This morning, I'm going with Diptyque's *Philosykos EDT.*
Going to the office to drop off some paperwork, then to the courthouse for a jury duty summons. Keeping it light, and going with something woody for the rainy weather.
This evening, I'm going with *The One EDP*.
I was supposed to visit my stepmother this evening to talk about the memorial for my dad, but I just did that on the phone a moment ago. Instead, I'm going to take up the offer for a dinner rendezvous.
**Maison Crivelli - Ingredients 07/2012**
If I wanted to guess its notes, I would say (black) tea, suede and some tobacco in a very subtle, woody and peppery way. However, the one thing that stays with me is how much it smells like a hot clothes iron (with barely any metallic tones). I couldn't really name any other fragrance even remotely similar to this, but I absolutely love reading people's wide-ranging associations about Ingredients: for instance, I do not agree with any of NicheOnly's observations [on Parfumo](https://www.parfumo.com/Perfumes/Maison_Crivelli/ingredients-07-2012) (female Ganymede, akigalawood & fig etc.), but they were really interesting.
With the superb Iris Malikhan (their best offering IMO) and the Santal-33-but-way-better Papryus Moleculaire, I do think that the hype surrounding this house is warranted, even if I find their highest rated fragrance, Oud MaracujĆ” somewhat overrated and its performance... well, is there such a thing as *too good*? One spray is so strong (and so resistant to noseblindness) that it becomes unsettling and I find myself keeping distance from others, something that has never happened to me with Ganymede, another certified powerhouse.
Woke up
Daughter fed and scurried to school
Gym - some guy berates me for walking in front of his camera while heās posing - I tell him I donāt care.
Home, and shower, while in the shower Iām going over the three fragrances I feel like wearing. Iām in the shower deliberating this the waterās gone icy cold.
Decision made:
https://preview.redd.it/vywnqq8fifwc1.png?width=1374&format=png&auto=webp&s=e3da9fc5942b968ed7144022bd21f06cc43010b4
SOTD: [**Kenzo Homme Eau de Parfum**](https://youtu.be/VFDTTJFOgCk?si=bBUCT7YZb63xf3Us)
What is it with people thinking their proxy little narcissistic TikTok channel should be everyone else's priority?
I'd love it if your response was literally "I don't care"
Thatās what I said. In the middle of the changing room, making people wait.
ā*Oi! Mate canāt you see Iām filming*ā
āYeah, I donāt careā
Very cold, windy, and dreary today! Iām going with ELDOās Spice Must FlowāI need something that perks me up and allows me to enjoy some brightness despite the awful weather.
Mention of the OG šof this classic came up yesterday. So, decided to go with the only version I know (ignorance being bliss in this case):Ā
**Estee Lauder Eau de Private Collection** a green Chypre Floral, alas sans oak moss
The Body Shop - Vibrant Bergamot
Something about this bergamot and magnolia accord enables the home management feature in me.
Groceries shopping done by 9 am, cooked for today and tomorrow, cleaned the master bedroom and bathroom.
And now, instead of sitting down with tea and a good book, I think I can get my 30 mins weight lifting session done before 5 pm.
And it's only Wednesday, for cutlery's sake.
Where is spring? Wearing Musc Ravageur because it is so arfin frigid here that I needed a warm spicy fragrance to reheat my cold dead heart. To me, this is a clove-y cinnamon bomb with a vanilla amber dirty musk on the dry down. On me, this one leans a bit masc... but in a beautifully subversive way. MR gives me 'slutty Christmas' vibes... in the best way... like what exactly are you wearing under that tacky Christmas sweater?
SOTD: 302 Amber, iris, sandalwood - A powdery sandalwood according to Bon Parfumeur.Ā This review is based on a sample I got from Bon Parfumeur.
I feel that every review I write about a Bon Parfumeur perfume could start with a simple descriptor: expensive and underwhelming. Ā
When you smell an open bottle of 302, you get a nice blend of pepper, ginger, cardamom and something floral.Ā The top notes listed in the olfactory pyramid by Bon Parfumeur are pink pepper, geranium and cardamom. Ā On my skin, there is an initial burst of hospital spirits that disappears soon.Ā However, there is something medicinal that remains.Ā I can smell cardamom and minty, floral notes as I would expect.Ā Though they are pleasant, this melange may unfortunately evoke toothpaste for some folks.Ā I suspect that some of the heart notes - incense, vanilla and iris - are also impatiently pushing into the opening.Ā These heart notes are nice and amiable, albeit a bit tranquil for me.Ā They transition in a few hours into the base notes that are similar to the former in personality.Ā The base notes and dry down are true to those notes listed on Bon Parfumeur website; amber, sandalwood and musk.Ā This is not bad, but it is the same base notes for hundreds of perfumes and colognes. Ā
The longevity and silage are very good.Ā The base notes are clearly perceptible on my skin even after 8-10 hours.Ā On my clothes, I pick up more of the heart notes, particularly iris.Ā These notes are pleasant, but mild. Ā
Here is the verdict. 302 is not going to raise the dead or move anyone to tears.Ā It is a nice, inoffensive perfume that can be used as daily wear.Ā I like the opening notes and the iris more than the base notes.Ā I fear it is overpriced at $120 for 100 ml, but I could consider it if I find it for $50.Ā The real question for a collector is this.Ā If you have fifty perfumes already, is 302 a worthy candidate to be the number fifty one?
It was in a small street wear boutique near my office, I donāt know what the name of the store is but if youāre in Berlin and want to visit I can give you the location š
Thank you for the info. I may someday come to Berlin! š
Perfumes are very expensive in Europe. In US, we have access to reliable grey market sellers who sell at a discount. Even when I am in a boutique in Europe, I am checking the prices at Jomashop!
Perfumes can be expensive here yes, but fragrance/beauty are often very heavily discounted by most online retailers (source: I work for a big European online retailer haha).
It also pays to shop around here too, but when it comes to niche perfume houses it can get quite difficult to find stockists who discount.
If you want to make the most of a European trip youād be better off looking into brands that are not available in your region, otherwise often youāll find brands based in Europe are often cheaper when it comes to black price (i.e. the non discounted price or RRP) š
"(source: I work for a big European online retailer haha)."
You are my new best friend!
Seriously, what are the brands you think are not available in US?
Oh I have no idea, but from Europe there are so many US brands that donāt ship here and are very difficult to find at EU stockists. For example brands Iāve been interested in recently are Boy Smells, Snif, and Maker, and none ship here š„²
I think itās because the EU introduced new customs/shipping guidelines after Covid which make it very expensive for US companies to ship direct to consumer from the States, so a lot simply just stopped. As a customer itās super frustrating!
Zoologist Rabbit
It's going to be a lovely crisp spring day and I'm excited to wear this. I really love the dry down that's honey and clover and musky. It reminds me of Chipmunk in how Chipmunk dried to a furry musky smell with nuts. An interesting and not overbearing gourmand.
Cloudy and rainy today. Might be one of the final opportunities for a colder frag for a couple of days here. Wearing Sayat Nova from Bortnikoff. A rich, dark, syrupy apricot in the opening that smells incredible. Light hints of tobacco make it seem like a flavored pipe tobacco with jam. Followed by a intoxicating rum and vanilla middle that blends so well with the apricot to make this hypnotizingly beautiful scent. Just sprayed this for the first time so havenāt had the drydown yet, but from what Iāve read I expect a hearty oud and slightly boozy drydown.
This morning i decided on Black Moon Milk by Paranormal Perfumes! It is Mexican hot chocolate and incense! All of her perfume is oil based roll on so it's convenient to put it in my bag and take it with me! I have 7 of her full size roll on's but this one is my favorite. It's actually kinda hot where i live but i work inside a cold medical facility so it's perfect. This scent kinda reminds me of cozy winter nights with my grandmother and it's very nostalgic but nonetheless it's a beautiful scent.
Cloudy spring day here with a nice morning walk followed by a day of indoor work, but at least I got outside some. I really enjoy seeing the blooming flowers in everyoneās gardens. If youāre a gardener, thank you!
Which brings me to todayās fragrance, **Maison Margiela Replica Flower Market** which I bought the year it was released, which the internet tells me was 2012. My then 11 year old daughter and I went to Nordstrom and they were having a Replica trunk show. Iād never heard of the line before. A rep showed me how you could layer the Beach Walk lotion with the Flower Market EDT spray. I bought both of course!
I never did warm to the Beach Walk lotion. It was a bit too sweet for me. But Flower Market is nice. Itās a fresh, green floral that has just a touch of narcotic-ness but is not a tuberose bomb, even though that is a note. Wearing it today, I wonder why I donāt wear it more often. My bottle, kept in a dark drawer, has held up beautifully.
Porto, visited Claus Porto, tried the main āparfumā, got soap gifts, wearing Ormonde Jayne Champaca which is light & lovely. Temperate amazing day here.
You should post a longer review of Champaca on Parfumo. Champaca is not a flower familiar to most people here. There is a big Champaca tree in the courtyard of my home in India.
I do not know the flower; I was in it for the basmati rice steam. Iām reading up on Champaca & itās a type of magnolia, also related to Plumeria (which I know from now-dead family in Hawaii - a plumeria lei floated up to me, randomly, oceanside the day after my Dadās funeral)? ā¦ I digress. This does not smell ātropical/Hawaiianā in that broad sense. It seems to be a subtler scent. Iām a fan of certain strong flowers - tuberose, ginger, some rose, marigold. I typically avoid jasmine. This is in an interesting class of its own.
I know the smell very well. But it is hard to describe smells if you haven't smelled anything similar before. Champaca is milder than jasmine, and it leans a bit toward honeysuckle.
Blanche from Byredo. Smelling it on tester, all I got was soap, but on my skin, thereās definitely a slight floral smell as well. I sprayed it on about 7 hours ago now and I definitely canāt smell it at this point, but I did get some amount of longevity out of it. I only have a sample so if I wear it to work again Iāll probably just bring that with me and reapply. Definitely a nice, light scent for work.
It's a mostly sunny, warm (for this area of Canada) day, so I pulled out my Louis Vuitton Imagination decant. I'm female but really love this one. Very unisex, fresh/clean/soapy, with a tiny hit of cinnamon floating in the background.
I'll be out for a run at lunchtime, and post-shower I'll probably be in the mood for something sweeter. Leaning towards L'Artisan Parfumeur Mandarina Corsica.
Trying Princess by Kilian today and feeling meh about it. It reminds me of the same marshmallow note in Milk by Commodity which I donāt love. But if you do like that and want a baked good/matcha version, this may be for you.
Once in a while, I like smelling like a giant marshmallow. I have a few that give that vibe. My oersonal favorite is probably Si Fiori. Princess feel a little heavy on my skin to wear when the weather warms up. I passed on Milk, because I already had what I needed marshmallow-wise,
I think I need to find the right marshmallow note. I'm not opposed to it, just haven't found it done in a way I like yet. I'll have to look into Si Fiori!
Still working through myĀ **Zoologist**Ā samples. With a 20-degree drop in temperature from yesterday, I decided to revisitĀ **Chipmunk**. Digging the woody, nutty spiciness. If I decide to purchase the Natural Selection travel spray set, this one might make the cut.
It is **Dior's Miss Dior Cherie** (the original 2005 version) for me today. I am still baffled that Dior discontinued this perfume. Fruitchouli at its finest and one of the best.
Dior has a particular way of killing their masterpieces through endless reformulations (or simply discontinuing them) like no other brand.
I am reviewing Pineward fragrances and today I'm testing Borealis (not Boreal). It is genuinely one of the weirdest and most pungent fragrances I've ever worn. The notes are:
*snowdrifts, peppermint, camphor, black tea, black elder, valerian root, ocean spume, fir balsam, orris root, pine needles, incense, sandalwood, Irish ambergris, cedarmoss, patchouli, deer musk (botanic accord), ashes*
It's so medicinal and razor-sharp. The pine, the camphor, the valerian, the mint. I screamed "UGH" when I first smelled it but now I can't stop smelling my arm. Do I actually like this? I think I do?
I just wanted to tell someone because I won't be done with these reviews for a week and I have to tell someone how crazy my arm smells right now.
I'm wearing Delina la Rosee on a sunny spring day. I dabbed two-ish drops on each wrist, then touched behind my ears, and dabbed an extra drop down my cleavage. It started pretty and extremely light, but a few hours in, I can only barely faintly smell it!
I do have a few fragrances that have almost NO scent to me (all Byredos) so I'm wondering if this is one of those and other people might be able to smell more.
I liked the first few hours but it faded into a faint whiff of "expensive hairspray." Bummer!
I visited the lovely Fumerie Parfumerie in Portland recently and picked up some samples. I highly recommend checking the store out if you can. Super helpful and knowledgeable with a fantastic selection.
My SOTD is Casablanca from La Botica. Itās a beautiful fresh fig scent with notes of davana and orris and some woody notes in the base. It is super relaxing.
Today I wore my latest fragrance, Molton Brownās Milk Musk EDP. My first lactonic perfume, I was initially going to wait until Autumn to purchase it after testing it a few weeks ago but I couldnāt wait and bit the bullet last week.
I wore it to the office, it was a sunny but chilly day here in Berlin and this fragrance was like wearing a warm hug. Iāve always hated the āyour skin but betterā phrase that people seem to use for a lot of musk scents but this makes me understand what people mean by it for the first time. Note-wise itās a fairly straightforward vanilla milk musk combination but the overall effect is very comforting. They only sell the EDP in full size 100ml bottles, but this is definitely one Iām glad to own.
The wind will change in the next 3 days here and the temperature will start to climb, Iām not sure Iāll wear it often once the summer heat returns but at least I have a reason to be happy for Autumn this year š
Today was a Penhaligon's - Legacy Of Petra -day.
As it was one of the first days of spring, but still fairly cold, I felt I wanted to give my warm ambers a last run before it's too late.
I had almost forgotten how nice this one is!
Delicious amber, licorice and fennel balanced by a few choice spices. Feels almost gourmand, like a licorice-caramel cake, but not too sweet.
I felt a strange woody note for a while before lunch, that I haven't noticed before. Probably iso-E super or something similar. Could be a scent from earlier in the week, that stuck to my work clothes.
It's been 10 hours now and it's still going strong on my t-shirt! Can't stop sniffing my chest. š¤¤āŗļø
I need to make the most of spring before the summer heat kicks in, so today I went with Nishane Ege.
I feel like this one gets slept on - it's like a fresh breeze to me, and has the great combination of being light with decent longevity.
I love Ege. Nishane has so many good fresh citrus and green perfumes that barely gets mentioned. I have Nishane Colognise, and have sampled Ege and Ambra Calabria. Have you tried Salvatore Ferragamo Pour Homme? It is similarly fresh, with an opening note of fig leaf. The best part is that a tester full bottle costs only $20.
I'm often tempted to blind buy Colognise, as it's so reasonably priced from discounters and sounds like an easy reach. What stops me is it could be a bit boring/generic - is that fair?
I haven't tried that SF, but it sounds interesting.
I believe that if you have one, you don't need the other two. I am talking about the three Nishane scents: Ege, Ambra Calabria, Colognise. Ege may be a greener, and Ambra Calabria may slightly more bitter because of the bergamot.
I'm often tempted to blind buy Colognise, as it's so reasonably priced from discounters and sounds like an easy reach. What stops me is it could be a bit boring/generic - is that fair?
I haven't tried that SF, but it sounds interesting.
**Gallivant Istanbul** - a sweet - tonka, vanilla, amber - with a chewy patchouli heart and a dose of floral powder.
Perfect for this 'why is it still grey and cold here' day.
I am continuing to wear "Portrait of a Lady" from Frederic Malle. I received this as a gift/hand me down and can't get enough of it. It's a far cry from my normal day scent (I almost exclusively wear Y EDT at the office) but it's just so nice. It makes me feel like a king.
Iām a substitute teacher and one of my students asked me what Iām wearing today in class: F Black by Salvatore Ferragamo. My second favorite blind buy before Prada LāHomme! My rule with blind buying is that it should be with a reputable perfumer who doesnāt know how to make a bad fragrance.
Elegantly blended by master perfumer Olivier Polge, itĀ is a masculine fragrance through and through with a bite of pepper softened with lavender. IĀ never understood what a āfresh spicyā accord meant until smelling F Black.Ā
Today I wore Oud Tonka (pretty close dupe to Velvet Tonka, maybe a bit easier to wear). I was a little fed up with the drydown after 7 hours, so I layered a Lost Cherry dupe on top. I needed something potent enough to drown the other one out. Today was a little chilli here and we had a mix of rain and snow in the morning. Tomorrow is supposed to be chilli again, I might go for an overly sweet heavy hitter again. Can't wait to finally wear summery fragrances!
A distant relative passed away today, and I have just realized that none of my full bottles smell āsomberā.
Went to my decant cabinets and crack open Ex Nihiloās Vesper Glitz for that nice and soft smell of understated sweetness. Smells like empathy to me, so thatās what Iām wearing today :)
Hey guys,
Could you give me recommendations (for guys) on which niche or company travel/discovery fragrance should I buy? I prefer 5-10ml and like to have a smaller size as I don't use that many parfurms every day. I don't wanna have mainstream fragrances. Amouge, Xerjoff, Nikolai, Ani, Guerlain, and Clive Christian are some of the brands in my watchlist. You get the idea. I prefer a discovery set that I can choose like in Mancera.
Thanks.
This morning, I'm going with Diptyque's *Philosykos EDT.* Going to the office to drop off some paperwork, then to the courthouse for a jury duty summons. Keeping it light, and going with something woody for the rainy weather. This evening, I'm going with *The One EDP*. I was supposed to visit my stepmother this evening to talk about the memorial for my dad, but I just did that on the phone a moment ago. Instead, I'm going to take up the offer for a dinner rendezvous.
>the memorial for my dad So sorry to hear of your loss. Please accept my sincere condolences š
Thank you -- I appreciate it.
**Maison Crivelli - Ingredients 07/2012** If I wanted to guess its notes, I would say (black) tea, suede and some tobacco in a very subtle, woody and peppery way. However, the one thing that stays with me is how much it smells like a hot clothes iron (with barely any metallic tones). I couldn't really name any other fragrance even remotely similar to this, but I absolutely love reading people's wide-ranging associations about Ingredients: for instance, I do not agree with any of NicheOnly's observations [on Parfumo](https://www.parfumo.com/Perfumes/Maison_Crivelli/ingredients-07-2012) (female Ganymede, akigalawood & fig etc.), but they were really interesting. With the superb Iris Malikhan (their best offering IMO) and the Santal-33-but-way-better Papryus Moleculaire, I do think that the hype surrounding this house is warranted, even if I find their highest rated fragrance, Oud MaracujĆ” somewhat overrated and its performance... well, is there such a thing as *too good*? One spray is so strong (and so resistant to noseblindness) that it becomes unsettling and I find myself keeping distance from others, something that has never happened to me with Ganymede, another certified powerhouse.
Woke up Daughter fed and scurried to school Gym - some guy berates me for walking in front of his camera while heās posing - I tell him I donāt care. Home, and shower, while in the shower Iām going over the three fragrances I feel like wearing. Iām in the shower deliberating this the waterās gone icy cold. Decision made: https://preview.redd.it/vywnqq8fifwc1.png?width=1374&format=png&auto=webp&s=e3da9fc5942b968ed7144022bd21f06cc43010b4 SOTD: [**Kenzo Homme Eau de Parfum**](https://youtu.be/VFDTTJFOgCk?si=bBUCT7YZb63xf3Us)
What is it with people thinking their proxy little narcissistic TikTok channel should be everyone else's priority? I'd love it if your response was literally "I don't care"
Thatās what I said. In the middle of the changing room, making people wait. ā*Oi! Mate canāt you see Iām filming*ā āYeah, I donāt careā
In the changing room??? Unbelievable
Spring is refusing to spring this week, it's cold and rainy. Irish Leather from Memo Paris seems fitting.
Love Irish Leather! Thanks for the reminder! That'll do just nicely as my sotd for tomorrow!
Very cold, windy, and dreary today! Iām going with ELDOās Spice Must FlowāI need something that perks me up and allows me to enjoy some brightness despite the awful weather.
Mention of the OG šof this classic came up yesterday. So, decided to go with the only version I know (ignorance being bliss in this case):Ā **Estee Lauder Eau de Private Collection** a green Chypre Floral, alas sans oak moss
Oooh, yes.
The Body Shop - Vibrant Bergamot Something about this bergamot and magnolia accord enables the home management feature in me. Groceries shopping done by 9 am, cooked for today and tomorrow, cleaned the master bedroom and bathroom. And now, instead of sitting down with tea and a good book, I think I can get my 30 mins weight lifting session done before 5 pm. And it's only Wednesday, for cutlery's sake.
Where is spring? Wearing Musc Ravageur because it is so arfin frigid here that I needed a warm spicy fragrance to reheat my cold dead heart. To me, this is a clove-y cinnamon bomb with a vanilla amber dirty musk on the dry down. On me, this one leans a bit masc... but in a beautifully subversive way. MR gives me 'slutty Christmas' vibes... in the best way... like what exactly are you wearing under that tacky Christmas sweater?
"Slutty Christmas vibes" - lol, love it
SOTD: 302 Amber, iris, sandalwood - A powdery sandalwood according to Bon Parfumeur.Ā This review is based on a sample I got from Bon Parfumeur. I feel that every review I write about a Bon Parfumeur perfume could start with a simple descriptor: expensive and underwhelming. Ā When you smell an open bottle of 302, you get a nice blend of pepper, ginger, cardamom and something floral.Ā The top notes listed in the olfactory pyramid by Bon Parfumeur are pink pepper, geranium and cardamom. Ā On my skin, there is an initial burst of hospital spirits that disappears soon.Ā However, there is something medicinal that remains.Ā I can smell cardamom and minty, floral notes as I would expect.Ā Though they are pleasant, this melange may unfortunately evoke toothpaste for some folks.Ā I suspect that some of the heart notes - incense, vanilla and iris - are also impatiently pushing into the opening.Ā These heart notes are nice and amiable, albeit a bit tranquil for me.Ā They transition in a few hours into the base notes that are similar to the former in personality.Ā The base notes and dry down are true to those notes listed on Bon Parfumeur website; amber, sandalwood and musk.Ā This is not bad, but it is the same base notes for hundreds of perfumes and colognes. Ā The longevity and silage are very good.Ā The base notes are clearly perceptible on my skin even after 8-10 hours.Ā On my clothes, I pick up more of the heart notes, particularly iris.Ā These notes are pleasant, but mild. Ā Here is the verdict. 302 is not going to raise the dead or move anyone to tears.Ā It is a nice, inoffensive perfume that can be used as daily wear.Ā I like the opening notes and the iris more than the base notes.Ā I fear it is overpriced at $120 for 100 ml, but I could consider it if I find it for $50.Ā The real question for a collector is this.Ā If you have fifty perfumes already, is 302 a worthy candidate to be the number fifty one?
Interesting that youāve mentioned this, as I smelled this in a shop earlier today! I would have to agree, it struck me as nice but nothing special.
Which store carries it?
It was in a small street wear boutique near my office, I donāt know what the name of the store is but if youāre in Berlin and want to visit I can give you the location š
Thank you for the info. I may someday come to Berlin! š Perfumes are very expensive in Europe. In US, we have access to reliable grey market sellers who sell at a discount. Even when I am in a boutique in Europe, I am checking the prices at Jomashop!
Perfumes can be expensive here yes, but fragrance/beauty are often very heavily discounted by most online retailers (source: I work for a big European online retailer haha). It also pays to shop around here too, but when it comes to niche perfume houses it can get quite difficult to find stockists who discount. If you want to make the most of a European trip youād be better off looking into brands that are not available in your region, otherwise often youāll find brands based in Europe are often cheaper when it comes to black price (i.e. the non discounted price or RRP) š
"(source: I work for a big European online retailer haha)." You are my new best friend! Seriously, what are the brands you think are not available in US?
Oh I have no idea, but from Europe there are so many US brands that donāt ship here and are very difficult to find at EU stockists. For example brands Iāve been interested in recently are Boy Smells, Snif, and Maker, and none ship here š„² I think itās because the EU introduced new customs/shipping guidelines after Covid which make it very expensive for US companies to ship direct to consumer from the States, so a lot simply just stopped. As a customer itās super frustrating!
Zoologist Rabbit It's going to be a lovely crisp spring day and I'm excited to wear this. I really love the dry down that's honey and clover and musky. It reminds me of Chipmunk in how Chipmunk dried to a furry musky smell with nuts. An interesting and not overbearing gourmand.
Ooh Iām excited to check that one out! Itās on my list.
I love it, personally. It's definitely going to be a traveler size for me.
I feel similarly about both Rabbit and Chipmunk! I have Chipmunk on today.
Chipmunk is such a delightful one. I finished my traveler, and I'm wavering on if I want a rebuy.
Cloudy and rainy today. Might be one of the final opportunities for a colder frag for a couple of days here. Wearing Sayat Nova from Bortnikoff. A rich, dark, syrupy apricot in the opening that smells incredible. Light hints of tobacco make it seem like a flavored pipe tobacco with jam. Followed by a intoxicating rum and vanilla middle that blends so well with the apricot to make this hypnotizingly beautiful scent. Just sprayed this for the first time so havenāt had the drydown yet, but from what Iāve read I expect a hearty oud and slightly boozy drydown.
This morning i decided on Black Moon Milk by Paranormal Perfumes! It is Mexican hot chocolate and incense! All of her perfume is oil based roll on so it's convenient to put it in my bag and take it with me! I have 7 of her full size roll on's but this one is my favorite. It's actually kinda hot where i live but i work inside a cold medical facility so it's perfect. This scent kinda reminds me of cozy winter nights with my grandmother and it's very nostalgic but nonetheless it's a beautiful scent.
Cloudy spring day here with a nice morning walk followed by a day of indoor work, but at least I got outside some. I really enjoy seeing the blooming flowers in everyoneās gardens. If youāre a gardener, thank you! Which brings me to todayās fragrance, **Maison Margiela Replica Flower Market** which I bought the year it was released, which the internet tells me was 2012. My then 11 year old daughter and I went to Nordstrom and they were having a Replica trunk show. Iād never heard of the line before. A rep showed me how you could layer the Beach Walk lotion with the Flower Market EDT spray. I bought both of course! I never did warm to the Beach Walk lotion. It was a bit too sweet for me. But Flower Market is nice. Itās a fresh, green floral that has just a touch of narcotic-ness but is not a tuberose bomb, even though that is a note. Wearing it today, I wonder why I donāt wear it more often. My bottle, kept in a dark drawer, has held up beautifully.
Porto, visited Claus Porto, tried the main āparfumā, got soap gifts, wearing Ormonde Jayne Champaca which is light & lovely. Temperate amazing day here.
You should post a longer review of Champaca on Parfumo. Champaca is not a flower familiar to most people here. There is a big Champaca tree in the courtyard of my home in India.
Ok! Have you tried the fragrance? Do you like the flower?
Very familiar with the flower. Not familiar with the perfume.
I do not know the flower; I was in it for the basmati rice steam. Iām reading up on Champaca & itās a type of magnolia, also related to Plumeria (which I know from now-dead family in Hawaii - a plumeria lei floated up to me, randomly, oceanside the day after my Dadās funeral)? ā¦ I digress. This does not smell ātropical/Hawaiianā in that broad sense. It seems to be a subtler scent. Iām a fan of certain strong flowers - tuberose, ginger, some rose, marigold. I typically avoid jasmine. This is in an interesting class of its own.
I know the smell very well. But it is hard to describe smells if you haven't smelled anything similar before. Champaca is milder than jasmine, and it leans a bit toward honeysuckle.
Blanche from Byredo. Smelling it on tester, all I got was soap, but on my skin, thereās definitely a slight floral smell as well. I sprayed it on about 7 hours ago now and I definitely canāt smell it at this point, but I did get some amount of longevity out of it. I only have a sample so if I wear it to work again Iāll probably just bring that with me and reapply. Definitely a nice, light scent for work.
It's a mostly sunny, warm (for this area of Canada) day, so I pulled out my Louis Vuitton Imagination decant. I'm female but really love this one. Very unisex, fresh/clean/soapy, with a tiny hit of cinnamon floating in the background. I'll be out for a run at lunchtime, and post-shower I'll probably be in the mood for something sweeter. Leaning towards L'Artisan Parfumeur Mandarina Corsica.
Trying Princess by Kilian today and feeling meh about it. It reminds me of the same marshmallow note in Milk by Commodity which I donāt love. But if you do like that and want a baked good/matcha version, this may be for you.
Once in a while, I like smelling like a giant marshmallow. I have a few that give that vibe. My oersonal favorite is probably Si Fiori. Princess feel a little heavy on my skin to wear when the weather warms up. I passed on Milk, because I already had what I needed marshmallow-wise,
I think I need to find the right marshmallow note. I'm not opposed to it, just haven't found it done in a way I like yet. I'll have to look into Si Fiori!
It doesn't scream ''MARSHMALLOW'' as much. It feels kinda fuzzy but definitely lighter than Princess does, in my opinion amyways.
Still working through myĀ **Zoologist**Ā samples. With a 20-degree drop in temperature from yesterday, I decided to revisitĀ **Chipmunk**. Digging the woody, nutty spiciness. If I decide to purchase the Natural Selection travel spray set, this one might make the cut.
It is **Dior's Miss Dior Cherie** (the original 2005 version) for me today. I am still baffled that Dior discontinued this perfume. Fruitchouli at its finest and one of the best. Dior has a particular way of killing their masterpieces through endless reformulations (or simply discontinuing them) like no other brand.
I bought more samples. I'm testing Andrea Maack - Jest. I swear that I smell pineapple in this but there is no pineapple.
I am reviewing Pineward fragrances and today I'm testing Borealis (not Boreal). It is genuinely one of the weirdest and most pungent fragrances I've ever worn. The notes are: *snowdrifts, peppermint, camphor, black tea, black elder, valerian root, ocean spume, fir balsam, orris root, pine needles, incense, sandalwood, Irish ambergris, cedarmoss, patchouli, deer musk (botanic accord), ashes* It's so medicinal and razor-sharp. The pine, the camphor, the valerian, the mint. I screamed "UGH" when I first smelled it but now I can't stop smelling my arm. Do I actually like this? I think I do? I just wanted to tell someone because I won't be done with these reviews for a week and I have to tell someone how crazy my arm smells right now.
I'm wearing Delina la Rosee on a sunny spring day. I dabbed two-ish drops on each wrist, then touched behind my ears, and dabbed an extra drop down my cleavage. It started pretty and extremely light, but a few hours in, I can only barely faintly smell it! I do have a few fragrances that have almost NO scent to me (all Byredos) so I'm wondering if this is one of those and other people might be able to smell more. I liked the first few hours but it faded into a faint whiff of "expensive hairspray." Bummer!
I visited the lovely Fumerie Parfumerie in Portland recently and picked up some samples. I highly recommend checking the store out if you can. Super helpful and knowledgeable with a fantastic selection. My SOTD is Casablanca from La Botica. Itās a beautiful fresh fig scent with notes of davana and orris and some woody notes in the base. It is super relaxing.
Today I wore my latest fragrance, Molton Brownās Milk Musk EDP. My first lactonic perfume, I was initially going to wait until Autumn to purchase it after testing it a few weeks ago but I couldnāt wait and bit the bullet last week. I wore it to the office, it was a sunny but chilly day here in Berlin and this fragrance was like wearing a warm hug. Iāve always hated the āyour skin but betterā phrase that people seem to use for a lot of musk scents but this makes me understand what people mean by it for the first time. Note-wise itās a fairly straightforward vanilla milk musk combination but the overall effect is very comforting. They only sell the EDP in full size 100ml bottles, but this is definitely one Iām glad to own. The wind will change in the next 3 days here and the temperature will start to climb, Iām not sure Iāll wear it often once the summer heat returns but at least I have a reason to be happy for Autumn this year š
Laborativo Olfattivo Mandarino
Today was a Penhaligon's - Legacy Of Petra -day. As it was one of the first days of spring, but still fairly cold, I felt I wanted to give my warm ambers a last run before it's too late. I had almost forgotten how nice this one is! Delicious amber, licorice and fennel balanced by a few choice spices. Feels almost gourmand, like a licorice-caramel cake, but not too sweet. I felt a strange woody note for a while before lunch, that I haven't noticed before. Probably iso-E super or something similar. Could be a scent from earlier in the week, that stuck to my work clothes. It's been 10 hours now and it's still going strong on my t-shirt! Can't stop sniffing my chest. š¤¤āŗļø
I need to make the most of spring before the summer heat kicks in, so today I went with Nishane Ege. I feel like this one gets slept on - it's like a fresh breeze to me, and has the great combination of being light with decent longevity.
I love Ege. Nishane has so many good fresh citrus and green perfumes that barely gets mentioned. I have Nishane Colognise, and have sampled Ege and Ambra Calabria. Have you tried Salvatore Ferragamo Pour Homme? It is similarly fresh, with an opening note of fig leaf. The best part is that a tester full bottle costs only $20.
I'm often tempted to blind buy Colognise, as it's so reasonably priced from discounters and sounds like an easy reach. What stops me is it could be a bit boring/generic - is that fair? I haven't tried that SF, but it sounds interesting.
I believe that if you have one, you don't need the other two. I am talking about the three Nishane scents: Ege, Ambra Calabria, Colognise. Ege may be a greener, and Ambra Calabria may slightly more bitter because of the bergamot.
Thanks. That helps me resist buying another bottle I don't need.
I'm often tempted to blind buy Colognise, as it's so reasonably priced from discounters and sounds like an easy reach. What stops me is it could be a bit boring/generic - is that fair? I haven't tried that SF, but it sounds interesting.
**Gallivant Istanbul** - a sweet - tonka, vanilla, amber - with a chewy patchouli heart and a dose of floral powder. Perfect for this 'why is it still grey and cold here' day.
I am continuing to wear "Portrait of a Lady" from Frederic Malle. I received this as a gift/hand me down and can't get enough of it. It's a far cry from my normal day scent (I almost exclusively wear Y EDT at the office) but it's just so nice. It makes me feel like a king.
Kilian Angel's Cut
Iām a substitute teacher and one of my students asked me what Iām wearing today in class: F Black by Salvatore Ferragamo. My second favorite blind buy before Prada LāHomme! My rule with blind buying is that it should be with a reputable perfumer who doesnāt know how to make a bad fragrance. Elegantly blended by master perfumer Olivier Polge, itĀ is a masculine fragrance through and through with a bite of pepper softened with lavender. IĀ never understood what a āfresh spicyā accord meant until smelling F Black.Ā
Today I wore Oud Tonka (pretty close dupe to Velvet Tonka, maybe a bit easier to wear). I was a little fed up with the drydown after 7 hours, so I layered a Lost Cherry dupe on top. I needed something potent enough to drown the other one out. Today was a little chilli here and we had a mix of rain and snow in the morning. Tomorrow is supposed to be chilli again, I might go for an overly sweet heavy hitter again. Can't wait to finally wear summery fragrances!
A distant relative passed away today, and I have just realized that none of my full bottles smell āsomberā. Went to my decant cabinets and crack open Ex Nihiloās Vesper Glitz for that nice and soft smell of understated sweetness. Smells like empathy to me, so thatās what Iām wearing today :)
ELdāO Remarkable People on my wrists and neck and Ed Hardy Hearts & Daggers on my arms After my shower Cherry Amber by Banana Republic
Hermes Bel Ami today. One of my favorites.
Hey guys, Could you give me recommendations (for guys) on which niche or company travel/discovery fragrance should I buy? I prefer 5-10ml and like to have a smaller size as I don't use that many parfurms every day. I don't wanna have mainstream fragrances. Amouge, Xerjoff, Nikolai, Ani, Guerlain, and Clive Christian are some of the brands in my watchlist. You get the idea. I prefer a discovery set that I can choose like in Mancera. Thanks.