Agent Provocateur

Dusty soft cinnamon vanilla musk powder and fresh-cut flower-stem aldehydes, which give it a (vague) Rive Gauche French feel. Its very light and wears like a like a soft airy cloud of eau de cologne. For me its too vague and limp, like old dusty photographs of a time gone by. Nostalgic, sad and empty. Reminds me of old cardboard and fallen scatterings of baby powder in a room that hasn't been opened for months. Fragrantica official description: "The composition is based on aldehydes. The passionate opening of White Lotus Petals and delicate nuances of white Ylang Ylang and Violet leaves leads to the floral heart of Osmanthus, Jasmin and Rose. The final note is woodsy powdery with Iris, Amber, Patchouly and White Suede."

I didn't realize Agent Provocateur had released a scent for men. I see on other review sites that this new offering from them, Blue Silk, is for women but to my nose its totally and completely a masculine fragrance. I find perfumes marketed to women but smell like mens cologne fascinating and an odd conundrum. I looked at the pyramid of notes and was shocked to see that leather was not a note in the fragrance because that is mostly what I get. Straight up harsh leather. Leather that a member of the Hell's Angels would wear. It also has a note of juniper berry which is a note in a lot of masculine scents like that oldie Drakkar Noir. I can kind of see the resemblance between the two fragrances. Vetyver, sandalwood, pepper and cinnamon round out the pyramid with only two floral notes that I cannot detect....rose and jasmine. Reminds me of a forest of pine trees and juniper berries. Very very strong and can fill up a movie theater. Personally, I love this fragrance but I somehow doubt its going to be a massive seller simply because it was mismarketed. Even the bottle is masculine. The juice is housed in a bottle that is in a matte striking blue color with the with the signature black leather collar around the sprayer. If you are a lady that likes mens scents then check this out. If you are a frilly floral gal you may want to skip this or try before you buy. Blue Silk is nothing like Agent Provocateur's first fragrance and definitely nothing like the floral Maitresse. Its its own fragrance and can stand up to the best of them. Don't do a blind purchase with this one.

There is nothing fatale or even very pink about this, though it does have things in common with other "pink" fragrances (in the vein of Versace Bright Crystal or Victoria's Secret Pink) which, now that I think about it, don't smell particularly pink at all. This is an extremely sheer, light, bright, aquatic floral with a bit of freshness and zing. Opens with a bit of bright citrus splashed over transparent, barely green, barely sweet, watery florals (I guess this is what lotus smells like? I can't say I've ever smelled a lotus flower, I am willing to imagine that this is what one smells like). And then the fragrance stays this way until it eventually fades away. A completely inoffensive, perfectly pleasant fragrance for people who want to smell nice but do not necessarily want to smell like they're wearing perfume. "Don't Notice Me Please" possibly would have been a more fitting name for this fragrance but I guess wouldn't have marketed well.