Review

Atelier Cologne Cafe Tuberosa

Posted on by elemonated

After a few months of marinating in Self-Pity and Work and Responsibility, I’m really happy to finally smell something that ruminates in my mind so much that I really wanted to write about it.

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Photo from Sephora

I had this one hyped up to the heavens for me on Sniffapalooza Fall Ball Sunday in 2017. (Yeah I actually started this review last year. Whoops.) I usually hate things that are hyped up so pre-sniff. My mind was already countering every single bit of praise being heaped upon this fragrance.

Someone said it was wonderful for coffee lovers? I decided it was probably sickly sweet like a lot of coffee fragrances can be, because for some reason a lot of people really like that.

Someone said the tuberose was super balanced and didn’t take over? I decided that meant that the florals took a back seat after the initial sniff.

Someone said that I’d really like it? Uh, okay you don’t know me like that.

But as it happens they did know me like that.  Read More

Penhaligon’s Vaara

Posted on by elemonated

Last one of this set. It’s been really fun trying out all of Penhaligon’s interpretations of womans’ fragrance, and I didn’t think I’d like this company anymore than I did but this set was delightful and now I own at least a little bit of 7 of their fragrances, which is crazy! The only other quantities I have to rival it is my number of L’Artisans and Annick Goutals. I love Serge Lutens as well, but I have like nothing sample or FB-wise relative to the number of fragrances I could have.

Alright, no more daydreaming. Let’s get on with the last one, shall we?

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Vaara

  • Wet: mimosa (the drink), honey, fruit juice, sweet rose
  • Dry: sweet rose, peony, magnolia, iris, saffron, honey, sandalwood, resins

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Penhaligon’s Iris Prima

Posted on by elemonated

Disclaimer: I don’t like iris in perfume. Serge Lutens Silver Iris Mist, while I appreciate it as a lovely work of art, is like huffing Vaseline lotion (the one that comes in the regular cream-yellow pump bottle) and carrots. Tauer’s Lonesome Rider would have hit all my happy spots…if the iris wasn’t so prominent. And so on.

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Iris Prima

  • Wet: peony, bergamot, carnation
  • Dry: iris, suede, violet, peony, bergamot, nutmeg, vetiver

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Jean Paul Gaultier Le Male

Posted on by elemonated

I have a feeling that many a person is going to disagree with me on this very vehemently.

Ah, well. Can’t be worse than my Valentino Uomo review! I’m honestly feeling particularly grumpy because I’m in pain at the moment for full disclosure, but I don’t really think being in a better mood would really effect my impression on the fragrance.

Sometimes though I do wish I had dedicated a little more time to the fragrance before writing; I don’t absolutely dislike Uomo, for instance, on myself anymore, and now appreciate the sweetness and syntheticness (and I promise, that wasn’t a sarcastic statement.) This time, I’ve put on Le Male twice now over the past few weeks and spritzed my boyfriend with it, so I think I’m as warmed up to it as I could be.  Read More

Ormonde Jayne Rose Gold

Posted on by elemonated

I snagged this one up during Ormonde Jayne’s promotion celebrating the British team’s 67 medals in the Olympics! Too bad the US crushed that number with 121 medals and China edged you guys out at 70 as well, though Great Britain did get more gold medals.

Details aside, everyone did well this year at the Olympics and everyone had something to celebrate in Rio. Except, of course, for Ryan Lochte’s teammates who had to face the consequences of their (and his) actions while Mr. Lochte celebrated getting the hell out of Rio in business class and out of the clutches of Brazilian law enforcement; for a little while at least.

But I digress.

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