Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Costume National - So Nude
zeynepd 4/7/2013 8:46:00 AM
On me, and under the heat and lights of a department store, this is too spicy and crowded to be nude. It's actually a spicy floral that's probably aiming for a hot, spicy skin impression. On me, it starts with a blast of cumin, cardamom and whatnot soon to give way to Dominique Ropion's famous tuberose, unfortunately this time way too coconutty for me to handle. It's kind of sad because what nude+coconut evokes in my mind is a sweaty beach with too many people wearing boring suntan lotion. Then it just becomes very forgettable. Still, I'll give it an extra point because perhaps this smells much better under different circumstances or on the right person.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Costume National Scent Gloss
zeynepd 4/7/2013 8:33:00 AM
On me, this is just a screechy, neon and sheer version of the original.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Byredo Gypsy Water
zeynepd 3/26/2013 5:10:00 PM
Very light and transparent on me, almost like scented water. If I splash it very generously, it becomes deliciously radiant, reminding me of Laura Biagiotti's Tempore Donna minus the chocolate note. It's a peaceful scent. I sometimes wear it to bed.
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Fragrances -Frederic Malle - En Passant
zeynepd 3/17/2013 2:36:00 PM
In one word, ambivalent. Is this the faint image of a slightly honeyed, heady, lazy lilac in a hot country or a crystal clear picture of a dewy lilac in the spring? On me, En Passant is both. However, if I catch wafts of it, it's usually the former. En Passant opens with an airy accord on me, unfortunately a bit ozonic or perhaps even gassy. Soon a beautiful watercolour of lilacs emerges, with cucumber adding a heavenly lightness. The overall image is not something earthy but I can sense the stems, dew and all things natural that seem to surround this lilac. After than there is this push and pull on my skin, revealing new depths and dimensions responding to my body temperature. It makes me think of English florals. Pleasant but not me.
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Fragrances -Hermes - Jour d'Hermes
zeynepd 3/9/2013 11:41:00 AM
I love J.C.Ellena's work in general but it's obvious that he didn't read my review on Un Jardin Sur Le Toit here on MUA before he created Jour d'Hermes:)) That one was an epic fail on me because of some rotten, bitter vegetation note. Same problem here. After a light and bright opening, the evil rotten celery stick shows its face again and I recoil. Other than this strange interaction with my chemistry, I believe Jour d'Hermes is very much within Ellena's paired down aesthetics, perhaps this time appealing to a more demure audience. His Un Jardin Apres La Mousson is still my favourite but I know that I'm in the minority here because it ranks even lower than Un Jardin Sur Le Toit here. As for the bottle, I think it's very sophisticated, even sexy.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Roberto Cavalli- Just Cavalli
zeynepd 3/8/2013 3:00:00 PM
Wow, I certainly didn't know that I would witness a parade of all sorts of ingredients when I sprayed Just Cavalli but here they are: a sweet ,fizzy, almost full-bodied neroli (I could swear it was mandarine), some flowers, hello tiare!, some woods, some incense under a big disco light, a bit manic, a bit explosive. I can sense all of them separately as if they all came from different directions to meet on my left wrist. At this stage, Just Cavalli makes me think of 80s musky male colognes underneath its neon blanket of fruit and whatnot. Top notes fizzle out quickly and I'm left with a soft spoken (maybe too soft spoken after the initial burst), creamy, perhaps non-descriptive trail. After smelling this, I just thought of my beloved Dior Dune and how lucky I was to still have it.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - DSquared²- Potion
zeynepd 3/8/2013 2:35:00 PM
I live in Turkey and it's marketed as a man magnet. Add to this the name 'Potion' and I imagined something sultry, perhaps a bit skanky, which it may be depending on your chemistry. On me, it is a nonoffensive, happy, very fruity fragrance with a floriental character. There is also something gourmandy in the drydown, or perhaps this is an association I make because I love Christine Nagel's gournmands in general. Maybe some more heat add a bit more volume and skank to it but for the time being I can sense a touch of bubble gum - which I quite like by the way. It's a casual, fun fragrance and I think would buy a small bottle if I could find it but there's also a chance that I would get bored with it. On me, this is like a younger sister to YSL Manifesto and D&G The One. Sillage is on the softer side though not exactly subtle and I'm not particularly impressed by the lasting power. 3.5
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Fragrances -Penhaligon's - Juniper Sling
zeynepd 3/7/2013 3:14:00 PM
A multi-faceted experience on me. First gin and tonic, then cheesy socks before it gives way to something cool, serene, herbal and very slightly sweet. I can't make out any notes but it somehow resembles Angeliques sous la Pluie (I've read something about this on Perfume Shrine too) - though that one was too warm and messy on my skin. I'm a book translator and I imagine that I could work well with wafts of this final stage. But I'd have to think about the cheesy socks.
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Fragrances -Kiehls - Orange Flower & Lychee
zeynepd 3/7/2013 2:30:00 PM
Interestingly, this starts with hedonistic, honeyed orange flowers that remind me of Tauer openings. However, top notes disappear quickly giving way to one-dimensional and über-sweet lychee. The sweetness lasts and lasts, like a bucket of runny sugar.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Byredo - Green
zeynepd 3/7/2013 2:27:00 PM
Sparkling but sharp and chemically top notes like some house cleaning item, and then your ordinary lemon cologne with slightly green undertones. Becomes rubbery in heat. I expected more from this. 2.5
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Fragrances -Kiehls - Nashi Blossom&Pink Grapefruit
zeynepd 3/6/2013 3:46:00 PM
This is from the Aromatic Blend series. Starts with a citrusy opening and then a lovely, realistic pink grapefruit both with sweet and bitter undertones slowly emerges. It is mellow but if I spray too much, I start noticing something too sweet and sticky, almost like burnt fruit or sugar. It wears very close to skin but is very serene. It makes me think of yoga and a healthy existence. I wish it had a bit more projection but this is a body mist. Layers well with Fig Leaf & Sage and lasts longer than I expected. I like it but do not love it.
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Fragrances -Kiehls - Fig Leaf & Sage
zeynepd 3/6/2013 3:33:00 PM
This is from the Aromatic Blend series. It has a lush and perfectly stimulating opening with cool greens and slightly bitter citron. It's herbal but not sharp or antiseptic. Simply beautiful and serene. Then it becomes drier and drier transporting me to the Mediterranean shadows of my childhood, its wild herbs, its pebbles. Then another phase begins where I start noticing notes that would normally make me run for the hills: parsley and celery. I am patient and they fade away in 15 minutes, giving way to a beautifully creamy, milky drydown with a touch of fig leaves. I would expect this phase to be more earthy, or perhaps even dusty but it isn't. Very close to skin, very serene, but for a solo experience I think. When I layer it with Nashi Blossom and Pink Grapefruit from the same series, the celery note becomes more faint, the fragrance gets fuller and rounder, but also less unique. I don't think I'll buy these over and over but Fig Leaf & Sage has certainly carved itself onto my olfactory memory.
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Fragrances -L'Artisan Fragrances - La Chasse aux Papillons Extreme
zeynepd 3/6/2013 2:06:00 PM
My perception of La Chasse has changed in time. At first, I understood it as an innocent, charming, feminine and non-offensive little fragrance bursting with honeysuckle and sunshine in a pastel coloured fairlyland. It was soft and light with a barely there, slightly soapy drydown. Then one day I realised that the fragrance is mainly tuberose on me, and that a coconutty one. Coconut is not one of my favourite notes but it doesn't disturb me here. Only, La Chasse is not the faint representation of innocence and charm anymore. It's a peppery, slightly spicy tuberose fragrance, only more subdued than other examples of the genre. L'Artisan's La Nuit de Tubereuse is one of my favourite fragrances ever, that's why I don't particularly need this one. I use my 15 ml bottle mostly at work but I don't see myself buying another one. 3.5
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Fragrances -Gucci - Glamorous Magnolia
zeynepd 3/6/2013 1:39:00 PM
Flora, Flora eau Fraiche and now Glamorous Magnolia. I have fallen in love with all of them quickly but I have also got tired of them very quickly. I bought Glamorous Magnolia as a present for my mother last year and since I was fascinated with it, I went back and bought a bottle for myself, too. I love the freshness, sweetness and even the bubblegum or watermelonlike fruity aspect of top notes, both casual and somehow elegant at the same time. However, more often than not, the heart warms up too much and I find myself bordering on a headache because of the suffocating florals. I like the base, mostly sweet with a flowery touch. I don't get any chocolate. Altogether, this isn't a very unique fragrance but it's pleasant when used lightly. Good projection and very good lasting power.
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Fragrances -Issey Miyake - Pleats Please
zeynepd 3/6/2013 9:16:00 AM
I thought this would be a lighter fragrance but overall it feels too heavy on me. It indeed starts with a burst of airy, slightly sweet fruit. I have read somewhere that nashi pear is a hybrid of apple and pear, and I think it has lovely elements of both. However, the heart notes feel way too warm, like a stale, wilted bouquet left too long under a strong sun. This warm, strong floral attack makes me think of hot, bitter, itchy stems and leaves in addition to some very strong patchouli. There is something in Issey Miyake fragrances that smell very indolic on me and I don't like that. Could be headace inducing I guess. I scrubbed it in the end.
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