Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Maria Christofilis - Fleur 09 It really isn’t a big stretch of the imagination to know that Fleur 09 (“Fleur”) is a floral.   What does, however, strike at the imagination is how this fragrance came to be and how and why it was released in 2014. If you’ve followed my fragrance blog, you know that I adore it when a fragrance tells a story.   With Fleur, the story is more about the fragrance’s genesis than the fragrance wear.   As the story goes, this fragrance was first created by master perfumer Rodrigo Flores-Roux of the Swiss fragrance house Givaudan as a personal gift to Maria Christofilis.   Can you imagine such a gift!   Anyway, the story continues that Christofilis quickly fell in love with the fragrance and “the more she realized it was a treasure to be shared”.   Her generosity is our benefit. Fleur is a glorious symphony of white florals with just a touch of vanilla bean absolute and benzoin tears extract to round out the composition ...

rag & bone - Oddity EDP Oddity is a woody amber offering from the clothing retailer rag & bone.  Said to hint of “memories of a walk through the Madurai spice market” the fragrance does not disappoint in its warm and spicy feel. On me, instead of having a note development, Oddity has more of a singular wear.  Black pepper, vetiver, amber, and vanilla are the stars of this juice.  rag & bone takes a sweet vanilla and blends it with a deep resinous amber and a balsamic woody vetiver base and weaves in a moderately bold black pepper and light cardamom and angelica root.  The leather is present as a soft earthy suede-like note.  The incense is subtle but present.  I do not detect much licorice at all.  There is a distinct warmth and spice that lasts throughout the wear of Oddity and the vanilla prevents the spice from becoming overbearing; the fragrance feels quite cozy. Oddity wears on my for 4-5 hours with moderate to light proje...

Solstice Scents - Violet Mallow (Perfume Oil) Some time ago, I was lucky enough to have some friends in the UK send me several rolls of Parma Violet candies.  Being in the US, I was enthralled and intrigued by the notion of the little violet confections that I’d never seen on this side of the pond.  The fond memories of those candies, made me want to try the Solstice Scents gourmand rift on violet – Violet Mallow. Violet Mallow opens with a bold, powdery (Parma candy-like) violet note layered on top of a sweet, puffy marshmallow.  The sweetness of the marshmallow tames the boldness of the violet and creates a delectable, almost creamy violet note.  About 2 hours into wear, the violet softens.  Vanilla bean and musk begin to appear.  The vanilla and musk are mild but present enough that you know they’re there.  Through the course of the 7 hour wear, the violet remains present throughout.  The moderate projection softens to a light one and ...

I Profumi di Firenze - Vaniglia del Madagascar Vaniglia del Madagascar is an oriental vanilla.  The site I purchased this from says it is a "must for vanilla lovers".  So when I had the opportunity to pick up a small bottle at 20% off, I thought why not. Vaniglia del Madagascar is a gorgeous sweet, cre amy vanilla over a very delicate and subtle lily of the valley. The sweetness is not overly sweet (so not even remotely in the ballpark of a scent like Mugler Angel Eau Sucree).  Vanilla takes the spotlight with this and it has a genuine vanilla vibe instead of a synthetic one like you get with some vanilla fragrances.  This is a soft, sweet, and delicious smelling scent that holds tightly to the skin.  It's so lovely you simply want to smell it all day (which is not too much of a problem with a 6-7 hour wear time.)  “ A must have” - I couldn't agree more! Notes: Vanilla Orchid and Vanilla Bean from Madagascar