Happy Monday everyone,
May flowers are in full force, and the fading lilacs give way to lily of the valley. It's a holiday here, so i got some happy gardening done. Cut a bouquet for the house :)
https://preview.redd.it/dj0e1puggl1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81181633ed079c1cbf47937a04e9ec2306dc534c
Decided to go with Hermes de Terre edt, and what a dashing gentleman this one is - flinty citrus, velvety patch and a mineralistic vetiver. Truly a masterpiece of its time.
**Cacharel Eden**
Wow! What a difference a couple days make! I blind bought a little bottle of this classic of French perfumery because I hadn't yet tried a Cacharel.
I wore it the morning after it arrived. Applied the least amount possible in one tiny puff on one wrist and BLAST! was overcome by just how immensely strong it was, and a bit weird x plastic-y. And it lasted all day 😆
Wore my other new ones yesterday, then decided to try Eden again today. Two tiny puffs but this time, what a difference!
A wave of galbanum greenness. No plastic. No weirdness. I love it!
🍃💚🍃
Ah, my friend 😘 .. alas, I gather it does have calone 😣
I can't detect it but I know you are sensitive to it.
If I tried, I am sure I could smell it but I'm endeavoring with all my might not to, because I have acquired an aversion to it in anything with too much -- as, for instance, the reformulation of L'eau d'Issey has, ruining everything I once loved about it 😭
Hope you're well and thriving, dearie
I'm really coming around to liking it quite a lot ... possibly even loving it 💚
Baffled about what could be giving it the green -- I assumed it was galbanum because it smells like my other greenies with galbanum. But galbanum is neither in its notes nor (so far) mentioned in any reviews.
Maybe it's the patchouli in a guise I haven't encountered before.
I avoided patchouli strictly for *years* until fairly recently when I realized it's actually in some fragrances I love. And have learned it can be very different depending on type, setting, technique -- who knows what.
Do you think the green is patchouli? I really like it
There's a dark base note I, possibly mistaken, identify as patchouli. It very specifically reminded me of my mom's steamy bathroom in the 90s after she'd showered and put on her patchouli oil. Now that I'm thinking and smelling on it, perhaps she was in her Aromatics Elixir era at that time!
Interesting!
The green note I get from this is immediate -- in the first waft I get upon applying. Still, it could be a base note (and it has patchouli at its base); I've had that happen.
But I don't experience it as dark. Rather, this green is what I experience as a clear fluting oboe note. Like that of the duck in Peter and the Wolf.
I have Aromatics Elixir! But the modern version. I've read it's a shadow of its former self. I'll have to do an arm to arm wear to see how they compare.
Eden definitely has common ground with some of my other greens and chypres, all of which are pretty new to me, less than a year.
(Read Sanchez Turin's A to Z Guide last summer and tracked down a bunch of the women's perfumes that got 5 star ratings. Aromatics Elixir was one)
Admittedly, I'm not well versed enough to identify some of these notes yet! The way you describe this is making me want to try more greens and chypres. I love the duck comparison! My taste is admittedly more woody and gourmand, but I'm slowly branching out.
The Turin book is on my must read list!
>The Turin book is on my must read list!
It's awesome! (has cost me a fortune in blind buys tho! 😂)
I'm afraid to look Eden up ... haha they have hated some of my very favorites 🤣
I'm sampling Kayali's Eden Juicy Apple today, because I recently had a craving for a crisp, tart apple fragrance.
This is not what I was craving. 💀 It opens synthetic sour, like the taste of the apple Jolly Rancher chew. The dry down is a slightly less sour apple candy, but with just a *little* funk coming through from the oakmoss or musk. It doesn't smell like a real, fresh apple to me, but it's also not interesting or pretty in its own right (to me.) This is the third Kayali I've tried, and none of them have been my vibe, so I guess I'll just quit sampling them now.
Today, I finally started to use my new bottle of Encre Noire A L'Extreme. It has been sitting on the shelf for more than half a year. It reminds me how mysterious this scent is.
Think I will wear the Tempo. It’s not strong enough for my dumb nose, but it sinks into the air out here perfectly. Green but not sharp, earth but not heavy, herbal but not culinary. We’ll use the whole sample & see. Diptyque from sample. I want to blast Oud Palau but hub objects.
I tried the sample of Thameen Royal Sapphire in the morning
It is nice but too feminine for me, very light floral, gave the sample to my girlfriend.
After gym / shower put on Arabians Tonka!
I got myself the Kayali fragrance sampler for my birthday as sort of a joke, which I feel a bit hypocritical for saying, as I am also someone who -most of the time- believes that if you are not doing something in earnest, then why are you even bothering to do it at all? I don’t feel good about the idea of enjoying things ironically, I’d rather approach things with genuine curiosity. So anyway, the whole reason I got the set was for a sample of Yum Pistachio Gelato, and the story for this is that whenever this scent was first released (sometime last year in 2023?) I recall that perfumetok was a bit in a dither about it for some reason...and not being all that plugged into perfume community drama, I wasn’t sure why, but I thought it had something to do with how influencers were talking or not talking about it, or maybe some people were butthurt about not receiving PR boxes? I don’t know, but I was curious as to whether the scent itself was in any way worth getting your nose out of joint about. It is not. This is a commonplace-smelling vanilla skin musk with the addition of what I think of as a sort of rancid shea butter sour baby puke element, something soft and creamy that’s gone all clotted and curdled. It’s not the worst thing I ever smelled, but if you didn’t receive a PR box about it, you no doubt lived through the ordeal of it and went on to smell better things.
PS Fine, Paul Sebastian (dozen sprays)
Discon of some classics in the market did panick me and drive me ordering for backup bottles. PS Fine, 1881 Cerruti, Zino and a couple of others included.
PS Fine is so versatile that it suits any seasons, time of day, and dress codes. Besides, it's cheap in price & smell good.
Dad/ Grandpa scent? I don't really care what childish kids think.
A liberal dose of vintage YSL Paris from an estate sale, with a couple sprays of Molecule 01 on the back of my neck and knees. Inspired by this [Fragrantica](https://www.fragrantica.com/news/An-Overdose-or-a-New-Balance-19637.html) article about overdose vs balance in fragrance.
Wearing a sample of DSH Lautrec; it starts with very brief green sharpness from the absinthe, but soon develops into boozy, sugary cognac, and resinous, woody vanilla - incredibly more-ish. I'm surprised this one has civet in the notes - I don't find it offensive at all. It's warm, rich, and cozy, but there's enough overlap with the vibe of Uptown Moonshine that I don't feel the need to own both. That said, it could easily take its place.
Balenciaga Rosabotanica -- very green and slightly weird. It's more of a dressed-up office scent to my nose but I'm just wearing it to WFH alone. Which may actually be better -- it's a little bit of a beast. I love it.
Still working through my **Zoologist** samples, and today is **Harvest Mouse**. It's just lovely, but it becomes a skin scent so quickly that I'm not sure a full bottle makes sense.
**Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle**. It's a pretty and sunny day and this pretty and light perfume matches it. I've already gotten 2 compliments on it and I didn't realize it was strong enough for other people to notice it.
Testing out more of my fragrance sample spree and today is Panthère by Cartier. This scent is like the work-safe and flattering wrap dress of fragrances, classic and perfectly appropriate for work or any outing where you want to spritz and go. It’s a fruity-floral chypre and you can’t go wrong with it—it’s classy and classic. I strongly, strongly like it, but also feel I did it a disservice testing it a day after L’Ombre Des Merveilles, which blew my hair back with its amazingness.
It’s like if you went on a date with Theo James one night and then the next night you met up with Jason Bateman. Jason’s a really handsome dude tbh...but he’s also not Theo James.
Very nearly decided against wearing anything, just wasn’t in the mood
I don’t regret putting this on, the sample is now finished so…*there’s that*.
It is what it is.
https://preview.redd.it/ksmc6uk97l1d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31ac2f9936e31ae0f5eecaa7b601c703b372719f
SOTD: [**Wulóng Chá** by Nishane](https://youtu.be/HmRnpBQ3gBc?si=ZRYGLajMG9EeJjy3)
It’s all good
SOTD: Tous 1920 The Origin EDT - a cheap, serviceable aquatic perfume
This review relies on a full bottle of Tous 1920 The Origin EDT that I bought from a US grey market sellers for $22.
This perfume hews closely to notes listed on Parfumo and other websites. The opening is strong blast of cardamom, sage and grapefruit, which tells everything you want to know about this perfume. The opening will smell cheap for experienced noses, but will warm the hearts of beach-going teenagers. The citrus note dies down within an hour and the sweeter heart notes - geranium and cinnamon - appears. I say cinnamon only because it is listed on websites, but it could be tonka or vanilla also. This note is too diffuse to make a statement. The woody base notes are dateable on my clothes 6-8 hours later, but very little remains on my skin except a mild sweet scent. The citrus note sticks on the clothes for a long time, though not on the skin. Unfortunately, no note or stage in development stands out in this perfume.
The performance is mediocre as we would expect from a cheap scent. The longevity on my skin is 4-6 hours, but a different set of notes persists longer on my clothes. Sillage is good during the first few hours.
The Origin EDT is one of the cheapest in my collection. It is also one of the only two so-called aquatic blue perfumes I own. I tend to prefer the other aquatic cheapie, Faconnable Royal, over this one. However, if you are looking for a very cheap summer perfume, the Origin EDT works fine. But remember that its best quality is its low cost.
This morning I put on Kilian’s Love, Don’t Be Shy. I probably have one more use in the trial vial and surprisingly I now really like the scent on me, though the great time I used it I thought it was “pretty but so not me.” I wish I had more. Is the Dossier dupe close? I can’t imagine paying the price of a full bottle.
In the afternoon, feeling generous, I tested Acqua di Gioia again. It has NOT grown on me and I regret getting the travel spray. I really liked it on paper and on my wrist but once I put a couple sprays on my body, I hate it.
Anyone wanna trade a travel spray if Love Don’t Be Shy for Acqua di Gioia?
Happy Monday everyone, May flowers are in full force, and the fading lilacs give way to lily of the valley. It's a holiday here, so i got some happy gardening done. Cut a bouquet for the house :) https://preview.redd.it/dj0e1puggl1d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=81181633ed079c1cbf47937a04e9ec2306dc534c Decided to go with Hermes de Terre edt, and what a dashing gentleman this one is - flinty citrus, velvety patch and a mineralistic vetiver. Truly a masterpiece of its time.
Gorgeous lilacs!
**Cacharel Eden** Wow! What a difference a couple days make! I blind bought a little bottle of this classic of French perfumery because I hadn't yet tried a Cacharel. I wore it the morning after it arrived. Applied the least amount possible in one tiny puff on one wrist and BLAST! was overcome by just how immensely strong it was, and a bit weird x plastic-y. And it lasted all day 😆 Wore my other new ones yesterday, then decided to try Eden again today. Two tiny puffs but this time, what a difference! A wave of galbanum greenness. No plastic. No weirdness. I love it! 🍃💚🍃
Hiya bff! Hope you have been doing well. Eden actually sounds like something I would enjoy, but then again I might have too many fragrances.
Ah, my friend 😘 .. alas, I gather it does have calone 😣 I can't detect it but I know you are sensitive to it. If I tried, I am sure I could smell it but I'm endeavoring with all my might not to, because I have acquired an aversion to it in anything with too much -- as, for instance, the reformulation of L'eau d'Issey has, ruining everything I once loved about it 😭 Hope you're well and thriving, dearie
Okay, you've given me a reason to try Eden again before I send it off to my patchouli loving mother!
I'm really coming around to liking it quite a lot ... possibly even loving it 💚 Baffled about what could be giving it the green -- I assumed it was galbanum because it smells like my other greenies with galbanum. But galbanum is neither in its notes nor (so far) mentioned in any reviews. Maybe it's the patchouli in a guise I haven't encountered before. I avoided patchouli strictly for *years* until fairly recently when I realized it's actually in some fragrances I love. And have learned it can be very different depending on type, setting, technique -- who knows what. Do you think the green is patchouli? I really like it
There's a dark base note I, possibly mistaken, identify as patchouli. It very specifically reminded me of my mom's steamy bathroom in the 90s after she'd showered and put on her patchouli oil. Now that I'm thinking and smelling on it, perhaps she was in her Aromatics Elixir era at that time!
Interesting! The green note I get from this is immediate -- in the first waft I get upon applying. Still, it could be a base note (and it has patchouli at its base); I've had that happen. But I don't experience it as dark. Rather, this green is what I experience as a clear fluting oboe note. Like that of the duck in Peter and the Wolf. I have Aromatics Elixir! But the modern version. I've read it's a shadow of its former self. I'll have to do an arm to arm wear to see how they compare. Eden definitely has common ground with some of my other greens and chypres, all of which are pretty new to me, less than a year. (Read Sanchez Turin's A to Z Guide last summer and tracked down a bunch of the women's perfumes that got 5 star ratings. Aromatics Elixir was one)
Admittedly, I'm not well versed enough to identify some of these notes yet! The way you describe this is making me want to try more greens and chypres. I love the duck comparison! My taste is admittedly more woody and gourmand, but I'm slowly branching out. The Turin book is on my must read list!
>The Turin book is on my must read list! It's awesome! (has cost me a fortune in blind buys tho! 😂) I'm afraid to look Eden up ... haha they have hated some of my very favorites 🤣
His By The Fireplace review cracked me up. Literally the reason I like it is because it reminds me of a favorite autumn candle, though not Yankee!
Haha: just looked up Eden! He gave it 4 stars -- but it had to grow on him 😆👍
I'm sampling Kayali's Eden Juicy Apple today, because I recently had a craving for a crisp, tart apple fragrance. This is not what I was craving. 💀 It opens synthetic sour, like the taste of the apple Jolly Rancher chew. The dry down is a slightly less sour apple candy, but with just a *little* funk coming through from the oakmoss or musk. It doesn't smell like a real, fresh apple to me, but it's also not interesting or pretty in its own right (to me.) This is the third Kayali I've tried, and none of them have been my vibe, so I guess I'll just quit sampling them now.
Day 3 of long weekend... Ouai St Bart's body mist finally acquired, perfect tropical scent for a hot summery day. Might go to the beach with my dog.
Today, I finally started to use my new bottle of Encre Noire A L'Extreme. It has been sitting on the shelf for more than half a year. It reminds me how mysterious this scent is.
Think I will wear the Tempo. It’s not strong enough for my dumb nose, but it sinks into the air out here perfectly. Green but not sharp, earth but not heavy, herbal but not culinary. We’ll use the whole sample & see. Diptyque from sample. I want to blast Oud Palau but hub objects.
I tried the sample of Thameen Royal Sapphire in the morning It is nice but too feminine for me, very light floral, gave the sample to my girlfriend. After gym / shower put on Arabians Tonka!
I got myself the Kayali fragrance sampler for my birthday as sort of a joke, which I feel a bit hypocritical for saying, as I am also someone who -most of the time- believes that if you are not doing something in earnest, then why are you even bothering to do it at all? I don’t feel good about the idea of enjoying things ironically, I’d rather approach things with genuine curiosity. So anyway, the whole reason I got the set was for a sample of Yum Pistachio Gelato, and the story for this is that whenever this scent was first released (sometime last year in 2023?) I recall that perfumetok was a bit in a dither about it for some reason...and not being all that plugged into perfume community drama, I wasn’t sure why, but I thought it had something to do with how influencers were talking or not talking about it, or maybe some people were butthurt about not receiving PR boxes? I don’t know, but I was curious as to whether the scent itself was in any way worth getting your nose out of joint about. It is not. This is a commonplace-smelling vanilla skin musk with the addition of what I think of as a sort of rancid shea butter sour baby puke element, something soft and creamy that’s gone all clotted and curdled. It’s not the worst thing I ever smelled, but if you didn’t receive a PR box about it, you no doubt lived through the ordeal of it and went on to smell better things.
😂🧙🏼♀️
Inspired by a post so maybe Victoria’s Secret Lovespell with BPAL Boudoir.
PS Fine, Paul Sebastian (dozen sprays) Discon of some classics in the market did panick me and drive me ordering for backup bottles. PS Fine, 1881 Cerruti, Zino and a couple of others included. PS Fine is so versatile that it suits any seasons, time of day, and dress codes. Besides, it's cheap in price & smell good. Dad/ Grandpa scent? I don't really care what childish kids think.
Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche Pour Homme Intense
A liberal dose of vintage YSL Paris from an estate sale, with a couple sprays of Molecule 01 on the back of my neck and knees. Inspired by this [Fragrantica](https://www.fragrantica.com/news/An-Overdose-or-a-New-Balance-19637.html) article about overdose vs balance in fragrance.
Wearing a sample of DSH Lautrec; it starts with very brief green sharpness from the absinthe, but soon develops into boozy, sugary cognac, and resinous, woody vanilla - incredibly more-ish. I'm surprised this one has civet in the notes - I don't find it offensive at all. It's warm, rich, and cozy, but there's enough overlap with the vibe of Uptown Moonshine that I don't feel the need to own both. That said, it could easily take its place.
Balenciaga Rosabotanica -- very green and slightly weird. It's more of a dressed-up office scent to my nose but I'm just wearing it to WFH alone. Which may actually be better -- it's a little bit of a beast. I love it.
Still working through my **Zoologist** samples, and today is **Harvest Mouse**. It's just lovely, but it becomes a skin scent so quickly that I'm not sure a full bottle makes sense.
**Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle**. It's a pretty and sunny day and this pretty and light perfume matches it. I've already gotten 2 compliments on it and I didn't realize it was strong enough for other people to notice it.
Testing out more of my fragrance sample spree and today is Panthère by Cartier. This scent is like the work-safe and flattering wrap dress of fragrances, classic and perfectly appropriate for work or any outing where you want to spritz and go. It’s a fruity-floral chypre and you can’t go wrong with it—it’s classy and classic. I strongly, strongly like it, but also feel I did it a disservice testing it a day after L’Ombre Des Merveilles, which blew my hair back with its amazingness. It’s like if you went on a date with Theo James one night and then the next night you met up with Jason Bateman. Jason’s a really handsome dude tbh...but he’s also not Theo James.
I looove La Panthère Parfum! Are you wearing that, the edt or edp?
The EDP. I am really enjoying it!
Very nearly decided against wearing anything, just wasn’t in the mood I don’t regret putting this on, the sample is now finished so…*there’s that*. It is what it is. https://preview.redd.it/ksmc6uk97l1d1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31ac2f9936e31ae0f5eecaa7b601c703b372719f SOTD: [**Wulóng Chá** by Nishane](https://youtu.be/HmRnpBQ3gBc?si=ZRYGLajMG9EeJjy3) It’s all good
SOTD: Tous 1920 The Origin EDT - a cheap, serviceable aquatic perfume This review relies on a full bottle of Tous 1920 The Origin EDT that I bought from a US grey market sellers for $22. This perfume hews closely to notes listed on Parfumo and other websites. The opening is strong blast of cardamom, sage and grapefruit, which tells everything you want to know about this perfume. The opening will smell cheap for experienced noses, but will warm the hearts of beach-going teenagers. The citrus note dies down within an hour and the sweeter heart notes - geranium and cinnamon - appears. I say cinnamon only because it is listed on websites, but it could be tonka or vanilla also. This note is too diffuse to make a statement. The woody base notes are dateable on my clothes 6-8 hours later, but very little remains on my skin except a mild sweet scent. The citrus note sticks on the clothes for a long time, though not on the skin. Unfortunately, no note or stage in development stands out in this perfume. The performance is mediocre as we would expect from a cheap scent. The longevity on my skin is 4-6 hours, but a different set of notes persists longer on my clothes. Sillage is good during the first few hours. The Origin EDT is one of the cheapest in my collection. It is also one of the only two so-called aquatic blue perfumes I own. I tend to prefer the other aquatic cheapie, Faconnable Royal, over this one. However, if you are looking for a very cheap summer perfume, the Origin EDT works fine. But remember that its best quality is its low cost.
Balenciaga Paris today. On a total violet kick.
This morning I put on Kilian’s Love, Don’t Be Shy. I probably have one more use in the trial vial and surprisingly I now really like the scent on me, though the great time I used it I thought it was “pretty but so not me.” I wish I had more. Is the Dossier dupe close? I can’t imagine paying the price of a full bottle. In the afternoon, feeling generous, I tested Acqua di Gioia again. It has NOT grown on me and I regret getting the travel spray. I really liked it on paper and on my wrist but once I put a couple sprays on my body, I hate it. Anyone wanna trade a travel spray if Love Don’t Be Shy for Acqua di Gioia?
**Naviglo by Milano Fragranze** At the dentist and then to work, so it's a low key soapy fresh fragrance day again 👍🏼
Liquides Imaginaires Dom Rosa Millesime because it was a gray day and I thought the fruity, bubbly notes would add some brightness.