Fragrance Reviews

Perfume Intel: Recommendations from the files of a Perfumista

As a perfume lover, I have decided to pay more for a high-quality perfume a bit outside the mainstream, stop the snobbery of only buying expensive well-known perfumes, and seek sites that offer something akin to crowdsourcing worthy perfumes.

The first three are perfumes Fragrantica.com members ranked highly. The last is a sample that I would now burn if it didn't mean releasing even more stink. As Mother's Day, Father's Day, birthdays (hint!), weddings, (and therefore anniversaries, hint #2) approach, consider giving the gift of a glorious perfume. Now, there are those who can't handle scents. Others have lupus, asthma or other conditions that prevent perfume wearing. Some people are averse to the chemicals and even the idea of spritzing. But if you like to use scents, read on!

Note: Blending essential and perfume oils is a major hobby of mine. That is not covered here, but I would love to answer a question about that. I most often buy from From Nature with Love and NOW essential oils and perfume oils.

Aura Essence Rosewater is my most favorite thing. I have multiple bottles and love to chill it in the fridge during warm weather. AHHHHHHH

Élie Saab Le Parfum
(Eau de Parfum) Neoclassical, honeyed orange blossom wafting. Each version grows stronger yet stays itself. If you like the floral components of honey, look no further. Not for someone to young or demure. This smells rich as in Fresh Prince of Bel Air yet natural and all-knowing. Vivian! The first (and only). Best for moms and wedding parties. For the most office friendly, lighter version, try Elie Saab Le Parfum eau de toilette.

Lolita Lempicka Elle L'aime à La Folie
This sweet, floral woodsy delight to me smells like the absence of honey. While I love that elusive honey, it is quite hard to bottle and plays wickedly with skin chemistry. This has the citrus zest but not the orange blossom, the flower but not the nectar, the woods and the sap holding the nest but not the honey, and the warm sunny feeling without the bees buzzing about. It's so versatile and enveloping. It doesn't have a lot of development, but that's fine. I like it from the first spray to the last waft. And it lasts awhile!This is even better than Guerlain's Aqua Allegoria Ylang et Vanille (which I still have) in that it manages to smell like your favorite cousin who makes good life choices instead of your slightly musty auntie with great taste but diminishing olfaction. As if all this weren't enough, the price makes this a no-brainer. Thanks for the helpful reviews, Fragrantica members!

LP No. 9 by Penhaligon
So, I've heard this means Love Potion Number 9. As in the voodoo that you do so well. After the whizzing patchouli, herbs and whatever burned citrus peel calms down this smells like a booty call in the forest. Lady Chatterly's lover en flagrant délit with a squirrel watching. Don't ask me how I know what that smells like. The drydown becomes a pleasing well-blended essential oil-sappy plume that stays close to the skin while exuding sensual heat. If you like a "skin" scent, this is an inventive way to wear it. Stupendous quality for the price. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that it shares some dry herbal undertones with Christian Dior's Dune.

Decadence by Marc Jacobs
If this fragrance is decadence, give me the simple life. This sweet, lingering beast scent reminds me of a prototype: picture a young lady in college who acts dumb as a doornail but is really quite intelligent. She wants to join your study group. She probably takes good notes but has zero insight and is too annoying to bear. So you say "no" but feel bad, until the next time she makes your eyes roll in class. I am no longer a student, but this makes me think back to those days and dilemmas. There are loveable notes that I actually seek in fragrances--orris!--Iris!--jasmine sabac!!!, but every time I feel pity and want to give Decadence another try, it rubs me the wrong way.

Why am I dissing this so hard? It's only perfume, right? Hmph. Yesterday I'd forgotten to wear a fragrance, very unlike me. I was sporting playful yellow with black and teal. I thought about the decanted Decadence sample in my purse and felt sorry for it. Sparingly applied. Fast forward 20 minutes: I'm suffocating from my own fragrance in a meeting, so nauseous I have to abruptly leave. My friends snicker and think I'm pregnant. Ugh! Then I must report to my boss and can't tell her the meeting outcome because of...Decadence!! Shaking my fist! This is banished from my Mount Olympus of fragrances. "Scrubber" never held so much meaning as it did yesterday. And the darn fragrance would not leave. "Out damn spot!" overheard. It was really bad. Do not blind buy or try very far from soap and water. Let my mistake be your lesson. That is all.

Notable mentions: Lolita Lempicka Midnight
This has the licorice tonka bean base notes without the candy fluffy sweetness of the original Lolita Lempicka, now at least 20 years old. I use this to anchor lightweight fruity fragrances like SJP NYC and Body Shop Black Musk.