Poison / Dior

31 Oct

Poison is a power-house eighties perfume, and in my mind it conjures up images of giant shoulder pads and shiny purple spandex.  This is an extremely nostalgic experience; as a kid I’ve often associated these heavy fragrances with strong, powerful women who often wore grey business suits and had hair that was standing in place by large amounts of Aquanet. Poison often fell into the same territory as Passion by Elizabeth Taylor, and were usually worn by “scary” women who spoke too loudly and always had bright red lipstick to match their sharply painted fingernails.

Wearing any vintage perfume is going to be a blissful olfactory experience, good or bad…products back then were heavy and complex; there is no room for discretion and Poison is not meant for the timid at heart. We live in an age of prudent and linear fragrances; many are comfortable staying within the confines of those enclosed spaces.  A few will toe the line, but most will be repelled by the loudness and outrageous products that used to be the reigning kings and queens of the fragrance world. You may hate it- but you can’t deny that Poison and those of its kind have revolutionized the industry.

That being said, this fragrance has been horribly reformulated. Whatever happened to the intoxicating florals and strong (almost animalic) woodsy notes? This is truly a shadow of its former self- another unfortunate victim of the “dumbing down” of perfumes- it has been commercialized and no longer embodied the notorious character it once was.

The current poison opens up with a strong blast of plum and tuberose, it goes on thick and syrupy…and stays on for the entire duration of approximately 5-6 hours. I don’t sense a lot of changes in the dry down, but honey and amber makes a subtle appearance once the plum starts to soothe through to a manageable level. I am not a huge fan of tuberose but it is delicately masked by the heavy fruit and honey, I don’t sense smokiness but that is because the sweetness pretty much overwhelms any bitterness to this fragrance. Like other reviewers, I can’t easily pick out any of the base notes…it all seems to be a jubilee of different accords exploding in every direction all at once.

Overall Poison carries a sentimental vibe for those who have experienced the highs of its era, there’s a wistful ingenuity with these kinds of things. As time marches on all too swiftly and discarding its memories to the past; I suppose just the sense of being able to savor a piece of history (no matter how diluted) would be considered privilege enough.

Longevity: 10/10  Sillage: 10/10

Top Notes

Smoke

Middle Notes

Anise

Base Notes

Stella / Tocca

30 Oct

This is my first experience with blood orange, and I’m pleasantly surprised at how comforting this is to my senses. Immediate first impressions are of an aquatic nature; there’s definitely a note reminiscent of cool and refreshing waters, immediately followed by orange citrus…the floral notes (lilies and freesia) kick in to prevent this pairing from becoming too sharp/sour. After five minutes the dry down beckons with drifts of sandalwood, oranges and orchid…very clean and fresh. I am not usually a fan of citrus/bright accords but this one is soft enough that it doesn’t appear overly synthetic.

My only issue with Stella is that it is a bit too “safe”; although the makeup is unique, it doesn’t provide much pizazz other than the first 15 minutes of fizzy orange soda goodness.  I feel like there is so much potential here, yet it falls flat much too soon with its most promising aspects fading away too quickly. I felt like Stella could have done well with a bit of vitality to her, perhaps more potency…it feels watered down, special qualities withering away like forgotten memories. Longevity is almost non-existent, departing almost as fast as it arrived. Sillage is very soft, no projection for such a unique personality.

Overall a pleasant fragrance, but its charm is much too fleeting to be fully appreciated.

 

Top Notes

Blood Orange  /Bitter Orange / Watery Notes

Middle Notes

Freesia/ Lily / Orchid

Base Notes

Sandalwood / Musk

Indian Night Jasmine / The Body Shop

30 Oct

This is absolutely the most perfect night jasmine I have ever smelled: clean, mysterious, simple yet multifaceted. This is a gorgeous floral bouquet of endless beauty; as intoxicating as it is alluring, a conjuring of all the most beautiful flowers in their best evening dress.

Notes are simple: Jasmine on top, followed by sandalwood, orange blossom, and violets to round out the base. Every ingredient plays its part like an ode to the night; the sandalwood is the vital player here -transforming this fragrance into a balsamic blend of spicy oriental goodness. I get vibes of Thierry Mugler’s Alien but this is a much tamer, more sophisticated relative. Whereas Alien is loud and sassy, INJ is timid, mysterious and extremely charismatic; I didn’t know jasmine can be this pretty, silly me!

Overall I feel Indian Night Jasmine would be a perfect rainy day fragrance: the creamy and spicy notes seem to play very well against humidity, which helps to bring out the white florals in this perfume. The only downside to this is the longevity, which only lasts a little over an hour on my skin; sillage is also very poor, making this a great body mist after a night shower.  A great beginner oriental.

 

Fragrance Notes

Jasmine/ Orange Blossom/ Violet Leaf / Sandalwood

Classique Intense / Jean Paul Gaultier

30 Oct

To be honest I am not a huge fan of gourmand scents. Had I known the notes in Intense would have combined to produce the sickeningly sweet accord of caramel, I would probably never have blind swapped for it. Either way, initial impressions are a cloying candy fragrance despite what the notes indicate.

Pomegranate is listed as a top note yet I can barely smell it, I also do not pick up any rose in this…however the vanilla and tiare flower are very enhanced by its patchouli neighbor. Which consequently creates a very thick syrupy caramel scent that dominates everything else, this doesn’t smell fruity or floral on my skin; in fact I am getting Prada Candy vibes. The dry down is non spectacular; it remains the ghost of its former self, very reminiscent of suntan lotion. I do feel the tiare flowers give this a very creamy texture, which warms the overall base of this perfume and makes it a great addition for those cold autumn months.

I am not sure why Jean Paul Gaultier claimed to have kept 40% of the original Classique formulation while adding 60% of the newer creations; I own Classique and this is nothing like it. In fact I feel as though Intense should have been in a class of its own. Aside from the bottle design, this shares no similarity to the original.

Overall I feel this would be a great addition if you’re really into gourmand and super intense sugary fragrances, but if you are against the smell of suntan lotion and caramel, test this first before buying.

 

Top Notes

Pomegranate / Tiare Flower

 

Middle Notes

Orange Blossom  /Jasmine/ Rose

 

Base Notes

Patchouli/  Vanilla

Nebras / Al-Rehab

29 Oct

I was only exposed to the house of Al-Rehab through a dear friend who gifted me this bottle of Nebras; this was one of my first introductions into oud…and now I am totally hooked! I learned immediately why this company has such a stellar reputation, their oils are incredibly potent…one application was enough to leave me a little dizzy. This thing will singe your nostrils!

Upon first application, I am hit with a blast of citrus, followed by patchouli, orange blossom, rosewood, cedar chips and sandalwood. This is balsamic heaven with heavy incense notes and lots of oriental flowers; initial lemon notes were reminiscent of cleaning products but the floral follows up quite nicely. I don’t get “soapiness” that other reviewers have mentioned, this is pure resinous smoky rose/carnation, totally relaxing and meditative.

Nebras reminds me of that “New Age” shop smell that tend to dominate various parts of San Francisco: warm, comforting, and very cozy.  The sillage and longevity are enormous, in fact once in India I witnessed shop owners hanging their clothes on wooden door frames…while burning incense below so it would infuse into the fabric. This is what I feel like is happening when rubbing Nebras into my clothes; it saturates and stays there for weeks!

This is my first experience with the Saudi Arabian fragrance line, and I love it. I can’t believe how potent their perfumes are for such a bargain price, really makes you wonder about all those watered down reformulations from big house names. Overall a real bargain!

Poudree / Narciso Rodriguez

15 Oct

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of powdery fragrances, and Poudree performs exactly how I would imagine a feminine pink musky perfume to smell like. This opens up with a powerfully intoxicating blend of jasmine and roses; it’s powdery and clean without being too dusty or “mature”.

At its heart Poudree smells a little like Victorian deodorant, the woody notes elevate the roses so that it isn’t overwhelmingly sweet. This is a much more feminine sister to Narciso Rodriguez’s Narciso, whereas Narciso is more of the down to earth child…Poudree is sassier, flirtier, and is coming to terms with her own sexuality.

This is still a very tame fragrance in my opinion, it isn’t sexy – but a little more timid, almost virginal if that is even possible to describe such a scent. The vetiver and orange blossom gives this perfume an almost “spicy incense” note but it’s very faint; the patchouli isn’t overwhelming here but rather plays its part subtly in the background.

Poudree is more of a “skin” scent, the sillage is rather poor but longevity is pretty good. I feel like it’s better as a “before bed time” fragrance, when you’re cuddling with your significant other and they can smell this on your body. It’s clean and musky but in a natural way, this doesn’t feel synthetic at all.

The dry down is a bit of a disappointment, there is a distinct note of something resembling play-doh which sometimes happen when the rose and musk doesn’t blend very nicely with my body chemistry. Of course this isn’t something that can be helped as everybody’s skin is different.

Overall another great multifaceted concoction from the house of Narciso Rodriguez, if you love powdery fragrances you should definitely give this a try.

Top Notes

Rose /Jasmine /Orange Blossom

Middle Notes

Musk

Base Notes

Vetiver /Cedar /Coumarin/ Patchouli

 

Womanity / Thierry Mugler

15 Oct

Womanity is one of those perfumes that you’ve never smelled before, and will probably never experience again. It’s comprised of two primary notes: Fig and caviar; and trust me friends the caviar is STRONG in this composition.

Together they are a perfect harmony of fruity, salty, and green. Frankly I am not a fan of opposing forces battling it out on my skin, but this is exactly what it sounds like…sweet and salty beach air. It reminds me of a long day surfing on a tropical island, with the sand in my hair and sea salt on my lips.   To me the fig and caviar becomes a bit too cloying after a few hours, it makes me nauseous and I only spritzed once on my wrist! I can’t imagine if someone were to layer this thing, they would smell like fish for the entirety of the day!

Womanity dries down to a weaker version of its former self, but it’s still strong enough that you will get an occasional whiff of it throughout the day. Unfortunately being Asian I can’t help but associate the caviar undertone with fish sauce (which bothers the hell out of me), I eat fish sauce almost every day but I certainly wouldn’t want to wear it!

Another observation is that this really does smell like the ocean in real life, not the aquatic version that’s been commercialized to death but the ACTUAL smell of the waves and tumultuous seas. I might even dare say that it’s also a little metallic, like those giant iron bolts or anchors attached to the side of the pier…rusted and tarnished from years of wind corrosion.
Honestly if you wanted to decant a day at the beach, this would be a great way to remember it. But frankly I associate those fond memories with suntan lotion and body creams not salted fish, this perfume is a unique experience but not something I would want to wear on a regular basis.

 

Fragrance Notes
 
Fig /Caviar /Fig Tree /Fig Leaf

Good Girl Gone Bad / Kilian

13 Oct

This is such a strange fragrance that I find myself at a loss for words. For starters this doesn’t smell like a “bad girl” scent (quite the contrary), it’s boldly abhorrent and awkwardly feminine at the same time. The best way I can explain it is to imagine someone cooking curry while standing next to a large bouquet of roses. I know this smell because I’ve lived in India for a short time and this reminds me of every restaurant in New Delhi that I’ve stepped foot into.

The tuberose note is reminiscent of salted meat and heavy cream, especially the moment when ghee (clarified butter) mixes with pork; it’s gourmand in the most unconventional way. A strange combination that is both attractive and repulsive to me. It’s like stepping into an Indian household after the owner had already prepared dinner and is now spraying air freshener to get rid of the scent.
I pick up a lot of Jasmine and amber on the dry down, the osmanthus is very creamy and clean (smells like lotion) but I can still smell the meat! I don’t know why I am just not a fan of tuberose, the idea of cured pork mixed with white florals and spicy woods is offsetting to my nose. This is an unexpectedly gritty fragrance dressed up in a white dress; it’s definitely unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.

Frankly I can understand the appeal with this brand and I can respect anyone who loves it, but unfortunately for me the tuberose made this perfume an unforgivable experience.

 

Top Notes
Jasmine /Osmanthus / Rose

Middle Notes
Tuberose / Narcissus

Base Notes
Amber /Cedar

Agent Provocateur / Agent Provocateur

12 Oct

Oh my goodness do I love you Agent Provacateur. You are love at first sniff; a beautiful stranger, an alluring beast…a master of disguise. You are a queen and a princess, a lover and a heartbreaker; too beautiful to control and too wild to love.

This is one of the most gorgeous florals I’ve ever had the pleasure to experience; it’s definitely an oriental rose- thanks to the saffron notes in its composition. Some of the reviews distinctively say this feels like a “vintage perfume” and I totally agree; it’s classic but not mature at all- youthful but not restrictive to any age group.

Agent Provacateur reminds me of my travels in India; every morning the market stalls near my apartment will be decorated with garlands of flowers and rose water…with women setting up sticks of incense on the little altars that sometimes line the streets. That’s what this perfume reminds me of: gorgeous oriental roses with a little spice and saffron. The dry down is a little musky with mostly roses and hints of jasmine, I don’t sense the amber in this but I do notice the vetiver.

This is a “wet” roses scent, fresh morning buds with little dew drops on its delicate red lips; it’s an optimistic floral full of happiness and confidence. I will say that this is unexpectedly the rose that I have been searching for all my life; it is reminiscent of the blossoming of youth, innocence, and sincerity. It is, in my opinion – the reason why roses are the queen of all flowers. I fall in love every day that I wear this.

 

Top Notes

Magnolia /Saffron

 

Middle Notes

Gardenia /Vetiver/ Rose/ Jasmine

 

Base Notes

Amber /Musk /Cedar

 

Boudoir / Vivienne Westwood

12 Oct

Thanks to a very dear friend of mine I was able to test out this much sought after fragrance by Vivienne Westwood.  This is Boudoir, an homage to the classy woman’s sacred space- very intimate and private just like the lady herself.

Based on reviews I wasn’t expecting much, however on first spritz I was pleasantly surprised. I immediately sensed aldehydes and lots of it; there’s a waxy creamy scent that reminds me of vintage fragrances like the original Chanel No5 and Passion by Elizabeth Taylor.  I’m very surprised that there is no musk here- the dry down has a particular starkness that could be attributed to the patchouli and tobacco leaf. I also do not sense any “rose” or “hyacinth”, only wafts of carnation and sandalwood which blends beautifully with the cardamom!

I will go out on a limb and say this is almost medicinal in texture, it’s “heavy” and overwhelming- but not obnoxious. I feel something a little maternal about this perfume, and I am not a fan of that. It doesn’t feel “sexy” to me, personally I get a little bored waiting for Boudoir to moonlight into something else a little more exciting or even mysterious. In its current state there’s no “stimulation” of the senses, no touch of sensuality or intrigue. Just a lady’s chamber with too much old make up and the stench of sweaty bodies; it really does smell like a bedroom after sex which makes this fragrance an interesting one to add to your collection. Boudoir is a great experience for me, I feel strangely self-aware when I have it on- like suddenly I am more intimate with myself in a purely philosophical way. Definitely one of a kind, but not something I would go out of my way to re-purchase.


Top Notes

Aldehydes /Orange Blossom/ Marigold/ Hiacynth /Bergamot

Middle Notes

Coriander/ Carnation /Orris Root/ Jasmine/ Rose /Cardamom /Narcissus

Base Notes

Sandalwood /Patchouli /Cinnamon /Vanilla /Tobacco Leaf