Fragrances -Penhaligon's - Amaranthine
zeynepd 12/9/2010 10:01:00 AM
Amaranthine is undoubtedly one of the most unique combination of notes that I have had the chance to sniff. It sits at a crossroads of comfy, milky, spicy and exotic, and I feel very much at home with this line of exotic. I guess this is because Amaranthine takes its references from the most realistic cardamom - a spice I enjoy using in my milk and sometimes in my tea and milk. Therefore, this is a new understanding of exotic fragrances to me, rather than the usual exotic white flowers than often put a distance between me and themselves. With a single spritz, Amaranthine starts green, but this is a soft, steamy, pastel green on me, almost like leaves and cardamom crushed in a pestle and mortar. I can sense banana leaves in it but Amaranthine is everything but milk and bananas. At this stage it is a combination of a slight bitterness, a slight sweetness and a slight spicy note that never bites or turns into B.O. on me. These notes are the main elements that will show their faces from time to time. The mid-notes do not erase but add to these notes and although I can't single out all flowers, there is a ylang-ylang feeling to it. Penghalion's carnation and clove are also there. I can't say that I'm fond of these notes, but unlike some other Penghalion's fragrances, they do not disturb me here. After approximately three hours, the base takes the center stage and it is very very connected with the top notes, with milk and cardamom creating the most unique skinscent that I own. It is creamy, in the sense of natural cream, slightly sweet but not one bit cloying. With more spritzes though, Amaranthine turns into a spicier, clovier and hotter scent with sparkling spices showing their teeth rather than the caressing cardamom. With a tiny spritz, it is a Zen and calm fragrance to me and that's how I'm planning to use it. There is something in it that makes me thinks of an imaginary wintery, spicier and milkier version of Ellena's Un Jardin Apres la Mousson.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Womanity
zeynepd 12/7/2010 2:56:00 PM
This may be the goofiest review I have ever written but here it goes. The first time I sniffed it, top notes gave me an instant headache and I felt dizzy and nauseaus for about half an hour. Deciding to persevere, I sampled it again a couple of days later, this time accompanied by a sales person saying caviar caviar caviar caviar on automatic gear. Determined to get my fair share of this caviar revolution, I focused on the top notes but they smellt like some metallic stuff - at best mixed with a can of lightly oiled tuna. I think this was more related with conditioning than my sense of smell. I even tried to come up with something cool like vodka and caviar, but no; somehow more sweet and fruity than that. My conclusion about this weird opening: aquatic and Philosykos kept under the sun for too long. After half an hour, Womanity turned into the least offensive scent with lilac, almond and talc tones on me. It was very polite on my skin, but nothing too impressive. After the monstrous opening, its sillage is less than medium and the lasting power is around 4 hours as a skin scent. I think Womanity is more about advertising than nose-pleasing.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chloe - Love, Chloé
zeynepd 12/7/2010 2:40:00 PM
For some reason, the new chloe range does not work on me. Likewise, this one does not flourish on my skin, neither does it have good lasting power considering the high price it's sold for in my country. However, if it worked it could be the ultimate point of inoffensive chic. I believe this can be a very wearable all-year-round scent for those whose chemistry interacts with it better. I guess it will appeal to many fellow fragrance lovers and for this, it gets an extra point from me. My personal experience: Flower and powder, on me more flower than powder until the drydown when its powder kept in a moist bathroom and then yes, good old makeup powder, bag whatever. Rice/steam is a note that I love, but it diasppoints in that regard, as well. The bottle is way more appealing than the scent itself. Sadly, I'll have to pass.
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Fragrances -Coty - Vanilla Musk
zeynepd 12/7/2010 8:07:00 AM
Thank you MUA sisters for introducing me to this little princess. I live in Turkey in the Middle East and therefore am deprived of the drugstore finds that seems to make everyone so happy. In my land of normally mainstream mid-price fragrances reaching sky-high costs because of tax and sellers' greed, Vanilla Musk is a treat both for the wallet and my vanilla-musk loving nose. On me this is buttery, fluffy but never foody. I don't get much orange blossom in the beginning, just a tangy, slightly metallic edge, but that doesn't disturb me at all. It then softens into a lovely, clean but round skinscent that offers intoxicating wafts from time to time. It goes well with white angora jumpers, chunky woolen scarves, all powder colours and that unexpected sunshine on cold winter days. It loves my pyjamas and after-bath hours, hot chocolate and domestic joys such as organising my books, papers and old albums. I happily pay international postage for it and will never be without it.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Cartier - Must de Cartier
zeynepd 12/7/2010 6:40:00 AM
One glorious fragrance that I intend to use all my life. What got me in the first instance was the overall sensation rather than individual notes; and if I had to choose a metaphor for it, it would either be copper or bronze, that dim shine of materials from the bosom of the earth. It is a fragrance that cools when I think it's on the verge of heating up and vice versa. This is the touch of softest, cooling silk on warm skin, the contrasting and complementing lilac, purple and brown in an unexpected way. The opening is cold and aldehydic, ever so slightly alcohol-laden and masculine but there is nothing to bother me. A sheer lavender and light carnation pop up and there are cool, lush, wet garden notes - though I wouldn't call it necessarily green. Here, everything happens beneath the magical, hazy tulle of a light spicy oriental afternoon sunshine of a fragrance. The heart is soft, round and truly present with clean and velvety flower notes; jasmine -usually not a favourite of mine- is also clean here. Hot and cold, hot and cold in a syncopated beat, Must dries down to a soft and slightly dark base that conveys the warmth of luxury notes. (It often makes me think of Dune with the similar hot and cold thing.) Beyond the genre of luxury fragrances that give an automatic sense of money or sophistication, there is also something in it that makes me think of Alene Lee (Mardou Fox in Kerouac's Subterraneans) - a woman both so close and familiar, and so separate and unbounded.
6 out of 7 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Jean Desprez Bal a Versailles
zeynepd 12/6/2010 3:45:00 PM
Listening to good advice, I ordered a sample of this in EDC strength and it sits at a lovely balance between a light but voluptuous amber caress and good, strong bones. My sample starts with a canonical amber with elephantine sillage but quickly relaxes into a comfortable sillage that nevertheless leaves a beautiful, airy trail. My problem with most ambers is the powdery note attached to them - most of the time that note turns into wet powder on me. Nothing like that with Bal a Versailles EDC. I love the tolu balsam and benzoin at the base and feel that this, with fantastic lasting power, could be a good staple that can meet many expectations. However, I'm not planning to buy a bottle in near future because I'm hooked on Must de Cartier, and this doesn't offer me any mood that Must de Cartier cannot.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Encens et Lavande
zeynepd 12/6/2010 12:17:00 PM
I want to like this one but it so obviously doesn’t like me. Actually, it feels like my fragrance-loving friends held a special ritual at a temple with incense and lavender and I arrived too late to smell the beauties. What's left to me from this aromatic ritual is ash, big-time ash and perhaps rosemary. Yes, there is a peppery, dried lavender but it's more stems than flowers. Sad, really.
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Fragrances -Yves Saint Laurent - Jazz
zeynepd 12/6/2010 12:12:00 PM
With a generous dab from my sample, Jazz has one of the most beautiful openings that is both sweet, lush and refreshing. It gives me a vision covered with lavender field next to a blue lagoon surrounded with sweet flowers popping out their happy heads. However, as soon as it dries it becomes a rather intense, warm aromatic fragrance that could be better on someone with stubbles. I still like it because it makes me think of the colour emerald with the darkest ink blue of ocean depths. I think with the right woman, it would go well with tweeds, small velvet jackets and sexy V-necks. Medium sillage with a cool trail and very good lasting power.
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Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Un Bois Sepia
zeynepd 12/6/2010 12:04:00 PM
I guess I'm one of the unfortunate folk because this doesn't give me anything more than Vicks vaporub. I'm quite fond of that smell but not at this price range. It softens to woods but I am getting more MDF chipboard than soft, pale woods. Even when it sweetens a bit, the eucalyptus continues to haunt me. I think the most attractive thing about this fragrance is the word "sepia".
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Fragrances -Penhaligon's - Eau de Verveine
zeynepd 12/6/2010 11:58:00 AM
An aromatic citrus fragrance decorated with herbs and just a bit of spice.With lavender, sage and clove in the notes, it may have barbershop implications for some of us but to my nose it is like the first breath of fresh air early in the morning. Mind you, sage makes my husband say: "hmm, you smell nice, like sausages" and I am left speechless at the face of such olfactory sophistication:) Anyway, the rest of Eau de Verveine is multi-faceted, especially for a unisex cologne. The lemon, bergamot and lime give way to a clove (slightly soapy, clean) which has ruined a lot of Penghalion’s fragrances for me, but not this one. On some days, Eau de Verveine develops a subtle sweetness (almost some very light chewing gum sweetness) that I find very surprising and pleasing here. I definitely smell a soft musk and some vanilla, too. However, this is not a constant and sometimes the fragrance skips this phase and turns into a water smell with a hint of chlorine. Altogether, Eau de Verveine is deeper and more demure than L’Occitane’s sunny verbena but nowhere near my beloved Colonia Assoluta. For this price range, it is a 3 from me. UPDATE: I am increasing my grading to 4 after wearing it to a couple of gigs and evenings out. I have received so many compliments when wearing this. I have also discovered that less is more with this scent. It is now a FB candidate.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Tempore Donna
zeynepd 12/6/2010 11:51:00 AM
This is a treat of fruit, flowers and chocolate 1999 and although it is not the most sophisticated perfume ever, it adds a bit of colour and fun to a fragrance wardrobe - especially if you are fond of sweet scents. Tempore Donna combines fresh and sweet elemets through the very easşly noticeable notes of zingy lemon and chocolate. It may not be as lively as Roma or as smoky and mysterious as Venezia, but she has a lot to offer to chocolate lovers who want to have their fair share of the note. With a modest spritz, a light lemon emerges with a hint of chocolate. With a more generous amount, this is a lovely treat to my gourmand loving nose. Soon afterwards, the fragrance introduces fruity notes -pineapple and peach- that create a melange of sweetness. They may be slightly too sweet in the summer, but they are a jolt of happiness in the winter. I don’t get that many flowers, but if I had to pick one I would certainly say lightly candied violets. The chocolate becomes white and buttery at this stage, and I’m not complaining. This stage quickly transforms into a lovely, soft, sweet chocolate base that I adore. It may not be your most sophisticated chocolate with 70% to 90% cocoa, but it rests on a base of cedar and cuddles you with its friendliness. If one looks for the most sophisticated or earth shattering treatment of these notes, Tempore Donna will disappoint. However, it is a great comfort fragrance especially when it turns into a great, chocolaty skin scent. It projects quite well and has a lasting power of around 4-5 hours on my skin. Easily available on the internet for good prices.
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Fragrances -Balmain - Pierre Balmain Balmain de Balmain
zeynepd 12/6/2010 11:35:00 AM
A light, elegant, very wearable chypre that refreshes without a single piercing edge. It truly sparkles in small doses on my skin and I think that’s a unique depth from the galbanum added to a modest bergamot. It never turns bitter on me and although I cannot distinguish any flowers, they are there offering a sensation that softens the green edge. Balmain is like a small but much awaited ray of sunshine showing its head in a lush cottage garden after the rain. Its sillage is modest and lasting power not so long, but with the price and the style of the fragrance, I see no harm in reapplication. It makes me think of elegant and very fragile artworks made of glass. Ageless, timeless.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Sisley - Eau du Soir
zeynepd 12/6/2010 11:30:00 AM
3.5 Eau du Soir is one of those fragrances that evolve and evolve to give you many glimpses of many visions. If you focus on it, it can grab your attention like a favourite novella. On my skin, the fragrance opens with a hot greenhouse blast where flowers mixed with vegetal aromas offer the most powerfully scented steam, like that of my beloved Kenzo Ca Scent Beau. From this cloud, the most beautiful lemony smell emerges. Although lemon is not a note that I'm particularly fond of, this one smells truly sparkly and magical. Is it spicy ginger mixed with tangerines? I can't distinguish any particular notes during the heart phase but it offers something that would go with every pastel colour that comes to my mind. This is a chameleon phase that could handle the most elegant party in a long velvet dress as well as a casual look with a loose white shirt and a black cardigan. After this, the fragrance starts to heat up on a mossy base and becomes a sillage monster even with a single spritz. I have no complaints but have received very negative comments about this from my family, so it is strictly a solo entertainment for me. Elephantine sillage and tenacious lasting power of over 10 hours. Therefore, it is indeed a very economical fragrance.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Tom Ford - White Patchouli
zeynepd 11/9/2010 9:58:00 AM
Thank you Tom Ford for creating this interesting patchouli lesson for me. I have always had an ambivalent relationship with patchouli, a note my whole system often rejects. However, Gucci Rush is one of my favourite night-out fragrances - and I almost always despise the new medicinal patchouli. Tom Ford's blend sits at an interesting crossroad for me as it is neither painfully medicinal nor purely earthy. In the opening, there is something synthetic about it, but I have no problem with synthetic smells. In this instance I even believe that it was this synthetic aspect that helped me go on with my testing. It was ever so slightly medicinal but at the same time very soft. After that White Patchouli became softly suedy on me though much less sheer and less grounded say Barbara Bui or Sonia Rykiel for a Woman. The base added a very natural, lightweight but unmistakable waft of patchouli to this. I now have a bottle but I must confess that the very design of the bottle had a part in my decision. This is no HG for me and I wouldn't buy it again because there are other things I would like to wear but I have no regrets about owning this bottle. Indeed how I wish all my kitchenware had this design and pattern:) 3.5 from me.
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Fragrances -L'Occitane - Fleur Cherie
zeynepd 11/9/2010 9:39:00 AM
Fleur Cherie is a new orange blossom themed fragrance by L'Occitane and the SA told me that it also contains jasmin, patchouli and cedar. I could not smell any of these latter other than an indescript hint at jasmine and perhaps the warmth of cedar. With two generous spritzes, the fragrance opened with a rather watery orange blossom that turned warm -unfortunately without any vintage or retro undertones- and soapy on my skin very quickly. I felt as if I took a really hot bath in a steaming bath and was slightly sweaty towards the end with some remnants of soap on my skin. This phase lasted for around three hours, after which a nicer, cooler base appeared. The fragrance has little projection but tenacious lasting power on my skin. I think L'Occitane have done a great job with their Voyage series but Fleur Cherie is a disappointment. I think their Ruban D'orange is a much better citrus fragrance (though not orange blossom) and I am still looking forward to their plum blossom fragrance that I heard would be released in 2011.
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