Fragrances -Christian Dior - Dior Me, Dior Me Not
Kysyona 5/15/2013 10:17:00 AM
I am giving it the highest rating and my hand isn't even shaking with doubt ( I am ignoring the tacky writing on the bottle since the bottle itself is a classic and Dior-recognizable plus the blue of it lovely. I was looking for years and years for a scent that could be worn on grey humid summer Sundays, when one can bet one's right arm that it's going to rain. All plans are abandoned in favour of taking a long shower, arranging the undried hair in a casual updo and going out to a fresh goods market , pausing for a morning coffee and cake at a local cafe, then returning home to cosy up with a book, a movie or just baking a treat for the loved ones. Imho, only this perfume fits the picture to a t. It lasts for about 3-4 hours on me ( dry-skinned individuals can throw another 2 hours on top of that ), which is just enough on such occasions. It starts with a burst of a wet bubble soap: it is the exact feeling of being just out of the shower, which usually ends in 10-15 minutes once one gets on with everyday affairs. This perfume not only stretches this experience over a number of hours, but also puts a cherry on top quite literally: a black cherry note surfaces up 10 -15 mins into a drydown and lingers pleasantly for a long while. I know, that the longevity could be even better, and the scent could have been more complex, but for me it is capturing the mood of the moment that matters the most. Will be sweeping every available bottle on german ebay: I will just have to cross Sundays out of my calendar if I ever run out of stock!
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Fragrance -Yves Saint Laurent - Kouros
Kysyona 5/1/2013 12:45:00 PM
It is my DH's signature scent and this is a yes to the question whether I would buy it again. I cannot say I can wholeheartedly give it all the 5 lippies, because it's a tad too linear to my nose and a bit nosehair-curling at the application. But it does settle into a nice dry white floral scent with a slight dash of just-out-of-the-freezer aquatics stirred into it, and i would say it's a good tonic to one's senses. I do not think it shines in colder months: it's razor sharp then and just doesn't peak because it lacks temperature for a full blossom. Still, a great one from monsieur YSL - a reliable timeless classic.
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Fragrances -Viktor & Rolf - Antidote eau de toilette
Kysyona 5/1/2013 12:35:00 PM
My husband got himself talked into buying this one by a sales lady, and since it was a new thing on the marked back then it was only predictable that it would have been most sales assistants' first choice. Although this perfume is not "him" at all ( my DH - a once-hippie ( and still at heart! ) and a jazz musician with a flair for arranging everything he touches into an allegedly organized chaos ) the Antidote turns out to be exactly THE antidote to all things familiar to him and leads my DH out of his comfort zone. When he wears it with a suit and a crispy white shirt ( a VERY rare occasion ) I see him in a totally different light. He is still what he is, but in a new temporary role of a sleek'n'smooth businessman, a one-night lover that sprays this perfume casually while fixing his messed-up hair in a hurry before jumping into a convertible, never to be seen again. There's something laundry-clean and starch-collar-straight in this perfume ( so wear it with immaculately ironed clothing only! ) and something untameable, something that gifts a man with a "like water of a duck's back" quality. If I were a male and a sharp-minded one, I would wear this and change women like gloves until I use up the last drop of my Antidote! :)
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Fragrances -Lancome - Hypnose for men
Kysyona 5/1/2013 12:10:00 PM
This is the best thing for warm months that I have ever smelled on a man! I gave a 100 ml bottle to my DH hoping that he will wear it at least on some days out of obligation... :-) I hate fresh cucumbers as a food item, but in a perfume, with a dash of a white floral sweetener - nothing, and I am prepared to repeat myself many times! - NOTHING creates freshness and quenches thirst better that a good old cucumber!! I am not a fan of a woman's version, but Hypnose for men ticks all my boxes! A lush green cucumber with a touch of vetiver (another love of mine) - what a perfect marriage they make here! Out of 10 I give it 20.
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Fragrances -Marc Jacobs - Eau De Parfum
Kysyona 5/1/2013 11:56:00 AM
I love the bottle, but the scent is non-existent on me. It starts with fireworks of synthetic florals and ends in an average soap smell - as if I have just been to the shower. Now for this I am not prepared to pay THAT price! I am pretty confident that my tricky chemistry has had a hand in the fiasco, and even the soap effect didn't see its second hour evaporating into some invisible perfume-sucking void while I was still in the store.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Shalimar
Kysyona 5/1/2013 10:38:00 AM
I am rating the modern formulation here since I never manage to win an old sample on ebay ( but I live in hope! :) ) The bottle is prima, and what's in it started with a blast of musk ( read dust ) and settled into a stale vanilla mixed with soda baking powder. The End. If I get hold of a vintage I will update, but so far it's not worth the time I could take describing how disappointing that was.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Mitsouko
Kysyona 5/1/2013 9:10:00 AM
Oh no, this sent me heaving and gagging: I have sprayed this with a hopeful heart (and nose) and almost had my breakfast pop up and say hello! I have read through a number of components' lists for Mitsouko, but so far I am not even close to figuring out what exactly creates this "old mouldy nut" note that hits me like a train. I love every single ingredient ( from those that allegedly form the composition) on its own, especially peach! - how I can find this scent revolting is a mystery of all mysteries to me. It was so bad that i don't ever want to even try again, unless it's a vintage ( which usually is a synonym for "much better" to me, perfume-wise ). The bottle is superb, the history is thought-evoking ... What can I say: no love lost between me and Mitsouko, which is still a plus for all its lovers: one person less wearing a perfume - more space to smell original for those who do.:)
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Fragrances -Hermes - Eau des Merveilles
Kysyona 5/1/2013 8:37:00 AM
Ooooh, this went totally men's aftershave on me. I had really high hopes for this, since I admire so much almost all other HERMES perfumes, but here is my chemistry in all its glory, turning milk sour, again... :-( Somewhere halfway through the drydown I could get a hint of how great this could be on someone with the right skin type. Mine absorbs any sugar and all the light florals almost entirely, and in this case it orange zest and alcohol that are left of the original composition. Maybe a bit of fresh grass rubbed in warm hands, but the amount of alcohol post-drydown is simply overwhelming. Voyage works on me, so does Jardin Mediterranee ( my forever love!! ), faubourg 24 is also not bad (although it's not as deep as on other people I suspect ). Ah well. The Jardin series is more than enough for me to keep coming back to the HERMES counter for a shot of an olfactory delight.
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Fragrances -Chanel - Chance
Kysyona 5/1/2013 8:27:00 AM
Tested it numerous times. Ok, if one if a fan of CHANEL - it is a must, because you've got to have something that could be somewhat of a bridge between the "pearls and cardigan" nr.5, the "man's shirt, horn glasses and a ruler in the hand" nr. 19 and a "smoky eyes and glitter dress" MMLLE. This is a daytime or cocktail-hour perfume, a strong and sharp floral with a fairly decent staying power ( a miracle on my skin ), but one has to wait a good hour before the last chemical evaporates and it starts sounding more nature-derived, so to speak. It's great for working in friendly environment, in media or any creative branch - it is 100% feminine but wouldn't cave in under pressure and definitely would bend over backwards for anyone. If I could afford it, I would use it as my office perfume in march - june and sept-oct.: for summer months, if it gets really warm, this, I suspect, can bloom too much into other people's ( not proven, just a worry ). A brunch with the girls somewhere upscale and in a "to watch and be watched" environment is also an ideal setting for chance. Dating is another ( I am married, so it's a retrospective observation :) ) Try it, but be patient: the initial chemical burst does dissipate eventually. Just spray and forget about it for an hour or so. I give this one a 3, because originality is not among the ingredients, one has to spend a lot of time with one's nose turned elsewhere before it blooms and the price is not justified ( at least one can never confuse nr 5, coco or 19 with anything out there ) - it is not recognizable and therefore not suitable for a "character" perfume that is worth its bucks.
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Fragrances -Vera Wang - Vera Wang
Kysyona 5/1/2013 8:05:00 AM
I have tested it numerous times and come to the conclusion that it is the most boring "blah"-est synthetic floral I have ever encountered. I strongly disagree with some reviewers that attack those who give less favorable reviews: every opinion is subjective and every chemistry is unique, this is why I appeal to all who read any negative reviews - go out and try for yourself first. I have, and on me this scent a) doesn't last longer than 30 minutes b) has zero originality and character whatsoever c) smells 100% synthetic and is proud of it. I wanted to love this so much, honestly! The bottle and the juice, the colour, the shape - everything but the scent itself - is an epitome of style and elegance!! - I am definitely buying a bottle if I ever get stinking rich just to keep it as a decoration on my dresser! - this is how much I like the look of it! I am in dismay, because when I read reviews that describe it as a mature or old-fashioned scent, it is usually a plus to my nose and a sign I might be on the right track. 1 lippie to the scent and 5 lippies to the packaging.
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Fragrances -Burberry - Brit
Kysyona 5/1/2013 7:29:00 AM
This is a scent with no sharp edges. It is like an olfactive equivalent perfect woman's figure dressed in a tight babysoft angora dress in some edible pastel colour. Once I have extra cash to fork out on a bottle of this juice, it will definitely my "security blanket" frag: it is just so soft and silky and almost childishly naive! - this is for non-femme fatale days, when one just wants a little bit of calmness or just feels laid back and casual. I applaud Burberry for the originality: lime and vanilla is like an oddball couple: nobody could have ever imagined how well these polarities could co-exist! Lime is bright and joyful here, with a barely there minty-ness, and it is lime, imho, that makes this frag sound modern and young at heart, no matter what age the wearer is. Vanilla takes the sharpness and bitterness completely out of the picture and leaves exactly what is needed to differentiate itself from other more conventional vanillas: a nice warm green breeze. Strangely enough, I think exactly of a typical burberry pattern when I smell this: the essence of this label is so well captured here! - understated, casual but with a tonic in it and an upbeat character. Despite the fact it is a comfy scent, I don't feel like vegetating while wearing it: lime calls for action in the sunshine: a brisk walk with girlfriends, horse riding, cycling - just moving around somewhere outside the city soaking up the spring sun. The bottle is simply gorgeous, überstylish, so british in a way: such a pleasure to catch a glimpse of it on a dresser!
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Fragrances -Givenchy - Organza
Kysyona 4/30/2013 5:37:00 PM
Sampled it today at my local drugstore and have decided - one cannot go through life without a small bottle of Organza. I cannot say I could wear it daily, I cannot say, that it is a versatile scent, I wouldn't place it as an evening or a daytime scent - it seems to be a bit of everything, really... It seems to fall into a gourmand group for me, rather that heavy floral. Its neighbours in that happy-comfy olfactory family would be Ange ou Demon, Burberry Brit , Chloe Love and Alien. In fact, this is just what Burberry Brit is, just swap green for honeysuckle and multiply by 2. For some reason 50s-60s come to mind, peppy skirts and dresses, cardigans always perfectly buttoned up, rockabilly chairs, the ode-worthy wallpaper patterns... I have instantly imagined preparing for sitting down on Sunday to eat a Sunday roast with a family mid-November, choosing a comfy wool dress and not forgetting the stockings! The closet is full of clothes and on the dressing table - beads, pearls, crystal glass containers for hairpins... there's a feeling of "cluttered" that comes with this scent, but in a good way - the way a wardrobe full of clothes that have absorbed perfume smells, when you just open it. Thanks to honeysuckle Organza is irrevocably cheerful: no one can possibly wear it with a sad face! Cosy, nuzzling, uplifting, unpretentious and reliable for duration of the "pick-me-up" effect. If you are in your 30s and further into your timelessness :) - it can be worn daily in cold months. If you are entering your 20s - you can make it rock if you take on a hippie look ( hardcore: knitted multicoloured hoodies, long skirts, huge platform boots and so on ) - in my opinion, this could work brilliantly together. What does amaze me is that it is only 16-17 years old! - this is so not the 90s!!! I always thought it comes to us from some post-WW2 times or at least from the early 80s! The bottle is the only thing I am not a huge fan of: it is exactly what held me back from trying this perfume for years: it looks incredibly tacky and cheap-looking, especially the cap. I am also not a huge fan of flacons that are tall and unstable. 1 lippie for such an unworthy kitschy dress this fabulous scent is confined into.
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Fragrances -Jil Sander - Sensual Jil
Kysyona 4/30/2013 5:13:00 PM
Well this is just plain nasty. I have experienced a real shock today, especially after being used to the creaminess of Style and Tender Green Pastels. This is anything but sensuous, trust me! The scent begins with a powerful razor-sharp burst of alcohol and chemicals with a synthetic raspberry from space on steroids on top. Then, if you survive the blast and don't run off to scrub it off ( I was at a store and to my misfortune already running in late, so I couldn't ) - the worst men's aftershave comes into the spotlight, and it's there to stay. For EVER. I was just flabbergasted, perplexed, heart-broken: I was in love with the bottle at first sight!!! - the sleek shape, the amazing combination of deep velvety-blue and coral, the opaque glass play!!!! - and then... I have no idea, how this even came into being. If you suffer from sinusitis, congested nose or dull sense of smell and are looking for a shock therapy - give this one a go: if this doesn't work, I don't know what will.
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Fragrances -Nina Ricci - L'Air du Temps
Kysyona 4/30/2013 4:57:00 PM
Sadly, very few so-called timeless classics ever work on me - I seem to be cursed (or blessed?) with the kind of skin, that works mostly with zeitgeist and the perfumes of "now and possibly tomorrow". Particularly badly my chemistry interacts with powdery scents. My skin kills completely the following perfumes, so much loved by many: Anais Anais, Fidji, Rive Gauche ( it takes some time, but there's always very little left of what it's supposed to be ) and L'air du temps is, sadly, no exception. At first there's powder, something yellow and a little green, and 5 minutes later - NOTHING. Just powder , if I shamelessly drench the whole arm with the tester at a drugstore in a fruitless attempt to experience the glorified beauty of this classic. Who knows - it is only the hype? Or is it my chemistry? Is it the new reformulation that is to blame? The end result is - I can simply spray air on my wrist, the effect will be exactly the same. If I come across a vintage bottle - will give it a go and get back with an update.
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Fragrances -Jil Sander - Style Pastels Tender Green
Kysyona 4/30/2013 4:34:00 PM
If only this had more staying power!!! - this is a PERFECT green pastel: it lives up to its name 110%. Sharpness of green notes is subdued under the bountiful powderness and a drop of vanilla sugar is mixed in to rule out any "unisex/cologne/aftershave" associations. It is like looking into a lush spring garden through big windows of a veranda, bathing in the first sunrays wrapped in a thick shawl or a good old pashmina with that first cup of tea/coffee (choose as applicable) of the day and breathing this amazing energy in. For me this is a scent of being inside a clean, cosy and sunlit house/apartment with a view to die for. For an outdoorsy feel this fragrance lacks water, it is a dry green instead of wet green, like, say, Fidgi or L'Air du Temps, and much softer from the start if compared to Miss Dior ( also a dry green but one with a good olfactory kick in it when just having been applied ). I could easily see myself being a life-long addict of this: it makes me feel like I am a fairy, an elf, a nymph - something ephemeral in a way, because powder in this scent is rather like a levitating dry mist than a dense choking veil. What stops me from buying this perfume by a dozen is a) price ( rather high, considering point B) and b) the sillage and longevity are not something this scent can boast about. Both are relatively limited, and therefore I am treading carefully here. 1 bottle at a time with one eye on the budget and other million perfumes I can't wait to try.
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