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Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Experiscent Number 3: The Flower Space

One think I've always loved about scent is how polarizing a scent can be.  I can think of many classic scents that have both adoring fans and people who absolutely cannot stand them.  The third scent in our blind sniff series resulted in some definite preference lines.   This scent is a 'designer' scent, however, it was created by a 'niche' nose.....resulting in a heady, dense fragrance that speaks of quality ingredients and, I think, well represents the aesthetic of both the fashion designer and nose that created it.

Our blind reviewers' thoughts:

Jen:  This one definitely grew on me the longer I wore it. On my skin I get a slightly sweet, medium bodied fruity floral with decent staying power. I'm not much for florals, but I could wearing this on a casual date night. 

Nicole:  How amazing! This is a gorgeous, full bodied boozy floral that rises and settles throughout the day. The opening is gentle but full of dimension. The slightly sweet boozy note in the forefront but then a soft floral makes its way in and develops absolutely beautifully! The notes weave back and forth; like an elegant dance that lasts all day. This has a very vintage feel that can be worn either night or day. It settles close to the skin so it would do well in public settings. A stunning, elegant statement signature that is sure to be Loved! * I have worn this for three days straight!*

Alfredo:  Fresh  and feminine white floral that is slightly sweet & creamy ....I get jasmine, daisies, lily of the valley and honeysuckle.  It's pretty and romantic, quite possibly like the bouquet a bride carries on her spring wedding in the outdoors.  It becomes a little more unisex-friendly in the smooth sandalwood like dry-down.
 
Cyndi:  This scent is similar to #2 for me – unremarkable freshness and citrus, with a synthetic smell.  It was my least favorite of the group.  I didn’t get any personality out of it – and isn’t that what we are looking for in a scent???

Trona:  It’s Late May, and the air is crisp, slightly cool and it is gorgeous in downtown Seattle. I am meeting with my ladies for a luncheon at Pacific Place and then off to scour the many luxury shops throughout. Adorned in a light blue pant suit and my young sixties white hair frolicking beneath my chapeau, my overly powdered face set under slightly rouge glossed lips, I sit with the girls beneath the glass dome and take in all the hustle and bustle. My fragrance today reflects just how I feel. It is fresh, clean and just a tinge soapy. It developed since morning from a tad-bit overpowering from what I believe to be orange blossom, a little goes a very long way.  As it rested, it changed slowly into this beautiful clean floral.  It is lasting and makes a statement without being too loud. Like my personality, it's a little sassy (citrus), but refined when necessary; this fragrance speaks to those around me and I get compliments from my girls, each one asking what that beautiful scent is. As we finish our lunch and browse Tiffany's admiring the lovely sparkles and then head into Barneys, I see the most beautiful bag....it's a Louie and much more than I want to spend, but the smell of its newness and luxury, the fine lines of perfection in its cut and sewn leather....this is how my fragrance feels!  Though this is a perfume I would only wear on certain occasions such as this, I reserve my other perfumes for different settings. This one is unique to my collection and reserved for special occasions. Spring or Summer scent worn on a cool winter day, great sillage and longevity, this is not a perfume for babies.  It is strong and sassy and speaks to people, the wearer must have confidence!  I feel it is a more mature scent for an older woman who loves class and elegance and the finer things in life. I detected a soapy clean floral with hints of citrus and a blast of citrus at first spray. It changed tremendously in the first hour and then remained pretty much the same for me.

Paula:  White Flowers and faint tuberose, a bit of dusty linden, and maybe a hint of sweet honeysuckle?  Alas, there's also a high-pitched chemical burning patchouli quickly making its presence emphatically known.  This would be a pleasant light floral if it weren't for this horror.  Scrubbing and trying again later......
(Later):  Hopefully I can stay with this scent longer and make more detailed notes.  I'm getting linden/honeysuckle again.....with evil patchouli lurking behind it.  It really wrecks what would have been a nice springtime fragrance.  I don't like to sniff this one because of it, it's like a spike right up my sinuses into my brain.  Scrub.  

Igor:  My personal favorite among the three. It starts with shattering snap frozen jasmine. It is a very “cold” floral scent. Hints of smoky acacia honey in the background, waxy tiare and ylang-ylang, as if someone had put the exhaling sweet flowers on ice. On the drydown it goes lightly powdery. To be honest, this scent is so close to Lush’s discontinued Flying Fox shower gel’s smell, but crisper and fresher. The sillage is somewhat strong, it radiates beautifully. Longevity is great, lasted for 5 hours on me. I would recommend this scent for fall or spring, to give a fresh, but sweet floral kick to your morning. This scent reminds me of my vacation in southern France. In Nice, by my hotel windows, jasmine grew in abundance and the mesmerizing indolic scent of jasmine would wake me in the morning. It would be light and crisp, with morning dew radiating and filling my room with that unforgettable smell.

Erica:  Wet, a bright fresh rose. Bergamot, soapy laundry florals, almond-hay-tonka, really enjoying! A strange aroma that is somehow also familiar and comforting. Seems like it might be an Arabian perfume to me. Taking pleasure from the wafts throughout the day. Clean on top with an intriguing musky harmonious base. I don't know if I love it enough to go for a bottle of this for myself; however, if I sensed this fragrance on someone passing by, I would enjoy it immensely and silently dole out perfumista points to the wearer. 

Rina:  Plastic floral but familiar scent that morphs into a pleasant comforting skin scent. I want to say this is Alien Absolue, if not that, def the only one I know I already own..

Alyssa:  My initial reaction when putting this on skin was how sweet and pretty it was - very femme. For the opening I thought I was smelling honey or honey suckle. For the middle I kept getting a green note and just couldn’t put my finger on it. For the dry down I got patchouli and wow was I surprised. For what started out so sweet and innocent kind of turned into a bad ass. This fragrance lasted hours on me! I put it on at 7 pm and woke up to it the next morning around 6:15 am. 

My review (not blind) with reveal:
This fragrance is definitely a heavy floral.  Every time I've tried it the initial wallop of orange blossom and jasmine that i have experienced have almost caused me to fly into a panic.  It's very powerful and commanding and BRIGHT, light a spotlight on a huge bouquet of white flowers whose scent has permeated every corner of a room.  Without a window, it is overwhelming......however, in a few minutes the powerful cocktail has dissipated every-so-slightly allowing for an adjustment in my ability to read it clearly.  The orange blossom is actually a very nice one, I have a love/hate relationship with orange blossom so my initial reaction was very typical for me, especially with this concentration.  I have a bottle of orange blossom absolute, when sniffed without dilution it's almost off putting....and the strength in this scent is very apparent.  It just takes it out of the off putting zone and places it with creamier notes of lily maybe, and a green tinged jasmine.  The sharpness is somewhat incendiary, elevated with a patchouli note that has a sharp wood tone to it, almost igniting the floral bouquet and taking it away from any delicacy it may hold.  It's beautiful, but in a fierce overtly feminine way.  So much so that on a man, it may be absolutely beautiful with the juxtaposition it would take.  That being said, it's too much orange blossom for me and I wouldn't wear it for that reason......but nonetheless, it's impressive for a designer fragrance and I can't say I'm surprised.  The nose is Francis Kurkdjian......his floral notes always blow me away......and the scent is Elie Saab Le Parfum.

 

 

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