Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Angel
sherrie09 6/30/2008 10:13:00 AM
I've been wearing Angel on and off for years. I just love it. I don't have anything new to say about it. It is a modern classic that paved the way for gourmand/patchouli orientals, and I never want to be without a small bottle even though I don't wear it often. I have to be in the mood for it. I never got the berries in Angel until I started making berry cobblers. Smelling them (cooking berry juice w/ caramelizing sugar and cinnamon) always makes me crave Angel. On me, it goes sweet, creamy, caramelly, and the patchouli base that I used to find overwhelming I now find rather enjoyable and comforting (I think my "chemistry" has been changing lately because I can now wear a lot of the heavy hitters that were too much for me in the past). Angel is a comfort scent for me now.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Viktor & Rolf - Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb
sherrie09 6/27/2008 9:47:00 AM
No bomb here, and it's not discernibly floral either, to my nose, despite the notes (Top-Tea, Bergamot; Middle-Sambac Jasmine, Cattleya Orchid, Freesia, Centifolia Rose; Base-Musks, Patchouli). Well…maybe I do smell a bit of the sambac jasmine in there. And as another reviewer mentions, it has a powdery and tender quality. That's a good way of putting it. I have to admit it- as much as I had in my mind that this is a rather “meh” scent compared to others like it (Angel, Lolita Lempicka), on its own merit it’s really very pleasant, a candy pastille-like fragrance that seems very nicely composed. The patchouli is soft and tame. It’s not the crazy monster/masterpiece that Angel is, and it doesn’t have that fairy tale magic forest quality that I love about Lolita Lempicka, but it’s in the same family. I like it. I prefer the others, but this one is quite nice.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Aqua Allegoria Mandarine-Basilic 
sherrie09 6/24/2008 11:24:00 AM
I generally like the Aqua Allegoria line, some more than others, some not so much, some are pure love. After two samplings, I can say that this one is just meh on me. Other than the mandarin, which predominates throughout, and which is pleasant, I get a whiff of orange blossom at the beginning (it goes soapy on me, which is how I know orange blossom is in there); then it dries down to the faint amber & sandalwood, which are slightly harsh on my skin. I don't detect any of the other interesting notes in there, and I get no basil at all. I do enjoy the mandarin, but I wish I could smell the other notes. I don't hate this, but it's not the "one" mandarin for me.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Aqua Allegoria Figue-Iris
sherrie09 6/23/2008 2:27:00 PM
I am practically living in Aqua Allegoria Figue-Iris this summer. I haven't found a scent I like this well, that I can easily wear day after day, in a long time. I can't tell when the initial citrus top notes evolve into fig, that transitions into iris, some vetiver (I think?), and then dries down to a soft, sweet guerlain base. I can't put my finger on it - it seems pretty seamless to me. It is really beautifully done. It is light but lush, sweet yet cooling, sophisticated yet simple. It smells great layered over a fig lotion (I'm using Slatkin Black Fig & Absinthe that I found at Marshalls, but there are plenty of other fig lotions around), which extends the longevity. I can't say enough about this particular AA. I've tried quite a few from this line and generally like them, some much better than others. This one really shines.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Jicky
sherrie09 6/21/2008 8:47:00 PM
Jicky is a recent happy discovery for me. It was love the second it hit my skin. I've tried both the edt and parfum now, and I actually prefer the edt as it's lighter - though it is very long lasting on me. Lavender + lemon + guerlinade, what could be better? I do get a little of the poop note (civet I believe), but I really don't find it all that poop'ish. I suppose I'm just not that sensitive to it. And I rather like it because it deepens the fragrance and gives it a bit of earthy mystery. This is an old fashioned scent, if you're not used to that you may not like this. Anyway, I'm another one who feels Jicky is a desert isle scent - if I had nothing else I'd be satisfied with Jicky (well...not really, since I'm perfume addict, but almost). I would put Jicky on my top five list of favorite classics that I never want to be without, a vital component of a select and scaled-down wardrobe, which is what I'm now aiming for.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Youth Dew
sherrie09 6/4/2008 4:49:00 PM
I hope when some of you become "old ladies" some young "ladies" will say your perfume stinks like old ladies! That said, Youth Dew and I have been on-again off-again over the years. It is indeed potent, and you must be careful with that. I smell a lot of patchouli in it. I've had the lotion, bath oil, and edp. The lotion is particularly nice, imo. The bath oil is rich, spicy, rosy, and vanillic. Recently I was at an Estee Lauder counter and sniffed the YD edp bottle, and it smelled sweeter than I recall from years past. I'm rather in the mood for it again, so I may purchase a small bottle. Youth Dew is considered a classic. It's not everyone's cup of tea, and never was, but it is a classic, broke new ground in its time, and there is something to be learned there if you have the interest.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Midnight Fantasy Britney Spears
sherrie09 6/2/2008 4:48:00 PM
I'm reviewing Midnight Fantasy after only one trial so I may change my mind later, but I think this is a perfectly delightful fragrance. I tested it at Kohls, and all afternoon, which was hot & humid, I enjoyed the sweet/tartness of this fragrance. I thought it was fun and refreshing. The sugary base is well balanced by the tartness in this one. Editing to add on 6/26/08: As a 49 year old, I'm not exactly among Britney's target audience, but I tested this at Kohls a while back and rather liked it. So today I picked up a small bottle. At first spray I get a tart/sweet fruit juice that becomes sweeter and more cooked and syrup-like as the fragrance develops into a baked vanillic scent, like Angel Food cake & berries, though in *my* fantasy this is a wild blackberry tart. The musk & amber base is very faint to my nose. This is a sweet, sweet, sweet scent, and there are probably hundreds of others similar to it, but there's also something slightly bitter in it that keeps the otherwise sickening sweetness in balance. I wouldn't call this a "fine" fragrance, but this is a cheery fragrance, and I just like the way it smells on my skin on a hot sunny day. Notes: black cherry, framboise, and plum as top notes; night blooming orchid, iris, and freesia middle notes; amber, musk, and vanilla as base notes.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Emilio Pucci - Vivara EDP
sherrie09 5/27/2008 3:22:00 PM
Love it. An intensely green blast, but the lovely white florals kick in almost immediately, and then the fragrance stays fairly linear from there on out. Just sniffing from a paper strip I would never have believed how nice this fragrance is. You really have to try it on skin. • Top notes of galbanum, bergamot from Italy, amaretto. • Heart notes of sambac jasmine, orange flower, Narcissus flower. • Base notes of vetiver, Indonesian patchouli. I think this is a happy fragrance, and I love the bottle. I agree that this is a great summer scent (not light, just sunshiney). I don't smell much patchouli, the base is subtle. For the price, it should be longer lasting, considering it's an edp. But it didn't last terribly long on my skin.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Bronze Goddess Eau Fraîche Skinscent
sherrie09 5/27/2008 12:08:00 PM
Interesting scent, very gourmand, very unisex. Definitely smells like a Tom Ford scent. Woodsy, coconutty - smells like coconut jasmine rice with cilantro and something citrussy too, so conjures up Thai images for me (or else I'm just hungry right now!). It is very strong for an eau fraiche. I can't even imagine why it's being called "eau fraiche", but I guess anything goes these days. I wouldn't wear this one, it just hits me as too masculine. But I like it very much, it smells great, and I wouldn't mind smelling it on someone else. If it were an ambient room scent I would go for it.
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Fragrances -Chanel - Cristalle
sherrie09 5/24/2008 4:57:00 PM
Many years ago I wore Cristalle edt, so I was interested in trying the edp when a friend said she would forward a sample. I do see the difference between them. The edt, as I recall, had a more metallic(?) feel to it, was a bit drier and more herbal. The edp is more floral and reminds me a little of Diorella, though that one is peachy, and Cristalle edp is not fruity but for the lemon. Both have citrus, florals and vetiver, however, which is a lovely combination. Cristalle edp doesn't last very long on my skin, unfortunately, though I could splash it on with abandon like an eau de cologne (if it came in a splash bottle) - the perfect summer refresher, but I would wear it year round. Perhaps a body lotion underneath would give it more longevity. I will definitely purchase a full bottle sometime in the future. A timeless classic, this one.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Muguet EDT
sherrie09 5/20/2008 9:04:00 AM
Someone sent me a sample of Guerlain's Muguet to try. I think Guerlain releases it each May 1st to coincide with May Day and the French tradition of giving bouquets of muguet on this day. What a lovely tradition! I used to have lilies of the valley growing in my backyard (we've subsequently moved). They were usually in bloom in time for Mother's Day in May, and I always gave my mother a bouquet of them as they are one of her favorite flowers. Anyway...about Guerlain's Muguet...it is a lovely, pure, lily of the valley fragrance. It is very similar to Diorissimo, which makes me think that it has a bit of jasmine in there as well, but I also detect a light bit of citrus in the Guerlain version, which I don't in Diorissimo. Guerlain's Muguet was surprisingly long lasting, too, considering what a light, fresh scent it is. It is truly a breath of spring. Top notch.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chanel - No.5
sherrie09 5/20/2008 8:43:00 AM
I just bought the edt refillable spray the other day as a light, powdery warm weather fragrance. I'm enjoying it, but it lasts no time at all on my skin. I should probably layer over a lotion. I prefer the edt to the edp. I think the edt sparkles a bit more (more aldehydes?) than the edp, which is lush but not sparkly enough. I have yet to try the parfum, and that's next on my list. I'm sure it is the true way to go in wearing No. 5. The Sensual Elixir version is really wonderful, still recognizably No. 5 but totally modern and updated for current tastes. Whoever formulated that one did a terrific job, imo. But the No. 5 edt, to me, is closest to what I recall as No. 5 from days gone by - fresh, powdery, abstract, very feminine. I actually had it years ago in an eau de cologne splash, and it was much longer lasting than the current edt, and sweeter somehow. But you can't go backward unless you buy vintage, and that's always a gamble. I go through on and off phases with No. 5. For years I wouldn't go near it. Now, we're back on.
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Fragrances -Tom Ford - Velvet Gardenia
sherrie09 5/19/2008 8:28:00 AM
A gorgeous, lush, very-true-to-the-living-blossom gardenia fragrance. I also think of this as a night blooming gardenia. It's sexy, sweet, cloying, siren-like & weaves a magical spell. A fragrance for Midsummer's Night. My new No. 1 favorite gardenia fragrance. So expensive though! :-/
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Tom Ford - Tom Ford in Black Violet
sherrie09 5/19/2008 8:18:00 AM
I LOVE this one too! It's stunning from start to finish. It's hard to describe but it's floral/chypre'ish/woodsy. I don't get a lot of violet per se, but perhaps just in the beginning. It becomes sweeter as it dries down. It has an old-fashioned glamour, but it's also modern and sexy. It's like opening an old lacquered trunk lined with some ancient resinous wood containing vestigial odors of whatever unguents and potions were once stored there, a trunk that belonged to a diva or spy known as the Black Violet (my imagination runs wild with this fragrance - you can make up your own story). It's very sensual. As Luca Turin notes in Perfumes the Guide, this fragrance has a narrative, and I obviously agree.
8 out of 8 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Coty - Wild Musk
sherrie09 5/16/2008 4:47:00 PM
I bought a small bottle of Coty Wild Musk oil at Walmart on sale for $7. I remember this fragrance from many, many years ago, and I think it's been changed slightly (as most older fragrances have been). It's not quite as animalic or as potent as I recall, which is not a bad thing. This is a great musk fragrance - I think I like today's version better. This oil smells similar to Bonne Bell Skin Musk oil, just a tad sweeter. It still has its own identity though and still smells like Coty Wild Musk. This is one of the all time great bargains. If you are a musk lover you will not regret purchasing this. I can't talk about the spray cologne because I usually avoid musk in cologne spray. I prefer the oils because they seem purer for some reason.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No