and the floral elemant was definitely more prominant. It was a really lovely scent, although wearing it on one hand and Rosa Flamenca on the other; poor Le Chevrefueille got overpowered haha

I tried Bond No 9's High Line today from a sample purse spray sent to me by the flagship store in NYC. It's "nice", fresh a little "snappy" but not something I need to own an entire bottle of.
Laurent Le Guernec has used some interesting notes, taken from the High Line park itself. I just don't think most people will recognise them for what they are. I know, I didn't and I am a fan of one of his other fragrances for Bond No 9, So New York.
On my skin, High Line is all orange flower & bergamot...noting as special as it's inspiration.

Notes are: Top notes are purple love grass, aldehydes, ozone notes, Indian rhubarb, bergamot; heart notes are red leaf rose, tulipe, grape hyacinth, orange flower water; the base rests on the High Line's bur oak.

Pure Purple by Hugo Boss. At first spray - wow, but I got an almost overwhelming smell of grape candy. Until this fragrance, none have come close to being too sweet for me. This one is...almost. I had to hold on tight trying Miss Dior Cherie, but Pure Purple had me wondering if I could handle it. It did settle down to a soft smell that I enjoyed. Didn't get any fruit notes, but I sure did get a wallop of marzipan.

* Top Notes
* Cyclamen, Nectarine.
*

Middle Notes
* Black Violet, Floral Notes.
*

Base Notes
* Amber, White Suede, Sweet Marzipan.

From the BN database.

I don't see much mention of Hugo Boss fragrances. Too pedestrian? I really like Deep Red and notice some others have this.

From my recently received samples order, I tried Chocolovers yesterday (Aquolina) just for the sheer frivolity of it. The first little while it got me dancing around with glee (chocolate does that). Then I started coughing from some powdery note that caught in my throat. I didn't get to wash it off before going to work. I kept smelling this throughout my shift, and when I got home I yanked off my clothes (chocolate also does that) and scrubbed this off. This is the first time I've had this happen, but it was definitely a scrubber for me. Gag.

Gack! I've got to say, though, that your scrubber description was very entertaining to read, so at least some good came of your pain.

Glad to hear that someone enjoyed this, Thalia. My poor clothes got flung into the washer pronto, and the Chocolovers sample went into the circular filing cabinet. On a more positive note...

Whilst tromping through a department store in my quest for Can Can, I sampled Bright Crystal (Versace). I can't wait till my mini arrives so I can test-drive it for a few days. Lovely!

I also tried Anais Anais again. I used to wear this in the 80's; it doesn't smell as nice as I thought it would. Could be that my memory's gone, though. Very sweet, but not unpleasant either.

The SA gave me a spritz of Calvin Klein's Euphoria, and claimed that it smells 'just like Angel, only it's cheaper.' I didn't think so at all. A sample order came today - yay! - and in it is Angel. I'm determined that this will eventually smell good on me. I simply won't accept that it smells like hooey.

I'm now wearing Badgley Mischka EDP from a sample...very nice. My samples include several Chanel as well as Jean Patou's 1000, so I'll try those in a couple days. I have this niggling feeling that Yours Truly is about to venture into the uncharted territory of Guerlain with her next sample order. Stay tuned.

And I want to let it be known that I tried three stores, and no Can Can. Three! One department store and two drugstores. I no can do any more stores today.

My day started out really bad so i decided to make myself feel better by going to the Perfume Shoppe to do a bit of sniffing. First of all Naz and Amyn are both AMAZING!!! Amyn was at the store and he is so knowledgeable and he truly loves fragrances. I could have talked to him for hours.... Knowledgeable and friendly. Awesome combo. Naz joined in via skype and I just love her! I could go on and on about how wonderful they both are, but I'll force myself to shut up about them. Now for my sniffing experience:

Amyn asked me what I liked in fragrances and I said that my only criteria is that I dont care for prominent rose or gardenia notes and that I have a love/hate relationship with lily in any form. I also said that I have fragrances that fall into just about every category as I have no loyalties, however, I do notice that patchouli is a common note in the fragrances that I love most (Hello Coromandel). Lastly, I said that I like scents that make a statement.

With that, he started me out with a few Serge Lutens and some Montales. I quickly dismissed the Montales. I like them, but I'll never buy one again. The ones that I've owned have been swapped away. Not quite sure why I'm on the fence with Montales. But, I digress..... I probably tried about 20 fragrances, but the standouts are:

Parfumerie Generale L'Oiseau de Nuit. I sniffed the oepning notes of this and fell in love! It was spicy and sweet. I put it on to see how it would develop and after about 10 minutes in turned into another/different experience. It was sweet.....nothing else...just sweet. I still liked it, but didnt think it fit the bill for what I was looking for. I mentioned this to Amyn and he said 'dont let it fool you'. so I let it sit a while longer while I sniffed other fragrances and eventually smelled this again on my skin. To my surprise, I smelled the spicyness that I loved at first sniff. That freaked me out (in a good way). I'm sure I'll eventually purchase a full bottle of this beauty. Its nice!! and tricky.

Keiko Mercheri A Fleur de Peau: Leather, spice and everything nice. Stole my heart. I must purchase this!!

Amouage Ubar: I had an immediate love affair with this. My life will not be complete until I get a full bottle of this. I couldnt distinguish the notes and I asked Amyn what was in it. I could have fallen over after he told me that it had most of the notes that I told him I dont care for. With this, Amyn told me that I shouldn't dismiss any notes because if a fragrance is done well my experience with the notes will be different. I guess that makes sense, but time will tell 'cuz I'm going to put that to the test.

That's it for the fragrances that I loved most, but I have to admit that I tried all the Amouage attars and I didnt sniff one that I didnt like. Lyric was divine!! I dont want to hog the post, so I'll talk about that one at another time.

Visited Kleins Perfumery for the first time yesterday! I had a play with some of the Demeter fragrances there when I was supposed to be shopping for a present...oops! I wanted to try some of the L'Artisan and Tocca fragrances but they were SO busy being the day before mother's day I couldn't get anyone to serve me...and those expensive babies are locked away behind glass.

So I tested a few Demeters:

Rain - a lovely, wet grassy scent with a very fresh aesthetic. Quite clean and green smelling, not my usdual MO but I liked it.

Brownies - thick, syrupy chocolate and hazlenut scent. Not my thing but pretty realistic and my little sis was enamoured haha That girl loves brownies way too much!

Pruning Shears - another surprise like! This is a lovely grassy, herbal rose scent with a crispness to it...much like wading through the garden on a cool morning. I think I'm going to order a sample of this!

Watermelon Lollipop - ugh, sooo sweet! My little sis made me try this one and it is just what is says...a watermelon Chuppa Chup. She loved it, I hated it.

Today I hit the mall with various objectives (use coupon at Clarks, find birthday presents for kids, etc.), but I did have quite a lot of time to browse fragrances:

L'Occitane Peony - Completely sold out, except for the shower gel (huh?). They had a tester out, so I spritzed a strip and left it in my purse. Notes are bergamot, grapefruit, peony, rose, sandalwood, white musk. I would have spritzed my arm, too, but I had a lot of shopping ahead of me, and I didn't want it to bug me, if I ended up hating it...it's nice, though, so I might head back later in the month, when they should be restocked.

I find the sales staff at Neiman's to be mostly nice (at least, the ones that don't peer at me like I'm going to steal something!), but somewhat clueless. Sigh. That's for another thread, though...

The first nice-enough woman at the main fragrances counter showed me a bunch of different things, and finally, got to the Atelier (yay!). I sniffed tester strips of all 5 (nose started going deaf), but spritzed a bit of Atelier Grand Neroli on my arm. Lovely notes at the top (neroli, lemon, petitgrain, bergamot) and I think there's galbanum in the heart, but then there is a wretched, sweet vanilla after about 20 minutes. It was very disappointing - the vanilla really ruined it for me.

When I was letting the Grand Neroli run its course on my arm, I walked over to the Guerlain counter, just to see...and HECK! There are bottles of Vol de Nuit and - gasp - L'Heure Bleue. I already had the Atelier on my arm, or I would have blasted a bit of the L'Heure Bleue on me.

I looked at a nice bag in the Coach store, where the nice sales associate handed me a tester strip of the "new women's fragrance" (icky). I can't tell you the name, but I wouldn't even bother...

And then went to spend way too much money (again) at Nordstrom. Among my stops was the fragrance counter to peer curiously again at the display of Memoire Liquide. The woman who usually works in fragrances was there again. People, if you shop Nordstrom in Honolulu, look for Jen. She's good! Anyhow, Jen told me about 3 of the Memoire Liquide line and made up a nice little sample of Memoire Liquide Fleur. This well-done, simple concoction of mimosa, orange blossom, and jasmine is maybe the perfect summer daytime scent. I might go back for it. Really nice orange blossom and slightly powdery sometimes, slightly indolic now.

Time for my Mother's Day dinner!

Eau Feurs Cedrat by Guerlain. Mind you I am not a fan of citrus scents but, this fragrance has a real lemon/citrus aroma. My only complaint is that Eau(s) just don't last on my skin very long. Gone in about thirty minutes.

I love the Natori bottle! It looks mysterious and important, yet somehow inviting, like you're sneaking into a palace. Every time I see it in stores, I'm drawn to it, but the juice is just too mellow and edgeless for me; it doesn't really hold my interest.

I thought I'd give myself a lift and try out a sample. Finally, after all these years I'm trying Jean Patou's 1000 EDT, and I'm lovin' it so far. I'm wondering if I ought to try the EDP as well? Appreciate any thoughts about the differences between them. Thanks!

Been sampling Amouage Ubar. Its close resemblance to EL's Knowing came as a surprise. Not sure what I expected, but I was surprised all the same. Actually, I find Ubar to be somewhere between Knowing and Cabotine.

Whitelace, I have both EdT and EdP versions of 1000. These are a few years old, and I can't speak for what's going on with 1000 now, but I find the versions to be very similar.

TheLipPrint, I love AG's Le Chevrefeuille. Not my type at all, but I love it, nonetheless. It's so delightfully cheerful. It's like wearing a full skirted floral print dress. Well, that's what it makes me think of. Glad you're enjoying it.

Thanks, VintageVogue. I usually go for EDT rather than EDP, although I have the EDP of Joy. Will continue with my test on the 1000 EDT.

Well, my sampling didn't stop there. A girlfriend and I went into a store that had a Guerlain counter. I have a spray sample which I'll try for several days, but I have to say that I'm in love with Idylle! It's a definite must-buy for me.



Idylle:
top notes: freesia, tincture of rose, raspberry, litchi
middle notes: jasmine, lily of the valley, peony, lily
base notes: musk, patchouli
(from Fragrantica.com)

Another I liked was Samsara. They didn't have too much variety, so a further trip towards the 'big city' will have a greater choice. This is my first foray into the Guerlain world, and I thoroughly enjoyed my samplings. My friend usually wears Boucheron, so I snagged a sample of that as well as Shalimar.

Tried Dior's Escale a Pondichery EDT. Loved it! Think we both will be buying a bottle...

Escale a Pondichery:
top notes of Cardamom Essence and Sambac Jasmine Absolut, warm middle notes of Black Tea Extract, the inspiration for the fragrance, and base notes of Sandalwood Essence that gives the scent a smooth warmth (from the Bay)

What a heavenly day!

Today I sampled two fragrances; eau de Carier Concentree and Declaration by Cartier. I found neither earth shaking.

I'm just discovering the Madinis. So far I like Sahara (warm citron, myrrh and amber), Olive Flowers (it is like an old Guerlain oriental), Kamary (lovely and light rose and sandalwood- perhaps a bit of oud too) and Ambre. Salma is okay, but I don't think I'll be buying a bottle.

I bought Alma de Alma unsniffed. The notes are musk, amber and citron. I'll be surprised if I don't like it.

Today I sampled Cuir Beluga for the first time. I am in love!
I don't know why I had not tried this before. Perhaps the name was not interesting enough, but it is definitely a comfort scent, elegant. The notes are: immortelle (everlasting flower), leather, amber, vanilla, mandarin, heliotrope. I can't smell the immortelle, the leather is very soft and to me it is more like suede. The mandarine brings the perfume alive, and heliotrope is one of my favorite notes. This is going straight to my Want list.

Lovely review, Mysticknot. Though big, fun jasmine sounds up my alley - would you say it's as realistically "gardenia" as the Lauder?

Today I sampled Soivohle's Purple Love Smoke, a deeply odd yet rather compelling frag. I've smelled a lot of weird fragrances, but this is ranks as one of THE weirdest fragrances I've smelled in a long time.

I'd describe the top notes as a mixture of burning teriyaki sauce and watermelon juice ( specifically juice - not the whole melon ). I wish I could come up with an analogy or note less strange, but that's the honest impression my nose receives! It's a little unpleasant at first, but fairly soon that burnt teriyaki disappears, to be replaced by warm, subtle powderiness that somewhat modifies the aggressive watermelon tang as it develops. I smell no violet per se, but I've experienced that in some other violet soliflores, too.

It's ugly-fascinating, like a piece of provative art that's fun to see, but you wouldn't want in your living room. I'm very happy to have tried it.

Very good longevity and sillage for a natural, too.

Ah, thanks so much! I think I may skip this one just now, then - I own my favorite jasmine, and have another favorite jasmine arriving soon.

Today I sampled Vol de Nuit Evasion by Guerlain. Three and one half stars in my book. A very nice fragrance this is. Too bad that availability is so poor.

Today I sampled Etat Libre D'Orange - Je Suis un Homme.
My opinion? Boring smoke withouth depth.

Caprifoglio sounds great! I love honeysuckle.

Turbulences by Revillon.

I'm kind of 'sampling' Arpege EDT from a mini I just received. Hmm, but it sure doesn't smell like I remember it when I wore it years ago, although I can detect a hint of the 'old' fragrance. Has this been reformulated to death, or would there be a huge difference with the EDP I wonder?

Great review - it sounds luscious! Love the bottle too. I haven't been able to find out much more about this one, actually.

Mimi, I always got tobacco from this... Hmmmm...

Yes, not for the faint of heart! I heard this was a "knickers" scent, according to The Times Online. Now if they will only make "Les Cuisses du Comte." LOL!

Glad you liked it.

Yesterday, I sampled Etro Benetroessere Relent. This is a 2001 release, so I am a bit late to the game, but the sample was included in a swap.

It opens with a dose of powder and a very nice, restrained lavender. As it develops, the powder stays, but a nice amber breaks through. This is a somewhat linear fragrance after the lavendar opening. It stays soft and slightly powdery throughout. At first, I was going to write this off as unexciting. But slowly, I realized this fragrance could certainly have it's place.

I can imagine this as a great office scent. Specifically, even a fragrance to wear in a fragrance free enviornment. Someone (the fragrance police) would be hard pressed to accuse you of more than a scented powder. And I realise I keep saying powder, but it is not really an overpowering powder. Just the feeling and freshness of it.

The other perfect use of this perfume would be for a dedicated bedtime scent. As the lavender fades and the amber begins, you would be drifting off to a pleasant sleep.

This was nice, but not exciting. But sometimes, that is just what you want. I think I will use the rest of my sample for bedtime. It is fairly long lasting, and the next morning I could still enjoy the softness of this fragrance on my tshirt.

Platinum La prairie


a strong strong leather jasmin.
I cant' smelled other flowers, other notes :-(

Le Chic by Molyneux Inspired by the "unsung treasures " thread, this was a blind buy under $20. My very first sniff of this stimulated a memory & catapulted me back to being around 12. The smell of "Ludens Cherry Cough Drops" hit me, not necessarily a bad thing, but definately unexpected. It settles down quickly into a clean very wearable fresh flower scent with the fruit toning down /morphing into rose/ enough to keep it from being either a gourmand or a rooty-tooty fruity genre. Feminine but refined.
Very glad I purchased.

Edited later to add: Longevity on me is poor for an EDP

Ophelia By James Heeley is pure lilac,it is beautiful I found the perfect lilac perfume for the summer.Here in my village every spring lilacs are blooming and spread their magnificent scent.

Today I've tested Alahine by Teo Cabanel,is a beautiful perfume with a vintage air.It is woodsy with spices,you can easily detect jasmine and rose with a hint of pepper.Very elegant!!

donnie, isn't Alahine beautiful!!! It is one of my favorite fragrances.
And welcome to Basenotes! Keep sniffing!