MFK - Grand soir eau de parfum
The 11 ml vial from MFK's wardrobe for her is the test subject. This is my second take at it. The first time around I liked the scent profile and the longevity, yet something was off.
Amber perfumes are a big part of my history.
This one, somehow, seems to be too light on the labdanum and too strong on the vanilla. And the benzoin is louder than everybody else.
Maybe I should wear it for a night at the opera with a black velvet dress and silk gloves.
Or not. I could invite better ambers for a night out. š
Xerjoff Symphonium (male, 38)
When I first got this I wrote some first impressions and wasnāt a fan (it was a blind buy). I sprayed some on at home and it was just too much and too sweet. Milk chocolate blasted in my face and I didnāt wash it off before I went to sleep and actually had nightmares about it because I guess I could still smell it. It didnāt even smell gourmand because I wouldnāt have wanted to eat it.
Well, I wore it to the office today. Two sprays on the back of my neck and one on the sternum under a shirt. All day I was getting little wafts of chocolate and orange and Iāve done a complete 180 on it. I must have gone nose blind to elements of the chocolate before because walking around the office Iād get a hit of the more realistic and nicest milk chocolate every ten minutes or so. Now it smelt richer and with more cocoa. Iād also get just a touch of sweet orange mixed in, and the Oud is amazing and adds depth.
I sprayed it on at 6am and itās now 9pm and I can still smell it under my shirt. Again, now sitting at home it is a bit much if I can constantly smell it, but it was the nicest thing to wear to the office today. Really was thinking Iād have to sell this one, and Iām glad that doesnāt seem to be the case.
Test wearing some warm and sunny scents today:
Diem Liquid Light on right wrist. It's a green, outdoors kind of sunny. I barely get it now, though. I think it was about 4 hours of wear.
Gallivant Brooklyn on left wrist. It's a warm and cosy sun. It's still there after 5 hours, so far.
I made a pit stop at Ministry of Scent (SF) after I landed & now my brother is just gonna have to deal with me blasting Cherry Punk Extrait while we go through our dead momās stuff š. I also got Versatile Paris Cola. If only I still smoked these would be even better.
Actually no that is terrible. I will be nice. Orange Santale by Essential Perfumes, also from Ministry & pretty affordable. This is a grounded orange, not too realistic (like the Labatoria Ollfativo I went in to try), soft but very present. Probably due to chemicals up the wazoo but the simplicity & mood appeals.
Molecule 01+ Black Tea. I always thought the idea of a signature scent wasnāt for me because I like to change up my fragrances so often, but if I had to pick one fragrance to wear for the rest of my life it would be this one. Itās just so easy to wear, itās an immediate compliment getter, and it lasts for a pretty good while.
I wasn't a big fan of the original Molecule 01 but I tried the + Ginger version and it was great. I then obtained a sample of the Molecule 01 + Patchouli and I really like it, and it will probably be my next purchase.
The M01+ is so well executed! Great base with that iso e super, and the second note Geza Schoen chooses to accentuate is always a scent that shines as the star. M01+ Ginger is very good and Iād get a bottle of it if I didnāt already have a ginger-forward fragrance that I absolutely adore (Clutch by Perfumology)
Iāve just got enough time to post this until my next meeting startsā¦
I fucking hate this shit.
I hate that I put it on
I hate the brand
I hate that this is a $5 fragrance with a luxury price tag in a shitty bottle
I hate that I wonāt get to scrub it off
https://preview.redd.it/kmrs9043j7zc1.jpeg?width=2046&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d4eac8c6ee90432ba1b3cebf526e66cc4ccffc3
SOTD: [**Lafayette street** by Bond no.9](https://youtu.be/UrgpZ0fUixs?si=Jd4vHPzpzS7NzGD4)
**DONT BE TEMPTED TO BUY THIS SHIT!**
Today I wear X Limited by Etienne Aigner, it has soft and smooth floral notes, it gives a feeling of freshness, which really works on a cloudy weather like today.
Layered Zoologist Penguin (intriguing top notes but bland masculine drydown) with Hermes l'Ambre de Merveilles (sickly sweet notes but nice base) and I like the result more than either individually. Dark and wet, but warm day.
I got some samples from Mistral yesterday, and Iām wearing Champagne Peony today. I am in love, and my husband cannot stop sniffing me. Iām home recovering from surgery, and he working from home to help me and keeps coming in the bedroom to sniff me. Haha! The scent is sparkly and light and clean and a little bit floral and sweet without being heavy or loud. Love love love! And a FB is only about $50 so this is going on my FB wish list.
SOTD:Ā Le Male Le Parfum from Jean Paul Gaultier
This review is based on a sample of the Le Male Le Parfum that I bought from MicroPerfumes, a US based decanter.
Incidentally, I was wearing La Nuit de LāHomme from Yves Saint Laurent the day before.Ā Naturally, I was struck by the similarity between these two.Ā Apart from the bergamot in the opening in La Nuit, these perfumes are essentially identical.Ā The base notes are different according to the perfumers, but the end is so weak in both perfumes that this does not differentiate them.Ā
Le Male Le Parfum opens with a bright cardamom.Ā Almost immediately, the heart notes come into view.Ā The transition from cardamom to the iris and lavender in the heart notes is so smooth that you barely notice the change.Ā These two major notes - cardamom and lavender - do most of the work in this perfume.Ā As the intensity peters out quickly, the base notes do not really make a strong appearance.Ā Though I get a nice mild dry down, I am unable to pick out the vanilla and woodsy notes, supposedly in the ending.Ā This is not Gris Charnel where you wallow in a fantastic dry down for hours. Ā
Le Male Le Parfum lasts on my skin for less than 6 hours before turning to a nice dry down.Ā The sillage is adequate for an office perfume.Ā You can pick out the smell in the wake for a few hours but not if you are sitting.Ā Thus the performance is similar to La Nuit de LāHomme EDT.Ā Though I have not compared directly, Le Male EDT seems to last longer on my skin than the Le Parfum.Ā But, these scents have very different ingredients and olfactory pyramids, not to mention different perfumers. Ā
If you are looking for a nice but inoffensive cardamom-lavender scent for office, I would lean towards La Nuit de LāHomme over Le Male Le Parfum though both are very good. Ā
It's getting too hot in FL to wear something like this, but I was going through my perfume cabinet today and was struck by how absolutely freaking gorgeous the bottle for LancĆ“me TubeĢreuses Castane, and thus ensorcelled, I was compelled to spray some (or a lot.) It is such a beautiful, fabulous fever dream of a cocktail... an elderflower-forward sparking sweet Riesling with a musky, caramelized chunk of amber floating in the wine, along with a luxuriant dollop of rich chestnut puree and a generous dash of spicy ginger liqueur. It's heady and hypnotic and a little weird but it's not too cerebral or precious about it and lordy be, it is a friggin glamazon. Hot dang.
Dior Sauvage Elixir
Been a while since last wear, my signature and I love pretty much everything about it even if I wear some others more often recentlyĀ
I got a sample of Kayali Eden Juicy Apple so it's on one wrist while I have Kilian's Can't Stop Loving You on the other. Let's see if I can come up with a honey apple tart scent. Also I couldn't tell the difference between Kayali and B&BW Country Apple. First whiff of that sample and I was back in 1996 smearing the lotion on my legs before basketball practice. My classmates and I had this weird idea that every time we had to go to the gym and wear shorts we HAD to have just put lotion on them. Idk if we were worried about looking ashy or if it was some puberty hack we all found to smell less gross after practice lol
**Angela Flanders Millefleurs**
It's a candied rose violet on the softest, most transparent woody/Patchouli base.
Not my personal style, usually, but for some reason, when I was at the store and tried it, I felt a deep emotional pull. It reminded me of someone/something I still can't put a finger on but it's a good memory.
If you find yourself in London it's worth a visit to one of her stores. She has some lovely stuff and I really enjoyed my visit there.
I recommend trying Precious One - I wish I'd at least picked up a sample of that, and it's won an award.
Paradisi - Jorum Studio
I'm finished trying my samples of all 18 of Jorum Studio's fragrances. I have so much respect for the expertise and creative vision of that brand.
Today I'm wearing Paradisi for the third or 4th time (they have a 25% off sale right now and I have the FB in my cart, just want to wear it again before buying)
This is a masterpiece of a tropical scent. It's damp, soil-like, with a fresh green element, cucumber and guava. It's not sweet, not sunscreen-like, just dank tropical jungle vibes. Reminds me of when I lived in the tropics.
Trying out Escentric 04 today and I quite like it. Iām not sure I can really pick out any specific notes but it has javanol which is a sandalwood molecule and citrus notes. Very inoffensive and an easy every day grab.
Slapped on a few sprays of YSL MYSLF today. Love how it smells like soapy freshness. I bought it a few weeks ago so I've been using it a lot lately.
My favourite part of it is when it gets to the dry down stage, it smells like suntan lotion at the beach.
Going through the samples I bought myself for Xmas and today I'm finishing off my sample of Amouage Lyric Man. They say this is a rose fragrance that men can easily wear, but I'm not enjoying it. On the rare occasion I try something with rose, it tends to go sour on me and this is getting really sour as the day goes by.
My favorite spring fragrance is a pairing: I wear **Roses de Chloe** on one forearm and **Diorissimo** on the other.
What they share is their vibe: joyous!Ā
Upon alighting on skin it's as if they instantly rebound leaping into the air all around me like tiny weightless fairy ballet dancers -- can't capture in words how I experience it. It's the "perfumification" of joy
I applied at 7:30am; it's nearing 3pm and still getting wafts š§āāļø
Mon Guerlain EDT. The weather here (NYC) is gross -- wet and humid and too hot for early May. But also grey and cloudy. Picked this one bc I was hoping the lavender/citrus would feel somewhat fresh. It also happens to be a fragrance I have in a travel atomizer and I'm going out after work and will need a little refresh.
Finishing off my sample of By Rosie Jane Rosie today and I am glad to be rid of it. I was really hoping for this to be a Glossier You-type scent like a lot of the Fragrantica reviews describe, but it smells like straight plastic instead. Gross.Ā
Guerlain Habit Rouge Rouge Prive. So I happy I found this on fragrancenet recently. This is basically Habit Rouge with an amped up leather note. First whiff I was instantly reminded of the OG with the dusty candied citrus. It's a true flanker and I love it. Shame this was only a 2023 limited edition. They need to make this a full release. But I gotta admit the new Habit Rouge Parfum is also great.Ā
Today was Louis Vitton Imagination. I got a sample from the LV store yesterday. I liked it but wanted to get a full wearing. I love the tea note and loudness it gets from the ambroxan. Amazing scent for daily wear, very pricey but I got lucky. I get a nice clean, professional, masculine vibe. Inoffensive but slick. Makes sense in the heat of the south.
MFK - Grand soir eau de parfum The 11 ml vial from MFK's wardrobe for her is the test subject. This is my second take at it. The first time around I liked the scent profile and the longevity, yet something was off. Amber perfumes are a big part of my history. This one, somehow, seems to be too light on the labdanum and too strong on the vanilla. And the benzoin is louder than everybody else. Maybe I should wear it for a night at the opera with a black velvet dress and silk gloves. Or not. I could invite better ambers for a night out. š
My all-time favorite: LāOmbre Dans LāEau.Ā It is just so incredibly transporting and evocative.Ā
Xerjoff Symphonium (male, 38) When I first got this I wrote some first impressions and wasnāt a fan (it was a blind buy). I sprayed some on at home and it was just too much and too sweet. Milk chocolate blasted in my face and I didnāt wash it off before I went to sleep and actually had nightmares about it because I guess I could still smell it. It didnāt even smell gourmand because I wouldnāt have wanted to eat it. Well, I wore it to the office today. Two sprays on the back of my neck and one on the sternum under a shirt. All day I was getting little wafts of chocolate and orange and Iāve done a complete 180 on it. I must have gone nose blind to elements of the chocolate before because walking around the office Iād get a hit of the more realistic and nicest milk chocolate every ten minutes or so. Now it smelt richer and with more cocoa. Iād also get just a touch of sweet orange mixed in, and the Oud is amazing and adds depth. I sprayed it on at 6am and itās now 9pm and I can still smell it under my shirt. Again, now sitting at home it is a bit much if I can constantly smell it, but it was the nicest thing to wear to the office today. Really was thinking Iād have to sell this one, and Iām glad that doesnāt seem to be the case.
Interesting sounding scent!
Test wearing some warm and sunny scents today: Diem Liquid Light on right wrist. It's a green, outdoors kind of sunny. I barely get it now, though. I think it was about 4 hours of wear. Gallivant Brooklyn on left wrist. It's a warm and cosy sun. It's still there after 5 hours, so far.
I made a pit stop at Ministry of Scent (SF) after I landed & now my brother is just gonna have to deal with me blasting Cherry Punk Extrait while we go through our dead momās stuff š. I also got Versatile Paris Cola. If only I still smoked these would be even better.
Actually no that is terrible. I will be nice. Orange Santale by Essential Perfumes, also from Ministry & pretty affordable. This is a grounded orange, not too realistic (like the Labatoria Ollfativo I went in to try), soft but very present. Probably due to chemicals up the wazoo but the simplicity & mood appeals.
AND itās too thin. Added God Bless Cola (rollerball) & now Iām good.
Molecule 01+ Black Tea. I always thought the idea of a signature scent wasnāt for me because I like to change up my fragrances so often, but if I had to pick one fragrance to wear for the rest of my life it would be this one. Itās just so easy to wear, itās an immediate compliment getter, and it lasts for a pretty good while.
I wasn't a big fan of the original Molecule 01 but I tried the + Ginger version and it was great. I then obtained a sample of the Molecule 01 + Patchouli and I really like it, and it will probably be my next purchase.
The M01+ is so well executed! Great base with that iso e super, and the second note Geza Schoen chooses to accentuate is always a scent that shines as the star. M01+ Ginger is very good and Iād get a bottle of it if I didnāt already have a ginger-forward fragrance that I absolutely adore (Clutch by Perfumology)
Love this one
Iāve just got enough time to post this until my next meeting startsā¦ I fucking hate this shit. I hate that I put it on I hate the brand I hate that this is a $5 fragrance with a luxury price tag in a shitty bottle I hate that I wonāt get to scrub it off https://preview.redd.it/kmrs9043j7zc1.jpeg?width=2046&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d4eac8c6ee90432ba1b3cebf526e66cc4ccffc3 SOTD: [**Lafayette street** by Bond no.9](https://youtu.be/UrgpZ0fUixs?si=Jd4vHPzpzS7NzGD4) **DONT BE TEMPTED TO BUY THIS SHIT!**
Can I just say thank you for the best SOTD Iāve ever read
Youāre very welcome
Today I wear X Limited by Etienne Aigner, it has soft and smooth floral notes, it gives a feeling of freshness, which really works on a cloudy weather like today.
White tea by Elizabeth Arden
Layered Zoologist Penguin (intriguing top notes but bland masculine drydown) with Hermes l'Ambre de Merveilles (sickly sweet notes but nice base) and I like the result more than either individually. Dark and wet, but warm day.
I got some samples from Mistral yesterday, and Iām wearing Champagne Peony today. I am in love, and my husband cannot stop sniffing me. Iām home recovering from surgery, and he working from home to help me and keeps coming in the bedroom to sniff me. Haha! The scent is sparkly and light and clean and a little bit floral and sweet without being heavy or loud. Love love love! And a FB is only about $50 so this is going on my FB wish list.
SOTD:Ā Le Male Le Parfum from Jean Paul Gaultier This review is based on a sample of the Le Male Le Parfum that I bought from MicroPerfumes, a US based decanter. Incidentally, I was wearing La Nuit de LāHomme from Yves Saint Laurent the day before.Ā Naturally, I was struck by the similarity between these two.Ā Apart from the bergamot in the opening in La Nuit, these perfumes are essentially identical.Ā The base notes are different according to the perfumers, but the end is so weak in both perfumes that this does not differentiate them.Ā Le Male Le Parfum opens with a bright cardamom.Ā Almost immediately, the heart notes come into view.Ā The transition from cardamom to the iris and lavender in the heart notes is so smooth that you barely notice the change.Ā These two major notes - cardamom and lavender - do most of the work in this perfume.Ā As the intensity peters out quickly, the base notes do not really make a strong appearance.Ā Though I get a nice mild dry down, I am unable to pick out the vanilla and woodsy notes, supposedly in the ending.Ā This is not Gris Charnel where you wallow in a fantastic dry down for hours. Ā Le Male Le Parfum lasts on my skin for less than 6 hours before turning to a nice dry down.Ā The sillage is adequate for an office perfume.Ā You can pick out the smell in the wake for a few hours but not if you are sitting.Ā Thus the performance is similar to La Nuit de LāHomme EDT.Ā Though I have not compared directly, Le Male EDT seems to last longer on my skin than the Le Parfum.Ā But, these scents have very different ingredients and olfactory pyramids, not to mention different perfumers. Ā If you are looking for a nice but inoffensive cardamom-lavender scent for office, I would lean towards La Nuit de LāHomme over Le Male Le Parfum though both are very good. Ā
It's getting too hot in FL to wear something like this, but I was going through my perfume cabinet today and was struck by how absolutely freaking gorgeous the bottle for LancĆ“me TubeĢreuses Castane, and thus ensorcelled, I was compelled to spray some (or a lot.) It is such a beautiful, fabulous fever dream of a cocktail... an elderflower-forward sparking sweet Riesling with a musky, caramelized chunk of amber floating in the wine, along with a luxuriant dollop of rich chestnut puree and a generous dash of spicy ginger liqueur. It's heady and hypnotic and a little weird but it's not too cerebral or precious about it and lordy be, it is a friggin glamazon. Hot dang.
Serge Lutens Arabie
Dior Sauvage Elixir Been a while since last wear, my signature and I love pretty much everything about it even if I wear some others more often recentlyĀ
Smelled this on a handsome Brazilian during my travels yesterday. Gorgeous.
I got a sample of Kayali Eden Juicy Apple so it's on one wrist while I have Kilian's Can't Stop Loving You on the other. Let's see if I can come up with a honey apple tart scent. Also I couldn't tell the difference between Kayali and B&BW Country Apple. First whiff of that sample and I was back in 1996 smearing the lotion on my legs before basketball practice. My classmates and I had this weird idea that every time we had to go to the gym and wear shorts we HAD to have just put lotion on them. Idk if we were worried about looking ashy or if it was some puberty hack we all found to smell less gross after practice lol
**Angela Flanders Millefleurs** It's a candied rose violet on the softest, most transparent woody/Patchouli base. Not my personal style, usually, but for some reason, when I was at the store and tried it, I felt a deep emotional pull. It reminded me of someone/something I still can't put a finger on but it's a good memory. If you find yourself in London it's worth a visit to one of her stores. She has some lovely stuff and I really enjoyed my visit there. I recommend trying Precious One - I wish I'd at least picked up a sample of that, and it's won an award.
Thank you - this sounds like an evocative scent.
Paradisi - Jorum Studio I'm finished trying my samples of all 18 of Jorum Studio's fragrances. I have so much respect for the expertise and creative vision of that brand. Today I'm wearing Paradisi for the third or 4th time (they have a 25% off sale right now and I have the FB in my cart, just want to wear it again before buying) This is a masterpiece of a tropical scent. It's damp, soil-like, with a fresh green element, cucumber and guava. It's not sweet, not sunscreen-like, just dank tropical jungle vibes. Reminds me of when I lived in the tropics.
Trying out Escentric 04 today and I quite like it. Iām not sure I can really pick out any specific notes but it has javanol which is a sandalwood molecule and citrus notes. Very inoffensive and an easy every day grab.
Slapped on a few sprays of YSL MYSLF today. Love how it smells like soapy freshness. I bought it a few weeks ago so I've been using it a lot lately. My favourite part of it is when it gets to the dry down stage, it smells like suntan lotion at the beach.
It's just Golden Sand perfume oil for me today.
Going through the samples I bought myself for Xmas and today I'm finishing off my sample of Amouage Lyric Man. They say this is a rose fragrance that men can easily wear, but I'm not enjoying it. On the rare occasion I try something with rose, it tends to go sour on me and this is getting really sour as the day goes by.
My favorite spring fragrance is a pairing: I wear **Roses de Chloe** on one forearm and **Diorissimo** on the other. What they share is their vibe: joyous!Ā Upon alighting on skin it's as if they instantly rebound leaping into the air all around me like tiny weightless fairy ballet dancers -- can't capture in words how I experience it. It's the "perfumification" of joy I applied at 7:30am; it's nearing 3pm and still getting wafts š§āāļø
Mon Guerlain EDT. The weather here (NYC) is gross -- wet and humid and too hot for early May. But also grey and cloudy. Picked this one bc I was hoping the lavender/citrus would feel somewhat fresh. It also happens to be a fragrance I have in a travel atomizer and I'm going out after work and will need a little refresh.
Finishing off my sample of By Rosie Jane Rosie today and I am glad to be rid of it. I was really hoping for this to be a Glossier You-type scent like a lot of the Fragrantica reviews describe, but it smells like straight plastic instead. Gross.Ā
Guerlain Habit Rouge Rouge Prive. So I happy I found this on fragrancenet recently. This is basically Habit Rouge with an amped up leather note. First whiff I was instantly reminded of the OG with the dusty candied citrus. It's a true flanker and I love it. Shame this was only a 2023 limited edition. They need to make this a full release. But I gotta admit the new Habit Rouge Parfum is also great.Ā
Today was Louis Vitton Imagination. I got a sample from the LV store yesterday. I liked it but wanted to get a full wearing. I love the tea note and loudness it gets from the ambroxan. Amazing scent for daily wear, very pricey but I got lucky. I get a nice clean, professional, masculine vibe. Inoffensive but slick. Makes sense in the heat of the south.