Fragrances -Hermes - Un Jardin en Méditerranée
ellacinders 7/24/2011 9:02:00 PM
Intoxicating, fresh, light, green, slightly floral and citrus and... fizzy. Perfect for the southern California summer. Even though it only lasts 3 hours tops, I might have to splurge on a full bottle of this.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Christian Dior - Diorella
ellacinders 3/25/2011 3:01:00 AM
I totally agree with the reviewer who said the melon note kills this otherwise gorgeous fragrance. It's also the very note that dates it so badly. I've worn it a few days in a row from a decant and while there is something irresistable about it, I can't shake the 1970s vibe. Melon always smells fusty and sour to me, and here the melon lays over the fragrance like a mildewing blanket. I don't feel clean at all but rather damp and on the verge of fermenting. Sorry, I want to love this for everything else going on behind that melon but I just can't.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Maison Francis Kurkdjian - APOM Pour Femme
ellacinders 2/22/2011 4:41:00 PM
I love the orange blossom in NR For Her so much, and after hearing that it's one of creator Francis Kurkdjian's favorite notes, I was excited to try this orange-blossom scent from his personal line. This smelled amazing on the paper tester so I committed some precious skin space to it on a recent trip to Scent Bar in LA. I don't know what evil my skin did to this, but it smelled horrid on the drive home -- all the lilting florals disappeared and I was left with chalky sugar valentine hearts -- and it only got worse until I finally had to scrub it. I sniffed the paper tester I kept just to see if it was my skin that was at fault, and sure enough, the scent on paper was still divine. So sorry I can't wear this.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Indult - Manakara
ellacinders 2/22/2011 4:09:00 PM
It doesn't smell bad, just generic and juvenile. I hardly smell the rose, all I get is sweet sweet fruit. If there's any depth to this one I can't smell it because I'm drowning in all the syrup. You can get the same effect for $10 in your local BBW. Don't waste your time or money hunting this down.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Lumiere Noire Pour Femme
ellacinders 2/22/2011 3:58:00 PM
Lumiere Noir for women is lovely lovely lovely. Starts off as a bright, green, slightly boozy rose with white flowers. After a few minutes on me, the darkness rolls in: pepper and patchouli are in the notes but I also get a silky musk just sweet enough to make my mouth water. I sniffed this at the store and it was eclipsed by the zillion other scents around me, but luckily I got a sample to take with me and try later. At home, with the spotlight all to herself, this one really shines.
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Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Parfum D'Empire Aziyade
ellacinders 2/20/2011 6:51:00 PM
Gourmand B.O.! This scent should be so wrong but I freaking love it. I like body smells and there is some seriously yummy fruit, cedar, patchouli and spices in the background so the BO (cumin/coriander mix?) note is all good to me. Sexy.
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Fragrances -Thierry Mugler - Alien
ellacinders 2/20/2011 2:35:00 AM
This one's a showstopper. Every time I visit the perfume counter I save this one for last because it eclipses everything that came before and after. I can definitely see why this scent is so polarizing as it's very strong and WEIRD. But I love it. I get mega-watt jasmine with licorice and pepper notes at the top which make way for a sweet woody vanilla and amber in the drydown. Mouthwatering.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Robert Piguet Fragrances - Fracas
ellacinders 2/9/2011 2:35:00 AM
Can't get enough of this! Wearing it makes me want to curse with joy -- it's a naughty, happy scent. As others have said, just a little will do. Even a dab will give good trail and it'll last all day.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Balenciaga - Balenciaga Paris
ellacinders 2/7/2011 2:17:00 PM
Meh. There's nothing much to sing about Balenciaga Paris, but there's also nothing much to gripe about. I love the theory - a soapy-clean floral with woods humming in the background - but in practice the perfume is way too quiet and bland to justify the price or time.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Mayotte
ellacinders 2/4/2011 4:02:00 PM
I love tuberose but this was way too aggressive and loud, the scent equivalent of a grenade to the nostrils. Maybe it settles down into something gentler, I'll never know -- I had to scrub before I could get there.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Mitsouko
ellacinders 2/4/2011 3:57:00 PM
This begins as a cold, polluted fog on me but after 20 minutes or so, sunlight blasts through in the form of peach and sweet woods. I'm sure there's more going on backstage but I can't articulate what exactly and that's fine. All I know is that it feels revelatory each time I wear it.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Christian Dior - Dior Addict EDP
ellacinders 1/31/2011 8:50:00 PM
Nice in theory I guess, but I agree with the reviewer who said it's straight cookies. I had to scrub it, it was way too sweet and foody for me.
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Fragrances -Christian Dior - Midnight Poison
ellacinders 1/31/2011 8:06:00 PM
I sniffed this for the first time today and was immediately smitten. Had to try it on to see how it works on my skin and so for the entire day I've been in a dream state. This is one gorgeous perfume. I get rose and citrus with a deep amber and woodsy base. Something turns a little sharp on me after a few hours but it's not a dealbreaker. This is definitely a bold fragrance. You won't be a wallflower in this, but it's not loud or desperate either. Might have to get a bottle of this...
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Fragrances -Chanel - Coco
ellacinders 1/30/2011 4:16:00 PM
I wear the EDT in very sparing amounts, otherwise it overwhelms. That said, this is one of my favorite scents ever ever ever. The sparkling peach at the start is stunner but as it dries down Coco becomes the softer fragrance I crave -- intoxicating, sweet, musky, and mysterious. A bit of spice and patchouli emerges eventually. Gorgeous. Very expensive... luckily I got my bottle as a gift.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chanel - Coromandel
ellacinders 1/28/2011 1:26:00 AM
Wow, this is patchouli? This smells nothing like the oils my hippie friends wore. Coromandel is gorgeous. Rich, deep, sweet and creamy, not at all prickly and overly dark like my past experiences with patchouli. I smell amber, vanilla and chocolate over warm spices and woods. On me it's a cinnamon hot chocolate and then along comes a salty caramel in the drydown. Normally I don't like wearing dessert, but the woody note keeps me fascinated. I've been wearing it to bed just to sniff myself off to sleep.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No