Another week of Roses! Rose Cheapies – 2019

Winter has left me feeling exceptionally “blah” this year so I’m basically trying to do anything that I think will remind that my feelings and this cold season are temporary. As a distraction, I did something I tell all of ya’ll not to do. I blind-bought perfumes. But, let me explain! I bought rose-centric perfumes from a discount site, all of them selling for under $25. That seems like less of a gamble, right? This week I will see if the blind-sniffing odds were stacked against me or not…

Jovan Silky Rose was in a collection/trio of perfumes from the brand inspired by the Middle East. There’s a rose, an amber and can you guess the third one? Oud, of course. Being that Jovan perfumes are cheap but not awful for their cheap price point, I have had my eye out for this collection. I haven’t seen it in any drugstores. But, I have seen Sex Appeal! (I didn’t know they still made that one!). Anyway, I saw a bottle of Silky Rose at a discount store in the Garment District (shady, I know, I know) and I bought it unsniffed (it was $9 for a 3 oz bottle).

Silky Rose isn’t what I expected at all. It’s a difficult one for me to describe. The musk is there from the beginning (I mean, it’s a Jovan scent, what do we expect?). But, there’s also this unusual sourness in it. It’s just sourness and a tangy red currant. It’s like a red currant cordial (sweet and tangy). As it wears, it’s a warm, waxy orange flower and jasmine that reminds me of Los Angeles. Why? Because it’s waxy white florals with a hint of oiliness (like motor oil). But, for most of the wear, this perfume reminds me of Avon Skin So Soft Soft & Sensual mixed with the original Avon Skin So Soft bath oil. It’s like white florals, musk, lavender and a hint dried rose petals. The base turns more into musk and patchouli, but the waxy white florals are still present. Silky Rose reminds me of summer. Partially because of the warm, waxy white florals, the other part being that it reminds me of Skin So Soft and mosquitoes.

I usually have strong opinions about perfume (and everything else) but I have yet to really form one about this fragrance. There are times that I really like it. There are other times that I think it could be a mess. However, today is one of the days where I like it. It’s a fruity, musky jasmine. But, it is not a silky rose.

Notes listed include rose, patchouli, red currant, orange flower, jasmine, amber, vanilla woods and musk. Launched in 2012.

Give Silky Rose a try if you like the sort of musks that are in the Jovan collection. Or if you like the jasmine/rose in the Avon Skin Soft line, especially Soft & Sensual. I haven’t really been able to compare it to other perfumes but in a way it reminds me of Givenchy Amarige or Dior J’Adore.

Projection and longevity are average. Keep in mind that they call this a “concentrated cologne” and it wears like an EDP.

I am having issues finding this online. So, I guess you’ll have to come down to the Garment District and buy this and a knock-off Louis Vuitton bag.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Tangy currants and musky orange blossoms/jasmine. I think I like it, or maybe I don’t. I can’t tell and this is rare for me.

I have heard that Secret Amber is the star of this trio. I haven’t tried it. I have also heard that the Intense Oud is the “true” rose of the collection. Oh, well.

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Fragrantica – Member reviews

Now Smell This – More info on the trio

*Product purchased by me. Product pic from Fragrantica. Evalyn Knapp pic from revolvy.com.

Original article: Jovan Silky Rose Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

Have you missed me? I know it’s been a long time since I’ve posted (umm…months), but here I am. Long story short, everything is fine. I’ve just been so busy with my new career and in general, life. Something had to give and it was this blog. After taking a break for my own sanity, I’m ready to talk about perfume again. Here I am breaking my multi-month sabbatical to talk about a white floral by French niche brand Initio that has a ridiculous name, Addictive Vibration.

Addictive Vibration is a warm, heady floral. It opens with beeswax and orange blossom. It smells like the glow from golden hour sunshine mixed with nutmeg. This opening is dry, warm, heady with a hint of powder (that powdery “solar” amber like that in Mugler Alien). The spices mixed with musk bring to mind the cozy comfort that I get from things like Malle Musc Ravageur. In the heart, the orange blossom goes a little “grape jelly” like the orange blossoms in things like Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger. Additionally, it has a cool breeze of tuberose. Addictive Vibration reminds me of other perfumes, but only in pieces. Together it’s its own distinct perfume. The dry-down goes into a direction that I was hoping something that opened like dusk and grape jelly would go into. It gets funkier, more animalic with amber-hued honey, tobacco-like vanilla bean pods and a lot of oak-scented bourbon. But, that’s not all! It’s the musk. The musk is everything that I loved about Malle Musc Ravageur (pumpkin pie spice, baby powder and cocoa butter on skin) but with more of a salty, mineral quality….it’s like the weirdness in Malle Dans tes Bras. That weirdness is like sweat and sweet, powdery mimosa blossoms.

In summary, this is a very Maurice Roucel-y composition. (He’s the nose behind Malle Musc Ravageur, Malle Dans tes Bras, Guerlain Insolence, Hermès 24 Faubourg, Le Labo Labdanum 18 and the list goes on…). For those unfamiliar with his work, he’s really great at creating compositions that have a velvet-y, dense feel. He’s also amazing with combining the raw sensuality of white florals and animalic musks until they almost come across as vulgar because they are just so carnal, flesh-y and literally smell like sex. Addictive Vibration is a sweet white floral with sweaty, musky skin and unwashed, rumpled sheets. It’s a post-coital orange blossom.

Notes listed include apple blossom, orange blossom, vanilla orchid, musk and honey. Launched in 2016. PERFUMERS – Maurice Roucel

Give Addictive Vibration a try if you like white florals or frankly any of Roucel’s perfumes. Or perfumes like Serge Lutens Fleurs d’Oranger, Mugler Alien, Moresque Regina, Jean Paul Gaultier Classique, Lancôme Poême and/or Malle Musc Ravageur. After wearing this some more, I realize it also makes me think of the now discontinued CdG Daphne – sweet, incense-y white floral.

Projection is average and longevity is above average.

The 3.4 oz retails for $305 at Osswald. Samples are also available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Sweet, spicy orange blossom and musk. If an orange blossom could be a sex symbol, well, here ya go.Does a perfume get more Maurice Roucel than this? Is that even possible?

*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from the brand. Mamie van Doren from fanpix.net.

Original article: Initio Addictive Vibration Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

All you need to know about Juliette Has a Gun Mmmm…is that it is Dior Hypnotic Poison. OK, that’s an exaggeration. After wearing it a few more times, I realize there are some subtle differences. But, Mmmm… seems like it could have easily been a Dior Poison flanker.

Mmmm…opens with something that reminds me of Play-Doh and raspberry cordial (Chambord). Some of you may be thinking, “Wow, what a mess!” and the rest of us are going “ohhhh, yeah!”.  I’m one of the weirdos that likes the that this smells like a daycare that moonlights as a cocktail bar. As it wears, it becomes even sweeter. It’s like a French almond cake with fresh raspberries being served in a courtyard sheltered in night-blooming jasmine. At this stage, this is where I pick up on the similarities of Dior Hypnotic Poison. It’s an almond white floral. This how it spends most of its wear on me. Eventually Mmmm… ends up being a powdery vanilla with traces of a cosmetic-y iris and white florals. It made me think of a perfume I haven’t worn in years, Lancome Hypnose (another perfume by Annick Menardo, the nose behind Hypnotic Poison). On warmer days, I notice the sandalwood/woods much more. It’s like a woodsy incense burning in the background.

When I first tried Mmmm… (or as I will call it Quad M Ellipsis), I thought it was repetitive and something I would never wear. In a world of almond white florals that come in an apple-shaped/throbbing heart red bottle, why would I wear this? It’s already been done! But, after wearing it, I appreciate the JHaG one for its fruity, raspberry opening and how it basically reminds me of eating cake and being surrounded by jasmine. Saying that, I won’t go out of my way to buy it but if someone were to give it to me, I’d probably wear it more than I would be willing to admit (mainly because the name is so dumb and something I’d never say aloud).

Notes listed include neroli, raspberry, geranium, orange flower, jasmine, tuberose, iris, patchouli and sandalwood. Launched in 2016.

Give Quad M Ellipsis a try if you like “mature” gourmands or almond perfumes. Or perfumes like Dior Hypnotic Poison, The Body Shop Madagascar Vanilla Flower, NEST White Sandalwood, L’Artisan Parfumeur Traversée du Bosphore, Lancome Hypnose, Aqua di Parma Mandorlo di Sicilia and/or Serge Lutens Rahat Loukoum.

Projection and longevity are average. I know you’re sick of the comparisons, but this one is “lighter” than Hypnotic Poison.

Mmmm… comes in a few sizes with the 1.7 oz retailing for $100 at Sephora.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Almond white floral. It may remind you of something else but at this stage, most perfumes will. There’s just so many launches! This is one of those that is technically “new” but it’s also familiar. Think of it like that person that likes to talk about how they got their hair done but you can’t tell until they talk about how much it costs just to get a few highlights. Then you notice. That’s Mmmm…

*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from Luckyscent. Susanna Foster pic from fanpix.net. Post contains an affiliate link. Thanks!

Original article: Juliette Has A Gun Mmmm… Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

Mainstream Monday – Sniffing a Popular Perfume

“The trees have leaves!”

Well, of course they do. But, this is something that I have heard a few people recount that have had to have glasses from a young age. I relate. I was officially prescribed glasses in the early part of 2nd grade. I needed them much earlier, but when all you know is blurry green or orange blobs on trees, unable to see that trees aren’t composed of “leaves” but all individual leaf/s making up what you see on the tree, you don’t really question the world around you.

I used to be embarrassed by the thought. Even though I had seen or picked up a leaf from the ground, I had never really put together that was what was on the trees. It was like my child brain had thought there were “poofs” on a tree and then with the changing of the seasons, they all broke to pieces and feel to the ground, like old paint flaking off of a barn. This was a very embarrassing thought once I had my first set of (huge) red-framed glasses and could see the world with my myopia corrected. However, I’ve met other people in my adolescence and adulthood with similar experiences as me, we bonded over this shared embarrassment but also because we can see the world in two different views: blurry or sharp.

When I smell Hermes Terre d’Hermes, it’s like I am experiencing some olfactory version of putting on my glasses. Everything seems clearer, sharper and more defined than it once was.

Terre d’Hermes opens with a blast of dry black pepper and orange zest. As it settles, it’s still effervescent and luminous. The grapefruit is sweet and tart. I’d be tempted to say that this fragrance is transparent. But, it’s not. It’s just “clear”, meaning that it has a lightness but it still has presence. It’s not diffused but sharp, with the edges of each of the notes being crisp and clear. For the most part, Terre d’Hermes is a vetiver. But, it highlights so many aspects of vetiver. It’s citrus, green, woody, mineral and even inky. This complex vetiver is highlighted by a sharp rose geranium and cool, damp stones. It eventually dries down to woods and vetiver, almost like a reflection of the opening but with more depth.

Notes listed include orange, grapefruit, pepper, vetiver, flint, cedar and benzoin. Launched in 2006. PERFUMER – Jean-Claude Ellena

Give Terre d’Hermes a try if you like vetiver scents or fresh, spicy scents. Or fragrances like Montale Red Vetyver, Narciso Rodriguez Bleu Noir, Cartier Declaration and/or Yardley Citrus & Wood. Although marketed as masculine, like all vetiver fragrances, I think of Terre d’Hermes as much more “unisex”. I also find it seasonless.

Projection and longevity are average. I have reviewed the EDT and I’d even argue that it’s above average in comparison to other perfumes of this concentration.

Terre d’Hermes comes in a few sizes with the 1.6 oz retailing for $88 at Sephora and Nordstrom.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Crisp grapefruit, pepper and vetiver. I think this one of those “modern classics”.

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The Telegraph – A feature on the best fragrance’s for men

*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from Sephora. Louise Brooks pic from fanpix.net. Post contains affiliate links. Thanks!

Original article: Hermes Terre d’Hermes Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

There’s a lot of reasons to be upset with the uber-wealthy but I think one reason that most of us can agree on is that most of the uber-wealthy do very boring things with their money. I am sure that all of us have sat around, even those of us that only gamble by buying perfumes unsniffed, fantasizing about what we would do if we won the lottery. Once we get past the things that could make us very comfortable, we can fantasize about what we would do with the extra or what we’d do if we were filthy rich. Where would you go? What were your home/s look like? And this leads into why I’m frustrated with so many of the rich people or celebs (especially *that* one reality TV empire family) that we are supposed to envy. Why don’t they have a monochrome jet-black Victorian with a secret room hidden behind the bookcases in your library stocked with favorites and a few special things from Bauman Rare Books? Why don’t they devout themselves to some sort of esoteric academia and become a scholar and translator of Ottoman Divan poetry? And why are they dressing like that?! When I think about just how boring most of the uber-rich are, it seems like a real waste of money.

Many years ago when the niche perfume brand Ormonde Jayne was just starting out, a perfume was made. At the time, they were a small, emerging house and this perfume at the time had to be scrapped. Why? It was just too expensive to make. Being a small business, you didn’t get the bulk order discounts from aroma manufactures. Plus, using the most expensive of raw materials was probably a bad idea for anyone trying to grow a business. Long story short, Ormonde Jayne survived through its infancy and has even made it through puberty. In fact, if the brand was a human, it’d be off to university soon, and I am sure going into college with a 4.0 GPA and already has accumulated a few college credits. Ormonde Jayne Privé is the perfume that the brand couldn’t produce in its infancy, but now it’s here.

Prive is like a mix of all of the other Ormonde Jayne perfumes. It really seems like the predecessor for the brand despite it being “officially” one of the brand’s newest launches. The opening is bright, like most of the other Ormonde Jayne perfumes, but there’s also a lot of dry spices. It wears like fresh pink pepper and bitter citrus. From a distance, I pick up on that gorgeous basmati rice accord that is in one of my favorite Ormonde Jayne perfumes, Champaca. The heart is a radiant floral with peachy undertones. This reminds me of another favorite from Ormonde Jayne, Osmanthus. But, it also reminds me of the houses use of white florals. It’s all those florals that are traditionally heady (and overwhelming) but in an Ormonde Jayne composition, they’re like a mix of gauze and silk. The dry-down is a warm, musky amber with sweetness. It sort of reminds me of Tolu. There’s also an iris that is like velvet.

You can really tell with Prive where the brand was going and who it would end up being. Prive reminds me of other Ormonde Jayne perfumes but maybe I should be saying that the other Ormonde Jayne perfumes remind me of Prive!

Notes listed include basmati rice, pink pepper, green mandarin, coriander, freesia, osmanthus, neroli, gardenia, magnolia, jasmine, blackcurrant, orris butter, vanilla, musk, sandalwood and ambroxan. Launched in 2018. PERFUMER – Geza Schoen

Give Prive a try if you like radiant, abstract florals or basically any of the other Ormonde Jayne perfumes. I feel like if you like the florals or the warmer, oriental style of perfumes that the brand offers, you’ll be very happy with Prive. Honestly, I have to use a lot of restraint to not wear this all of the time. I just love how it wears on me.

I find projection and longevity to be above average but in that totally proper, polite way that Ormonde Jayne has mastered. It’s “light” but it lingers.

The 1.7 oz bottle retails for $150 at Saks.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Truly the DNA of Ormonde Jayne. A gorgeous, radiant floral-oriental. I’m happy that the brand could eventually launch this for the “rest of us”. Now let’s all hope that our lottery fantasies will come true too!

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Colognoisseur

*DISCLAIMER – Product was provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. Iris Bianchi by Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1959. Post contains an affiliate link. Thanks!

Original article: Ormonde Jayne Prive Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

Memo Paris Tiger’s Nest is inspired by a sacred Buddhist monastery in Bhutan nested in the Himalayas. So even though the design on the bottle wants you to believe this is a perfume about tigers, it’s not really that. This isn’t some feral musk composition but instead a meditative incense perfume.

Tiger’s Nest opens with a radiance that I find unexpected. It’s a liturgical frankincense with fizzy, champagne-like aldehydes. In addition, it’s spicy with both warm/cool spices (i.e. clove, cardamom). The heart is frankincense and balsamic incense resins. It wears rather linear or at least like incense resins for most of the wear. But, really, aren’t incense resins complex enough? OK, well, there’s some pine needles too. It also comes across like incense. The dry-down is a balsamic amber with a dusting of warm spices. The base is sweeter but I wouldn’t say it’s “sweet”. It’s just really balsamic and maybe even a little boozy.

There are many perfumes in the “literal incense” market. But, there’s a few things I like about Tiger’s Nest. The first thing is that it manages to balance both a sharp liturgical incense with that of a sweeter, balsamic incense. The second thing is that it comes in a gold bottle with a tiger on it. Other incense perfumes don’t have that.

Notes listed include lemon, aldehydes, pink pepper, pepper, rose, absinthe, olibanum, benzoin, cinnamon, labdanum, tolu balsam, vanilla and amber. Launched in 2018.

Give Tiger’s Nest a try if you like incense fragrances, especially frankincense. Or perfumes like HEELEY Cardinal, Comme de Garcons Avignon, Montale Full Incense, MiN Forever Now and/or Lorenzo Villoresi Incensi.

Projection and longevity are average to above average.

The 2.5 oz bottle retails for $300 at Osswald. Samples are also available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A balance of both sharper, liturgical style incense and smoother, balsamic style incense. I don’t *need* anything like this. I went through a huge incense phase back in the day but maybe I wouldn’t have bought so many if I had one that covered all the bases like this!

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BL’eauOG

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*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from the brand. Sylvia Sidney pic from fanpix.net. She was the case worker in Beetlejuice!

Original article: Memo Paris Tiger’s Nest Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

Mainstream Monday – Sniffing (Some) Popular Perfumes

Last year H&M launched a TON of perfumes. I was extremely skeptical. Who launches this many perfumes at once?! I also remember them having perfumes before and in their true fast-fashion fashion, they were also discontinued quicker than a yellow light turning red. Everything about H&M’s new perfume collection felt so rushed, so fast and well, cheap. Plus, they probably wouldn’t even be available in the U.S. anyway.

I was wrong. A friend I met through perfume convinced me to give them a try…and not just to try them but pick up a few bottles for her. Her endorsement encouraged me to embrace the very busy and tourist-filled H&M by my job during a lunch break. Long-story short, I left with bottles of all of these:

Makassar Patchouli (Perfume Oil)

Notes listed include citrus, violet leaf, lavender, violet, jasmine, woods, patchouli, amber and vanilla. PERFUMER – Olivier Pescheux

As the name says, this is a patchouli fragrance. Makassar Patchouli opens as an earthy patchouli smoothed by a combo of vanilla/lavender. The patchouli is camphoric but it’s also soft like cashmere. The perfume oil is rather linear. It wears as this vanilla/patchouli that reminds me a lot of one my favorite perfumes from back in the day: Prada Amber. After wearing this many times, I FINALLY realized it reminds me of Chanel Coromandel, especially in the dry-down.

Makassar Patchouli is truly a perfume for patchouli-lovers. Give it a try if you like perfumes Prada Intense/”Classic” Amber, Chanel Coromandel or many of the patchouli-heavy Reminiscence perfumes.

Comoro Ylang (Perfume Oil)

Notes listed include mandarin orange, pink pepper, ginger, ylang-ylang, freesia, white florals, benzoin, tonka beans and musk. PERFUMER – Olivier Pescheux

I’m just going to say that Comoro Ylang drives me crazy because it reminds me of something else, something “expensive” but I can not place it. I keep wearing it thinking it’ll come to me…many wears later and nothing!

The opening of this one is almost like fresh ginger and an orange creamsicle. There’s a little bit of pepper but it’s not spicy but more floral (like freesia). Underneath is a bouquet of white and yellow tropical florals. It’s a note that isn’t listed but it reminds me of frangipani/plumeria. Comoro Ylang smells like a lei. It eventually fades into a creamy tropical floral that reminds me of manoi and yes, it reminds me of ylang-ylang. It’s like tropical florals and vanilla.

All I know is that I like it despite it reminding me something of my past that I just can’t place right now. Oh, well.

Raconteuse

Notes listed include bitter orange, neroli, tuberose, tiare flower and vanilla. PERFUMER – Olivier Pescheux

I’m going to admit that this was the sleeper out of the set I bought. Looking back, I wish I had bought a larger bottle (and I most likely will buy one). This is a delightfully over-the-top, borderline trashy orange blossom. It opens with green leaves and orange pulp. But, it doesn’t stay in the “orangerie” territory for long. It becomes a heady orange blossom and tuberose. It’s somewhere between Bain de Soleil Orange Gelee, honeysuckle vines and blooming orange blossoms. The dry-down is a sweeter, tropical white floral with a rum-like vanilla. I just feel like when I’m wearing this I’m living my Boca Raton fantasy of bikinis and psychedelic print kaftans.

Give this one a try if you like “tropical white florals” or perfumes like Guerlain Acqua Allegoria Nerolia Bianca, Pierre Guillaume PG17 Tubereuse Couture, Le Galion Tubereuse, Annick Goutal Neroli and/or Diptyque Olene. Basically, Ranconteuse smells like a niche white floral but it retails for under $20. Buy it while you still can.

Yuzu

Notes listed include yuzu. PERFUMERS – Olivier Pescheux and Nisrine Bouazzaoui Grillie

Now this one was my immediate favorite and I predict that I’ll end up buying a backup of this one.

Yuzu opens with greens and the juiciest yuzu. It’s effervescent; it’s juicy. It makes me smile. This perfume has so much energy. As it wears, it’s yuzu and possibly even some black tea and maybe even something like rhubarb. Being a citrus, it just sort of goes from the heart of yuzu and white musk and fades into nothingness. It’s linear and fades rather quickly but I am not mad. It’s cheap so I don’t mind.

Real talk, this smells like it could be a Hermes Jardin. In fact, I attended a party with some perfume lovers that make me look like a novice. I sprayed this without telling them what it was and they all thought it was one of the Hermes Colognes (the rhubarb one) until I told them it wasn’t. Give it a try if you like Hermes’ fresh scents, Bvlgari tea scents or maybe even stuff like Elizabeth Arden Green Tea perfumes. Pro tip – wear alone or layer with basically anything.

Lipstick

Notes listed include lipstick. PERFUMERS – Olivier Pescheux and Nisrine Bouazzaoui Grillie

I’m such a sucker for lipstick and cosmetic-y perfumes. I didn’t even bother sniffing this one and just bought it out of curiosity because it was cheap. There are a lot of cosmetic-y perfumes on the market and oddly enough, most are niche and cost a lot. It makes little sense to me as to why smelling like a functional fragrance should cost so much.

Anyway, Lipstick opens with cherry Chapstick. It’s a synthetic cherry and a little bit of wax. There’s also aldehydes which are like a nod to hairspray. As the scent wears, it gets muskier like that of vintage face powder. Eventually, a cosmetic-y rose and violet appears that reminds me of a “lighter” version of Malle Lipstick Rose. Lipstick dries down to musky powder, iris and a vanilla body cream. It’s funny because Malle Lipstick Rose reminds me of grown women from an era before my own. Even though they share similarities, Lipstick smells like my own adolescence or at least how my adolescent self thought of the ritual of becoming a grown, glamorous woman should smell like.

I recommend Lipstick to anyone that likes cosmetic-y perfumes like Malle Lipstick Rose or Chanel Misia or even fruity perfumes like MAC Candy Yum-Yum or Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire.

The H&M location I went to didn’t have the entire line. There were some duds that I sniffed (some berry one made me gag), but there were also some gems. I truly love everything that I bought. They exceeded my expectations. The bad news is that the store has never restocked the perfumes. I have heard from other people that the perfumes never showed up at their local stores. As I suspected, H&M did treat these like fast fashion and I worry that they will be discontinued soon to make more room for ugly Gucci tracksuit knock-offs and t-shirts printed with nonsensical English words. They’re still online but I notice that not all of them are. Ugh, I hate fast-fashion with a passion.

Excluding the perfume oils, all the other stuff I bought was under $8 a bottle! The perfume oils were under $13. They also have body sprays, larger/smaller bottles and perfumes in different formats. For example, Makassar Patchouli and Comoro Ylang are also available in an alcohol-based EDP (my location didn’t have them so I don’t know if they’re like the oils or not). Available at H&M.

If you have tried any of these and think I should pick up some additional ones, please let me know. The next time they have a good coupon, I’ll be buying backups and maybe add a few more

*All bottles purchased by me. Product pic from the brand.

Original article: H&M Has Perfumes – Some Reviews

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

I was immediately drawn to Vilhelm Room Service because of the name. How luxurious is that? And then I read that it is a fragrance inspired by the legendary Greta Garbo and how her hotel rooms would be filled with bouquets. You can see why this one of the first perfumes I reached for out of my Vilhelm samples.

Well, I’m not going to withold the suspense. Room Service is disappointing. It’s not really the perfume as much as it is a case of terrible pairing, another case of “Wrong Perfume, Wrong Marketing”. This is the sort of fruity-floral that was popular with designers in the early 00s. It’s like those “girly” perfumes, those perfumes that were made junior high dances. To me, it doesn’t bring to mind Garbo or fancy hotel rooms.

Room Service opens with sulfuric grapefruit peels and a musky, overripe blackberry. I actually really like this opening, but it really resembles so many designer pink juices that were launched circa 2004. Like I’m wearing this and I can just feel the goopy, vanilla-flavoured MAC LipGlass in Oyster Girl on my lips. I’m reaching to pull up my extreme lowrise jeans that are exposing my butt crack and my rhinestoned whale tale (thong). Yes, I’m wearing a belt, but that’s just there for the bling. Let me adjust my Von Dutch trucker cap and get to the rest of my review of Room Service…

There’s a tart, green and watery floral accord. Do you remember in the late 90’s/early 00’s how bamboo and watery florals/water lily were so popular? Well, it’s back in Room Service. This paired with a laundry, white musk that is almost scratchy and starched. The watery floral turns into a “pink floral” – like fruity roses and a powdery violet. The dry-down is slightly powdery with a white musk and violet. It’s soft, warm and clean like a used dryer sheet. I’ll admit at this stage it could be starched, white linens.

Room Service is a pleasant fragrance. As someone that’s an “old Millennial”, I’ve smelled many things like this before. And when I want something pink, flirty and “girly”, it’s going to be YSL Paris. Maybe if I were in that mood, I’d wear Room Service but I’m not dropping that sort of cash on something I can find for $200 cheaper. I’m more likely to rewatch all of the Simple Life again and dust off one of my pairs of Roberto Cavalli shield sunglasses when I’m feeling nostalgic.

I wanted to include a glamorous picture of Garbo or some starlet eating chocolates in bed but that feels so wrong. So, here’s Paris Hilton and Tinkerbell:

Notes listed include mandarin orange, blackberry, orchid, bamboo, violet, black amber, musk and sandalwood. Launched in 2015. PERFUMER – Jerome Epinette

Give Room Service a try if you like the sort of fruity-floral perfumes that usually come in a pink bottle or have pink juice. Or perfumes like Chloe See by Chloe, Dior Addict II, Gucci Envy Me (basically any of those “pink” Gucci perfumes), Versace Bright Crystal, Lanvin Jeanne Lanvin and/or Balenciaga L’Eau Rose.

Projection and longevity are average.

The 3.4 oz retails for $245 at Aedes. A travel size and samples are also available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – “Pink” fruity-floral. Like I’ve already said, it’s a perfectly fine and pretty fragrance. If I had it, I’d probably wear it or spray my sheets with it. It’s just that to me, this doesn’t bring to mind Garbo or Old Hollywood so I find it disappointing in that regard. It’s more Paris Hilton and I’m sure she gets room service, so maybe “New Hollywood” would have been more appropriate marketing.

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Persolaise

InStyle

*Sample purchased by me. Product pic from the brand. Paris Hilton and Tinkerbell (RIP) pic from Daily Mail.

Original article: Vilhelm Room Service Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

Lubin Epidor was a perfume originally launched in 1912. Is this 2017 relaunch anything like the original? I highly doubt it. Anyway, this perfume is inspired by harvesting wheat and the French countryside. Glamour, non?

Epidor opens as a white floral with a sweet, sticky grape jelly. And there’s a lot of baby powder. As it wears, the jasmine and orange blossom really blooms. It’s heady with stone fruit undercurrents (like plum). As it wears, there’s an addition of a white musk. Now the base of this fragrance is a pleasant surprise. It smells just like hay and a skanky honey. It’s sweet, dry and waxy (like beeswax). None of this is listed in a note list because it’s the coumarin in the tonka bean playing off of the indoles of the jasmine. There’s a vanilla that comes across like tobacco (or like a sweet, honeyed hay).

Overall, Epidor is a powdery white floral with honey. And hay! For a perfume that brings to mind sickles and reaping grain, this is one heck of a glamorous perfume, especially one for farming!

Notes listed include plum, violet, orange blossom, jasmine, cedar, sandalwood, tonka bean and vanilla. Launched in 2017. PERFUMER – Thomas Fontaine

Give Epidor a try if you like powdery white florals. Or perfumes like Dior Poison (vintage), Tableau de Parfums Loretta (discontinued), Tauer Sotta La Luna Gardenia, Cartier Le Panthere and/or Mugler Alien.

Projection and longevity are above average. In fact, I think of this as a white floral for harvest season. It’s like a white floral for when the weather is cooler…or the sort of white floral that goes well with tweed and scarves. However, I do enjoy it in the warmer weather but be warned – it projects.

Epidor comes in a few sizes with the 1.7 oz retailing for $130 at Beautyhabit. Samples are also available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A white floral for harvest season. It’s such a glamorous perfume for such provincial inspiration!

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Colognoisseur

Kafkaesque

*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from the brand. Ingrid Bergman, 1939, pic from vintage-glamour-girls.blogspot.com.

Original article: Lubin Epidor Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

Remember in an Initio review from a few months ago when I said I was going to start posting reviews more regularly again? Well, I’m trying and life just keeps getting in the way. I mean, here we are and its summer. I feel motivated by sunshine, longer days, and yes, colognes. I have been trying so many summer-y perfumes that I really want to share with you. One of these is Providence Perfume Co. Lemon Liada.

Lemon Liada has what I want from a citrus perfume. It opens as bitter green with a so much zested lemon. This opening is herbal; it’s citrus. Underneath the citrus and verbena, there’s a bit of indoles. It’s heady neroli; a white floral that come across as both sultry and fresh even in the sweltering summer heat. Lemon Liada smells like a citronnier, a lemon grove throughout the seasons. It’s the trees, the blossoms and eventually the fruit. The dry-down goes into an unexpected direction but in a direction that I absolutely love. It turns into a powdery mimosa. It tuns into one of the best “mimosa soliflores” that I can name right now.

But, here’s the wild thing about Lemon Liada: there’s no lemon in it. This is a perfume without lemon that manages to smell not only like lemons, but like a lemon grove. Wild, huh?

Notes listed include cedrat, verbena, lotus, petitgrain and mimosa. Launched in 2018. PERFUMER – Charna Ethier

Give Lemon Liada a try if you like lemon or neroli perfumes. Or perfumes like Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Lemon Fresca, L’Occitane Citrus Verbena, Le Jardin Retrouve Verveine d’Ete, Yves Rocher Verveine (discontinued) and/or Le Galion Whip. Also, give Lemon Liada a try if you like mimosa perfumes. The base of this is gorgeous.

For cologne, projection is average and longevity is above average. Keep in mind this is a natural perfume AND a citrus-heavy perfume. This is a double whammy of below average projection and longevity. Considering all of this, Lemon Liada is doing quite well for itself.

Lemon Liada comes in a few sizes with the 1.7 oz retailing for $100 at Providence Perfume Co. BTW – it’s a limited edition.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Mimosas and lemon groves. This is exactly the sort of thing I love to wear in the summer.

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Colognoisseur

*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. Cathee Dahmen pic from fanpix.net

Original article: Providence Perfume Co. Lemon Liada Cologne Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

Andrée Putman basically spent her life as the interior designer. When I think of how a wealthy person with good taste decorates, I basically think of Putman’s streamline, unfussy, neutral, and very French aesthetic. Yeah, I’m sure it’s dated, or at least the vision in my head is, but her work has left an impression deep in my psyche – a neutral, light-filled imprint (with enormous windows and high ceilings) that is still way out of my price range.

Like any other good designer, Putman launched a line of fragrances (fun fact, she designed the Guerlain boutique in Paris). However, she beat the curve since she launched her first in 2002. More followed thirteen years later. They all have that streamline, unfussy elegance of her designs. They’re all basically “soliflores” or single-themed fragrances which for some reason, designers gravitate to.

With a name like Tubereuse Interdite, one would expect a tuberose soliflore…and that’s exactly what you get. There’s no surprises. The opening of Tubereuse Interdite is a creamy, lactonic tuberose. It’s like a cool, mentholated tuberose with coconut cream and peach nectar. For most of the wear, that’s exactly how this perfume keeps wearing. It’s a creamy, milky tuberose. I sort of think of it like a custard of tuberose and warm nights in the tropics. Eventually it becomes more like an amber elegantly draped in white florals.

My favorite tuberose perfumes pair the flowers cool aloofness with its skin-like warmth. The olfactory composition of tuberose is one filled with contrasts. I love a tuberose perfume that exaggerates the flower’s contrasts. Tubereuse Interdite does this. It’s cool/green and warm/creamy. Some may find that it delves too much into the creamy sweetness, but that’s what I like about this fragrance. It’s a sweeter, tropical tuberose that doesn’t really read as such. It’s more of a little black dress instead of a floral print bikini.

Notes listed include white pepper, neroli, peach, tuberose, gardenia, orange blossom, musk, amber and benzoin. Launched in 2017. PERFUMER – Olivia Giacobetti

Give Tubereuse Interdite a try if you like creamy white florals or tuberose. Or perfumes like MDCI Parfums Nuit Andalouse, Piguet Fracas, Versace Blonde, Madonna Truth or Dare, McQueen by Alexander McQueen and/or Bond No. 9 Saks Fifth Ave for Her. This really is one for those that like white florals.

Projection and longevity are average. For a tuberose soliflore, I don’t find it suffocating. It’s more blousy and breathable than most.

Tubereuse Interdite comes in a few sizes with the 3.4 oz retailing for $175 at Beautyhabit. Samples are also available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Creamy, tuberose with a good balance of coolness and warmth. I enjoy wearing this but I already have perfumes like this. I can’t justify another especially since I have a barely touched Malle Carnal Flower giving me the “how dare you” look as I spray on samples of expensive tuberose perfumes to review…

*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from Beautyhabit. Vanity Fair 1953 editorial from Vanity Fair.

Original article: Andree Putman Tubereuse Interdite Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

I haven’t really kept up with many recent perfume launches. And when I say recent, I don’t mean things in the past month…or even the past six months. I’m talking like the past few years. It became too overwhelming to try new things when there were new things being launched every single day. When I stopped caring about new launches (shocking, I know, I have a perfume blog), I found myself feeling happier and more into perfume. I got to catch up. I got to try things that actually sounded interesting to me instead of trying whatever new collection, new brand, new release has hit the market that week. It’s been liberating! However, there’s been some downsides. I want go into all of those right now, but I will focus on one: I miss out on the small percentage of “good stuff” launched. Perfect example – Acqua di Parma Chinotto di Liguria.

Since I haven’t been paying attention, I missed out on this launch from last year. I tend to like the Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo line but they aren’t a line I rush out to try when there’s a new launch. They’re nice, but don’t I already own enough figs and citrus? Even when I saw that it was chinotto inspired, I thought to myself, “that’s just marketing, they won’t give us something bitter and herbal”. Well, I was wrong and I’m disappointed in myself for snoozing on this for a year because this is what I should be wearing this summer.

Chinotto di Liguria actually opens with an effervescent bitter orange accord that reminds me very much of a chilled San Pelligrino Chinotto soda (which has bitter weird flavor profile that is like grapefruit, rhubarb, and neroli eau de cologne/Florida Water). Then it quickly morphs into jasmine soap with traces of chypre aftershave. It immediately hit me what this perfume reminds me of why I was loving it so much – Clarins Eau Dynamisante. The Clarins has been one of my go-to fragrances every summer for as long as I’ve been wearing perfume. The heart is a radiant jasmine (hedione?) and there’s so much moss. It’s like “green radiance” – a tall, cold glass of aromatic and fresh. There’s a delicate dusting of spices, once again reminding me of chinotto soda (think a blend of warm/cool spices like cinnamon and cardamom). The rosemary and herbs haven’t faded since the appeared in the opening. For lack of a better word, the dry-down is bewitching, reminding me of cypress trees illuminated by a full moon. This dry-down is heavy on the patchouli. But, it also has a salty sea breeze and moonlit aromatics. There’s more moss but this time it’s been smoothed by musk. But, overall on me it’s like patchouli, sea, and evergreen herbs.

Is Chinotto di Liguria a remarkable, ground-breaking fragrance? Nah. But, is it good? Yes! Is it something I want to smell like? Absolutely. This is exactly the sort of fragrance I want to wear when it’s hot outside, all my clothes keep getting wrinkly, my brain is in need of a vacation, and frankly, it’s summer and I’m lazy. Chinotto di Liguria is going to be one of those fragrances that if/when I buy it, it’ll get a lot of mileage. It’s classic and effortless. And frankly I’m mad at my perfume friends for not telling me to rush out and buy this immediately. But, I can only blame myself for living so wild and free these past few years.

Notes listed include mandarin orange, chinotto, jasmine, geranium, cardamom, rosemary, patchouli and musk. Launched in 2018.

Give Chinotto di Liguria a try if you like chypres or “old school” green scents. Or fragrances like Clarins Eau Dynamisante, L’Artisan L’Eau d’Artisan, Annick Goutal Eau du Sud, Dior Diorella, and/or Dior Eau Sauvage.

Projection and longevity are average. I love how it “hovers” over the skin.

Chinotto di Liguria comes in a few sizes with the 2.5 oz retailing for $113 at Sephora and Nordstrom.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Fresh chypre. So, yeah, this is something I need. To me, it’s like a remix of Clarins Eau Dynamisante and Dior Diorella. But, it’s different enough for me to justify adding this blue bottle to my fragrance wardrobe.

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Scentertainer

Persolaise

*Sample obtained by me. Greta Garbo pic from “Single Standard”, 1929. (MGM).

Original article: Acqua di Parma Chinotto di Liguria Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

My interest in trying Piguet Notes is all the reviews over at Fragrantica that say it smells like the 80’s. And not just the 80’s, but like an 80’s deodorant stick. And I thought to myself, “Yes, I want to smell like an 80’s deodorant stick, please.” It was 100 degrees last weekend. I wish all the armpits shoved in my face on the crowded trains were wearing something that smelled like an 80’s deodorant stick.

Well, after trying Notes, I will say that if you are looking for something that smells like an 80’s deodorant stick then you won’t be disappointed. It’s an aromatic fragrance, somewhere between a chypre but mostly it’s a fougère. It opens with green herbs and lavender. There’s a vegetal muskiness from the sage. There’s also a hazy, smoky quality to the scent. Everything about this fragrance is familiar. It really is what fragrance marketed to men had smelled like for 20+ years. It’s herbs, lavender, sharp musks, moss, woods, and a ton of tonka. So, yep, it’s a fougère. The rest of the wear is at least two tons of tonka beans and a bare minimum dusting of vetiver. This gives the fragrance an overwhelming sweet tobacco-like base with a subtle rooty earthiness. There’s a lot of musk too which means that longevity is pretty good with this perfume.

People ask me why I bother to review perfumes that I don’t like. Well, there’s a few reasons I do this.

A. All perfumes aren’t about me. Just because I don’t like something doesn’t mean that other people feel the same way. A blog is a platform for discussion. When I talk about a variety of perfumes, I facilitate discussion.

B. Public service announcements. I can use my many years of sniffing stuff to basically let people know if there is a better alternative out there or if they should/shouldn’t buy something. There has to be someone out here on the other side of the hype scale.

Well, in the case of Notes, I’m sure there are a lot of people that like this fragrance. That’s great. But, I also want to tell people that if they love this, maybe they should sample some other things before dropping niche dollars when they could drop designer dollars. Try Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir or the super cheap/affordable Coty Preferred Stock if you like the green, bergamot-sage aspect of this fragrance. If you like the tonka/lavender overload, please try Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme Intenso or Jean Paul Gaultier Le Mâle. Maybe you’re young and didn’t live through the 25+ year period of everyone’s boyfriend, ex-husband, father, uncle, karate instructor or Encyclopedia Britannica salesperson smelling just like this. So, listen to me, go to Sephora or Wal-Mart or wherever and try some things launched in the 80’s and early 90’s. You may just find your “niche” there.

Notes include bergamot, clary sage, geranium, orange flower, oakmoss, vetiver and tonka. Launched in 2012. PERFUMER – Aurelein Guerlain

Give Notes a try if you like things that have been marketed as traditionally masculine. Or perfumes like Paco Rabanne Sport de Paco, Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir, Coty Preferred Stock, Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme Intenso, and/or Jean Paul Gaultier Le Mâle.

Projection and longevity are average to above average. But, I think so many of the scents in this genre last too long, so I’m not the person to talk to about this.

The 3.4 oz bottle retails for $185 at Neiman Marcus.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – The fougère that has been marketed to men for as long as I can remember. I rarely agree with fragrance forums but I agree with most of the reviews of this one. It is an 80’s deodorant stick and I suddenly have a desire to go buy a stick of Brut.

*Sample obtained by me. Product pic from the brand. Jean Marais in Orphée, 1950. Reflection of designer vs. niche. Idk. Don’t pay too much attention to it.

Original article: Robert Piguet Notes Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

Oh, the fruitichouli perfume…it’s been like 20 years of this. What is “this”? Well, it’s a type of perfume that pairs fruits and patchouli, usually with about 10 tablespoons of sugar per 1/3 oz of alcohol-based perfume. As a complete and total patch-head, I was actually into this genre considering the “alternatives”. But, then the perfumes kept happening. They never ended. If you bought designer perfumes, you could either choose from the Good Witch, fruity floral, or the Bad Witch, fruitichouli. These were your only options unless you bought niche. But, then niche just turned into designer and everywhere you looked, it seemed like all you could get was a sundae of fruits and patchouli smothered in caramel.

Approaching 20 years of this trend, an indie perfumer decided to give us a very literal, almost aggressive version of this popular perfume genre. And guess what? After hearing about this, I was interested in the fruitichouli perfume genre again. Market saturation aside, I was disappointed with the genre mainly because it didn’t go far enough. It felt too restrained. The patchouli was always scrubbed. The fruits were never bruised. Fruitichoulis were too perfect.

I’m just going to get it out of the way and let you know that Fruitchouli Flash leans towards the sweet side, just like its designer counterparts. The opening is like juicy peaches and syrup. But, as we expected, there’s a lot of patchouli. Even in the beginning, there’s hints of earth and bark. The patchouli, which is the feature presentation, is not waiting through the previews. There’s also a slightly spicy, jammy rose…and cellophane. Overall, the perfume wears rather literal. It’s peaches and patchouli. It’s a literal fruitichouli. This changes in the base. I pick up more of the white florals. It’s like gardenia and jasmine paired with patchouli-musk. The base reminds me of a more hippie, more “DIY” version of the cult-classic Gucci Rush. Yet, the patchouli makes me think of the Belle Epoque era. So, there’s that.

The notes and even my review may read like the progression of any other fruitichouli perfume on the market. However, Fruitchouli Flash is different because of how its constructed and partially because of its ingredients. I can tell that the patchouli used is the real deal so it comes across as earthy and thicker, like patchouli oil. The peaches, spices, roses and musk are all very Tauer-ish. What does that mean? It’s not restrained. And this lack of restraint, opaqueness and “indie-ness” is exactly why perfumes like L’Air du Desert Marocain have become cult classics.

Notes listed include apricot, peach, rose, white flowers, patchouli and musk. Launched in 2016. PERFUMER – Andy Tauer

Give Fruitchouli Flash a try if you like patchouli or wish that fruitichoulis weren’t scared to get dirty. Or perfumes like Gucci Rush, Al-Rehab Rasha, Histoires de Parfums 1969, and/or the entire “LUSH aesthetic“. And obviously if you like Tauer’s style or the other Tauerville perfumes, this is worth trying too.

Projection and longevity are average. Maybe it’s all of the patchouli, but it does start to wear like an oil after 2-3 hours (AKA closer to the skin). I find that I can tolerate this perfume more in cooler weather because the heat/humidity makes it project more.

The 1 oz bottle retails for $63 at Luckyscent. Samples are also available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Hippies and peach cobbler…OK, it’s peaches and patchouli. I love patchouli but I do struggle with this one because of the sweetness and how it interacts with the earthy patchouli. But, then there are times I wear it when I want sweet and it just *works*. I just have to be in the mood for smelling like hippie peach cobbler. Granted, that’s rare but we all have our moments.

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The Scented Hound

Colognoisseur

*Product was obtained by me. Product pic from the brand. Cléo de Mérode pic from thefrenchsampler.blogspot.com.

Original article: Tauer Tauerville Fruitchouli Flash Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

I genuinely enjoy writing about perfume and my impressions of them. However, it’s a bit difficult for me to write about Timbre from indie brand Chris Rusak. Why? Because the brand’s description is absolutely accurate. EauMG has existed since 2008 and I can only remember a few perfumes that I’ve tried where I thought the brand did a better job of explaining the perfume than I could or any other perfume blogger/writer/hobbyist could. I’m not being arrogant. Let’s be real, most perfume descriptions are minimal or try to sell you on an idea/concept that doesn’t translate at all into the fragrance.

To quote the brand:

Fresh acidity. A greyscale of bitterness. Bright dryness.

Timbre exists on the sharper, harsher edges of the woody-citrus genre.

There. You have it. This is Timbre. But, since you’re here, I’ll try to give you my impressions which aren’t any different than the brand’s description…

What I love about Timbre is it’s aggressively green opening. It’s an inky, green galbanum. This is paired with a terpenous citrus peel that frankly reminds me of certain citrus-hued strains of THC-heavy marijuana. This opening is like the perfume equivalent of getting your dark, leafy greens. It’s refreshing, fresh and I just feel more energized when I breath it in. Timbre is nourishment. As the perfume wears, there’s a salty, mineral vetiver grassiness but also balsamic resins. The resins (myrrh and I feel like there’s some frankincense) are the type of resins that pull into the bitter, citrus direction (as opposed to sweet and honeyed). The perfume gets drier. I’m talking like Death Valley dry or like Minneapolis in 2050 after climate change does a number. It dries down to dry woods, sharper resins, and there’s bit of “decay” from oud. There’s also a faint trace of sweatiness underneath all of this. This heart and dry-down brings to mind lumber decaying in some wild west ghost town. But, it’s contrasted by a dry, mineral grass and, I swear, a bitter neroli (not listed in the notes). It’s really like being in a dry climate with the only memories left of humid, seaside strolls. Even though it’s mineral, which should translate as “aquatic” in perfumery, and there’s citrus, this perfume is dry and there’s no water available, just green juice. It’s a bitter, green, acidic, resinous perfume that is a smart alternative to “clean fragrances” because somehow all of these elements come across as fresher than fresh even when there’s hints of decay and sweat in this perfume! Gah, I love that.

Back in the day, I used to be intimidated by galbanum. It was just shockingly green and bitter. Since those days, I’ve matured as a perfume person (and I’d like to think as a human as well). I really can’t get enough of galbanum or bitter, green perfumes. I think most of them are too subtle, oh, but Timbre goes there. It’s a green, woodsy fragrance for those of that apparently want to smell like freshly slashed weeds and untamed forests.

Notes listed include yuzu, mandarin, myrrh, Vietnamese oud, petitgrain, galbanum, and cedar. Launched in 2019. PERFUMER – Chris Rusak

Give Timbre a try if you like galbanum or green, woodsy scents. Or perfumes like CDG Artek x Standard, CdG Hinoki, Odin 07 Tanoke, Aesop Hwyl and/or Phlur Greylocke.

This is an EDT concentration with average to above average projection and longevity. I absolutely love wearing this stuff when it’s hot and muggy out. The bitterness cuts through it. It’s a fresh, clean fragrance without resorting to all of those other fresh, clean fragrance troupes.

The 1.7 oz retails for $110 at Chris Rusak. Samples are also available for purchase.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Green, bright and dry. I’m not plagiarizing! The brand said this but I agree. If you try perfumes and think to yourself, “This isn’t green enough. This isn’t dry enough. This isn’t woodsy enough”, well, you need this in your life.

*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. Marion Davies pic from fanpix.net Post contains affiliate links. Thanks!

Original article: Chris Rusak Timbre Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

The Beach Eaus – A month of beach and ocean inspired perfumes.

Nateeva is a perfume house that is inspired by islands; this is what I call “destination inspirations“. I’ve decided to dedicate the rest of August 2019 to reviewing perfumes that are inspired by or smell like the “the beach”. Because of this, you’re going to see me review the entire Nateeva line. Let’s travel to the U.S. Virgin Islands…

Saint Thomas is a heady white floral. It opens with bergamot and a blast of plumeria/frangipani. For the most part, that’s what Saint Thomas is. It’s a frangipani soliflore. It’s inspired by the Caribbean but Saint Thomas smells like Hawaiian leis to me. In the heart there is an addition of an orange blossom, jasmine and something that reminds me of gardenia. Somehow the white florals linger throughout the dry-down except now they’re paired with an ozonic breeze on a warm, humid night. The florals also get warmer, creamier in the dry-down.

Saint Thomas is one of those floral perfumes that many of us will immediately associated with subtropical or tropical climates. It’s a heady, white floral, like jasmine and gardenia, but with subtle “tropical fruits”. A lot of people think soliflores are boring but I am a fan of the subversive nature of flowers. Saint Thomas is a literal frangipani (AKA plumeria) soliflore. It’s pretty in a way that is too pretty, like an unreal pretty. And to me, a human smelling like angelic florals and paradise is weirder than smelling like a smoky campfire or whatever.

Notes listed include frangipani, rose, orange blossom, vanilla and musk. Launched in 2017. PERFUMER – Laurent Le Guernec

Give Saint Thomas a try if you like frangipani or white florals (like jasmine or gardenia). Or perfumes like Coqui Coqui Flor de Mayo, Malie Plumeria, Tommy Bahama for Her, and/or Lucy B Pink Frangipani.

Projection and longevity is average. Honestly, I don’t want a frangipani soliflore that is any “louder” than this or it’ll start reminding me of stuff like Coty Sand & Sable.

The 3.4 oz retails for $125 at Nateeva. There’s also a lotion available with this fragrance.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – A lei: a frangipani soliflore. It’s really pretty. I think it’s too pretty for my life which includes miserable commutes of shoving myself into a metal tube but sometimes I really need an olfactory escape like this. Actually, I need an actual escape but that’s a totally different issue. For now, I’ll settle for smelling like flowers.

*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. Tarita Teriipaia pic from Tribune.

Original article: Nateeva Saint Thomas Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

The Beach Eaus – A month of beach and ocean inspired perfumes.

I promise it won’t just be Nateeva fragrances I feature this month, but they made this easy for me by having an entire line inspired by islands. Next stop is Aruba.

Aruba opens with a tangy neroli and a salty mineralness. Out of the Nateeva perfumes that I’ve tried, Aruba is the most citrus-y. It’s lime submerged in bitter neroli water. It’s also the most “aquatic” out of what I’ve tried. It’s also the one that has garnered the most compliments too. No joke, every time I wear it, someone wants to know what I’m wearing.

Compliments aside, let me try to do a proper review of this fragrance. The opening is that lime blossom and neroli water. It’s a refreshing mix of citrus and florals. The heart is interesting in that it comes across like a banana-y jasmine but also a peppery, green floral. It’s like a white floral meets a green floral (which is usually what a “purple floral” like lilac or wisteria are). Aruba has been one of those perfumes that has been driving me crazy because I thought it reminded me of another perfume, something from my childhood. It finally occurred to me that this fragrance does remind me of my childhood, but it’s not a perfume. It’s freesia! It’s a peppery, heady and slightly honeyed freesia. Aruba dries down to something that is like honeysuckle and a towel that has just come out of the dryer. There’s a lot about this musky-floral dry-down that reminds me of Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis Forte. It’s like a fancy bath linen dried in sunshine and salt breeze…but also it’s like a lemon-amber custard. All I know is that it must smell good on me or there is something about it that appeals to people.

Aruba doesn’t really remind me of beaches or functional fragrances associated with holidays. To me, Aruba is a gorgeous spring floral. It’s a heady, honeyed bouquet of yellow, white and purple flowers.

Notes listed include neroli, bergamot blossoms, freesia, rose, Persian lime, wanglo flower, musk, cedar and amber. Launched in 2017. PERFUMER – Laurent Le Guernec

Give Aruba a try if you like freesia or radiant jasmine soliflores. Or perfumes like Floraiku Sleeping on the Roof, L’Artisan La Chases Aux Papillons, Gallivant Tel Aviv, Tom Ford Jasmin Rouge, Chantecaille Wisteria (discontinued) and/or TokyoMilk Waltz (discontinued). I also think Aruba is worth trying if you like “purple flowers” like lilac and wisteria.

Projection and longevity are average. For the Nateeva line, I’d say that longevity is above average because of that musk dry-down.

The 3.4 oz retails for $125 at Nateeva.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Freesia and wisteria. A sunny spring floral. When I wear “spring fresh” florals, I tend to think they aren’t for everyone. Perfume People tend to dismiss anything that is traditionally pretty like this and I often feel like I’m one of the few perfume bloggers that likes stuff like this. But, then I wear something like Aruba and get tons of compliments. My conclusion is that Perfume People may not like stuff like this, but oh, boy, let me tell you that other people do. After wearing this a few times, all I can say is that if I cared about compliments, I should just give in and buy a bottle of this.

*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. Vikki Dougan pic from fanpix.net.

Original article: Nateeva Aruba Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

The Beach Eaus – A month of beach and ocean inspired perfumes.

Out of the Nateeva line, Jamaica is one that seems the most “beachy” to me. That doesn’t mean that it necessarily smells like an actual beach but it smells more like perfumes marketed as tropical and beachy.

Jamaica opens with spicy, ozonic tropical florals over warm sand. It smells like an oceanic breeze through trees covered in flowering vines. There’s a brightness from citrus that fades rather quickly. At first, I thought Jamaica smelled like coconut. Then it started to come across like woods, like a creamy, spiced sandalwood. The heart is like salt, palo santo and citrus blossoms. It’s almost like the citrus blossoms have been sprayed with saline. Jamaica dries down to driftwood and a sharp, dry vetiver. This is paired with vanilla bean. This mix of vanilla and vetiver vaguely reminds me of the base of Lancome Hypnose.

Jamaica is one of those perfumes that smells like perfumes that are supposed to smell like the beach! If you like things like Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess, then you’ll like something like Jamaica. I finished reviewing the line yet, but as someone that has been a Bronze Goddess stan since from way back when it was Estee Lauder x Tom Ford Azuree Soleil, I’m going to tell you that so far, Jamaica is my favorite from Nateeva. Perfumery has done a wonderful job of brainwashing me into thinking warm sand and beaches smells like this.

Notes listed include lignum vitae flower, mandarin, plumeria, vanilla, vetiver and white musk. Launched in 2016. PERFUMER – Laurent Le Guernec

Give Jamaica a try if you like “beach scents”. Or perfumes like Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess, Maison Martin Margiela Beach Walk, Armani Sun di Gioia, Kate Spade Live Colorfully, Bobbi Brown Beach and/or Lilly Pulitzer Beachy (discontinued). I think of Jamaica as the child of Bronze Goddess and Beach Walk.

Projection and longevity are average.

The 3.4 oz retails for $125 at Nateeva.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Warm sand and ozonic white florals. Being that I have like 5 back-up bottles of Bronze Goddess, I don’t *really* need something like Jamaica. But, this one is spicier and more woodsy, which I can justify a bottle, right?

*DISCLAIMER – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. Kai Newman giving her homeland of Jamaica some love in Allure 2016 “Body and Sol” editorial photographed by Benny Horne.

Original article: Nateeva Jamaica Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

The Beach Eaus – A month of beach and ocean inspired perfumes.

In case you’re just tuning in, I’m a huge fan of Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes work. In fact, she’s partially responsible for why EauMG still exists today. Her perfumes were my first real introduction to indie perfumery. Since trying her perfumes, I have tried hundreds of indie perfumes, many I have covered on this blog.

So, I’ve learned with DSH, there’s a massive catalog of scents, and that I shouldn’t make any assumptions about the fragrance until I try them. I mean, this woman convinced me that there is a pear perfume out there that I’d actually wear! Even if there is a genre or note that I’m not usually interested in, I’ll try it if DSH uses it.

With coconut, it’s sort of like, what can you do that hasn’t been done? I recently shared a list of my favorite coconut perfumes. I tend to like those that are creamy, fatty and well, not that innovative. And (sadly?), most coconut-centric perfumes fall into this category. DSH Perfumes Maui is a coconut perfume that promises that it’s unlike a lot of those other coconut perfumes…

From the very beginning, you get all the coconut in Maui. It’s creamy, woodsy and sweet. However, it has a couple of aspects that I usually don’t get from coconut-centric perfumes. One aspect is that there is a sweet white chocolate that adds a richness and cocoa butter-like quality to the fragrance. The other is a mineral, dry accord that pumice stone or like volcanic rock. Maui is predominantly a coconut fragrance with a creamy sandalwood. The Hawaiian sandalwood, which is a more sustainable sandalwood, is what keeps this fragrance from smelling like a functional fragrance or like a frozen alcoholic beverage. This sandalwood emphasizes the coconut’s sweetness in a way that doesn’t make it come across like a dessert. Yet, it’s still sweet, creamy and smooth. When I smell these two together, I realize how perfect they are for each other. It’s like having two of your friends fall in love and one day you’re like “Oh, this totally makes sense. I get it now”. The dry-down of Maui is creamy woods and warm amber with an actual vanilla bean pod. It smells like hot sand and sun-bleached driftwood. It’s simple but it’s pleasant. I’m not saying Maui is the coconut perfume for those that don’t usually like coconut. It’s just a quintessential coconut for those that like the note. It’s also like a “sandalwood on holiday”. If you like creamy, warm scents, then you’ll be happy with Maui.

I enjoy Maui on its own but this really is the sort of fragrance that is effortless for layering. It can emphasize creaminess in figs (like Diptyque Philosykos) or gardenias (like Annick Goutal Gardenia Passion). It also adds a nice gourmand quality to ambers or tobacco perfumes (Elizabeth & James Nirvana Bourbon). But, something I didn’t expect is how well this layers with iris/orris perfumes, fragrances like Dior Homme or Serge Lutens Daim Blonde.

Notes listed include coconut, ambrette, Hawaiian sandalwood, cedar, orris and Tahitian vanilla. (Re)Launched in 2018. PERFUMER – Dawn Spencer Hurwitz

Give Maui a try if you like coconut or woodsy gourmands. Or perfumes like Daniella 4D, Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess, Opus Oils Tropique, Honore de Pres Love Coconut, House of Matriarch Coco Blanc and/or Ramon Bejar Secret Sandalwood.

Projection is below average. It wears closely to the skin. Longevity is average to above average.

Maui comes in a few sizes with the 1 oz retailing for $80 at DSH Perfumes.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Sandalwood and coconut. It’s simple but it absolutely works. I hope Sandalwood and Coconut invite me to their wedding.

*Disclaimer – Sample provided by the brand. I am not financially compensated for my reviews. My opinions are my own. Product pic from the brand. Fiona Campbell-Walter pic in a Givenchy cashmere beach towel (yes, that’s apparently a thing) by Georges Dambier, 1954. And the more I think about it, the more Maui reminds me of a cashmere beach towel.

Original article: DSH Perfumes Maui Perfume Review

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.

The Beach Eaus – A month of beach and ocean inspired perfumes.

Alkemia is an indie perfume line that mainly focuses on affordable perfume oils. It’s a brand that was brought to my attention via my Instagram stories when I asked about “perfumes for work”. Sure, you can wear whatever you want to work but I try to not be too distracting in our open floor plan. Big Sur was recommended to me. Since all the perfumes are cheap, I bought it and a lot of other samples. Here’s my thoughts on some of the “beach” ones I ordered.

BIG SUR

Notes listed include jasmine tea, lime leaves, green amber (?), ozone, saltspray, sweetgale, paperback and bay. Launched in 2017.

I bought a full-size of Big Sur unsniffed and it worked out for me. It opens as crushed greens and jasmine with a hint of spice. But, it’s also ozonic and a little soapy. For me, it’s a mix of Davidoff Cool Water and seafoam. The rest of the wear is like an aromatic musk. It’s a “quiet”, clean scent. It really is a good one for me when I want to smell good but absolutely not think about it.

Give Big Sur a try if you like aromatic, ozonic scents. Or fragrances like Davidoff Cool Water, CREED Green Irish Tweed, Bond No. 9 Chez Bond and/or CK Obsessed for Women. I think Big Sur is supposed to be like a “big sir” fragrance from its copy, but to me, it’s not overly masculine. It just smells like ozone and an herbal soap.

Victoria’s Final EAUPINION – Aromatic seafoam.

SANDSCAPE

Notes listed include sand, Atlantic ocean breezes, drying sea water on skin, tanning oil and seaweed. Launched in 2009.

The opening of Sandscape is a sharp, musky aquatic that frankly comes across a bit like a dryer sheet. As it wears, it’s like a bar of Zest soap meets a few sprays of Febreeze. For those of you not in the U.S. or don’t mess with common household brands, I’ll try my best to break this down for you. It’s a squeaky clean fragrance of orange blossom and lily-of-the-valley with musks that smell like clean laundry. It’s all of this with a rather unsubtle plastic accord. It’s a linear scent that smells like a functional fragrance (generic “clean”). As it wears, there’s a more chlorinated accord. I assume this is the seaweed because there are other perfumes that I’ve tried with a seaweed not that seem to come across not like mineral ocean but like chlorinated pool water (Bond No. 9 Wall Street, even Etat Libre d’Orange Secretions Magnifique). In my opinion, Sandscape is a better scent as a home fragrance than it is a personal fragrance but I was never really into smelling like soap even when it was popular in the 90’s.

Basically give Sandscape a try if you like perfumes that are marketed to smell like functional fragrances (stuff like the OG CLEAN brand). Or perfumes like Demeter Pure Soap, Comptoir Sud Pacifique Aqua Motu, Philosophy Pure Grace, Bobbi Brown Bath and/or Avon mark Pure (discontinued).

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Generic “clean”. I don’t get anything ocean from this but I do get scrubbing your skin after being in the pool. Not for me but if you like the idea of smelling like a bar of white soap or like the laundry aisle at Target, then wear this. There’s nothing wrong with that.

LA SIRENA

Notes listed include oceanic aquatics, seaweed and tiare flowers.

When it comes to the typical aquatics as perceived by the fragrance industry, La Sirena has more of what I like. It’s an aquatic floral that pairs a crisp ozone accord with white florals that smell like vintage tanning oils. It’s heady orange blossoms that smells like Bain de Soleil Orange Gelee. Overall, it’s very “synthetic” in that it’s heady florals as used in sunscreen/tanning lotions and the ocean is crisp, clear and marine. In most of perfumery, the ocean is void of wildlife and is merely “blue juice”. La Sirena dries down to “clean ozone” but the heady florals never really leave.

Give La Sirena a try if you like tanning oil scents. Or perfumes like CB I Hate Perfume At the Beach 1966, Bobbi Brown Beach, MiN Long Board, Bond No. 9 Fire Island and/or Demeter Suntan Lotion.

Victoria’s Final EauPINION – Vintage tanning lotion and marine perfume. The only reason I want to smell like Bain de Soleil is for nostalgic reasons. That product is getting more difficult to find since nobody tans anymore (HELLO, MELANOMA!) and the scent is viewed as old-fashioned. There’s something I like about La Sirena in that it reminds me of that Norman Parkinson Vogue editorial, 1975, with Jerry Hall: bronzed, blue, unnatural and staged.

All of the ones I tried are oils and wear like oils (close to the skin). The perfumes are also available in alcohol or non-alcohol spray formats. They’re (understandably) more expensive so I thought I’d sample the less expensive format first.

A 5ml bottle retails for $18. Samples are also available for purchase at Alkemia.

*Products purchased by me. Photo from the brand. Jerry Hall by Norman Parkinson, 1975, in Jamaica. from British Vogue.

Original article: Alkemia Perfume Reviews – Sea Inspired Scents

©2019 EauMG. All Rights Reserved.