By Kilian Thread

[LCResz]

Sephora has been carrying a few By Kilian fragrances for a while now, but with the release of the Holiday Discovery Set KILIAN Paris Travel Spray Discovery Set I’m hopeful even more fragrances and other beauty items will soon be sold here as well! 

My growing collection:

Top: Dangerous Rouge Satin, Bottom: Rouge Nuit Matte

[Guessgal]

I was in Zürich, Switzerland on a business trip this past week and walked into a department store and saw this lovely Kilian packaging for the holidays!

Not pictured, but the SA sprayed Rolling in Love on me and I was impressed by the level of depth it had! I looked it up afterwards and noticed that it has a base of musk so it makes sense that I was drawn to it. It was just so warm and… addicting!

@LCResz I just saw below that you mentioned that Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl line is similar to this fragrance! Recently, I saw online that there’s a new limited edition Good Girl with a snowflake design! I’ll be sure to check it out next, thank you! 😊

[Titian06]

Very pretty, @Guessgal !  Thanks for sharing!

[Guessgal]

I just saw that Sephora has some of Kilian's fragrances at 25% off for their Labour Day Sale! And while I reallyyyyy have no business buying another Kilian perfume, since I just bought KILIAN Paris Good Girl Gone Bad Eau de Parfum with Tuberose & Jasmine during the recent F&F sale, I decided to use the sale as an excuse to go out and finally get a whiff of some of these scents! Here are my thoughts on the sale fragrances:

1) KILIAN Paris Moonlight in Heaven - Out of all the scents, this one was very unexpected like @LCResz 's mentioned in her experience below! I had thought that given the name, it would be more of a nighttime fragrance, but the sales associate told me it could be for any time of day, since Kilian was inspired by sticky mango rice in Thailand. At first, I thought she was just saying that it's for all day to make it seem versatile and get sales, but after reaching the dry down, I can kind of see what she meant. The fragrance starts off tropical, which is not what I typically go for, so it got quickly overshadowed by the other fragrances I tried later on. However, even in the initial notes, I could sense something warmer peeking through, but couldn't put my finger on what it was. Looking at the notes, I think it might have been the roasted tonka beans. During the dry down hours later, I found this warmth to be more pronounced and quite pleasant! 

2) KILIAN Paris Can't Stop Loving You 1.7 oz / 50 mL eau de parfum spray - I actually went in thinking I would like this one the most because it's a perfume under warm florals, but for some reason, this one just wasn't memorable for me. I may revisit it another time to see if my opinion changes if I have it spritzed on me rather than on the sample card.

3) KILIAN Paris Love, Don't Be Shy-EXTREME 1.7 oz/ 50 mL - I see that @CookieGirl1 posted about its release 2yrs ago! That's pretty long for a limited edition perfume, but I hope they keep this one because it smells amazing! This one was the show-stopper. I initially thought this would just be an overly sweet version of the original KILIAN Paris Love, Don’t Be Shy Eau de Parfum with Vanilla & Marshmallow (which I already have in the travel size version). Immediately, I could tell that the extreme version had little to no marshmallow notes and the sales associate confirmed that in fact, the extreme version is supposed to be significantly more floral. This was great for me because the extreme version basically took everything I didn't like about the original (too sweet for me) and dampened it such that the sweetness melded with the florals in an elevated beautiful and cozy way. I had the sales associate spray this one on my arm and I was still sniffing my arm hours later! The longevity is not bad either, I would say a solid 4hrs (after which, I took a shower so, cannot speak about a full day wear unfortunately).

4) KILIAN Paris Smoking Hot Eau de Parfum with Tobacco & Bourbon Vanilla - I wanted to try this one because it was under the category 'warm & spicy' and that's usually up my alley. However, reading the online description before I got to the store kind of made me wonder if it was really for me... I really didn't want to walk around smelling like a hookah shop. It was indeed smoky at first, but then I smelled the sweetness... almost a synthetic sweetness. Now, I'm not someone who goes to hookah spots so I wouldn't know if someone would associate it with that if they smelled it on me. Now that I think about it, I should've asked for a sample to ask a friend what they thought. Anyway, I had her spray it on my other arm and the synthetic sweet feeling lingered for a while... at least 2.5hrs. But I'm really glad I asked to test this one on my skin because the dry down is very nice - it's that warm bourbon vanilla that I like. Actually, if this perfume had more of that bourbon vanilla scent in the beginning, I think I would appreciate it more.

5) KILIAN Paris Princess Eau Fraiche 1.7 oz / 50 ml - They didn't have this at the flagship Kilian Paris store, which surprised me. I went over to a Sephora instead and they informed me that they no longer carry the eau fraîche online nor in stores across Europe, which leads me to think they might be axing this one in North America too after the Labour Day Sale. Unfortunately, this one has a lot of mixed reviews so I'm a bit uneasy about blind-buying it.

Tagging some folks who were interested in Kilian fragrances @pocketvenus @itsfi @Mcakes @Samtian @ChristalM @bem564 @Sunnysmom @Titian06 @blackkitty2014 @CollectivelyKG @Renkobe123 

If anyone else has tried these or own any of them, feel free to share your thoughts too!

[ChristalM]

@Guessgal  thanks for the tag! Honestly I own most of them! LOL. I bought the original Love, don;t be shy released in 2009 when he first started. It went from there. My fave for sure is Smoking Hot that I bought at first spray going through an airport in Vienna this past fall. I have Old Fashioned on the way and I hope it is just as good 🙂

[Titian06]

Thanks for the tag and your thoughts, @Guessgal !  I tried Love Don't be Shy and Princess in store.  Both were to sweet for my taste.  I'm interested in the new one, Old Fashioned.  It appears to lean green rather than sweet.  Like you, I like warm and spicy as well as citrus and green.

[Sunnysmom]

Thanks for the tag @Guessgal ! Their fragrances are so intensely good! Moonlight does sound interesting as does Princess! 

[bem564]

@Guessgal Hello! Thank you for the tag. I immediately went to the Kilian page and while I didn't see sale prices on any of the Kilian fragrances (US side), I did see a new release! Old Fashioned. Whoa this one caught my attention quick. I am on my third bottle of 'Angels Share'. Like you, I am drawn to the warm & spicy notes in fragrance. Knowing how much I have enjoyed the Angels Share, I thought Old Fashioned would be a sure win. I ordered the travel sized today (release date today) and will be watching for delivery! So, thank you again for the tag. The last Kilian fragrances I've purchased were 'Smoking Hot' and 'Black Phantom' "Momento Mori". Both are fantastic. To me, Kilian nails it on deep, dark, sexy, seductive fragrances. 

KILIAN Paris Old Fashioned Eau de Parfum Travel Spray 0.24 oz / 7.5 ml eau de parfum spray 

[Guessgal]

@bem564 Oh really? Do share your take on it once Old Fashioned arrives! 🙏🏻 I had to search up what davana essence was… apparently it’s extracted from the hearts of peaches and apricots.

And sorry about that! Didn’t realize the sale was only on the Canadian side 🙈 (we usually get same or worse deals than the US so I had no clue)! Oh, you’ve owned Smoking Hot? Were you ever intimidated by it when you first sprayed it?

[Samtian]

@Guessgal Thank you for the tag! Moonlight sounds interesting.

[Guessgal]

@Samtian Yes, it's very transformative in and of itself! Although, I never would've imagined it being inspired by mango sticky rice! That's my favourite Thai dessert! (that and Thai milk tea are obligatory for me when dining at Thai restaurants) 😋

[blackkitty2014]

Oh thx you for the tag @Guessgal 🌹 I couldn’t find this thread the other day. Ooh hope you love Good Girl Gone Bad. I had this in a special version I bought years ago. I think I tried Good Girll Gone Bad, Love Don’t be shy. But I’m eyeing Cant Stop Loving you. That one smells so good. 😍

[Guessgal]

@blackkitty2014 Ooo what is this special edition you speak of? I tried looking it up and there’s the 15th anniversary edition from 2 years ago, but I don’t think Sephora carried it. Or do you mean the one that included the snake clutch?

Ah yes, I knew I’d have to go back and give Can’t Stop Loving You another chance!! Happy to hear that it’s a winner for you! 🤩

[CookieGirl1]

New on Sephora this morning:

[LCResz]

Beginning 2022 by ending my Kilian Discovery journey! Straight to Heaven, a fragrance that came out way back in 2007, is all cedar wood and patchouli on me. I don’t get any rum or vanilla, or anything else for that matter. It’s a fancy cedar chest, or a a bag of cedar chips waiting to be placed in a garden, depending on how you feel about this particular wood scent. I don’t think it stands along very well, but layered with ginger (Origins Ginger Essence is my go-to) or with orange (Jo Malone Orange Peel is my favorite right now), and then finish with some florals (literally any floral you want to dirty up a bit) and you’ve got a great scent for these long wintery nights.

[LCResz]

Getting close to wrapping up the Discovery set adventure! Rolling in Love, a 2019 creation, is perfect for this time of year when we’re prone to reminiscing. This scent reminds me so much of other gourmands from the last few years: Scarlet Poppy from Jo Malone, Good Girl from Carolina Herrera, and a less floral version of Dancing Flowers from Viktor & Rolf. It’s a sweet, safe perfume that did indeed garner me compliments from people who kept guessing it was just like other scents that are well known and loved. For the price point, I honestly expect more daring, more sex appeal, more oomph from Kilian. As I already own all of the above mentioned perfumes I am not in the least bit compelled to pick this one up. However, if you like this scent, you’d be just as well off getting one of Carolina Herrera’s many Girls (each flanker so far has her own charm).

[LCResz]

After a holiday break it’s time to start wrapping up the discovery set tour. Moonlight in Heaven, a 2016 production, is not what I was expecting from this house at all. It’s vaguely tropical, with citrus top notes and a synthetic coconut scent that clashes rather than blend seamlessly with the underlying florals, which they themselves are just hinted at but never truly present to my nose. It’s more of a head scratcher than an outright scrubber, but I’m not crazy about it. Then again I’m more of a dark and mysterious gourmand lover, and this concoction is strangely timid and unsure of itself. It’s like Kilian was trying to think outside the sexy box and came up with something that you’d find at a kiosk also selling puka shells and sarongs to cruise ship vacationers. This reminds me of my disappointment at Jo Malone’s various stabs at going tropical (Tropical Cherimoya, Red Hibiscus, and Yellow Hibiscus in recent years).

[LCResz]

Getting through the Discovery Set pretty quickly, I must say! For the next few days I’ll be rocking Love Don’t Be Shy, a 2007 classic! This scent is a total sugar bomb! Like wearing an orange blossom flavored marshmallow, it’s a fun scent that will make you feel like wearing pastels and twirling around a lot 👗

I don’t ordinarily enjoy sweet scents, but Love is very pleasant once the initial sugar rush settles down. You can get a way with this scent all year with some layering, a light citrus for spring and something muskier for the colder months, but even by itself it’s just pure fun.

[LCResz]

The perfect scent for the chill of autumn: Intoxicated. This 2014 fragrance is the type of gourmand that’s in my wheelhouse: coffee and cardamom! Here’s the thing, I already own a very similar fragrance: Gorilla/Lush Cardamom Coffee. Side by side these two are incredibly similar, except that Intoxicated is a bit weaker when first applied, and has more floral undertones in the dry down. Cardamom Coffee is more linear but packs a bigger punch. Both have similar wear time on my skin, and when layered together, well, they can only be described as a delicious concoction. My search for a Kilian scent to add to my collection must continue, but I have enjoyed Intoxicated more than any other scent thus far.

[pocketvenus]

@LCResz This is one of my favourites from the house 🙂

[eshoe]

There is a Kilian Virtual Master Class coming up:

“I am inviting you to our Kilian Holiday virtual event happening on Tuesday,  November 16th from 5pm-6pm EST.

Please read invite & rsvp to reserve your spot.

This will be an amazing event where you can here from our creative director himself what is in store for the holidays & more.

We will offer complimentary deluxe samples with all orders and complimentary engraving on site with all pre orders too.”

Spoiler

https://elcompanies.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsduyuqDgjH9PQZyYqbvMDhQoUQUPNrqer

@LCResz @Sunnysmom @blackkitty2014 @curlychiquita @Titian06 @pocketvenus