#fragaddict

[thefruittreewild]

Today I'm sharing three fragrances I have a love-hate relationship with:

Place Vendome by Boucheron

I actually don't like this fragrance at all. I'm ashamed to admit that I bought it purely because of the gorgeous heavyweight bottle. Otherwise, I find the syrupy concoction of benzoin, honey and praline headache inducing. That bottle though....

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Magie Noire by Lancome

This is a masterpiece with a gorgeous opening. I love ylang ylang and it is blended beautifully here with Bulgarian rose and raspberry. My bottle is not the original but it is older (from over a decade ago) so it still contains oakmoss, vetiver and civet. And that civet is where the problems begin and end for me. On my skin all the wonderful floral and aromatic notes give way to pure civet. And I like a little skank, but no matter how I try, this always becomes stale urine on my skin. In St. Lucian folklore and kweyol, a magie nwe is one of the many ghouls that haunts your sleep at night. Sadly Magie Noire is more monstrous than magical for me. I'm still going to hold onto it forever!

------------------------ Arpege by Lanvin This is the perfume which taught me about indolic jasmine. This is a complex perfume  with a gorgeous progression--just not on my skin. My body chemistry transforms Arpege into something sweaty and almost fecal. Much like Magie Noire, I appreciate the artistry that went into it, can't bring myself to give it away, but these are definitely the wrong kind of 1-2 punch I'm going for.

------------------------ Are there scents you love but that rebel against every fiber of your being? ------------------------

[thefruittreewild]

With tomorrow being Valentine's Day, I've dubbed today Self-Love Sunday for those of us who are single and satisfied.😊

What does self love smell like? I'm choosing Andalusian Soul by the Merchant of Venice. This cozy amber-vanilla fragrance feels like the epitome of pampered evenings with aromatherapy candles, bubble baths, decadent chocolate and a good cocktail.

The progression on this is extremely modest but it's such a comforting feel-good scent that I am not too upset about it. I would have loved if the boozy and smoky notes were more prominent but Andalusian Soul is still lovely, especially if you are mad about vanilla.

So go on, treat yourself. You're worth it. 🌹💋

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Top Notes: Acacia, Amber, Rum Middle Notes: Balsamic Accord, Cistus, Labdanum, Smoky Accord Base Notes: Amber, Sage, Vanilla

[thefruittreewild]

I can't believe February is already here. I'm starting to get in the Valentine's mood though and what better perfume to get in the spirit than Burning Rose by Carolina Herrera?

For me this is the perfect rose: smoky, spicy and like the name implies, it is not the fresh innocent rose, but the burnt redolent petals of incense. Just gorgeous, and in a beautiful bottle to boot.

[thefruittreewild]

The scent of ... volatility?

Today, I'm reviewing BTC pour Homme by Aroma Concepts. Turns out #bitcoin smells pretty darn good. I live for finding these quirky scent concepts. From a collector's perspective it also feels representative of our times.

BTC pour Homme is a pleasant spicy, smoky leathery fragrance. There is apparently real Laotian oud in here which may explain the modest 30ml bottle while all the other scents on the aroma concepts site are more in the 100ml range. It's pretty hard to parse which notes are top, middle and base notes based on how they are listed on the site but here they are anyway. Let me know if you've tried this one!

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Notes:

Lavender, Bergamot, Cypress, Grapefruit, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Styrax, Artemisia, Cardamom, Apple

Agarwood from Laos(Oud), Saffron, Leather, Tobacco, Cedar, Tonka Beans, Musk, Amber, Cypress, Cashmeran, Guaiac Wood

Vetiver, Sandalwood, Geranium, Labdanum, Floral, Jasmine and Lily-of-the-Valley

[thefruittreewild]

I'm always excited to discover inexpensive perfumes that have been crafted by famous noses. Enter St. Dupont a la Francaise pour Femme which was created by Bertrand Duchaufour. There was a single 3 star rating and no reviews on Fragrantica, but the red wine top note intrigued me enough to buy it.

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Now, I'm not sure what kind of wine Monsieur Duchafour is drinking but I detect none in St. Dupont a la Francaise. However, it is a really pretty fruity floral with a woody-musky drydown. The rose, jasmine and gardenia come through most strongly for me throughout the life of the fragrance but the other florals remain in the background, supporting and smoothing them out along with the persistent sweetness of the black currant and orange.

Am I saying this is a $300 perfume masquerading in a $40 bottle? No, but this still has a feminine allure. I imagine a woman in an ivory silk chemise, sitting at her vanity and brushing her dark hair, her skin faintly damp from a recent bath with finely milled soap.

Is this the perfume you'll want to wear above all others in your collection? No. In some ways, it's pretty unremarkable, especially considering how close it sits to the skin (though longevity is solid). But especially as it dries down, la Francaise is so naturally fresh that it is what you wished you smelled like without perfume, or how you wish a partner would recall your scent.

Overall, I'd call this a safe blind buy if you like feminine florals.

[thefruittreewild]

This just arrived today and I'm really excited to sample it. It is Absinthe by Franck Boclet. I've only recently discovered this house but so many of their compositions seem intriguing. Also, the old English Literature major in me takes such delight at seeing "wormwood" listed as an ingredient. It feels so Shakespearean. I fully expect Ophelia to appear and give this a little spritz. 😅

Have you tried anything from Franck Boclet? What's your favorite?

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Top notes are Wormwood, Lavender and Green Mandarin; Middle notes are Wormwood, Rhubarb and Heliotrope; Base notes are Vetiver, Leather, Amber and Woodsy Notes.

[thefruittreewild]

These days, it seems "oud" has nothing to do with agarwood but is purely a marketing term that is a catchall for moody, woody or strong fragrances.

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Enter Salvatore Ferragamo Pour Homme Oud as yet another in a line of imposters.

This is an approachable, leather-tobacco fragrance with a beautiful smoky opening. Ferragamo Oud also gets extra points for the heavy asymmetrical bottle. However, not a whiff of oud is to be found here. In fact, even the guaiac wood it does contain is almost invisible and fades to a ghost of iris and amber.

This is not a remarkable fragrance but it is pleasant. I think I would love it more if it were marketed as what it is and not what it claims to be. As is, I find myself vaguely annoyed as my nose constantly searches for that oud note.

Unfortunately, both longevity and sillage are extremely weak, despite being EDP concentration. I get an hour on skin and two on clothes if I'm lucky.

Given the poor performance I'd recommend this as a great scent for bed. 5/10.

[thefruittreewild]

This seems to be my Mugler week. I got a sample of Alien Goddess with a purchase and was excited to try it since it's in many perfume reels.

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It's not often that I have a visceral reaction to a fragrance, but something about this perfume stirs an almost painful nostalgia.The linear sweetness takes me right back to my all girls Catholic highschool and the jittery dread of Monday mornings.

I'm genuinely confused how anything about this could represent a goddess. Goddesses are sumptuous, complex, even a little cruel.

This is the scent of a woman-child. Bergamot and jasmine so bright and piercing that they resemble the innocence of gardenia. There are no woods; just vanilla and honey. No heartache yet, no darkness of hard-won lessons. It's the smell of awakening of--almost-knowing. This is the perfume of your teacher walking past and dispersing girlish giggles and whispers, of mornings lining up outside while the rank prefect checks your uniform and examines your hair.

In one sense, if a perfume can crystallize a moment in time so clearly it must be successful. For me it is impossible to wear this. It is the antithesis of a power scent. If you want to unearth all the tender hopeful places that you'd forgotten you'd hidden, this is the scent for you. I, on the other hand, prefer to keep things a bit more scabbed over.

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From Fragrantica: Alien Goddess includes bergamot essence, jasmine grandiflorum SuperInfusion, Madagascar Bourbon vanilla and a note of cashmere.

(Apparently coconut water is also one of the top notes. No wonder it's taking me back to childhood!)