Fragrances -Norma Kamali - Incense
rbrewer 9/9/2005 11:47:00 AM
So, yeah, if you've read the reviews below you are well aware of the strength and lasting power of this one. No argument here - it stayed full-boar on my skin for at least eight hours. So it's a good thing I liked it. What I find most unique and appealing is the very true resiny pine note. I live in the high Rocky Mountains, and wearing this reminds me of taking a walk through the evergreen forest behind my house, on a cold clear day, with all the chimneys in the neighborhood smoking below. There is a sweet and tangy note that I find very pleasing as well. I will wear it only in areas with serious ventilation, however, as I wouldn't expect everyone around me to share my enthusiasm.
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Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Chergui
rbrewer 9/8/2005 12:24:00 PM
Chergui is the second SL fragrance I've tried (the first being Fumerie Turque), and while so far it doesn't inspire the undying love that FT does, I do like it very much. It's very warm and achieves just the right balance of spice and sweetness. I detect a lot more musk than others seem to, which set off warning bells for me at first, as musk notes often dig their claws into my skin and refuse to let go until I have a blazing headache, but this is actually nice and soft and skin-like. Quite possibly full-bottle worthy.
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Fragrances -Caron - Parfum Sacre
rbrewer 9/7/2005 6:52:00 PM
Well. No pepper, or any other kind of spice. No orange blossom. No jasmine. Lots of powder, though, for about two hours. Then the drowsy incense wakes up and peeks its head out, and is shortly joined by pallid vanilla, but both soon get bored and head back to bed, leaving the powder to do a whirling dervish thing all on its own. I had convinced myself after reading reviews that I would absolutely love this, and I'm pretty perplexed that I don't. The powdery note is exactly the same one I get from Nuit de Noel, but NdN is much spicier and richer on me. By comparison, Parfum Sacre barely shows up on my skin, and what's there is rather bland.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Fresh - Index Collection Tobacco Caramel
rbrewer 9/6/2005 9:05:00 PM
This was not at all what I was hoping for. No sweet caramelly amber warmth, no smoky tobacco. Still, I tried to keep an open mind and see if I could appreciate it for what it is (on me, at least): a sweetly fruity and flowery scent. But the rose note does me in - it's an artificial, almost powdery rendition of rose, and it gives me a headache. I added a point for its tenacity, which is not characteristic of the other Index fragrances I've tried. Another lemming bites the dust.
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Fragrances -Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Perfumes - George Sand
rbrewer 9/6/2005 2:37:00 PM
I like this very much! Once I get past the opening, that is. I get a burst of bergamot above a very earthy, musty, dank patchouli note, but that fades after awhile and leaves rich, creamy amber and pretty, soft musk mixed with a rich but subdued floral note. I can't always do musk, but this is so well-blended and warm that it's really very enticing. It's an elegant scent.
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Fragrances -Molinard - Vanille Marine
rbrewer 9/3/2005 12:30:00 AM
The opening of this fragrance is a pretty and light mix of sweet creaminess and fresh ocean air. I totally get the ice cream-at-the-beach thing. Except the ice cream goes *splat* after about 10 seconds, and that nice sea breeze disappears, and I'm left holding an empty, papery vanilla wafer cone. Waah.
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Fragrances -Comme des Garcons - Incense Series Kyoto
rbrewer 8/31/2005 9:51:00 PM
I'm in the "masculine" camp on this one - though in my mind, the man wearing this would be the smooth-chested, shiny-haired, aloof-but-smoldering urban type rather than the burly, hairy, sweaty beer-drinking type. It's cool and dry, with an elegant incense note that catches in the back of my throat, and the cedar is almost herbal to my nose. There's a soft creamy note that I can't quite place but that makes it mysterious and sexy. Although I think it's an absolutely beautiful fragrance, it's simply too cool for me, in every sense of the word.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Sonoma Scent Studio- Marrakesh
rbrewer 8/31/2005 2:07:00 PM
This overwhelmed me a bit at first - I applied a small dab and was hit with strong blast of chai tea spices: sweet and cinnamony, with a creamy note, plus a hint of incense and a slight wisp of woods. I was feeling like it was a tad too sweet, too intense for me, but the drydown changed my mind. In less than an hour it had turned lovely and smooth, with the sweetness and cinnamon toning down just enough to let the incense waft elegantly up. Very well done.
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Fragrances -Hermes - Eau des Merveilles
rbrewer 8/22/2005 4:09:00 PM
Opens with a lovely, citrusy creaminess, which lasts, oh, three minutes or so before melting into an uninspiring and quietly musky drydown. A bit boring and too fleeting. Eh.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Frapin 1270
rbrewer 8/19/2005 12:58:00 PM
I received a sample of this with a fragrance order, absentmindedly dabbed a bit on, and then stopped in my tracks, befuddled. Gorgeous! The opening is luscious - all honeyed, spicy fall fruits. Then the glorious cedar emerges, and it's just the right balance of fresh and feminine. Perfection.
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Fragrances -Penhaligon's - Malabah
rbrewer 8/19/2005 12:34:00 PM
Mmmm ... ginger tea, with a little extra spice, a dollop of honey, and a swirl of fresh orange rind. Yummy. This is nice and light, something I'd probably reach for on a day I wanted a pick-me-up scent that isn't too strong. Its lasting power isn't great, but it has decent sillage while it's there, and it's so light and pleasant that I wouldn't mind re-spritzing throughout the day. The bottle is gorgeous, as well - might be FBW once I satisfy my more urgent fragrance cravings.
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Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Fumerie Turque
rbrewer 8/19/2005
When I received my eagerly-awaited decant of this, I merrily spritzed a healthy amount on my arm. And then I started coughing. Holy *smoke*. I mean, what was I expecting, right? From a fragrance called Turkish Smoke? But all these eloquent reviews lulled me into thinking that the smoke might be soft and lovely and pipe-tobacco-y, like the smooth, sweet deliciousness that used to emanate from my great grandfather's pipe. But, gah - I can completely relate to the reviewer who felt as though a child had shoved a flaming lincoln log up her nose. Smooth, sweet, or lovely it wasn't, at least not on me. It was harsh and acrid, with a sharp cherry accord that did not meld well with the smokiness, but made its presence loudly known in an equally unappealing way. Then something else bubbled up, something vaguely familiar but oddly unsettling - not quite gingerbread, more like eggnog - some visceral, eggy scent (is that the rotting flesh the few dissenters mention?). Depressed, I gave up sniffing my arm and consoled myself with a large stack of magazines. And then, whoa - after a couple of hours, I suddenly detected the most delectable, sweet, creamy scent wafting around me. Where in the world was *that* coming from? I sniffed again, and sure enough - aha! - the vile, smoky, flesh-and-cherry-eating dragon had been slayed by a creamy-skinned, milky-breathed, rose-scented maiden. Ah, redemption. Now I get the swoons and raves, and concur wholeheartedly with kealle that this is what my skin smells like in my dreams. I just need to figure out how to endure the several hours it takes to get there ... UPDATE: I take all the bad stuff back and am upping my rating to five enthusiastic lippies. Harsh smoke? Transformed to softly wafting distant bonfire. Eggy scent? Gone. Milky-breathed maiden shows up at first spritz. Don't know why, but it's true love now, and I hope to never be without this fragrance.
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Fragrances -Grandiflorum Fragrances - Angelica
rbrewer 8/18/2005 12:15:00 PM
Hmmm. I get no incense or smoke from this. Oakmoss, yes - in abundance. Unfortunately this turned medicinal on me within minutes, and dried down to something just shy of urine - and, okay, a teensy hint of incense, but even the nicest incense is going to ruined by urine, right? - before blessedly disappearing altogether. Nope.
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Fragrances -Yosh - The Heart Is deceitful Above All Things (JT Leroy)
rbrewer 8/17/2005 12:22:00 PM
I found it difficult to discern the individual notes in this fragrance, and I don't know if that's due to masterful blending or my inexperienced nose (I doubt I could pick out massoia bark or bay rum in a lineup), but honestly? I don't care about the notes. I don't care! Whee! It just simply makes me feel marvelous, and it's pure magic on my skin: warmly sweet but not sugary, subtly earthy/tobacco-y, and divinely creamy. When my husband and I got into the car together last night, he immediately said, "I smell coconuts," which I scoffed at - how dare he reduce my deeply complex, insanely expensive perfume to something so plain! - but after doing some reading up on sweet fig notes, it seems that's not an uncommon perception. I am perplexed at the reports of dill pickles - I tried hard to sniff out even a hint of that, but nope - just gorgeous, sweet lusciousness on me. It makes me feel like I imagine I would after taking a luxurious warm bath, wrapping myself in a cashmere blanket, and settling down next to a blazing fire in a river rock fireplace (and, ha - as the mother of a toddler, I experience scenes like that only very, very rarely, so I'm deliriously happy to have such a quick fix available). The price tag is pretty shocking - I would love to hear how Yosh justifies it - but thankfully, the tiny sample of oil I received from a lovely swapping buddy should last quite a long time. I used only a tiny drop on my arm and it wafted softly around me literally all day, which on my dry (aka: fragrance-obliterating) skin is nothing short of miraculous. Delicious, delicious, delicious. UPDATE: This is one moody fragrance. After receiving a generous amount of this, I giddily doused myself in it one night, thinking that if a drop made me swoon, ten drops would probably send me into orbit. Um, wrong. My gorgeous, nurturing, soft scent turned dark and foul and choking, as if it had been possessed. Scary. Given some time to cool down, it reverted to its kind and lovely self, but I have learned my lesson.
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Fragrances -L'Artisan Fragrances - La Chasse aux Papillons
rbrewer 8/15/2005 4:32:00 PM
So, I keep saying that I don't like white floral notes, but then I keep sampling white floral fragrances, and I think I may be wrong. But if they're to work on me, they have to be like this one: bright and fresh, creamy, a little sweet, and a tad - but just a tad - soapy. I don't get any citrus, but I do get a lovely hint of tea, which adds a little depth. This is just delightful, and wearing it makes me feel happier, and intensely feminine. Unfortunately, it lasts only minutes on my skin.
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