Fragrances -Chanel - Allure Sensuelle 
snarkylyn 6/13/2006 11:04:00 AM
Another long lasting, scrumptious Chanel. Very sweet, with lingering vanilla in the drydown. I like it a bit better than the original Allure as it has more ooomph, but I don't love it quite as much as Coco Mademoiselle. It does bring to mind the other Chanels, as another reviewer noted, but to me that is a good thing as I like them all. Imo, the Chanel perfumes are some of the few fragrances actually worth the money, as they last and remain detectable. This one gets compliments!
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Fragrances -Chanel - Coco Mademoiselle
snarkylyn 6/13/2006 9:08:00 AM
This is amazing - absolutely Heavenly! Sexy, yet appropriate for day or night, work or a party, depending on the amount applied. At first I wasn't so enamoured, I liked it but didn't LOVE it. But when the compliments started rolling in, I began realizing how well it suits me, and how truly lovely it is, and it grew on me more and more. I have never gotten so many compliments on a fragrance, from men and women alike. Two sprays of the edp literally last all day and all night; it is the longest lasting perfume I have ever owned. Also, I can actually smell it myself throughout the day, unlike most fragrances. Well worth the Chanel pricetag. A modern classic. I can see Coco Mlle. being my sig scent for years to come. Despite now owning dozens of fine perfumes, I reach for it nearly every day. BTW, my advice is to get the edp. The edt does smell lovely and is rather long lasting, but the edp is pure luxury, in a gorgeous classic Chanel bottle, and two sprays last for ETERNITY. You deserve it!
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Fragrances -Etro - Messe De Minuit
snarkylyn 5/19/2006 9:01:00 AM
I'm afraid I can't surf the wave of MDM love. On me, this smelled dank, damp, and decrepit. I would go so far as to say oppressively unpleasant. One of the few I had to scrub off, and wouldn't you know it proved to be beyond tenacious.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Winter Delice
snarkylyn 5/13/2006 1:27:00 AM
Mmmm. I love it. I got a full size tester dirt cheap on ebay, and bought it blind based on my complete love for the house of Guerlain. I can see where those who say it's masculine are coming from, but I don't find it to be too masculine for very feminine me to wear. Wonderful sillage and longevity, as I find most Guerlains to have (AMENDED: this does not last as long as I had thought. I think what I had assumed was WD drydown was really my body lotion). Woodsy, foody and comforting. I'm tucking it away for heavy use this fall and winter. I would buy again if it were made available, and might pay what it takes for more on ebay if it is gone forever.
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Fragrances -Guerlain - Shalimar
snarkylyn 5/11/2006 10:28:00 PM
Mmmmm, Shalimar. I tested it out recently at Sephora, after not having so much as sniffed it for at least 10 years. I still love it, always will. I discovered this one in my early 20's, when my then boyfriend gave it to me as a gift; he loved it too. The drydown is so gorgeous, and lingers forever. I think some of the classic fragrances lose their relevance in modern times (blasphemy, I know), but not Shalimar. I'm sure this will still be appropriate for a femme fatale 25 years in the future. In reference to a couple of negative reviews: I can certainly see how a younger woman who has only been exposed to the watery fresh fragrances of the 90's, and the fruity scents of the now, might not be enamoured of Shalimar at first sniff. Some women just might never like it, period. But if you are young and dislike it now, give it another try in a few years. You might like it as you get a bit older.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - L'Instant de Guerlain
snarkylyn 5/6/2006 12:06:00 AM
*UPDATE* This IS my Holy Grail, my fave of all time. That is all.* WOW! I feel like a broken record - I'm exclaiming over so many of the wonderful scents I've sampled the last two weeks, and finding favorites left and right. L'Instant takes the cake, and has summertime Holy Grail potential. My chemistry makes the most of honey, vanilla, and amber notes; this scent could have been custom made for me. It's so pretty, sweet, lasting, and just my thing. I'm hoarding my sample, and L'Instant has been put at the top of the bottle list. I'm considering exchanging another recent fragrance purchase, in order to get it sooner.
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Chanel - Coco
snarkylyn 5/4/2006 11:00:00 PM
This is another of my mothers' old favorites. I tested this fragrance four times before purchasing, twice at Sephora and twice at mom's dressing table. Love the spicy and rich scent, but it was so strong every time I tested it, even in the edt, that it gave me a headache. My solution? Buying the body lotion. I'm able to walk around in a light, personal cloud and it's delish. With the lotions' very subtle sillage, I can get away with Coco for daytime wear; but it really wouldn't do for dinner or an evening occasion. _ I'm considering springing for the parfum, at least that way I can have control over the application as even one spray is too much. Maybe the barest drop of parfum would be better. _ I paid nearly $50 for the lotion, so it's dear, and won't last me long if I use it as often as I'd like.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Guerlain - Mitsouko
snarkylyn 5/3/2006 3:02:00 AM
With my first schpritz of Mitsouko, I started singing a new song, loosely titled "WTF is this?". I'd never smelled anything like it, oh no, I hadn't. I earnestly wished I hadn't applied it. Cut to two hours later, and I flippin' love the scent wafting from my skin. I realized it behaved like Shalimar on me. They both begin far too strong, panic inducing strong, then they mellow to perfection, given a little time to meld with my skin. Mitsouko is rich and deep, heavy and sweet, and gets attention with a capital A. It laaaasts, in a way that my Elizabeth Arden/Estee Lauder/Clinique scents never did. That evening, say 8 hours later, my perfume hater of a husband told me I smelled wonderful. I feel I can't give it five lippies because of the oppresive weight of it for the first hour or so; I literally have to apply several hours before I leave the house. I hope to always have it in my collection. Being broke from all my successful perfume experiments, I bought the edt. I hope to get the parfum soon as a gift.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Christian Dior - Dolce Vita
snarkylyn 5/3/2006 12:23:00 AM
For some reason, this scent just gets me where I live. Yes, it is as cedary as a closet, plus, I ordinarily don't care for fruit notes. But Dolce Vita is just so warm, so nice for fall afternoons and evenings. DV surprised me by growing on me, I'd catch myself wandering back to the bedroom to sniff the bottle. This is another one that makes me long for autumn.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Christian Dior - Miss Dior Cherie
snarkylyn 5/2/2006 10:58:00 PM
The bottle is gorgeous, but I think the scent is kind of meh. It's nice enough, and smells like a quality fragrance, but I just don't care for the strawberry note. I can see how others would enjoy it, and I bet it will be popular.
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Fragrances -Christian Dior - Dior Addict EDP
snarkylyn 5/2/2006 10:53:00 PM
I enjoy Addict, but I can only wear it in cool weather or it becomes cloying and gives me a headache. The drydown is so delicious, and I've had several compliments on it, one from a stranger. Addict is very easy to overdo, one squirt is more than enough for me. I also don't care much for the bottle...but when I use mine up, I will definitely be buying another.
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Fragrances -Christian Dior - Hypnotic Poison
snarkylyn 5/2/2006 10:37:00 PM
Oh Hypnotic Poison, how I love thee. I'd always avoided sampling it due to my dislike of the original Poison; but my curiousity got the better of me, after seeing two women at Sephora passing a bottle of it back and forth, like an...illegal substance in smokable form. I was immediately smitten and bought a small bottle, and ordered the body lotion from Sephora online when I got home. I wish they offered an edp! Gorgeous scent...on me, it's barely sweet vanilla and almond, and morphs very little. I don't detect any floral. What a wonderful, lingering drydown! Sweet, but not too sweet. Surprisingly sexy. I never would have thought such a seemingly simple blend could be so...well, hypnotic. Even Hubby, a notorious perfume hater, likes it. Oh, I forgot to add that this is MUCH lighter than I had anticipated for a Dior fragrance. I can wear HP even in the morning, when most scents are just too much for me, with no problem at all. I could still detect it, just a faint delicious whiff, this morning after having applied it 12 hours before. LOVE.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No
Fragrances -Yves Saint Laurent - Opium
snarkylyn 5/2/2006 5:11:00 AM
My mother wore this when it was first launched, so the scent holds delightful memories for me. I couldn't imagine myself ever wearing it, until I reached my mid 30's and began to appreciate how deep and truly sexy it is. This is not really suitable for most of the younger ladies; I can understand why many don't care for it, as I didn't myself. Maybe some of us need life experience to appreciate Opium, who knows. All I know is that it went from mom's old fashioned perfume to winter evening Holy Grail, for me, with the passage of time. I only recently bought a bottle (the parfum - yay, me!), and that is thanks in large part to a particular review here, the lyrical tribute by the ex Chanel beaute analyste, MarksCarltonLane3. It awakened those Opium dreams, and I'm dying for cool weather so I can break it out. The parfum is rounded and gorgeous, no rough edges like the edp. I tested it out on hubby, and he's hooked.
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Fragrances -Christian Dior - j'adore
snarkylyn 5/1/2006 5:26:00 PM
I like this one! I've been working my way through, sampling all the Chanel and Dior fragrances, and J'adore is a keeper. Very pretty, and a bit lighter (for a Dior fragrance) than I had expected. I have used up my sample, and put it on my list to eventually buy a bottle, or ask for one as a gift. I wore it out to a bridal luncheon last Sunday, and got two compliments on it. I think it stands out from the crowd in a good way. Applied lightly, it is unlikely to give those around you a headache, or offend their sensibilities. Good daytime scent.
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Fragrances -Elizabeth Arden - Blue Grass
snarkylyn 5/1/2006 1:02:00 AM
I don't feel this is 'old ladyish', but I'm not one to equate a powdery note or drydown with 'old lady'. I know that some people don't like those notes, I think maybe that is where the geriatric comparisons come from. Unless I'm an old lady at 34! ;) Blue Grass is so very lovely on drydown, and I really enjoy this blend. This has a classic, timeless feel to me. I had a bottle a couple of years ago, and wore it mainly to casual evening events, out to dinner, and on date nights with hubby. I think it's a nice evening scent, without being formal or overpowering. I moved on to new scents when I used my bottle up, but writing this has me yearning for it now, have to go order a bottle...
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