Fragrance Junkie Central

[Mochapj]

I know there are a few of us on BT that are fragrance addicts, so I thought it would be nice to have a dedicated place where we can share our thoughts.

This is not to take away from the lovely What Are You Wearing Today, Fragrance Edition thread, but more a place to post longer reviews, chat about new brands or releases, and just shoot the breeze on anything good and smelly 🙂

For me, I recently acquired 2 new decants that I've been anxiously awaiting.  Ever since Lachaton mentioned that MMM was releasing a new scent called By The Fireplace I've been itching to get my hands on it.  My decant arrived yesterday, so I'm looking forward to marinating in it this weekend.  Secondly, I recently picked up a tiny sample of Shiseido Nombre Noir.  Supposedly it is one of the most expensive failures in perfume history - made by Serge Lutens for Shiseido back in the 80s.  Of course, with a backstory like that, I was dying to get a sniff 😄

What's new on your scent radar?  Do tell!

 

[fatimamummy]

A fragrance that looks and smells festive, that is what I want to share with you all in the spirit of holiday season. 

Atelier Des Ors Pink Me Up: First the presentation can't get anymore festive. A playful, uplifting and radiant fragrance sprinkled with gold flakes and housed in a work-of-art ombré pink bottle.

It opens with a bright, fruity burst of bergamot and orange blossoms, enhanced by a playful, fizzy sparkle. The rose note takes center stage right from the start and remains prominent throughout, perfectly balanced by the fruity sweetness of blackberry and sparkling champagne accord. As it settles, the rose and champagne linger beautifully, joined by a powdery and earthy base of musk, iris, and patchouli. 

If I am to define it in simples term, I'll call it a Rose Champagne fragrance with the touch of fruity and woody notes. 

It has a great projection and longevity on my skin is very impressive. I could smell it through the day until I took shower next morning. Here I would like to mention that fragrance tend to fade much faster in wrists (at least for me) so when I try a fragrance for review, I also spray it on the crease of my elbows so I can take notes of how fragrance develops and also can get a better sense of longevity on skin.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer as best as I can.

               

[Shosh85]

@fatimamummy  Such a beautiful description of this fragrance! The bottle itself and the photos you took are just gorgeous! 🤩

[itsfi]

@fatimamummy, the notes on this one sound beautiful and what a stunning bottle. Your photos are gorgeous and showcases its marvelous packaging! 😘

[Titian06]

The bottle is so pretty, @fatimamummy ! 😍

[PDXXXX]

I first became aware of Matiere Premiere fragrances wanting to try their Vanilla Powder scent. It's a pricey line so I treated myself to their Discovery Set with three 6 ml bottles. In addition to Vanilla Powder, I chose Santal Austral and Bois D'Ebene, as I love creamy, powdery, and sometimes musky woods.

I opened the set and began last night with Bois D'Ebene:

HOW MATIERE DESCRIBES BOIS D'EBENE:

• INITIAL IDEA:  “A dark ambery wood”
• MAIN INGREDIENT: Guaiac Wood Oil Paraguay
• CREATIVE APPROACH: Strengthen the wood density of Guaiac with Patchouli Oil Indonesia and Cypriol Oil India. The ambery facet is accentuated by the addition of Cabreuva Oil Brazil.

MY IMPRESSIONS:

• The scent opened for me with a strong Cypriol/Amber scent and projected quite a bit more than I was comfortable with but also smelled good (just to anyone within about 6 feet of me too),
• As the initial impression dried down, I mostly smelled Creamy Amber and Guaiac Woods and it projected less but was still strong,
• Waking up after applying it last night, it has settled into a soft powdery amber, softer notes from the Guaiac woods with a bit of patchouli. This is not your college roommate's feral, dark patchouli though, it is softer with a silvery, cedar edge that dries down to being a much more personal scent than experienced in the opening.

Spoiler

For those not familiar with Cypriol scents, they are woody with elements of vetiver, patchouli, and cedar with elements of spice like black pepper and bay leaf. I would say the opening of this fragrance smelled most like Amber with bay leaf, vetiver, and cedar. Likewise, Guaiac Woods have a scent profile that can be described as smoky, woody, and slightly sweet or balsamic. I'm usually a Sandalwood lover and am just discovering Guaiac Woods. So far I find they have a creamy, sweeter element than Sandalwood.

OVERALL THOUGHTS SO FAR:

• This is a scent that develops a story as it unfolds over time. It's very present 15 or so hours in and truly composed in a way that takes you on a journey from one ingredient to the other,
• I really like the full dry down that smells closer to the skin this morning but would say the Amber and Guaiac Woods dominate this fragrance for most the wear. Definitely a scent for people who like creamy Amber with a bit of a sharp cedar/bay leaf edge,
• Love the simple packaging and design. I don't know if this will be the scent for me vs. the others I selected but it's a generously sized bottle for a discovery set and I will revisit it. The packaging feels substantial and is well-designed. Even the 6 ml bottles probably wouldn't come close to shattering if accidentally dropped on the floor.

SCENTS THIS REMINDS ME OF:

• The discontinued Siberian Snow by Dean & Durga,
• Ellis Brooklyn MYTH perhaps layered with their AMBER.

[itsfi]

@PDXXXX, love your description of this scent. This is the first I've heard of the house but I'm a fan of EB Myth so this one piques my curiosity. Great to know this has a more refined patchouli scent too.

[fatimamummy]

@PDXXXX I have seen and read about this house but haven't had the opportunity to try them so far. For me dry down scent is most important and from your review I feel Bois D'Ebene serves a gorgeous dry down scent.I am adding it to my "need to check" list and would love to hear your thoughts on other fragrances from the set.

[PDXXXX]

@fatimamummy I'm excited to try the Bois D'Ebene again. I have since tried the Santal Austral and will say that, as a sandalwood lover, the quality of the ingredients was there, but it was fairly one-note: what you get when first applied is what you get on the dry down. So far the common denominator with both scents has been their longevity. I think I applied the Santal Austral four days ago and can still smell the dry down as I could with the Bois D'Ebene. I'll let you know how the Vanilla Powder goes when I get to it! I'm curious if, like the others, the long dry-down is there. There are a lot of intriguing scents in the Matiere line. I was surprised how much more I liked the Bois D'Ebene than the Santal.

[fatimamummy]

I have been testing out a little something different last week. A fragrance brand Affinessence Paris, What is different about them is the linear characteristic of their fragrances. Instead of typical Hierarchy of top, heart and base notes, they offer three separate collections, one dedicated to each type of notes. that means their fragrance do not change or evolve on skin after applying and remain the same from start to end.

I was testing a fragrance named CUIR CURCUMA from their base notes collection . As name suggests, all the notes in this fragrance are the ones which are typically used as base notes. 

It is a turmeric-leather fragrance with other notes including Sandalwood, Orris, Myrhh, Benzoin and Patchouli. Turmeric is stand out ingredient with a light powdery spicy aroma. Leather is much softer and creamy, more complimenting other notes instead of overpowering. I can detect all the other notes blended to perfection. I know too long of a post can get boring so defining it in one line, it is a smooth, creamy, cozy , a little spicy and slightly powdery scent. 

Here is one thing, it is a base notes fragrance and brand defines it as the collection with strongest trail however to me it is a fragrance that sits closer to the skin. 

I find the projection more on the moderate side. Initial moderate intensity lasts on my skin for about an hour before it changes into a skin scent and completely disappears in about five hours. That was a little unexpected so I wore it for three consecutive days with different activity levels before I sat down to write blog last night. Intensity and longevity both remained the same for me during all three trials.It can be just my skin's chemistry or maybe it really is not as strong and long lasting. 

Given that I really enjoyed the scent, I wouldn't mind reapplying it during the day because composition is truly beautiful, however it is something to keep in mind if you want your fragrance to last all day long without reapplying. 

Like most niche fragrances, it is on the pricier side so definitely try a sample first. I am not sure if brand offers individual sample sizes for purchase but most e-commerace  fragrances retailers sell sample vials for all fragrances they carry. 

I feel mentioning where to buy it from feels like a promotion so I will just say if you can't find any fragrance I post about, send me a DM and I'll be happy to suggest the places to buy. 

[itsfi]

This is the first I’ve heard of the brand @fatimamummy; I’m intrigued. Based on your experience with this fragrance, would  you purchase fragrances from their top and heart collections? 

[fatimamummy]

@itsfi After trying this fragrance, I spent some time reading the reviews on their other base note fragrances and it sounds like other scents are actually stronger and long lasting. I would love to try more from base collection.

The fragrances in Heart Notes collection don't stand out for me when reading the descriptions and I can be totally wrong but if given the opportunity, I would love to try Gingembre-Latte from top notes collection. 

[itsfi]

Oooouuuhh, gimgembre-latte sounds marvelous @fatimamummy. 

[Titian06]

This sounds like an interesting concept, @fatimamummy !  Nice review too. 😍  I like knowing more than less.

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @Titian06  Sometimes When I start writing I tend to be carried away and go too deep 😂

[fatimamummy]

I am sure not everyone is living under a rock like me and may already know Banana Republic has a fragrance line. I only discovered it a few months ago when I was introduced to their Collezzione Riservata collection. I tried two perfumes from this collection , both for women, loved one while the other one was clearly not for me. 

Let't start with the one I like "Orris Vanille Extrait de Perfume" . It was second of the two I tried and it took me by surprise. 

It opens with a vibrant burst of bergamot, lemon pepper, and juniper for a fresh opening. At its heart lies a luxurious blend of incense, orris, and apple blossom. The smoky, resinous tones of incense weave seamlessly with the delicate sweetness of apple blossom, creating a beautiful experience.

Once the fragrance settles, it evolves into a delightful mix of warm amber wood, rich vanilla, and velvety sandalwood and that is my favourite phase.

It reaches its dry down within 20-30 minutes of application, with the initial strength lasting about an hour, before transforming into a beautiful skin scent for up to 4 hours. The dry down is particularly lovely, although I wish lasting power was a little stronger.

The scent isn't overpowering or loud. If you are someone who appreciate smooth, cozy and intimate fragrances, and don't mind reapplying then Orris Vanille is the one for you. Even though it is reasonably priced, I'll still recommend trying sample first. 

Other fragrance I tried from this collection is Monday Rose, I may have to brave up and try it at least one more time to talk about it in 

Spoiler

DM me if you want ti know where to buy it from and want a discount code.

[CorgiMommy]

KAYALI YUM BOUJEE MARSHMALLOW | 81 Eau de Parfum Intense 1.7 fl oz / 50 mL eau de parfum spray and KAYALI VANILLA CANDY ROCK SUGAR | 42 Eau de Parfum are nice young scents @Mochapj 

Sorry wrong thread

[fatimamummy]

I have been trying quite a few fragrances  to review on my blog lately, most of them from niche fragrance houses and thought it would be fun to revive this thread and share some of them here as well.

Fair warning though, most of them may not be available at Sephora but I can definitely steer you towards the places where you can buy the particular samples and fragrances. I'll post a few and if I feel these quick reviews are of value to fellow BIC fragrance junkies, I'll continue sharing more whenever I can manage some time. 

Let's start with a fragrance house that recently made its way to Sephora USA. I was excited to see their announcement but alas it isn't available at Sephora Canada yet. 

Also this particular scent didn't pop when I tried to tag it here so I am assuming Sephora is not yet carrying their full range.

 Personally whenever I try a new fragrance house, I like to dig a little into the back story before I give the fragrance a test run but I don't want to bore you guys if this is not of interest, so just let me know how deep we should go if at all..

Montale Paris Beast Love:

Key Notes

Top: Juicy Pear, Sweet Plum, Sicilian Bergamot

Heart: Black Leather, White Cedar, Turkish Rose, Haitian Vetiver

Base: Vanilla, Tonka Beans, Musk, Ambers

It is a very interesting composition meant to portray intertwined sense of delicacy and strength.

First spray makes a bold statement with dominance of leather and Smokey accords, accompanied by subtle hints of rose lingering in the background. As the fragrance dries, initial intensity softens, revealing the fruity notes of plum and pear. It is a unisex scent.

To my nose it has a heavy opening that leans a little masculine. Even though leather stays dominant through the wear, once fruity notes emerge the fragrance softens to a unisex scent that leans ever so slightly feminine. I like how it develops on my skin. It has moderately strong sillage and impressive longevity, lingering on the skin throughout the day. 

It is a complex fragrance and may not be everyone's cup of tea so  I'll recommend trying a sample first. 

Spoiler

You can buy the sample vial from Twisted Lilly for $5/ CAD 6.99  I'll mention here that Twisted Lily gifted me this fragrance but I am not their affiliate partner and will not be benefiting in anyway from any purchase. 

Let me know if you have any questions about it.

[Titian06]

I'd love to read your reviews, @fatimamummy !  I'm drawn to more unisex and masculine leaning fragrances, but I enjoy reading about all scents.  I'm curious about this brand, so enjoyed reading your review. 🙂

[fatimamummy]

Thank you @Titian06  Likewise, I prefer unisex fragrances myself. If anything too feminine lands on my desk, I usually pass it over to my daughter after initial testing for my blog.

[K8lynRosie]

The notes sound interesting- the bottle seems like such a turn-off though. Feel like it would stand out poorly in a perfume collection/ display.