Fragrances -Estee Lauder - Tom Ford Purple Patchouli
jemimagold 11/2/2009 6:40:00 PM
Tom Ford's Purple Patchouli was nauseatingly sweet on me and an instant scrubber. In fact, I am starting to get a headache just thinking about it. Rumor has it that as of now (Nov. 2009), it is scheduled to be discontinued. If you are interested in trying a woody Tom Ford perfume that is elegant and beautiful, check out his Noir de Noir. For a fun wood-based Tom Ford perfume that is available at a decent price, try his White Patchouli. Per The Perfumed Court, here are the notes: orchid, citrus, leather, purple patchouli accord, spices, amber, patchouli, Peru balsam, vetiver.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Annick Goutal - Matin d'Orage
jemimagold 9/18/2009 9:47:00 PM
I was surprised at how much I liked Un Matin d'Orage. Prior to trying it, I had heard that was a "sweet" perfume and anyone that knows me knows that I don't like sweet. Well, I don't think it is sweet at all. Its main note is Chamapaca which always smells like a peppery gardenia and that concept is evident here. I also get a nice whiff of warm, woody ginger in the dry dowwn which (I think) is due to the presence of a bit of ISO E-Super which I adore. Anyways, Un Matin d'Orage is a modern, floral perfume that is quite wearable and fun. In fact, it makes my revered bottle of Annick Goutal Eau de Ciel seem a bit stodgy and one-dimensional. For comparison purposes, Un Matin d'Orage reminds me a lot of Comme des Garcons Luxe Champaca and to an extent, Comme de Garcons 3. Here are the notes of Un Matin d'Orage per Fragrantica: Sicilian lemon, ginger, gardenia, shiso leaves, magnolia, champaca flowers, jasmine and sandalwood.
4 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -CB I Hate Perfume - Wild Hunt
jemimagold 9/18/2009 9:34:00 PM
When I bought a sample of Wild Hunt, I expected to detect earthy forest notes, perhaps a bit a sweat from an energetic hunt and possibly the astringent scent of decaying leaves. However, what I got from Wild Hunt was the pure smell of dirt. It is extremely realistic and the creator is certainly talented to achieve the exact smell.... But, as far as smelling like this, I don't want my skin to emit the odor of dirt. Here are the notes per The Perfumed Court: Leaves, Crushed Twigs, Flowing Sap, Fallen Branches, Old Leaves, Green Moss, Fir, Pine and Tiny Mushrooms.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Ortigia - Coral Shell
jemimagold 9/11/2009 5:24:00 PM
Ortigia’s Coral Shell has the scent you get when you walk through the “maquis” (dense coastal shrubs on the Mediterranean coast) in Provence and brush against all sorts of aromatic plants. It is a lush, clean-smelling mixture of the notes below and has a decidedly herbaceous vibe although no single note stands out except maybe the balsam. Stylistically, it is a unisex perfume and reminded me a lot of Etro’s Lemon Sorbet and Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier’s Garrigue. Lastly, Coral Shell was quite light and lasted about 45 minutes on my skin. Here are the notes per Ortigia’s website: helichrysum, cistus, wild fennel, rosemary, oregano, mint, thyme, nutmeg, pine, balsamic herbs, cypress tree musk and tarragon.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Giorgio Armani - Armani Onde - Mystère
jemimagold 9/9/2009 12:39:00 PM
Dear Reader- Imagine the faintest, wispiest, most "is it there?" incense fragrance and you will have a good idea of Onde Mystere. It is aggravatingly light, to the point where I made my husband smell my wrist to see if he could detect any perfume on my skin. (He could but barely.) From what I could tell, Mystere is predominantly incense with a hint of smoke and rose. After sampling it three separate times, I have determined that Onde Mystere is rather pointless. Who wants a perfume that has little to no smell?? I would suggest that you bypass Onde Mystere and instead get an amazing incense perfume that you can actually smell such as Bois d'Encens, Comme des Garcons Ouarzazate and Annick Goutal Encens Flamboyant. Per The Perfumed Court, here are the notes: amber, benzoin, incense, Morrocan rose, spices, musk and vanilla.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Byredo Gypsy Water
jemimagold 9/9/2009 11:11:00 AM
Ah... Gypsy Water. What can I say- I love everything about this perfume! My initial introduction to the Byredo line was Pulp which emitted a searingly long-lasting grapefruit/cassis smell but I saw Gypsy Water on the counter at Les Parfumeurs on Ebury St. in London and was intrigued by the name so I spritzed. Gypsy Water descended upon my skin like a soft cashmere-like blanket of spice and calm... Bliss. In practical terms, Gypsy Water is an ethereal light blend of sandalwood, spice, musk with a hint of orange. I enjoy the hint of lemon and bergamot in the top notes which are tempered with a bit of sugar (but this is not a typical "sweet" fragrance). It then becomes an amiable blend of sandalwood and amber. Towards the very end, there are some fragile, well-hidden incense notes. For comparison purposes, Gypsy Water could be described as a more transparent, more elegant version of 10 Corso Como. However, unlike 10 CC, Gypsy Water is quite sheer and wears very close to the skin. And last but not least, I love the name, as politically incorrect as it may be. Per The Perfumed Court, here are the notes for Gypsy Water: top notes of bergamot, lemon, pepper and juniper berries; middle notes of incense, pine needles and orris; and base notes of amber, vanilla and sandalwood
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Honore des Pres Sexy Angelic
jemimagold 9/1/2009 9:39:00 PM
I have two beefs with Honore des Pres' "Sexy Angelic" which are as follows: a) The ridiculous, pseudo-Victoria's Secret type name made me suspicious even prior to sniffing. But, I love a good deal of Olivia Giacobetti's work (IUNX, L'Artisan Parfumeurs) so I was willing to overlook that and try a sample..... However. b) Um - Miss Sexy Angelic has NO SMELL. None. Nada. I might have just as well applied tap water to my skin for all the smell it emitted. I had flashbacks to Les Nez L'Antimatiere which had no smell either .... Things like this really bug me. If a perfume line is going to charge $145/100ml, the customer at least deserves something that has an odor. BOOOOOOO!!!!! I cannot stress enough that you must get a sample before buying. Here are the alleged notes, per LuckyScent:Fresh almond, hemlock flowers, angelica seeds and freshly baked calisson accord.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Mazzolari Marina
jemimagold 9/1/2009 9:28:00 PM
Mazzolari Marina is marketed as a marine fragrance but it is more of a floral on me with gardenia being the most prominant top note with an overly sweet honey middle and base (which gets rather head-ache inducing as I don't like sweet perfumes). To be fair, if asked, I think most people would say that Marina smells like a medium-priced (say Redken) shampoo and would appeal to someone that wants a clean, inoffensive perfume like Hugo Boss Woman or a sweet perfume such as Apothia If. Definitely ho-hum in my book. Per The Perfumed Court, here are the notes: green and aquatic notes,as well as "white blossoms, fruit and honey".
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Fragonard - Vetyver
jemimagold 9/1/2009 4:21:00 PM
Yowza! The opening note of Fragonard Vetyver smells like a blast of cheap aerosol hairspray and it doesn't improve much from there. I don't get much vetiver from this (at least the vetiver I know and love) or any other discernible note for that matter. Rather, Fragonard Vetyver smells like a random drugstore cologne that an elderly man would wear. There are so many wonderful vetiver perfumes out there such as: Chanel Sycomore, Frederic Malle Vetiver Extraordinaire, Guerlain Vetiver, Creed Vetiver, Byredo Bal d'Afrique and Lalique Encre Noire that you don't need to waste time (or money) on this concoction. Per The Perfumed Court, here are the notes for Fragonard Vetyver: citrus, vetiver, evergreen with "buttery, smoky, and soapy flavors".
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Prada - Infusion d'iris edp
jemimagold 8/29/2009 10:55:00 AM
I think my search for a wearable (on me) iris perfume has come to an end. Prada's Infusion d'Iris is an elegantly feminine fragrance which thankfully doesn't have that overtly "rooty" iris note (which always ends up smelling like an ashtray on me). Instead, Infusion d'Iris is well blended and soft, with predominant notes of powder and orange blossom. I keep sniffing my hand and would venture to say that the orange blossom is more pronounced than the iris, and despite the listed notes I really could not detect any cedar or vetiver in this. For comparison purposes, if you like Bulgari Pour Femme or Institut Tres Bien's a la Russe, you would enjoy Infusion d'Iris. Per The Perfumed Court, here are the notes: iris, incense, neroli, benzoin, orange blossom, galbanum, cedar, and vetiver.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Honore Des Pres - Trip
jemimagold 8/23/2009 10:50:00 AM
The opening note of Trip is what you'd smelled if you juiced up a bunch of tangerines and put your nose near the glass of tangerine juice for a big sniff. It is even more realistic to smell than Demeter Tangerine. I don't mind smelling like a tangerine and think it could be fun to wear in the summer, but I would never buy Trip simply because there is zero lasting power. It was on my skin for a maximum of 10 minutes and then was totally gone. According to the official press for Honore des Pres perfumes, this line is "all natural and certified organic" in case you care about such things. Here are the notes, per The Perfumed Court: lemon, lime and orange.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Honore des Pres - Chaman's Party
jemimagold 8/23/2009 10:45:00 AM
The top note of Chaman's Party was a combination of mustiness, pickle juice and smoke, and reminded me a great deal of JAR Shadow. As Chaman's Party mellowed out, it became a weird mixture of vetiver and patchouli on my skin. Chaman's Party is not something I would ever want to wear and for what it is worth, this fragrance has very poor lasting power. Lastly, according to the official press for Honore des Pres perfumes, this line is "all natural and certified organic" in case you care about such things. Per The Perfumed Court, the notes for Chaman's Party are vetiver and holy basil.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Byredo - Fantastic Man
jemimagold 8/22/2009 9:37:00 PM
My 2 chief complaints with Fantastic Man are as follows: A) Silly name. No one (male or female) wants to admit to someone that they are wearing a fragrance with such a ridiculous name as "Fantastic M". If Byredo keeps this up, they will be giving the Etat Libre d'Orange line a run for their money which isn't necessarily a good thing. Byredo also insists on marketing the name FANTASTIC MAN in ALL CAPS which comes across as annoying and the opposite of "fantastic". b) Fantastic Man regrettably smells like Lemon Pledge in the top note. It actually mellows out into a very enjoyable citrus-incense-woody fragrance (think a light version of Escentric Molecules "Escentric 01" combined with a bit of Lostmarc'h Din Dan). However, I have put it on my skin 3 times and each occasion, I think "ewwww... Lemon Pledge". Pity - the drydown is quite good. Per The Perfumed Court, here are the notes: Top: Bergamot, Star Anise, Cardamom; Mid: Geranium, Incense, Lavender; Base: Vetiver, Moss, Patchouli
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Byredo - Rose Noir
jemimagold 8/22/2009 8:56:00 PM
Rose Noir is a "jammy", fruity perfume that I liked just "okay". I didn't get much of the listed grapefruit and freesia notes. To me, it had an artificially sweet rose smell that wasn't particularly interesting. In fact, Rose Noir smelled like a heavy-handed dupe of YSL Paris. For those who know (and love) Byredo perfumes, Rose Noir was a marked departure from the translucent original style of Gypsy Water and Chembur. It also lacked the unique-ness, verve and staying power of Pulp. Rather, Rose Noir felt boringly sweet and rather department-store-ish. Here are the notes for Rose Noir per The Perfumed Court: top notes of grapefruit and freesia; a middle note of rose damascena; and base notes of cistus moss and musks.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - IUNX - Eau Sento #2
jemimagold 8/10/2009 12:54:00 PM
When I first tried IUNX Eau Sento in their Paris shop, I thought it was nice but nothing special however in hindsight it was probably because I was sniffing it through a gimmicky perfume smelling apparatus. However, I am a fan of woody scents and I LOVE Eau Sento's sister fragrance Eau Blanche, so when a certain on-line decanter had a sale on IUNX, I decided to purchase some Eau Sento just for fun. I'm glad I did because actually being able to wear Eau Sento makes me aware what a velvety, skin scent it is. True, it most closely resembles the smell of a new cork board but I find its soft woodiness rather comforting and especially pleasant at bed-time. I think it would be gorgeous on a man and when I can tear my husband away from his bottle of CdG 2 Man, I will complete my experiment. :) On a comparison note, IUNX Eau Sento is what CdG Palisander aspires to be. As gleaned on the internet, here are the notes: cedar, blond wood and Japanese incense.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No