Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Kensington Apothecary – Capri 1966 EDP Kensington Apothecary has been on my radar for a while now.   As a beauty blogger, I became aware of the brand some time ago through their skincare line.   I was impressed by the founder’s use of natural ingredients and their commitment to community.   When they made the decision to launch their first fragrance collection, Expatica Scent Collection, I was immediately interested.   I was fortunate enough to be able to obtain a sample of one of the three releases, Capri 1966 (“Capri”).   Capri has been described by the perfumer as a “tomboy floral”.    Of course, many of us in the fragrance community no longer consider fragrance male or female, however, there can be made some distinction in notes of scents which were traditionally identified as owning to male or female. If you’ve followed my fragrance blog, you already know that I personally love a scent that tells a story.   In the case of Capri, the...

Giorgio Armani – Sì Passione EDP Sì Passione (“Passione”) is a 2017 flanker release from Giorgio Armani.   To be honest, I almost did not try this fragrance as I am admittedly not a fan of the original.   Still, the fact that this is a floral fruity fragrance convinced me otherwise. Passione opens with a bright, sparkling pear that is slightly spiced by pink pepper.   I get the original version’s blackcurrent underpinnings.   It is a familiar berry, yet different.   There is an assertiveness to the opening that belies its fruity floral nomenclature.   Abut an hour into wear, I get a rose and jasmine bouquet.   The rose is a fresh blossoming note with no jammy-ness.   The jasmine is clean and clear without feeling overdone.   The addition of heliotrope at this point in development was an inspired choice.   While I get the typical powdery hints common with the note, I get more of a comforting almond-vanilla.   The counte...

Pinrose – Secret Genius Secret Genius (“Genius”) was released in 2015 and is the first fragrance I’ve tested from Pinrose.   Genius is an oriental vanilla. If you look below the main review, you’ll see I’ve kept the brand’s Notes as published instead of converting it to the “standard” fragrance terms for the note construction.   The way the brand describes Notes and, moreover, the way they describe the basic “vibe” of their fragrances speaks to who their target audience is.   In the case of Genius, the fragrance is described as: VIBE   Trustworthy • Comforting • Sexy PERFECT FOR Hatching plans and sneaking kisses SIPS LIKE   White Russian Genius isn’t a fragrance that has much by way of development with the exception of the initial note I get in the very opening.   Basically, it’s a “what you smell is what you get”.   And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.   What was less than spectacular was the very first opening note that I...

Kilian – Boys EDP Kilian just released their new collection My Kind of Love.   The collection consists of four fragrances.   Boys, is a spicy woody fragrance from the collection.   The collection has a slightly different audience than I feel had been the brand’s main target.   While I feel that the brand’s packaging has always been interesting and “on theme”, with My Kind of Love, the bottles and advertising feel more millennial or Gen Z to me than prior collections. With this collection, Kilian Hennessy says, "I wanted this collection to have the multi-layered notes and accords that I’m known for, but built around a key ingredient that’s unusual, surprising, and instantly recognizable."   For Boys, the key note is cola which Kilian recreates with notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, and lime.   It is this cola note that is instantly recognizable on first spray. While Boys opens with a fresh, sparkling cola note, that note quickly takes on a citric twis...

Commodity – Nectar Nectar is a release from Commodity in their White Collection.   The fragrance wears on me as a fresh fruity floral/aromatic fruity. When I received my sample of Nectar, I wasn’t sure what to expect.   Nectar may be used to describe things in different contexts.   With Commodity’s Nectar, I find the name both describes the nectar of a juicy fruit as well as the nectar found in floral blossoms. Nectar opens as a bright citrus with touches of neroli.   There is a sunny brightness to the opening and I find that the pomelo and tangerine are evenly balanced.   As Nectar wears, I get a bitter neroli that adds the “flavor” of what feels like a citrus rind.     There is a light honeysuckle that adds a touch of sweetness and lends itself to brighten, almost adding a sunny disposition, to the fragrance.   At roughly 2 hours into wear, there is a background of cedarwood.   The cedar is distant and faint.   More p...

Lubin - Epidor EDP Epidor, an oriental floral, is the first fragrance I’ve tried from Lubin.  The House of Lubin was established back in 1798 and as such, is one of France’s oldest luxury brands.  Fun fact - During the reign of the last king of France, Lubin obtained the title of Official Perfumer to the French Royal Court.  In 1998, the House was revitalized and now is based in the middle of Paris.  With that said, I had high expectations for Epidor.  And – spoilers – I was not disappointed. Epidor opens with a gorgeous musk-laced violet.  The violet is only lightly powdery (in a good way) courtesy of a rich plum that gives it depth.  About an hour into wear, a soft orange blossom melds with a delicate jasmine joining the musk.  The restraint of the perfumer with the jasmine makes the note feel soft.  It feels very much like an innocent romance.  The creamy, slightly woody base has a gentle hay feel and notes of vanilla and alm...

Gallivant Perfumes – Berlin (Blogger’s Note – Please see my review of Gallivant Brooklyn for brand background and concept.) Having enjoyed the sites in Brooklyn, NY courtesy of Gallivant, I have headed out to JFK airport to catch a flight.  I am stamping my passport this morning to travel overseas to Berlin.  I was curious to see what this urban landscape had to offer me.  Berlin is a woody spicy fragrance with citrus notes.  Yes, citrus.  The fragrance actually opens with a bright and sunny citrus filled with Clementine and lemon with touches of grapefruit.  The opening is gorgeous but I admit I didn’t understand it until I did a little digging about the city.  How lovely that the city has multiple lakeside vacation destination spots (obviously convenient for locals) for Summer swimming!  (*Note the Telegraph did a fantastic article on these spots back on July 13, 2015.)  In its opening Berlin captures the lighthearted, carefree s...

Dame Perfumery - Citrus Man Cologne Citrus Man Cologne (“Citrus”) is, well, a citrus.  I couldn’t resist the obvious but really, it’s so much more. And while we’re dispensing with the “obvious”, while this is marketed as a fragrance for men, this can easily be worn by anyone. Citrus opens with…wait for it…citrus notes.  A bright, sparkling lemon-lime and grapefruit let you know this is going to be a cologne with a freshness.  Within about fifteen minutes, a gorgeous blossoming jasmine joins the citrus notes.  There is a lightness to the jasmine.  About another fifteen to thirty minutes into wear, Citrus is joined by a creamy woody musk.  If you’re familiar with the perfumer’s other fragrance, New Musk Man, this has the same musk vibe to it.  It’s not the musk of the 80s but instead a reinvented and more wearable reincarnation.  Citrus wears as a clean citrus creamy woody musk on me for roughly 5 – 6 hours with light projection. No...

Jo Malone London - English Oak & Hazelnut I’ve been testing this fragrance for the past 2 days.  I want to extend my thanks to Dean Farris, Beauty Product Specialist/Jo Malone London, from Neiman Marcus for his gracious offer to send me the sample. When I first heard about this fragrance, all of the buzz was about the three primary notes: hazelnut, cedar, and oak.  Based on that, I anticipated this fragrance to have a warm nutty hazelnut top, a rich cedar middle, and a woody base.  I was wrong. English Oak & Hazelnut opens with a bright green hazelnut paired with vetiver.  There is a crisp, slight grassiness to it with a touch of lemon earthiness.  Vetiver is one of my favorite notes in fragrance so its early appearance was a pleasant surprise to me.  About 30 minutes into wear, the elemi adds a touch more lemon and a peppery spice.  An hour and a half into wear I get a touch of green and a stunning roasted oak.  The oak is ri...

Gallagher Fragrances - Evergreen Dream EDP Today I am testing the newest release from Gallagher Fragrances – Evergreen Dream.  This juice is a fougere and does follow the more traditional formulation model of the fragrance category but finishes quite differently. This fragrance opens with a slightly bitter yet fresh, green aromatic.  I clearly get the scent of evergreen trees.  The opening is strong and surrounds you in the wonderful aroma of being in a lush green forest.  About an hour in, the lavender appears.  Lavender is a note that I struggle with; I think it’s one of those notes that people tend to be polarized on.  The lavender in this juice is bold but it has been tempered with a rich birch tar, wood note, and pine resin.  The accompanying notes add a warmth to the lavender making it more, and in my opinion more universally wearable, than the individual note.  After roughly another hour, the base notes enter and the juice begins i...