Author Archives: Vienna Pink

Fancy Nights / Jessica Simpson

29 Sep

Let me disclose that I am not a fan of celebrity fragrances, not that there is anything wrong with them in particular… I just never found myself committing to a perfume designed by a famous person. That being said, Fancy Nights came highly recommended so I figured I would order a small bottle from Amazon.

Let me just say that I am SO glad I didn’t spend full retail on the EDP, I wanted to feel this fragrance started off with very good intentions: a magical forest, dead leaves, the scent of dark and mysterious woods and a slight whiff of vanilla in the air. Unfortunately what I got was burnt leather, patchouli, incense, underlined with something very uncomfortable (licorice?). The combination was so overwhelming that my husband actually grabbed the bottle and hid it haha!

I actually applaud Jessica Simpson for an extremely uncharacteristic fragrance (as most celebrities go for the usual candy/floral/citrus combinations that are plaguing the market); I felt she at least tried to be creative. But this just doesn’t work on me; as for the moment I am unsure of what to do with an entire bottle of Fancy Nights, it sure seems to work on being a husband repellant haha.

The good news is that if you really want to know what naked patchouli smells like, grab a sampler of this bottle…it will blow you away ;).

 

Top Notes

Bergamot /Papyrus

 

Middle Notes

Jasmine/ Patchouli

 

Base Notes

Sandalwood /Oakmoss / Amber / Vanilla

Café Rose / Tom Ford

29 Sep

Oh my, this perfume is a coffee lover’s paradise! I‘m not usually into gourmand scents (Thierry Mugler’s Angel for example), but today I surrendered my inhibitions to this gorgeous love potion called Café Rose. For me this fragrance captures the true essence of an Italian coffee bar along the canals of Venice. First impressions are of a rich Mediterranean espresso, combined with luxurious rose…then drying down into a powdery coco.

The combination of elegant floral with grounded coffee beans does for me what chocolate and strawberries could not; it made me feel cozy, comforted, happy, and adventurous. I’m not sure how Tom Ford does it, but there is a feeling of European coffee shops during the fall, with sparkling lights, cobblestone streets and fresh roses blossoming into the night.

Overall a delicious concoction in an innocuous little bottle.

 

Top Notes
Coffee/ Pepper /Rose
 
Middle Notes
Saffron
 
Base Notes
Amber/ Sandalwood /Patchouli

Velvet Orchid / Tom Ford

28 Sep

I tried to love Velvet Orchid, I really did…in fact I go back and forth with decanters of this fragrance in order to understand its massive popularity, but no matter what I can’t appreciate its rebellious nature.  Tom Ford perfumes are finicky in my opinion; you will either love it or you will hate it. I don’t feel Velvet Orchid in particular is a “people pleaser” scent; it’s more of a personal preference thing. It’s too defiant and unruly for my taste; too dark and disloyal …which isn’t my personality at all.

First impressions are of a smoky tobacco with rum and something extremely unpleasant. Which I later found out was suede, for some reason my nose only picks up the suede and that turned me off immensely.  I also sense no hits of orchid…it’s just leather and smoke combined to give a very awful burning smell.

Velvet Orchid is an olfactory power house for me, but it is also obnoxiously loud, which is why I cannot love it. If you are interested in bold and nonconformist scents, this one takes the cake. If you are a sweets and florals person with very little desire for something adventurous, I would steer clear of this wild flower.

 

Top Notes
Bergamot/ Mandarin Orange/ Rum/ Honey
 
Middle Notes
Jasmine/ Rose/ Orchid/ Orange Blossom /Magnolia /Hyacinth /Narcissus /Heliotrope
 
Base Notes
Balsam/ Labdanum /Sandalwood /Myrrh/ Suede /Vanilla

Pure Poison / Dior

28 Sep

If you’re like me and love dual fragrances, then Pure Poison is the animal for you. This perfume is like two conflicting entities in one body; wicked and virtuous, tempestuous and noble, sensuous and innocent. This is a chameleon’s magic potion; an innocuous apple by day and a dangerous poison at night.

Upon first application, there are so many things vying for attention that it is difficult to pick out the individual notes, I sense jasmine and something woodsy, then vanilla and slight amber….but the dry down is creamy gardenia. It seems complex at first but the result is simply beautiful…there are no words to describe how unique this fragrance is on my skin. It smells exactly like its namesake, very sensual and extremely bewitching.

Longevity: 8/10  Sillage: 9/10

Top Notes

Middle Notes

Base Notes

 

Euphoria / Calvin Klein

28 Sep

Euphoria is one of Calvin Klein’s bestselling perfumes, and the reasons are in the notes: pomegranate, black orchid, and violet combine to create an intensely confident and beautiful fragrance that is indeed “euphoric”.

Euphoria manages to do for me what “La Vie Est Belle” by Lancome could not: give me a sense of happiness and intimacy on days where I may not be feeling quite so wonderful and self-assured. It’s also perfect for a few spritzes before bed, you get a sense of floating into sleep instead of just “falling” into it…I believe this is due to the orchid and woodsy notes…which is very soothing.

I agree with others that there is a slight masculine feeling to this perfume (perhaps why I felt so comforted by it?), but it isn’t obvious in any way. First impressions are of heavy pomegranate, followed by orchids but then it dries down to reveal the mahogany underneath…with more violets and the orchids more apparent. I sort of wished there would be more of the brown scent but that might have pushed it too far into the masculine side, overall I feel this is a much better alternative to La Vie Est Belle (they are indeed similar) if you find that fragrance just doesn’t suit you.

Sillage and longevity on me are both moderate.

Top Notes
Pomegranate
 
Middle Notes
Lotus/ Orchid
 
Base Notes
Violet/ Amber/ Musk/ Mahogany

Romance / Ralph Lauren

27 Sep

I remember the first time I encountered Romance; I was working at a coffee shop in downtown Harrisburg, I was in my early twenties…extremely impressionable and hopelessly romantic.  One summer day a woman walked in wearing this lovely fragrance. I was so captivated by her perfume that my immediate words were: “Whatever you’re wearing, it smells amazing!”

Completely baffled by the outburst, she actually laughed and told me it was Ralph Lauren’s most popular summer line. From that day forward I would always associate new love with its name.

Romance is the scent I associate with new beginnings: that feeling of blossoming infatuation and warm affections. It is young, bright and full of hopeful ambitions.

I do not find this fragrance to be sensual or even sexy; in fact I find it to be of happy spirits and puppy dog love. It’s a flower bomb, with top notes chamomile, freesia, and rose…the ginger and lemon makes it very fresh and suitable for the summer. Overall very romantic and joyful, for the lover at heart =P

Top Notes
Ginger/ Chamomile /Lemon/ Freesia/ Rose
 
Middle Notes
Lily/ Carnation/ Violet/ Lotus
 
Base Notes
Patchouli/ Oakmoss/ Musk

Bleu De Chanel / Chanel

27 Sep

Bleu is like a Chanel jacket, it will never go out of style.

I bought this on whim for my husband as a wedding gift, back then I had no idea how popular it was going to become. Now it is the standard date fragrance, almost every man I meet at some fancy party will be wearing this aftershave. However that doesn’t mean it isn’t an incredibly manly and seductive scent ;).
Bleu is not the rugged male, nor is he the white t-shirt and jeans guy; he is the dark and mysterious type…always impeccably dressed, exquisitely charming, and effortlessly sexy. He’s the one with all the right words, with none of the correct intentions. He seduces with his smile, and wounds with his lies…he’s unapologetic and overly confident. He’s the James Bond, the Bruce Wayne of fragrances.

Bleu is not meant for the day time: top notes are labdanum, sandalwood and ginger…creating a very intoxicating cloud of spicy nutmeg that fades out into cedar and lemon…with a lingering hint of smoke and pepper. I think the illusion of mystery is due to the vetiver and smoke…it creates feelings of soulfulness …like a jazz bar with blue light and cigars. In spite of this, Bleu is not a gaudy fragrance, it is elegant and fancy above all else and meant for nights of champagne and gold statues.

Overall another brilliant concoction from Chanel, this is a must have for every suave and effortlessly confident man out there.

Fragrance Notes

Labdanum/ Nutmeg/ Ginger/ Sandalwood/ Patchouli/ Mint/ Jasmine/ Grapefruit/ Lemon/ Vetiver/ Incense/ Cedar/ Pink Pepper

Cannibale / Serge Lutens

27 Sep

Memoirs of the human devourer.

There is something unsettling about this fragrance:  the combination of rotting fruit with vintage flowers. It is both gourmand and repulsive; it’s weird, intriguing, but overall not something I’d want to associate with for too long. There are hints of mild spice and incense with a large dollop of myrrh and night orchids.

First spray is generic Tom Ford-esque…something, and then it fades away into a dark cold attic smell. It’s not attractive, it’s just creepy.

This is a great scent for virtuous thieves and noble trespassers, or for those who want to appear like one haha. It’s a malicious scent, for the dark and brooding man.

Never again.

 

Fragrance Notes
Rose/ Lemon/ Cloves/ Patchouli/ Labdanum/ Amber/ Ambergris/ Frankincense/ Leather / Smoke/ Myrrh/ Tonka Beans

Mitsouko / Guerlain

27 Sep

“And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.” -Nietzsche

One word that sums up this fragrance: Misery.

I’ve gotten so many recommendations to try out Mitsouko: the tragic love story between the wife of Japanese Admiral Togo, and a British officer. The story takes place in 1905, during the war between Russia and Japan. Both men went to war, and Mitsouko, hiding her feelings with dignity, waits for the outcome of the battle to discover which of the two men will come back to her and be her companion.

Crafted in 1919 by Jacques Guerlain (the same creator of my favorite oriental Shalimar), this perfume is symbolic of the beginning of the end. It’s a mysterious fragrance, that carries with it a secretive love affair…it truly is its origin in a bottle!

If ever there was loneliness in a perfume I believe this would be a close call, Mitsouko is deeply enigmatic and private. There is nothing hopeful or happy here…just melancholy and sadness.

My first experience with Mitsouko is much like my experience with Shalimar, sprays on super strong and reeking of heavy oakmoss and jasmine…I was horrified. I immediately wanted to take a shower…it smelled a little like urine? Anyway, my good friend tells me it dries down into something different…and she was right. As the heavy top notes give away, you are exposed to its heart…which is much softer and more feminine (though still heavy in a figurative way).  Like I said…this scent reeks of tragedy, I highly doubt I would wear this again unless maybe I am in Paris on a cloudy day and feeling especially lonely lol.

But there is a reason why Mitsouko has outlasted the test of time; I suppose every woman needs to experience this complex fragrance at least once in her life. Who would have thought that one man could so perfectly encapsulate the essence of misery in a bottle?


Top Notes

Citruses/ Jasmine/ Bergamot/ Rose

Middle Notes

Lilac/ Peach/ Ylang-Ylang

Base Notes

Spices/ Amber/ Cinnamon/ Oakmoss/ Vetiver

Fiori / Vince Camuto

27 Sep

I received this fragrance as a gift from my parents a few months ago. At first I was a little nervous; I’m not usually a fan of sugary gourmand scents, but luckily Fiori was more floral than candy.

Fiori (which means wild flower in Italian) came on instantly like a bouquet of iris and champagne.  Little research uncovered the top notes were actually pink grapefruit, nectarine and sparkling wine, with Iris at its heart.

Although I was surprisingly pleased by its orientation, ultimately I felt the scent was too “young” on me. Much like Marc Jacob’s “Daisy”, I felt the formulation was meant for teenage girls (with pink tulle skirts and crowns of flowers) fresh-faced and tanned from the summer sun.

Sillage was moderate, with moderate longevity of approximately 3 hours.

Top Notes
Nectarine/ Grapefruit/ Bellini

Middle Notes
Iris/ Freesia/ Jasmine

Base Notes
Sandalwood/ Cedar/ Musk/ Amber