Fragrances -Gres - Cabaret
TrizyDLuX 2/18/2008 11:39:00 AM
Oh how I adore Cabaret! Other reviewers have written at length about the notes. What I smell is primarily woods and some rose (& peony - I find these notes similar) with a hint of patchouli for depth. Despite how rich the notes make this sound, Cabaret is not a heavy scent. The woody notes are reminiscent of those in Passage d'Enfer, and the florals are subtle. There is some darkness here, but it is a *transparent* sort of darkness - like a shadow at dusk.
This is not the very best smelling thing in my collection. It is not at all expensive. It is not even rare or hard to find - all factors that seem to make me love a scent all the more!. However, Cabaret very well may be the most *wearable* fragrance I own. I reach for it often when I can't decide, and it has never once let me down. It seems suitable for just about any day, season, mood, or occasion. This alone puts it solidly in my top 10 fragrances of ALL TIME. It is absolutely a must-try for anyone who likes soft woods. HTH someone!
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Fragrances -Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Perfumes - Or des Indes
TrizyDLuX 2/16/2008 10:40:00 AM
Overall, the impression is overwhelmingly ambery, but not pure amber. Another adjective that springs immediately to mind is "perfume-y". I have not been able to pin down what makes a scent perfume-y to me, except maybe overcomplexity to my nose. I tend to favor simple scents with identifiable notes and Or des Indes is not very simple. I do not smell the spices mentioned by other reviewers, but I do detect just a hint of something resinous and sharp, that is possibly oppoponax (myrrh), and I think I would like this scent MORE if that note was brought to the forefront. Ultimately this is good, but not great on me.
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Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Bois Oriental
TrizyDLuX 2/14/2008 9:43:00 AM
Well, my love for Feminite du Bois is legendary and since Bois Oriental is nearly just like it, I love this too! Bois Oriental is yet another variation on the FdB theme, holding lovely cedar constant, but this time with spices to the forefront, violet and fruits to the background. I do not detect cumin in this, despite the fact that I have definitely *overapplied* this morning, though I was worried I might.
Overall yet another winner from the Lutens "Bois" family. Although I had not been interested in trying Bois et Fruits OR Bois et Musc, my overwhelmingly positive experience with FdB, Bois de Violette, and Bois Oriental (but not Un Bois Sepia, where "manly notes" are prominent!) is making me want to! I would recommend this scent, EXCEPT that it is so much like FdB and FdB is so much easier to obtain (not to mention cheaper). That being said, if you like one, you will probably like the other. HTH someone!
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Fragrances -LUSH - Bathos 
TrizyDLuX 2/13/2008 7:26:00 PM
I really used to adore the Bubble Bar, but then we moved into a house that has a *terrible* bathtub and since then, bathing just has not been the luxurious pampering me-time it once was. I bought the Bathos EDP in an attempt to recapture at least some of the wonderful Bathos Bubble Bar experience and it does not disappoint. As another reviewer said, this scent is true to the Bubble Bar. If you love the scent of that, I would say you'd love the EDP too (especially applied in moderation - see below).
On my skin, I smell spicy clove, VIOLET, and a soft, velvety, amber-like base. I get no green notes from this whatsoever. Additionally, this fragrance is *incredibly strong* and extremely tenacious. I typically apply around 3 spritzes of a typical EDP-strength fragrance, but with Bathos, I find one is enough (maybe a little more than enough!).
The bottle is rather plain and done in typical LUSH style (identical to Karma). There is no identifying label on the bottle itself, but it came with a LUSH tag tied around the neck with silky yellow cord. I have no complaints about the appearance of the bottle (except I know the tag is going to come off eventually), but it is extremely awkward to hold while spraying.
This was a LUSH limited edition, and so is very hard to find, but pops up occasionally on eBay. I'm very glad to have been able to acquire this bottle and just hope it can tide me over until the day when I can have a Bathos BATH again. Overall... lovely.
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Fragrances -Norma Kamali - Ceremony
TrizyDLuX 2/13/2008 8:39:00 AM
This is a really lovely frankincense, labdanum, (& evergreen?) scent. I like it a lot, but it does remind me of quite a large number of other fragrances I own, like CdG Avignon, Bois d'Encens, Heeley Cardinal. It does also remind me of Norma Kamali Incense, but a much much softer, kinder, gentler version. Still, there is a little sharp resinous bite to it, as there is in all scents that contain a lot of frankincense. Overall, really great, but not original enough for me to spring for a FB. I would recommend this to anyone who did not already own more than a handful of incense scents, and especially those who found something to love in NK Incense, but found it ultimately too over-the-top to wear. EDITED to remove a lippie for lack of staying power. This might be one of the most fleeting fragrances in my collection! It just vanishes in no time flat. I still truly love the scent, but the lack of tenacity is a serious problem.
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Fragrances -Yves Saint Laurent - Nu
TrizyDLuX 2/12/2008 6:53:00 PM
YSL Nu smells to me like dark spicy-cinnamon woods. The listed floral notes (orchid, jasmine) are thankfully unobtrusive to my nose. I really like this scent a lot, despite not usually being a fan of spice notes! I think it is the hefty does of woods that turn this into the one heavily spicy scent I can wear and love. One other thing that I must point out is that aside from not liking the *smell* of spices on my skin, notes of cinnamon and clove tend to make my skin burn and turn red. For some reason, although the cinnamon seems prominent to my nose, I have not reacted to it in the typical manner when wearing Nu. It appears decidedly skin-safe.
Other scents that seem similar to me - not the same, but along the same lines, are: Feminite du Bois (more violets & fruits), Cabaret (more roses and patchouli), and Passage d'Enfer (much simpler, but similar to the woody incensey base of Nu). All these have far less spice notes than Nu has.
Now about the packaging... this has to be some of the worst fragrance packaging I have *ever* encountered. The "bottle" is made of plastic and closely resembles a metallic pale violet hockey puck. It does not look pretty or sophisticated (or even mod) and it does not feel good or even substantial in the hand. It cannot stand up and must lie down on one of its disk-like sides. What on earth were they thinking when they designed this?!
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Barbara Bui
TrizyDLuX 2/12/2008 11:43:00 AM
Barbara Bui is an inoffensive soft vanillic scent. I find nothing about it to like or to dislike! It is certainly not bad, but neither is it good. Listed notes read like a dream come true and include: spices, incense, jasmine, musk, amber, sandalwood, heliotrope, and cedar. But none of these stand out distinctly and the overwhelming impression is of soft vanilla (oddly not listed) with perhaps a whiff of Nag Champa in the background somewhere.
I really hate to say this about such a well-loved scent, but it reminds me quite a bit of a slightly richer version of drug-store-type vanilla body spray, like something that would be offered in huge plastic bottles by Parfums de Coeur. I prefer my fragrances to make a stronger STATEMENT than this. It could even be a controversial statement, but this "says" nothing at all to me. Ultimately Barbara Bui is neither here nor there, and for me, that is pretty much the kiss of death.
All that being said, if you're craving something soft and vanillic without being purely vanilla, this might be the one for you. Better get some soon though! I believe this one has been discontinued.
EDITED to add: After careful consideration I have decided that it is probably the heliotrope in this that makes me think "vanilla". If I were a fan of heliotrope, this could possibly add some much-needed complexity and maybe enhance the difference between Bui and the other scents I mentioned. However, I do not like heliotrope one bit, so my verdict as-written still stands.
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Fragrances -Caron - Narcisse Noir
TrizyDLuX 2/12/2008 8:46:00 AM
This is a truly gorgeous scent and NOT your typical white floral. I don't smell any narcissus whatsoever, though "noir" is abundantly present. By that, I mean the overall character of this scent is dark, heavy, incensey, somewhat sweet, and really gorgeous. (DBF actually commented that it smelled like an incense shop! While I can see why he said that, I disagree!). There is a strong floral presence, consisting of mainly orange blossom to my nose, but this is nicely balanced by the richness of the base notes - VERY much UNLIKE quite a lot of light, airy, and fresh orange blossom scents in my fragrance wardrobe. I would recommend this scent to fans of orange blossom (and incense of the nag-champa variety) who wanted something richer and deeper with enough oomph to stand up to cold winter weather. Its truly lovely and available for a song.
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Fragrances -Donna Karan - Labdanum
TrizyDLuX 2/11/2008 8:22:00 AM
This is one *gorgeous* scent. Despite what other reviewers have said, this smells to me of labdanum and absolutely nothing else. I have a vial of natural labdanum oil and the DK EDP smells identical to my nose. No leather, no cola, no florals. This makes sense to me since the DK Essence line is marketed as a group of single-note fragrances!
The smell of labdanum itself is extremely hard to describe. It is a component of amber accords, but there it appears as a minor player, tempered by vanilla and benzoin. There is the barest hint of a sharp resinous frankincense-like quality, but underneath that, labdanum is smooth and slightly sweet. If you know DK Black Cashmere, you will find it familiar, as labdanum is a big part of that lovely scent.
I simply adore the DK Labdanum essence and would happily buy some if I didn't have the labdanum oil, which is a perfectly good substitute. If I could manage to get that diluted and into a spray bottle I think my craving for a bottle of the DK Labdanum would subside quickly. As it is, I'm still dreaming of a full bottle of this lovely labdanum fragrance.
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Fragrances -Donna Karan - Black Cashmere
TrizyDLuX 2/10/2008 3:57:00 PM
This scent is fantastic... one of my all-time favorites. Woody, dark, sweet, spicy, vanillic, with incense and excellent for winter wear. I feel very very comfortable in this scent. No, it is not like Chaos, but I guess it's loosely in the same family. I suppose out of the things I've tried, it is most like Organza Indecence, but heavier on the non-vanilla notes, or possibly a bit like Vanille Tonka. Any comparisons aren't quite fair, because Black Cashmere is pretty unique. This scent is often rumored to be discontinued. However, I believe it is still made, and in limited distribution at one of the big department stores (Neiman's? Nordstrom? I can't quite recall).
I'm not crazy about the strange black freeform stone-like look of the bottle, which cannot stand up and takes up quite a bit of dresser-top real estate lying down. I do admit that it feels wonderful in my hand when I pick it up to spray it! Packaging aside, I LOVE this scent!
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Fragrances -L'Artisan Fragrances - Timbuktu EDT
TrizyDLuX 2/7/2008 2:04:00 PM
Lovely sweet incense-y woods with a touch of soap - high quality soap. :D This is a winner for me for sure. I smell a little anise, but not enough to bother me (this isnt one of my favorite notes). The patchouli and vetiver add a wonderful depth that is balanced by whatever notes lend this scent their sweetness. From the notes listing it is hard to tell! I also find it odd that the notes, as least as reported on Luckyscent, do not mention woods! Whether there are actually woods in Timbuktu or not, the overall impression is distinctly woody. I suspect there is actually cedar in this, but there's no way to know for sure. It's good stuff, no doubt.
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Lipstick -Laura Mercier - Port
TrizyDLuX 2/7/2008 1:56:00 PM
This is a great color AND formula. As previous reviewers mentioned, it is sheerer once applied than it appears in the tube. It looks like a ultra-natural sheer slightly browned red on me - just lovely! The other thing I really like about this lippie is the way it wears off evenly. The color continues to look great as it fades. All that plus NO strong taste or smell make this a HG for me.
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Fragrances -Ava Luxe - Orange Flowers
TrizyDLuX 2/6/2008 9:55:00 AM
Other reviewers have commented that this scent is tenacious and not too light (as orange blossom scents tend to be). I agree with this, but also noted a very strongly musky opening. I'm not vehemently opposed to musk, but it seems rather out of place here among the flowers that constitute the other notes in this composition. After a while the musk has died down a bit and more flowers have sprung up, but I'm afraid the musk keeps me from recommending this one without reservations. If, however, you're looking for a tenacious, MUSKY, orange blossom scent, this might be just the thing.
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Fragrances -Caron - Tabac Blond
TrizyDLuX 2/4/2008 10:22:00 PM
This is one drop-dead gorgeous leather scent. So many people have described it better than I can, but I will say that on me its leather, leather, leather, powder, and leather. Other people describe hints of amber, carnation(?!), and other things, but there's none of that on me. Its BIG, "bad" leather from start to finish (and when I say bad, this time I really mean good).
This is a scent that needs to be spritzed or dabbed lightly lest it wear YOU rather than the other way around. It is almost more than I can manage even with the most restrained application. And it needs a certain occasion - for instance, it's never right (on me) for yet another day at the office. But all those caveats aside, this is one truly breathtaking fragrance. I really do think every single person with even the slightest interest in perfume should try this one.
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Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Un Bois Sepia
TrizyDLuX 1/31/2008 7:38:00 AM
This is one of the SL Bois family of scents which consists of Bois Sepia, Bois de Violette, Bois et Fruits, Bois et Musc, Bois Oriental. All of these scents are variations on the theme of Feminite du Bois a member, another Lutens scent composed by Christopher Sheldrake for Shiseido. Each has been created to bring one of the notes of FdB to the forefront.
Un Bois Sepia is undoubtedly the most masculine of the bunch to my nose. In fact, the opening is so masculine, I doubted my conviction to wear this today! As a true fan of woody scents, I am used to a certain masculine vibe, but this one is nearly too manly for me. There is something in the opening that doesn't appear to be listed in the UBS notes listings that reminds me of citrus or bergamot, that I believe accounts for this ultra-masculine opening. Thank goodness those notes are fleeting and after an hour or so UBS seemed to be drying down into a soft woods scent that I could wear. Later in the drydown, I noted the sweetness mentioned by other reviewers. However, whatever notes contribute to that masculine vibe never really vanished completely as I hoped they would.
Final thoughts? Too masculine. As a huge fan of many of the other Lutens/Sheldrake Bois scents, I came to this scent expecting to like it and gave it every chance. Ultimately, however, it's just not for me. I DO think DBF will smell lovely in this!
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