No. 22 Eau de Toilette by Chanel Review

“Layers of tulle. A shower of petals…”–Chanel

I start this post with a huge sigh and disappointment that is almost bitter on the tongue. I should also give a fair warning that I don’t like baby powder with that loud scent that we all associate with the stuff. This perfume is neither layers of tulle, nor is it a shower of petals. This perfume is a waterfall of baby powder, complete and unadulterated innocence, white dresses worn by flower girls and clean cotton. 

Liaisons Dangereuses By Killian Review

“The smooth sensuality of the Plum
combined with the fragile
Damascus Rose.”–By Killian

 

I was very afraid, dear reader, of liking this perfume. Why, you ask? Because of the pice tag. Two hundred and thirty dollars for fifty millilitres. Now, I don’t know about you but you don’t think I could shell out that much money for one bottle of perfume when I could buy a few bottles of others, make up, shoes, heck, I could even add another tattoo to my body (Hedonist was almost two hundred dollars but that scent brought me to my knees and I’ll probably wince if I ever do buy a bottle). For me to justify wanting to spend that much money, this perfume should have brought me to tears, made me want to marry it, render me speechless and then wax poems about it.

But Liaisons didn’t. It smelled lovely but I was exceedingly underwhelmed. It’s dull, a bit too overrated and it smells like something I’ve encountered before without the emotional nostalgia. 

No. 19 Eau de Parfum by Chanel Review

Chanel is one of those brands that needs no introduction. It’s so well known that everyone recognizes those crossing Cs. Chanel has always been a brand that I would see from afar when I was younger and yearn for. From makeup, perfume to clothes, it has always been synonymous with ladies and elegance.

Now, I’ve looked online and maybe you understand better than I do, dear reader, but there is many different versions of No. 19. There is No. 19 Poudré then there is the No. 19 Eau de Toilette, the No. 19 Parfum and finally, the one I’m testing is the No. 19 Eau de Parfum. I didn’t even know there was that many types when I ordered the sample and now I’m worried what the main differences are between each of them. I’m sure I’ll get the chance (fingers crossed) to test them when I visit my local Chanel counter and I’ll definitely try to make a comprehensive (at least, as comprehensive as I can be) post what the differences are. 

Womanity by Thierry Mugler Review

“A faceted fragrance whose sides reflect the countless faces of womanhood.”–Thierry Mugler

I’ve been wanting to try Womanity for a while. For a long while. Today, I finally plunged and tried my sample and I can safely say, I’m so glad I did because there is no way I’m ever looking back at my time without Womanity. It is just that good.

Now, dear reader, you’re probably thinking why I post so many reviews where I’m nice to the products but I’ve just been very choosy and lucky. I do have quite a few terrible products I’ve used but even the thought of writing about them or even thinking about them (after they’ve almost ruined me) fills me with annoyance and dread. But I will. Have no fear. But for now, I just want to focus on the beauty that is Womanity.

Womanity by Thierry Mugler is supposed to represent womanhood (I almost wrote womanity forgetting it’s not a word but it just fits so well) and I think this perfume has certainly done a fantastic job. Young, fresh, strong, feminine, kick ass, soft…I honestly could go on but why not start the review instead? 

Alien by Thierry Mugler

“Strange and mysterious yet comforting and soft, Alien conveys passion, sensuality and the essence of absolute femininity.”–Thierry Mugler

After trying and adoring Thierry Mugler’s other perfume, I decided to give Alien a try hoping I’d get the same luck as I did with Womanity. Alien is all-encompassing, it’s dark and mysterious…I mean, just look at the bottle! Even the bottle and the name are different. Mugler’s perfumes are successful because they fit their package and their name, their marketing and the brand itself. They just work.

Surfing around online, I noticed that there are Mugler perfume fans (just as there are Ford fans, By Kilian fans, etc) and I think I am one of them. They’re strong and not for the faint of heart but they’re not crass or offensive. They’re different enough without being too challenging while still being wearable. 

Hedonist by Viktoria Minya Review

Speechless and unsure where to start, I’ll simply let the beautiful bottle speak for itself. Hedonist is easily one of my favourite perfumes I’ve ever smelled and the bottle is definitely the most gorgeous. Not only does the name fit well for this scent, but the bottle also captures what Hedonist is and what it smells like. I mean, here’s what Viktoria Minya’s site says about the bottle:

Hedonist is presented within a beautifully crafted bottle filled with hundreds of genuine bohemian crystals that sparkle brilliantly in the divine golden liquid…

Everything about this perfume is hedonistic and though indulgent, it’s not self-indulgent or narcissistic. After smelling Poopoo Pidoo from my first perfume haul and still cringing, I’m glad I decided to sample Hedonist instead of some other perfumes. My senses (and mind) needed to be soothed and though Hedonist soothed, it brought on a much needed exhilarating ride. 

Poopoo Pidoo by Ego Facto Review

“A young girl, a young woman, she seems naïve, completely fresh, a little ingenuous. But she surprises you when she reveals her carnal woman.”–Ego Facto

I’m not exactly sure how I should start this review. I really don’t…and I feel like this confused and staggering beginning is definitely how I view Poopoo Pidoo by the French perfumery, Ego Facto. Aside from winning the best award (in my imaginary award show I currently have in my head) for the worst name for a perfume ever and yet, one of the best descriptions and marketing I’ve come across, Poopoo wins two awards and continues to make me scratch my head.

With notes of powder, orange and musk, this perfume screams what I’ve come to associate all French perfumes with, loudness that borders on chaos, brashness that borders on overwhelming and a calm dry down that isn’t that calm at all. This was one of the last perfumes I added into online shopping my cart in my recent haul, just a quick last minute decision based upon some of the notes I read. The sample was on the pricier side but I thought, orange blossom, rice powder, warm amber and maybe a bit of depth from the woods, what’s not to like? Which makes this review all the harder for me to write. I feel like I’m breaking up with my ideal boyfriend, after loving the ideal image of what I thought he’d be to being shocked and heartbroken to who he really is.  

Miss Charming by Juliette Has a Gun Review

“The perfume of a virgin witch, docile and provocative, elegant and sensual. At first glance, the miss appears rather innocent. But don’t trust your intuition…If she’s a rose, don’t forget she got spines. A fragrance that combines ingenuousness and lucidity.”–Juliette Has a Gun

If there was ever an award for best perfume blurbs, then the people behind Juliette Has a Gun has clearly swept the floor on that front. I mean, just by reading that blurb, it kind of makes you want to go out and hunt it down for a whiff, doesn’t it dear reader? Don’t bother denying it because I pretty much did the same thing. After searching online for interesting rose perfumes that aren’t just musk and powder, I came across Miss Charming. Upon further reading, the fruit notes were supposed to be litchi, strawberries and wild berries. Well damn, consider me yours, Miss Charming.

In my recent mini perfume haul, I ordered quite a few rose-centric perfumes and honestly, which one to sample first? But I’m a sucker for litchi and fruit, even though my dislike borders on table-flipping anger towards sickly fruity and gourmand perfumes. However, with notes of Moroccan rose, musk and red fruits, I was sold. Surely this rose perfume wouldn’t be like biting into fruit doused in rose water. 

Boyfriend by Kate Walsh Review

“She inhales his shirt, taking in the scent of the man she loves. It lingers on her clothes, her sheets, her hair—all over. Imprinted on her body and in her mind, it radiates within her, filling her with feelings of warmth and desire.”–Sephora

I love this perfume. It is as simple as that. Why, you ask reader? For a multitude of reasons and lucky (or unlucky) for you, I will tell you all about them. The marketing for Boyfriend by actress Kate Walsh is pretty much the main reason why I knew I had to have this perfume. I mean, just read what else was on Sephora‘s site:

Actress Kate Walsh wanted to capture the scent of a guy on a girl: a man’s cologne mixed with perfume, the smell that lingers on the skin. This fragrance evokes memories of that time after he has left for the day—when she gently awakes in a bed that’s still warmly redolent of “boyfriend.”

Now, I don’t know about you, dear reader but for me, I don’t have a boyfriend. I’m as single as single gets. I’m so single that I’m probably the mayor and welcoming committee in Singlesville. But the very image that this marketing campaign evoked was simply irresistible. Rolling around in a warm bed and smelling of a man (I’m pretending its him or him), with tussled hair and sleeping in (and since we’re talking about this fantasy, can I also say that I want perfect makeup like in the movies?). I just knew I had to get it. The very idea of spritzing on my (imaginary) boyfriend’s cologne was pretty much the reason I had to smell this. That and the simple and masculine but elegant bottle was just too much for me not to get. But did it live up to my expectations?