Experiscent Six: Arid Purple

For number six, I wanted to get feedback on a definitive unisex scent. Featuring lavender, which is a note that I love, this scent is, IMO, harder to wear than the notes would have you think. On some, it's an absolute love......the clean, bracing feel of the lavender opposes they smoky dry notes of the base. On others, it's overly linear and perhaps a bit grating.  The panel:

Alfredo:  Crisp and green with an herbal aspect...... possibly Chamomile.  I I also detect some anise wrapped in leather, an Aromatic Fougere that is Masculine and Assertive...I picture a Gent in the late 1970's or early 80's,  wearing this on a daily basis as his Signature to work and for his weekends going out.

Igor:  For me personally a very loud and resounding “NO”. The vial came broken and the contents were spilled inside the little bag. I tried them out straight on my wrist as I did not have enough to also do it on a blotter. The fragrance is so aggressively masculine. It is a blast of very acrid bergamot and strong musk. Maybe I’m imagining it, but I also get some dry English lavender. The scent wanes a bit on the drydown, transforms into a waxy vetiver scent . The longevity is very long, could not wash it off, it lasted until the next morning. The sillage is beastly; you could smell me from another room. It is very reminiscent of the fragrances of the late 80’s early 90’s, Aramis and Tsar, the choking, uber- masculine chypres. I personally did not like them back then and still have not warmed up to them. I cannot see myself wearing it. But on others they work a lot nicer. If I were to put an image to this, it would be Mickey Rourke in 9 ½ weeks. Overly masculine, freshly shaven guy in a high waisted Versace suite.

Emily:  Chypre? I get my chypres and my fougères mixed up, but I think this may be the former. No, wait, that might be lavender as the floral component, which would kick it back towards fougère. Anyway, I find it rather powdery and lightly mossy. The most interesting part is some animalic component which is just strong enough to be provocative, but nowhere near "yikes." It has good bone structure. Development is slow and subtle; many hours later it's a bit more mossy and woody. It is certainly classically inspired, if not an actual classic.

Alyssa:  Whoa nelly, this was an instant extreme like for me! As soon as I popped the vial open I said out loud, “this is an Alyssa scent”. I literally was inhaling this intoxicating scent on me and I kept getting mental images of what outfit I would be wearing this with as opposed to describing the scent itself. I saw it as a night out on the town with the ladies type of scent - either for some drinks or some dancing. I saw myself in a light pink silk cami with black lace trim, a pair of dark skinny jeans, black high heels, black leather jacket and some big silver hoop earrings to finish the look. This is a scent I’d be proud to wear and wear it well - she wouldn’t wear me.

Rina:   "Dad's Aftershave.." I don't know most notes, so I can't say this is vetiver or hedione or Hai Karate. It smells clean and masculine and freshly showered. Like Matthew McConaughy getting into his tux for the big poker game.. Alright, alright, alright! Alas, like Lady Luck, it was fleeting after a few hours but so good while it was there.

Trona:  It’s a gorgeous day, warm sunshine bathing old winter skin. Sequim is the destination today to frolic in the farms that made this town famous. Arriving at the Purple Haze Lavender farm, can’t help but be taken aback by the sea of purple waves and the heavenly scent of lavender, the powerful jolt of lavender mixing with the spearmint bushes that line the fields makes for a divine intervention in one’s attitude. Literally forcing a peaceful and joyous reunion of soul and body if only for the day, the effervescent aromas mingling gently among the intoxicating purple theme. Walking through the isles of aromatic bush, a hint of lemon pops in my nose, delighting my senses as I search the area to see what source I smelled. I turn to a rickety, old greenhouse with peeling white paint and a slightly leaning door, and spot the tender potted lemon tree with beautiful plump lemons as if on display at the tiny window. They steal the show, like a welcome friend amongst the endless sprays of purple and green, but only for a moment. Wandering off again, absorbing the scenery, the air is thick in lavender, but a sweet lavender, and a slight hint of mint now, even a tinge of tea and peppers, like English breakfast and pink pepper, most likely from the herb house on the property. Thoughts of relaxation and lazy days affect the mind and by days end the sweet scent remains ingrained in my mind and heart, as I drift off to sleep. This is a lavender powerhouse, sweet and minty, strong mint at first, turning mild throughout, pepper enters later on in the middle notes and leave a slightly powdery residue, the lemon brightens the lavender intoxication and breaks up the theme. Finally, a little tea (herbal) and maybe even spice come into the picture at the end, the scent is moderate sillage, long lasting and beautiful, it is relaxing and evokes feelings of peace and aromatherapy healing. Excellent scent for bedtime and any time of the year really. Unisex. All ages, but most likely to be used by mature adults.

Paula:  

This opens with lavender made sweet and soft by maybe a powdery vanilla? The sweetness dissipates fairly quickly though (so maybe not vanilla after all), and the lavender increases in strength and starts to smell a bit like fabric softener. …Not getting a lot of development from this one. It's still sweet soft lavender, maybe just a bit more herbaceous than it was to open. Pleasant enough, but not tremendously interesting. ...Now the fabric-softener quality is transitioning to a certain astringent soapiness. Maybe a bit of amber, with a very slight burning quality. I get tremendous longevity with this one, even though not much evolution—I can still smell plenty of soft lavender-vanilla a good 9 hours after applying. ...In fact, I can still can smell it (faintly) the next morning after almost 24 hours!

Second trial: The opening is all lavender, but soft and soapy instead of harsh, astringent, or "man"-fresh. Indeed, it strikes me as quite unisex. ...Now I'm getting a bit of pepper. Not as much sweetness as the other day. There is nothing too complex here—just a good, solid, soft lavender perfume that should be quite palatable and unobjectionable to most.

UPSHOT:  Good traditional fresh unisex scent with excellent longevity. I don’t know what Yardley’s English Lavender smells like off the top of my head, but my idea of the name and concept of the perfume tells me it should smell pretty much like this! This perfume could make a workhorse office scent for the man or woman who wants to smell Oxford-fresh all day without needing to reapply. It’s not for me, but I wouldn’t at all mind sitting next to a person wearing this—it would be almost a literal breath of fresh air.

Jen:  I want to start by saying I have come to firmly believe that any one can wear any scent that tickles their fancy, "feminine" and "masculine" labels be damned. It's still somewhat of a new concept for me, though, so it is hard for me to fight against my initial impression that #3 veers very hard towards the "Masculine" label. Be it on a man or woman, this scent has my heart going pitter-patter everytime I catch a whiff, and my 6 year old may have side eyed me nuzzling my own wrists. I have no idea what usually goes into a fragrance like this so I am at a loss here for notes, but to my untrained nose this one is incredibly well blended. It feels smooth and fresh and woody and clean and maybe mossy all at once in a beautifully understated but definitely noticable way. As it dries down I am getting a slightly sharper note, but it is still excellent. I am *dying* to find out what it is. I don't even want to take a shower because I want to keep sniffing! This is my number one favorite out of the six scents I have sampled so far in this experiment, even if it isn't something I'd necessarily wear myself. So good!

Erica:  My scent-loving dad joined in for this round of blind testing. 

My thoughts: A beautiful blast of sparkling lavender at the opening draws me in, but then the lavender fades too quickly. Left behind is a bland fougere that smells very generic, like shaving cream. I love the lavender at the opening, but I'm disappointed by the average fragrance that lingers after the lavender burns off. 

My dad was very dramatic about refusing to tell me what he thought until I said my piece. Once I shared my thoughts, he proclaimed it to be "bug spray" and we had a laugh. Um, it didn't appeal to him. 

Scent number 6 was Serge Lutens Encens et Lavande.  When you do a search for this one, the notes that are listed are simply "Lavender and Incense"........ok, we got that from the name :).  I've always found this to be a nice, herbal blast of notes to open.  The lavender is definitely present, I get a touch of clary sage again, and a bit of rosemary.  The incense shows up on me as a masculine spicy presence.  I believe I get frankincense, and perhaps a bit of tonka.  There's a bit of an ashtray vibe.....elegant lavender cologne worn in a dive bar.  I like the contrast of clean with dirty.......it comes across on me as a slightly sexy scent and feels good to wear with the basic of basics:  a white tank top and my favorite jeans.  I wouldn't say this is my favorite SL Lavender, that title goes to Fourreau Noir......but whereas Fourreau Noir are the dry, golden autumn evenings, Encens et Lavande is a cold December morning.  

I was really intrigued by the strong emotions......everyone seemed to have a resounding YES!  or NO! about it.  It got me to wonder how the additions of a few twists could turn a basic  perfumery note into something inducing such polarity.  I think many of us have strong associations with lavender which sets our expectations immediately upon sniffing it in the opening.  For some, it indicates cleanliness, in others peace, and for others it induces a medicinal or antiseptic memory.  For me, it invokes memories of cool breezes on warm, dry days.  Sometimes, the incense is this confuses me, and my nose isn't expecting it for some reason.  However, that is the element that I enjoy in this scent.  It keeps me guessing and I feel differently about it every time my mood and/or the weather changes. 

   



   

Experiscent Number 5: Viridian Powder

In my perfume life my opinions of green perfume have swung wildly from extreme love to dislike, and the copious variations of what makes a scent 'green' have made it an intriguing type of scent family for me.  From soft, dark mosses to cool mints, bright lime to bitter greens, the uses of 'green notes' help to balance florals and citruses alike, give energy to musks, and add a fresh air element to woods. 

Scent number two was a purchase for me that came about when I saw a bottle listed on ebay for a great price with no other bids.  I had tried others from this perfume house and enjoyed them, so I blind bought it with neutral expectations, as the note list wasn't overly intriguing to me but it was a bargain.  I ended up liking it immediately.  I really wanted to get opinions on this one, I don't think it would be something that most people would order samples of (they're hard to come by, sample-wise).  Here's what they said:

Paula: 

Vanilla-almond to open with a hint of booze with maybe a bit of champaca or perhaps immortelle?—some sort of sweetish flower.  This strikes me as semi-edible, like a perfumed macaron. After a little bit, it gets flower-ier--a bit of rose-marshmallow?  Quite sweet and pleasant.  Yes, I’m going with the macaron idea here as the one by which I shall remember this perfume. …I continue to like this one, and am getting quite good longevity.  Smells like vanilla marshmallow in the far drydown, with a hint of champaca. 

On the second trial, this is very sweet floral-almond opening , quite lovely.  Is it honey? Probably not.  It’s more vanilla-sweet.  Marshmallow, perhaps?  But it’s unmistakably floral more than gourmand.  Though I would say that whatever the flowers are, they are edible!  I’m getting good sillage and a little cloud of waft as I move around with this one.  Me gusta.  I feel like this is likely to have decent-quality ingredients in it.  It doesn’t feel super-luxury expensive, but middle- to upper-middle class.   I wouldn’t mind a decant of this to get to know it better.  I’m not so head-over-heels with it that I feel urged to acquire a full bottle at this time, but I could see wearing this whenever I want to feel like a sweet, innocent, good girl from a respectable family. 

Nicole:  This one opens in a blast! Big, loud and definitely a signature scent meant to turn heads. My first impression is a boozy, honey type floral with green in the background. Very heady and sensual without being dark. It settles nicely and eventually evolves into a semi sweet powdered floral.

Alfredo:  This has a Lovely Opening that greets you with cheerful florals reminiscent of Pink Roses, Iris & Violet buds.  I also detect an apple & kiwi-like fruitiness which makes this sweet yet tart.  The dry down is a sheer soft powder.  All in all it's a Beautiful fragrance that brings to mind a romantic turn of the century young lady who's ready to head into The Modern Era with Excitement and JOY!

Emily:  I find the opening pleasantly floral and a bit familiar. As I strain to pick out a note--any note--my brain locks on lily of the valley. Is it? I don't know, but fortune favors the bold and I don't get any points for half-assing this, so I'm moving forward on that assumption. The next thing I notice is a light green scent, pleasant and not bitter the way I find many "green" perfumes to be. Fragrantica informs me that Lily of the Valley is a "green floral," so that tracks nicely. Anything else? Maybe some bergamot, in aid of an air of freshness. Not that it matters much, since it doesn't stick around long. In perhaps 15 minutes the whole thing has taken an abrupt turn for the powdery and eventually settles into something in the realm of amber. I'm guessing this is at least somewhat modern because I'm not finding any of the aldehydes or oakmoss I would expect from, say, a Rive Gauche or a Coty Muguet des Bois.  

Erica (and her amazing dad): 

My thoughts: Sweetly powdery floral, along the lines of violet, mimosa, wisteria, and magnolia. Sniffing the vial I am not feeling it, but on my skin I am finding that it's not totally horrifying despite the syrupy sweetness. Late in the dry down, I sense a peripheral vanilla cotton candy vibe. If this had a color, it would be a soft candied pastel violet and cloud-white marbleized swirl. Makes me think of the brand Tocca, I wonder if I have worn this before. I really handle the cloying aroma very long though, I think I may have a negative association with this scent.

This is my dad's favorite. He said it was very feminine and beautiful. He sat huffing the vial for quite some time. Go figure! It was his favorite, yet my bottom of the three. 

Alyssa: 
I loved how this smelled from the vial and upon first application it actually made me think of the leather in L’Artisan’s Traversee du Bosphore! Now I have always heard the term anosmia and being anosmic to a scent, but I never understood that term till this one. I was literally able to smell it for about 10 minutes and that was it! I gave it three tries to see if I was having an “off day” but each time the same thing happened. I am super curious to see if anyone else had the same reaction.

Jen:  Green floral? The opening made me think of water lilies (which is a note I am totally unfamiliar with, but it's what came to mind). It was a light, slightly sweet, watery green, which also kind of sounds cucumber-y, but this felt more floral to me. After a little bit of time passed a cold note came up. Not quite mint, more medicinal. Kind of cough syrupy. This one also faded really quickly on me, but that could just be me getting used to wearing perfume in the desert vs the everglades! Didn't hate it, but wasn't super excited by it.

Trona:  

Series 2 Fragrance 2 It’s shopping day and she enters as a cute, young, suburbanite, wearing tall boots and a brim hat. Her short,  flowy dress dances with her gait flirtatiously. Her presence is cheerful and playful, a breath of sweet air. She bustles with energy and her bright personality is evident from her pink fruity lip gloss and mint wad of gum that pops when she chews it. A few minutes later, her sass, it appears, a little spice from her personality poured out like iris soup with white pepper sauce. Her sweetness remains, but she claims the afternoon with vivacious tenacity. A sugared piquant in powdery glaze, her colorful heart is versatile and well bred, Though her vanilla virtue begs for attention like a spoiled schoolgirl. As the evening approaches, she becomes soft, and quiet, sweet as jasmine and a joy to entertain. This fragrance is feminine and sweet, I suspect from jasmine or ylang ylang, it is complex in that it changes to so many notes and pleasantly so. It is youthful, energetic, and fresh, not sexy, not sophisticated, but playful and flirtatious. I believe it opens with a sweet floral, I get iris and something fresher like lily along with a jasmine, the iris turns powdery and I get a pepper that dominates along with the sweet powder throughout the heart. In comes vanilla and that sweet jasmine a few hours in. It becomes soft and near to the skin and lasts about 5-6 hours on me. Lovely, lovely scent, I think well blended. Very nice to my nose!

Igor: 
This one was very tough for me because I know I’ve smelled it before. So now I’m hitting my head on the wall trying to remember what it is. It is really hard to focus on the notes without trying to remember. I get a lot of white flowers, vanilla and orange on top. On drydown I get more white flowers, specifically neroli very mild and well mixed neroli with strings of vanilla. The longevity is great, 4-5 hours. After wearing it for about 3hours, I get traces of sandal and honey. The sillage is very strong too. I feel like it is a woman’s designer fragrance because of its delivery and the composition. I can go out on a whim and guess that it may belong to the Armani clan. Armani Code for women? Funny enough it reminds me of my boss at the pharma company I used to work for. She was a petite Italian lady who , I swear, smelled like this and I used to compliment her on it all the time. The other interesting image this scent engenders is the wave of mixed scents you get upon entering Sephora. To me this is such a Sephora scent.

My thoughts:  

Scent number five was Decou Vert by Laboratorio Olfattivo.  I really enjoy this one.  The opening is a fresh burst of green over delicate white spring blossoms, a touch of lily of the valley.  It's a ittle cool, a little sweet, like an April breeze carrying the scent of grass and dew while the first warm weather blossoms are bursting open.  The green notes dissipate but still weave a pleasant tune behind the constant hum of florals.  It adds a plus density and wears like a very soft, light velvet.  I think the genius in this scent is the use of magnolia......I find magnolia to be very tricky.  In scents, sometimes it feels very sharp and cloying to me, but here it holds the feeling of the newly opened flowers with a cool tone.  It's balanced with some other florals, the notes list lilac and jasmine.  Though others noted the lilac, it's not an obvious note to me, but adds a definitive spring vibe.  The fragrance holds all the elements of a spring tapestry for the entire life of the scent.  The leaf and dew notes eventually fade but the blooms never become overwhelming.  Like Igor, I get a touch of honey in this as well and it adds a vaguely gourmand twist without getting truly into edible territory, it just adds a touch of interest.  The lasting power on this fragrance is very good....I think the oakmoss on the base keeps in very grounded and furthers the realistic perception of the floral notes.

Laboratorio Olfattivo offers some great scents at fairly reasonable prices.  For some reason they haven't had as much of an impact on the perfume community yet, but they are all beautifully made....I believe that over time they will become more well known.  Decou Vert is a beautiful spring scent and well worth trying.

Experiscent Number 4: Searching for Summer

There are fragrances that sometimes just seem to cover a whole range of moods.......I adore scents that you can reach for when you want to smell clean, as well as when you want to smell elegant, or effortless, or relaxed........it's a rare scent that can encompass all these qualities.  I typically find scents geared towards summer wear to be a bit more versatile than their winter counterparts.

For our mystery scent number 4, i provided decants of a perfume that I love to wear in the summertime.  I picked it out during a sunny week in my hometown when I was feeling great nostalgia for summer dresses and sunshine.  Reactions from our panel as follows!

Nicole:  On my skin it opens bright and with a sense of an aquatic note, like wet moss on the sea coast. After about 30 minutes it settles and I get a white floral/musk close to the skin. Gardenia or another white floral that softens and dissipates rather quickly. Not a powerhouse scent, more like a series of soft comforting notes.

Alyssa:  Citrus with a capital C was my first impression! It started very sharp on me with two sprays yet turned into this gorgeous creamy scent fast. Towards the middle I picked up a wonderful spiciness that I quite enjoyed. I found it to be very light on me and had to press my nose down on my skin a few times to smell it but I did enjoy this one. I can see wearing it on a Saturday when running around doing my shopping trips to the mall or meeting someone for lunch.

Alfredo:  Fresh SHARP Lemon & Lime peels with just a touch of small Spring flower buds that have yet to bloom, resting on a bed of wet green palm leaves.  When it gets to the base it finally starts to softens to a smooth, almost bamboo-like finish with soft sillage and projection.  It brings to mind a Classic Aqua de Colonia that would be perfect for the whole family to refresh with in the hot summer months...pretty much a straightforward, what-you-smell-is-what-you-get EDT.

Igor:  Flashback, flashback, flashback. While living in Paris, my father would shave every morning. He would open the French windows (we lived on the top floor in Montmartre apartment house), start whistling something, lather up and then splash himself with this scent! To me it’s the smell of my Parisian mornings, with sun beaming into the apartment with beautiful Paris in the backdrop. I started with the description because the scent is so familiar. I understand that it is a very common citrus aromatic scent. I have a feeling that it could be 4711 Original Eau de Cologne by Maurer & Wirtz . Likely runner ups are : Eau de Rochas Homme (but from what I remember , it is slightly more bitter because of verbena and basil) and Oranges and Lemons Say The Bells of St. Clements because of the sweet and soapy neroli in it. The top notes include a bursting citrus cocktail of lemon, bergamot, and mandarin orange. In the mid notes I sense cedar hints, basil, smooth earthy oakmoss and vetiver. The base notes are masterfully blended in a somewhat sweet white musk and soapy tender neroli. It is clearly intended for gents, but I would absolutely love this scent on a lady for its bittersweet freshness. Longevity is not great (it might be an aftershave or EDT?), about an hour. The sillage is moderate. This would be an ideal aftershave for an office. Thumbs up. 

Rina:  Very green, citrusy, bright, sparkly aldehydes. Familiar. Chanel? Drydown is woody, but forestry woody. Green wood, not dried. Still sappy... Me likee!

Trona:  It’s early morning, my first day in paradise, Just finished my morning meal and am sitting comfortably in the fresh air out on the lanai. It is warm and gentle breezes balance the humid air. Sudden bursts of tart zephyr tickle my nostrils from the lemon groves out yonder. That citrus punch awakens my senses and then I get the bergamot, a zesty lime, likened to a tall glass of 7up, giving that lemon a twist. Awe…it is refreshing and bright, energizing, yet the atmosphere is so relaxing, I feel alive! And I relish in the moment when I notice the lovely orange mixing in with the lemon-lime, like a mandarin flavored mojito. That orange peel from breakfast teases my senses and it lingers as the day wains. A couple hours in, I decide to wash my breakfast dishes and pick up that soapy residue leftover on my hands mixed with the syrupy orange peel scent of earlier but only when I sniff closely. I feel rejuvenated, free spirited and ready to kick off my holiday. This fragrance is very linear on my skin, it changed from one citrus to another quickly, within about 15 minutes and then remained an orange scent and slightly soapy orange scent thereafter, it is very close to the skin, akin to peeling oranges and having leftover residue on one’s fingers. It is a good scent offering feelings of cheerfulness and freshness on a warm summer day. Sillage is low, longevity is moderate. Unisex fragrance. I get the bright, bold, lemon immediately that quickly changes to bergamot within a minute), tart, yet, sweet bursts make an appearance for about 2 hours, and it comes in short waves. About 15 minutes in, fresh peeled oranges, but sweet like mandarins make an appearance. It remains this way until about an hour in and then I get a slight (whisper) hint of soap in the mix. I mentally want something more and patiently wait for a blast of vanilla, or powder, but nothing else comes, I think it lacks that Ummph! But is a fresh simple scent to enjoy anyway!

Emily:  It has the kind of juicy citrus opening that I expect from an Atelier Cologne fragrance. I think it's a more exotic citrus than your garden-variety lemon or bergamot. After a few minutes it reveals a note of almost buttery floral that makes me want to double down on the Atelier guess with "Sud Magnolia" specifically; I smelled it a month or so ago but unfortunately I don't have any around now and my scent memory is by no means photographic (osmographic?). Part of me wants to dig out all my AC samples and go through them looking for a match to the fruit note if not the whole perfume, but that might be considered cheating, and is also a lot of work. Anyway, if I'm right I'm totally going out and buying a lotto ticket.

Erica (and her dad!!!!!!):  My thoughts: Lemony Lemon McLemon time. Seriously, straight up lemons with lemon zest on top. As it dries down it seems more like lemongrass, like there is a quietly herbal component. Later when the citrus vanishes without a trace, it morphs completely and reminds me vaguely of the aquatic-floral genre. The first time I sniffed the vial I thought of vetiver, but with a skin application it doesn't come to mind.  Both my dad and I feel the same about this one - it is alright, but not special. He basically said, "Eh, it's ok."

Paula: 

(First trial) I’m getting beeswax and/or honey, orange blossom, and lemony soap. In fact, this one smells just like hotel soap to me. It’s really similar to Seville a l’Aube, but lemonier. 

(Second trial) This is opening with a lemony blast, followed quickly by white flowers. It’s reminding me today of old-timey cleaning fluid like you would use with a string mop. Or dish soap--Palmolive Lemon! Yes, that’s it! It’s lemon dish soap! Ha. Today it's not striking me as having the moderate depth and richness that it did the first time—it’s less honey-waxy and more about the lemon-floral notes. I will laugh if this turns out to be expensive, because it really smells like any pleasant cleaning product at Target. ...As the heart opens, the orange blossom is coming out strongly. This is definitely Seville a l'Aube Light—Now With Fresh Lemon! It’s light, and I got short longevity with this one both times, somewhere between two and three hours—perhaps as to be expected with a citrus-heavy fragrance?

UPSHOT: I’d wear this to play tennis in, or right after I got done showering after playing tennis. (I probably do wear it right after I hand-wash some wine glasses…ha ha.) I wouldn’t turn down a free bottle, but would not pay more than $10 for it myself—though plenty pleasant, it just smells too generic.

Jen:  Holy Lemons, Batman! This opening was basically a lemon still attached to a branch. Sour juice, bitter pith, sweet essential oil, and green leafyness are all here in spades. As it dries down a bit it starts to seem less lemony and more...grapefruity? Whatever it is, it is most definitely citrus, just slightly softer. Then something else comes through; maybe some woods. Definitely some greenery. It fades away to nothing within a few hours. Damn this desert air! I keep feeling like there is more to these latest samples, but they escape me, even after moisturizing before spraying.

My thoughts:

 Scent number 4 is Escale a Portofino by Dior.  I've enjoyed this fragrance from the first time I bought it as a blind buy.  It opens with a very bright, fruity orange note.  I say fruity orange because it's not just citrus.....there's a vague candied feel to it that pops and dissipates in the first half hour or so.   It's not childish or vulgar, just wonderfully sweetened, like orange slices sprinked with sugar and quickly broiled to melt it into a glaze.  There is petitgrain, adding a strong bite and light hint of bitterness.  

The heart of this scent is beautiful.......orange blossom petals and a hint of sweetness (almond is listed in the notes) keep this from being a fleeting, splashy cologne and adds a bit of a twist to an otherwise traditional composition.  These notes add tenacity to the scent.....to me, they add a bit of elegance and make this a scent that works for both a casual encounter to a summer dinner date.  The base notes include juniper berry and cypress for a hint of herb, galbanum for a touch of bitter greenery, and musk.  

In the summer I spray this on summer scarves or on my dresses, but I've had good longevity on my skin as well.  This is not a scent that does well when exposed to light......I smelled one that had been sitting out and it was awful compared to my boxed, in the dark bottle.  The top notes that make it so playful had all but disappeared and what was left had turned flat and dull.  I've had mine stored well for two years and it smells just as delightful as the first time I sprayed it.  I'm really looking forward to wearing it this summer again.......in fact, I'm going out for a fancy dinner tonight with my friends.  I think I'll be wafting some Portofino tonight!