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Today I sampled.. ( MAY 2010 ) - Page 2

post #61 of 88
5/21/10 at 2:11pm
I'm happy to be here!!Indeed,it's exceptional,especially when it settles down on the skin.
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post #62 of 88
5/24/10 at 9:58pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by donniekaterina View Post

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.

This sounds wonderful. Heeley seems to get good reviews from Luca Turin.

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L'Eau de L'Hermine by Lostmarch.
Notes of lavender, grapefruit, bergamot, neroli, peony, heliotrope, white musk

( Picture and notes from www.luckyscent.com )


Thank you to Primrose for this lovely sample !

'Hermine' / ermine is an animal that was prized for fur coats but it is also a girl's name meaning earthy ,complete.
Quite an enchanting lavender scent with the bergamot and grapefruit- airy and smooth. Becomes sweeter which I thought would be vanilla but maybe peony instead and the heliotrope makes it ,delicate,soft around the edges.
*** Do I detect a light leather in there as it dries down - the ermine is peeking out...........
Gorgeous and relaxing,feminine .
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post #63 of 88
5/24/10 at 10:05pm
Today, I explored two scents from Santa Maria Novello thanks to Mimi Gardenia!

The Melograno is indeed a complex and beautiful scent, but I found more compelling the Caprifolgio, a wonderful honeysuckle soliflore, which reminds me of my childhood smelling the wonderful white and yellow flowers! This Honeysuckle might be bottle-worthy enough to put on a wish list. (My first true grown-up perfumes were Avon Roses, Roses and Honeysuckle.)
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post #64 of 88
5/24/10 at 10:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Primrose View Post

Today, I explored two scents from Santa Maria Novello thanks to Mimi Gardenia!

The Melograno is indeed a complex and beautiful scent, but I found more compelling the Caprifolgio, a wonderful honeysuckle soliflore, which reminds me of my childhood smelling the wonderful white and yellow flowers! This Honeysuckle might be bottle-worthy enough to put on a wish list. (My first true grown-up perfumes were Avon Roses, Roses and Honeysuckle.)

Aren't they great, Primrose ?! Caprifoglio is a lovely honeysuckle- so glad I don't need to resort to Jo Malone's Honeysuckle and Jasmine now when I get on a honeysuckle kick !
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post #65 of 88
5/24/10 at 10:28pm
Weil Antilope vintage PdT - love. Except aldehydic blast at the beginning, sun-baked earth and plants, wow, very realistic image. You can never find this true feeling in the contemporary fragrances.

Hermes 24 Faubourg Eau Delicate - very elegant, orange flowers, jasmine, lilly of the valley, unfortunately too low sillage and strength. However, very elegant one. Like all Hermeses.

Prescriptives Calyx Sheer Exhilaration - pfuj, nothing in common with original Calyx. Air freshener, cheap and unmemorable.

Guerlain Secret Intentions - citrusy, easy-to-wear, Guerlinade present, very lovely scent.

Marc Jacobs Essence - a strong gardenia/tuberose that settles in a very creamy result.

Kelly Caleche - office scent, fades very quickly. You need to re-apply every hour. I get exactly what promised, light flowers and leather.
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post #66 of 88
5/25/10 at 10:40am
Thread Starter 
Vanisia by Creed EDP ( Millesime )
Notes of bergamot, jasmine, bulgarian rose, sandalwood, vanilla, amber, ambergris


Created for a spanish queen this smells expensive ,classic. Woody , amber powdery ,sweet with vanilla and floral all at once.Subtle but lasting. Beautiful . I could wax lyrical about this perfume for some time ...but I won't. It's simply an exquisite 'french' classic.

Jasmin by Bruno Acampora .Perfume Oil.
Notes of jasmine, Cyclamen, cloves, ylang ylang.


After the ethereal subtle goodness of the Vanisia perfume cloud , this perfume oil is just the very opposite. Strong, bold, in your face, feral,dark jasmine. A rough diamond- not a bad thing - raw jasmine . Some ylang ylang is paired with the jasmine but the other notes are obscured. This is a powerful indolic slightly fecal 'perfume cat' . Wafts up some lovely jasmine sillage for time to time. I can see how too much of this could make one feel sick .
No green in this for me- just punchy fat jasmine and ylang ylang . But mostly jasmine,strong and dark.
The juice looks like the scent- thick dark ,raw,amber- the color of very vintage parfum. The oil sinks in leaving no oily residue.

For those into serious serious jasmine- none of this frou frou green jasmine stuff paired with anything else, then Bruno Acampora's Jasmin will do ya.


Thanks to www.luckyscent.com for the pictures and notes. And thanks to Andrea for this sample of Jasmin.
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post #67 of 88
5/25/10 at 2:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mimi Gardenia View Post

Jasmin by Bruno Acampora .Perfume Oil.
Notes of jasmine, Cyclamen, cloves, ylang ylang.


After the ethereal subtle goodness of the Vanisia perfume cloud , this perfume oil is just the very opposite. Strong, bold, in your face, feral,dark jasmine. A rough diamond- not a bad thing - raw jasmine . Some ylang ylang is paired with the jasmine but the other notes are obscured. This is a powerful indolic slightly fecal 'perfume cat' . Wafts up some lovely jasmine sillage for time to time. I can see how too much of this could make one feel sick .
No green in this for me- just punchy fat jasmine and ylang ylang . But mostly jasmine,strong and dark.
The juice looks like the scent- thick dark ,raw,amber- the color of very vintage parfum. The oil sinks in leaving no oily residue.

For those into serious serious jasmine- none of this frou frou green jasmine stuff paired with anything else, then Bruno Acampora's Jasmin will do ya.


Thanks to www.luckyscent.com for the pictures and notes. And thanks to Andrea for this sample of Jasmin.

This is seriously one dark jasmine Mimi! I raved about it in Suga's dark jasmine thread a while ago, and I'm glad you finally tried it. I've been wanting to hear your feedback on it! Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff!
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post #68 of 88
5/25/10 at 2:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by scent View Post

This is seriously one dark jasmine Mimi! I raved about it in Suga's dark jasmine thread a while ago, and I'm glad you finally tried it. I've been wanting to hear your feedback on it! Gorgeous, gorgeous stuff!

Scent- thanks ! I am quite taken with one too - darkly romantic sexy jasmine is this. *high five *
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post #69 of 88
5/25/10 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
Il Tuo Tulipano by Hilde Soliani
Notes of bergamot, blackberry, lime, peach, kiwi, and passion fruit, freesia, lily of the valley, and jasmine, vetiver, sandal, oak moss, and white musk.


Your first olfactory experience with this is joy and happiness. It's like experiencing a joyful high. It's a high on ripe ,sweet fruit, lots of peach ,not much lime- not synthetic fruit but real fruit in a bowl ,waiting to be eaten.Delicious,slightly honeyed,dripping. A fruit cocktail . The bottle is fugly and shiny plastic red- reminds me of Popeye's wife Olive Oyl- I don't know why .
Thanks to Helg of www.perfumeshrine.com for this sample !
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post #70 of 88
5/25/10 at 7:35pm
Kyoto.
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post #71 of 88
5/25/10 at 8:29pm
Today I tried Tocca Bianca. It was my first Tocca fragrance sample, and I had a vague impression of the house style as rather wimpy and boring. But Bianca was really nice and pleasantly assertive! It's supposed to open with citrus and lavender, then unfold into green tea, jasmine, and roses, and finish with musk and sugar. Out of all that I didn't smell much citrus, but got a realistic, astringent cool green tea with a little sweetness. Green tea and sugar, basically, and I suspect the other notes were in the background making the scent more round and pleasing. Lasted all day, and it was very prominent, fresh, and tea-like all the way through. I'd love this in the heat of summer!

I do think Bianca is overpriced for what it is, though ($68 for 1.7 oz. -- a bit much for a light, casual summer scent by my standards), and now I'm wondering -- are there other equally nice green teas out there at a lower price point? Bulgari Au The Vert was too sweet, bland, and short-lived on me, and I haven't tried any others.
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post #72 of 88
5/26/10 at 12:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thalia View Post

I do think Bianca is overpriced for what it is, though ($68 for 1.7 oz. -- a bit much for a light, casual summer scent by my standards), and now I'm wondering -- are there other equally nice green teas out there at a lower price point? Bulgari Au The Vert was too sweet, bland, and short-lived on me, and I haven't tried any others.

You might want to give Estee Lauder's Pure White Linen Light Breeze a try. It's fresh, definitely more green than fruity, and I'm able to detect the tea. It'll be my HG for the summer heat.

I might have paid a bit more than $68, but that was for a 3.4 oz EDT.

From the Estee Lauder site:
Vibrant and fresh. Wet Citrus notes of luscious Bergamot, Orange Zest and White Grapefruit combine with Darjeeling Tea, colorful florals and sheer woods.
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post #73 of 88
5/26/10 at 12:15pm
Oh, nice! I have a mini of the original White Linen, and it's certainly a likable scent although it is very intensely what it is. Many of the Lauder frags seem really nice to me, at least before it became an endless succession of Beyond Paradise, Beautiful, and Pleasure flankers. I'll look for a Pure White Linen White Breeze sample, thanks.
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post #74 of 88
5/26/10 at 2:37pm
I'm so glad everyone has taken the time to share their observations. The descriptions of Boudoir and Confetto were especially evocative, Mimi. La Prairie Platinum, Escale a Pondichery, and Ophelia caught my eye. Good to have ideas for what to test when I get to the Boston Shebang. Thanks for your insights.
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post #75 of 88
5/26/10 at 10:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Quarry View Post

I'm so glad everyone has taken the time to share their observations. The descriptions of Boudoir and Confetto were especially evocative, Mimi. La Prairie Platinum, Escale a Pondichery, and Ophelia caught my eye. Good to have ideas for what to test when I get to the Boston Shebang. Thanks for your insights.

Thank you Quarry ,dear ! Happy Birthday again sweetie - one can never have too many birthday wishes !
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Les Heures des Cartier : La Treizieme Heure XIII of Les Heures de Parfum range
Notes : leather, mate,lapsang suchong tea, birch, narcissus, bergamot, patchouli and vanilla.
( from internet - various sites )

"XIII: La Treizième Heure– The Thirteenth Hour seduces with notes of narcissus, leather and maté. The Treizieme Heure also references the address of Cartier’s historical flagship in Paris which is located at 13 Rue de la Paix."
Quote from www.hauteliving.com

Perfumer :Mathilde Laurent ( who worked with Guerlain previously )


Spooky name for a perfume and I love that. I have been dying to try this perfume for yonks now and C Rose *HUGGIE*was so kind to think of me and send me this sample.

This perfume starts dark, smokey and whilst you are trying to figure out " just what is that smokey note" - it gets into a strong slightly bitter dry leather - it's gorgeous !
........ Hang on, it's not done because this scent quickly morphs into the large, mouth watering lapsang suchong tea accord ( which lent some of the smokiness to this perfume to start ) . Such sweet ,dry tea smoke !
Oh Gawd ! I LOVE lapsang suchong tea !!!!!
....Hang on, I'm not done yet... after this really dramatic intense start and morphing going on, suddenly the tea becomes wispy and gradually, this perfume gets sweeter and sweeter,till you are left with amber, vanilla and patchouli. It all happens fairly quickly from start to drydown which is a bummer. I want that lapsang suchong tea note to stay till the end. All that is left is a slight nuance of smoke, leather and tea - very subtle ...mostly it's vanilla, amber and patchouli. The end is very refined ,sweet oriental ,well behaved. I like to think the narcissus is in there somewhere but I can't find it - maybe it's in the drydown .
Long lasting ,rich ,interesting, definitely a morphing perfume with personality.
I can have my lapsang suchong tea perfume for a mere $255 .....or maybe Twinings tea will be cheaper even if I get it shipped from Sainsbury's in London !

You gotta love this scent even if the oopmh goes out pretty fast and it becomes a tame sweet thing.
So...my imagery - 'Hard biker guy who drinks tea secretly and is really a puddy tat at home. '
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post #76 of 88
5/27/10 at 2:48am
Nice review of the Cartier Mimi! I wish I got all the elements you got When I first tried it, I was in Harrods with my friend in the ground floor perfumery department. I was so excited and initially I kind of liked it, but I found it very similar to Patchouli 24 (which I believe is also by Mathilde?). Then my friend smelt it and said it smelt like the meat department that adjacent to the perfumery department. I couldn't see what he was talking about, but slowly, ALL I got was...SALAMI!!! It did really, really smell like salami! But I got that association after my friend pointed it out to me. Now every time I walk into the meat department in Harrods, I'm hit by the smell of the Cartier...ummm sorry, I mean salami! LOL!
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post #77 of 88
5/27/10 at 6:53am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by scent View Post

Nice review of the Cartier Mimi! I wish I got all the elements you got When I first tried it, I was in Harrods with my friend in the ground floor perfumery department. I was so excited and initially I kind of liked it, but I found it very similar to Patchouli 24 (which I believe is also by Mathilde?). Then my friend smelt it and said it smelt like the meat department that adjacent to the perfumery department. I couldn't see what he was talking about, but slowly, ALL I got was...SALAMI!!! It did really, really smell like salami! But I got that association after my friend pointed it out to me. Now every time I walk into the meat department in Harrods, I'm hit by the smell of the Cartier...ummm sorry, I mean salami! LOL!

Scent- I am going to try it again and see if I get salami too ! I can see how the smoked character and the leather/ tea can come across as smoked /preserved/ meaty ! *LOL*
Mathilde Laurent did Patchouli 24 !!! Then I must try it !!
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post #78 of 88
5/27/10 at 7:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mimi Gardenia View Post

Scent- I am going to try it again and see if I get salami too ! I can see how the smoked character and the leather/ tea can come across as smoked /preserved/ meaty ! *LOL*
Mathilde Laurent did Patchouli 24 !!! Then I must try it !!

My bad Mimi! Annick Menardo (also a fabulous parfumeur) did Patchouli 24. I really, really love Pat 24 and its tarry, leathery vanilla. I would even classify it as a "burnt oriental". The Cartier is indeed quite similar to the Le Labo but I highly prefer the latter!
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post #79 of 88
5/27/10 at 7:21am
Thread Starter 
Ooooo! I was already thinking of Le Labo's Patchouli 24( and I'm not a patchouli kid ! ) - now you just confirmed that I need to try it. Frankly, the Cartier makes Le Labo seem a deal - more juice for the buck and easier to get.
Les Treizieme Heure is very good but it zips through those notes to settle to this really long lasting dry down ,too fast. A bit frustrating.
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post #80 of 88
5/27/10 at 9:15am
Thank you for the lovely review Mimi! (it was so lovely I was thinking -- "wait! Send that back!" :-)
But -- the Cartier XIII, heavily spritzed on my arm at Saks, disappeared from my skin with lightning speed, unfortunately. (not unusual for me, but it was GONE.) Way too expensive for 15 minutes of fun.
But I love the Labo Patchouli (not a Patchouli at all, actually -- I'm recalling Turin waxing humorous on the "whimsical" naming of Labo frags). They could have more aptly named it La Labo BirchTar 24. It has great longevity on me.
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post #81 of 88
5/27/10 at 9:32am
I have just recovered from four days of jetlag and wanted to treat myself to
a nice afternoon of sampling. First I tried a perfume I have never actually got round to
sniffing until now, and it was L'HEURE BLEUE. I have been deliberately waiting to try it
until I felt sufficiently "ready" to appreciate it.
Well it certainly moved me - much in the same way that Apres L'Ondee did, but
without the sadness. Guerlain certainly know (knew) how to create stunning perfumes.
Words actually fail me and I couldn't begin to do this wonderful smell justice except to say
that it invites you to love it unreservedly and to surrender yourself to it completely.
Definitely a "coup de foudre."
I should have stopped at this point, but I also tried Chopard Wish Pink Diamond. It had so much
to live up to, the poor thing and paled in comparison to LB of course. Let's just say it's a fairly
good example of the ubiquitous fruity floral genre, neither innovative nor long lasting.
I'll pass on it.
I have decided to save up for a bottle of L'Heure Bleue instead!
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post #82 of 88
5/27/10 at 9:32am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by C Rose View Post

Thank you for the lovely review Mimi! (it was so lovely I was thinking -- "wait! Send that back!" :-)
But -- the Cartier XIII, heavily spritzed on my arm at Saks, disappeared from my skin with lightning speed, unfortunately. (not unusual for me, but it was GONE.) Way too expensive for 15 minutes of fun.
But I love the Labo Patchouli (not a Patchouli at all, actually -- I'm recalling Turin waxing humorous on the "whimsical" naming of Labo frags). They could have more aptly named it La Labo BirchTar 24. It has great longevity on me.

C Rose- thank you so much for sending to me- I really appreciate it. ( If you do long/crave for it again - I'd send it back sweetie ...let me know , OK ? ) .

La Treizieme Heure is a bit of a 'Speedy Gonzales' isn't it ?? !
However, the drydown did last all night long and my husband said' You smell good,honey" - that is 'husband code speak' for 'I love that one " but he also said' Holy Moley' when I announced the cost of it and he was veery quiet after that *LOL* *LOL* He knows my expensive perfume tastes and that 'crazed look' I get when I .must.have.that.one.....

I will definitely get round to trying Patch 24 ! That and Labdanum 18 which sounds fab too.

Kewart- I know the 'lag . L'Heure Bleue is poetry , don't you think ?!
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post #83 of 88
5/27/10 at 10:27am
Curious 'by' Britney Spears. ACK. GAG.I'm screaming just as loud as this did.

I had to try this because Fantasy is in my top 5. This was just a mishmash of sweet whatever-it-was, even too sweet for me. Nothing fresh about it. I got a faint scent of magnolia somewhere during the assault, but all too soon the sweet factor stomped it out. The whole mess lasted for a long time. Just my luck! The drydown was lovely, but I'm not willing to wade through the rest to get to it. Ptooey. Thumbs down.

Top notes: White floral.
Middle note: Magnolia.
Base note: Vanilla-infused musk.
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post #84 of 88
5/28/10 at 9:50am
Today I'm wearing my sample of Sahlini Femininde for the second time. I'm a huge Bollywood fangirl, and Rednails kindly suggested this as a Bollywood-inspired scent. Sahlini offers a sample pack of all three of their frags for $7.50, so I sprang for it.

Femininde is LOVELY. It goes on unbelievably rich. There are spices and woods and flowers in the mix, but it's exceeding well-blended -- no note really calls attention to itself, it's more a general impression of luxurious warm wood with rich spices and oils. It's a much more subtle way to build a spicy frag than, say, Spellbound, which smells like an earthquake hit your spice rack. The spices are warm and not pungent, the wood is oily and incensy and not harsh, and whatever floral is here is just rounding things out instead of smelling sweet and flowery.

It gets a little woodier and maybe a little sweeter as it progresses, but there's not a dramatic division between the first application and the drydown. There's a warmth and an exoticism that really do spell "India" to me -- or at least the exoticized fantasy India of Hindi films! I think the orange -- even though it doesn't smell detectably orangy -- is warming it up. It's also STRONG; even dabbing from the ridiculous plastic sample vial wand (WHY doesn't everyone do spray samples?), it's easy to overapply. But because it's not too sweet or too heady or harsh, even though I'm wearing too much today it still smells wonderful and I will be happy to drown in it all day.



I COVET a full bottle -- and the look is perfect, I think. To my eyes it's gorgeous, vulgar, lavish, and a trifle phony-looking. In other words, very Bollywood! There is nothing phony about the juice, however.

Femininde earns a big Waaah! Waah! from me.

Edit -- now I'm four hours in, and I'm getting more floral and less orange. It's cooler, less spicy, and there's an almost ... waxy? ... flower-petal element. You'd think you'd get the flowers first and the woods and spices later, but that's not how it's working for me! Now it's a very lovely floriental, but still lighter on the flor- than on the -oriental.
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post #85 of 88
5/29/10 at 8:01am
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yesterday I sampled Bond's SAKs en Rose & found it super sweet, over the top floral. A rose named scent but on me, all tuberose, all the time. Next....Montauk. In a word, fabulous! As dissapointing a recent Bond releases have been to some of us, this one makes up for it all. This is a unisex woody, fresh scent. Tiny bit floral, blueberry note adds interest & for me, a bit of "fun".
I LOVED it and want it.

Also, new for me is Rosine's limited edition for summer (200 bottles only) Une Rose au Bord La Mer. This is an Eaux Fraiche formula, less alcohol. The notes are: neroli, bergamot, bitter orange, mandarine, immortelle, rose, jasmine, cistus oil, amber, ambrette seed and white musk. This is a soft marine floral, not anything ground breaking here. Perfectly suitable for the heat but it's not making me jump up and down shouting that I love it. Since I own soooo many perfumes, this is becoming a criteria for me keeping one.
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post #86 of 88
5/29/10 at 10:28am
Today I sampled Escale aux Marquises by Dior. The commercial blurp for it goes..."Polynesian Tiare Flower meets the freshness of the most beuatiful spices..." - well, I think it is VERY disappointing. Some faint whiff of Tiaré Flower, spices I can hardly detect... and the whole fun is over in 10 minutes. Nothing I'd put on my wish-list, for sure.
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post #87 of 88
5/31/10 at 10:49pm
Thread Starter 
Royal English Leather by Creed

At the Creed counter at Neiman Marcus, I completely surprised myself by loving a Creed 100%. It was a moment of " Oh My Gosh - this is just wonderful, I must buy this soon ...... !"
This is a wonderful scent Completely addictive from opening notes to the drydown. It's sweetish ,soft ,expensive,warm leather to begin with, diffusing to a delicious powdery amber ,not loosing the zing of leather at all. Some similarity to Tabac Blond in the drydown to me but softer. So much personality ,depth,sexy. Unisex. For an EDT ,it's very long lasting. I have to have this.
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post #88 of 88
6/1/10 at 3:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whitelace View Post

Curious 'by' Britney Spears. ACK. GAG.I'm screaming just as loud as this did.

I had to try this because Fantasy is in my top 5. This was just a mishmash of sweet whatever-it-was, even too sweet for me. Nothing fresh about it. I got a faint scent of magnolia somewhere during the assault, but all too soon the sweet factor stomped it out. The whole mess lasted for a long time. Just my luck! The drydown was lovely, but I'm not willing to wade through the rest to get to it. Ptooey. Thumbs down.

Top notes: White floral.
Middle note: Magnolia.
Base note: Vanilla-infused musk.

I did not have too much of a bad time with Curious. Pleasant teen girl scent with a floral drydown.

Fantasy, OTOH, is a perfume version of mustard gas. It smells like a toxic vanilla cupcake. We had a young female relative over and she sprayed this in a room in the corner of the house. You could smell this gag-inducing scent all the way of the other side of the house.
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