Fragrances -Dawn Spencer Hurwitz - White Opium
jiicky 5/30/2010 1:00:00 PM
If you like YSL's Opium but felt that it was too spicy and heavy or that it was unwearable in the daytime, this might be a great perfume for you. Think of watered down version of YSL Opium with the spiciness reduced by 50% and with a touch of confectionary sweetness for good measure. Intellectually interesting but not my cup of tea aesthetically (slightly too sweet). Worth keeping a sample but I am unlikely to buy.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Dawn Spencer Hurwitz - Gelsomino (Italian Journey No.5)
jiicky 5/30/2010 12:53:00 PM
Gelsomino, after the dry-down, is a subdued and old-fashioned jasmine to my nose. Although pleasant smelling, it is not pure enough for my tastes and lacks the intoxicating, wafting scent of Serge Lutens' A la Nuit. Not enough moonlight magic in this jasmine scent for me. 3/5
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Dawn Spencer Hurwitz - Tubereuse
jiicky 5/10/2010 12:36:00 PM
Succintly, DSH's Tubereuse is creamy, heady, wafting and lush -- like a tuberose infused cold cream. No sharp edges, not a hint of spiciness, not terribly complex but intoxicatingly rich and smooth all around-- not a green floral but a mature, tuberose in full bloom. Very old-fashioned and traditional scent. This is a scent that I would borrow off a friend but probably wouldn't buy for myself. To me, It smells like a very expensive hand cream--- not headache inducing but this fragrance is not really me at this point of my working-dog life. So I will pass for a few years...
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Keiko Mecheri - Fleurs D' Osmanthus
jiicky 5/9/2010 2:06:00 PM
Fleurs D'osmanthus is aptly described below. It is indeed-- slightly sweet, tropical floral and very, very milky. I agree with all those descriptions as posted by the other reviewers. I have no idea what an Osmanthus smells like (or even looks like)-- but I can say that all the osmanthus fragrances I have sniffed have a fig-like element. In short, this fragrance can be described as sort of "dreamy"-- that twilight zone period between early evening and the unconsciousness that comes in the dead of night. Weirdly this fragrance has a note that reminds me of Play-Doh. When you breathe it in very deeply-- it hits all the same trigger points as Play-Doh does for me. This weird note is not that strong but nonetheless always present after the dry-down.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Keiko Mecheri - White Petals
jiicky 5/9/2010 1:39:00 PM
Keiko Mecheri's White Petals is accurately described below. It is a very antiseptic citrus scent with almost no floral elements-- there is a barest hint of some sort of creamy flower that gives the citrus something to sit on. It is not a complex fragrance (just two layers that I can detect, the citrusy top notes + some weak floral base)-- no other notes (no spice, no woods, nada). The citrus notes disappear allowing the floral base to emerge but by that time, the fragrance has practically vanished. Not a bad fragrance at all but I took off a lippie because the sillage & fragrance do not justify the price. It is a clean smelling, fresh scent though, good for women who want an uncomplicated fragrance.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Unlisted Brand - Jean-Charles Brosseau - Fleurs D'Ombre- Violette-Menthe
jiicky 5/7/2009 8:17:00 AM
Initital topnotes are crisp cool mint that lasts a few minutes followed by a very baby-powdery violette scent that is on the sweet & woody side. All in all, the fragrance is decent but I will pass because it is a slightly headache-inducing for me and the scent veers more towards Walgreens than Harvey Nichols (i.e. slightly chemical). Good for people who want crisp and powdery scents at non-exorbitant prices. Recommend using with a light hand.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Tubéreuse Criminelle
jiicky 1/10/2009 6:20:00 AM
Agree with comments below. The only thing criminelle is the olfactory assault that one experiences with this perfume. The smell is very urinal and acidic and it takes quite awhile for the floral notes to come through but the urinal notes never really go away. A Pass.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Jicky
jiicky 1/9/2009 5:13:00 AM
Jicky is an intellectually interesting scent and the notes that predominate are lavender with a hints of citrusy and soft floral notes. It is complex and almost a classic scent. The problem with this scent is that is very, very musty. Musty like an attic that hasn't been opened for ages, or a like a water-soaked book that has been kept on a shelf to dry for months. The mustiness takes about 2 hours to disappear and the perfume does smell much cleaner and elegant as it is about to disappear. I will pass on this Guerlain fragrance.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Creed - Royal Water
jiicky 10/6/2008 9:41:00 AM
It is difficult to pinpoint the actual notes in Royal Water-- it is not a traditional floral, gourmand, spicy, woody or citrus scent. It is a slightly medicinal, sanitized light herbal fragrance. Suffice to say that it brings to mind old money, oak paneled board rooms, Lacoste shirts, and gold buttoned blue blazers from Saville Row. After the initial after-shavish top notes evaporate, Royal water is neither masculine or feminine-- it is icy and impersonal like a stack of cold hard cash. Clean but neither obtrusive nor sharp, it is the kind of fragrance that you would expect to be worn on the likes of Claus von Bulow, Prince Philip and Doris Duke. Not a high drama fragrance like Guerlain's Vol de Nuit, it is an understated fragrance that sits close to the skin. Very aristocratic and aptly named. Not for those with red blood coursing through their veins, for Royal Water your blood must run very, very blue. Far too anemic for me.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Datura Noir
jiicky 10/1/2008 4:33:00 PM
Datura Noir by Serge Lutens has a hypnotic quality of osthmanthus, datura and heliotrope flowers, some sweet dried fruit and a touch of myrrh. The fragrance is quite lush and tropical and the comment about it being a "gothic tropical scent" is quite accurate. Datura Noir is the kind of scent that Antoinette Cosway would have worn in Wide Sargasso Sea. The scent has medium sillage and the lasting power is decent (about 5 hrs). Very sensual fragrance but I find it slightly too sweet and powdery for my tastes so I will pass in favor of another SL fragrance.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Annick Goutal - La Violette
jiicky 9/27/2008 10:34:00 AM
Annick Goutal's Violette is correctly described by others as starting out as candy sweet. It has the initial sweet bite of powdered sugar used in baking-- very linearly sweet like a sugar cube (not rounded like vanilla or honey). It morphs into a clean, bright, slightly green, cheerful violet scent and the sweetness fades outs into the far background but never completely departs. There are no other floral notes that I can detect and no wood or citrus type scents-- just violet and green leaves. The best way to imagine Violette is to imagine some kind of carbonated Ginger ale type drink made from violets-- bright, fizzy, sweet and clear. Violette is very wearable at all times of the day (very clean and feminine smelling) and the perfume can be worn 4 seasons of the year. The only problem with this fragrance is that it is very, very, VERY light-- after 30 minutes, you can barely smell it on oneself and you have to stick your nose right up against your wrist to breathe in the last vestiges of the ever fleeting scent. Annick Goutal should probably try marketing this scent as a body oil for better lasting power.
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Bois de Violette
jiicky 9/27/2008 10:17:00 AM
This is one of better fragrances from Serge Lutens' Eaux Boisees line. As others have noted, the fragrance is a smoky, mysterious, earthy perfume with cedary wood notes. Unlike some of the other Bois perfumes from SL, there is no cumin-y dry down and despite the suggestions of sultriness, the fragrance is definitely very wearable even in the office. The fragrance is not overpowering but relatively smooth to the senses. My only real complaint is that I can't really smell the violets in this concoction. The violets are buried under somewhere and probably add a slight floral dimension to the woody, earthy notes. The hidden violet is definitely not of the sweet candied variety though-- probably more of a mossy, forest glen variety. Those who favor the girlish Parma Candy variety or clear & sparkling type of violet scents will probably find this a bit too "organic" and murky.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Serge Lutens - Bois et Musc
jiicky 9/22/2008 6:31:00 AM
Others on this board have accurately described Bois et Musc by Serge Lutens as an initially strong whiff of cedar wood followed by a light, slightly sweet musk. The wood elements don't actually disappear but remain in the background as smoky cedar (no spice or resinous smell). Although I like the wood elements of Bois et Musc, the musk in this fragrance is just too watery and fruity for my taste--- the musk smells too acidic and thin for me. In my book, musk should hang in the air like a slumberous cloud. I prefer all the other Eaux Boisees by SL (except Bois & Fruits) to this particular fragrance. Bois & Musc is a pass.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Diptyque - Olene
jiicky 9/7/2008 12:23:00 PM
After the dry-down, Olene to my nose smells like 7/8 jasmine and 1/8 white flowers and a pinch of honeysuckle. Unlike Serge Lutens A la Nuit & Sarassins, Olene is much more aqueous, brighter and more of a daytime scent. It does not have the dusky redolence of many jasmine perfumes out there and is suitable for the office. Olene smells pleasant enough but lacks mystique and distinctiveness. The other reason that I shy away from this fragrance is the hint of sweetness in the scent (honeysuckle type sweetness) that have an adversion to. It is great fragrance to buy girls for their first perfume--- the perfect Bat Mitzvah or Quinceañera present.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Keiko Mecheri - Myrrhe et Merveilles
jiicky 9/7/2008 12:06:00 PM
Myrrhe et Merveilles opens with a soapy quality that is very similar to that of Chanel 5's (very sudsy). Like Chanel 5, it is reminiscent of very finely milled perfumed French soaps. Upon the dry down, Myrrhe Et Merveilles much less aldehydic and more rounded a fragrance than Chanel 5-- I can smell the Myrrhe, Bitter almond (barely), benzoin, and musk (barely perceptible as the base). I can't detect the jasmine or Chinese Mandarin at all. Intriguing scent but potentially headache-inducing, hence not my cup of tea. Will pass.
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No