Binxcat's Purrfect Fragrance

Creed - Spring Flower I’m heading back to 1996 for this floral fruity fragrance.   Creed’s Spring Flower is said to be a “flirtatious and feminine timeless classic”.   It is said it was designed as a signature scent for Audrey Hepburn; although I have not been able to verify this claim. I’m a big Hepburn fan so sampling what might have been one of her signature scents was on my “to do” list.   I also enjoy a good fruity floral.   I’ve worn this fragrance for several days and I must say, that on me, the wear seems to change – sometimes I feel the fruity notes are more prominent, while other times the florals seem to take hold. While certainly Spring Flower follows a traditional fragrance pyramid, other than in the dry down, the wear for me remains quite constant from the first spray.   I get a variety of fresh fruits mixed together in all wearings.   No single fruit stands out on its own.   It kind of becomes a blend most similar to a frui...

Jason Wu - Jason Wu EDP New to the fragrance scene, designer Jason Wu, has recently released his first fragrance of the same name.  I’ve long been a fan of Jason Wu’s designs and so his foray into the world of fragrance was of interest to me.  This new fragrance is classified by Fragrantica as a floral and by the designer as a “fresh floral woody”.    Jason Wu (“Wu” for the remainder of my review) opens with a strong, fresh, somewhat aquatic, floral; specifically jasmine.  The jasmine used in this fragrance is jasminum sambac, often referred to as Arabian jasmine, which is a species of jasmine native to South and Southeast Asia.  This particular species is known for its unique sweetness and intensity.  These qualities are present in Wu.  So with the opening of jasmine we have a lovely delicate and non-cloying sweetness.  I feel the slight aquatic nature of the opening is due in large part to the fig note.  The note does not spec...

Jo Malone London - English Oak & Redcurrant English Oak & Redcurrant (referred to as “Redcurrant” for the rest of my review) is my second review of the English Oak release from Jo Malone.  Whereas English Oak & Hazelnut is a woody spicy fragrance, Redcurrant is meant to transform the roasted oak into a floral fruity one. Redcurrant opens with a bright, tart redcurrant and mandarin note.  The note is reminiscent of a sunrise in that if the scent were color, it would be bright yellow and orange.  Within about 15 minutes the fruit notes are joined by rose.  The rose is a freshly picked, slightly sprinkled with dew rose scent.  The rose pairs nicely with the fruit which has already begun to soften.  There is a light dusting of musk which begins to create additional depth to this fragrance.  The musk is present enough to hold back the rose from overtaking the fragrance.  There is a slight spiciness to the fragrance at about an hour...

Emporio Armani - Because It's You Because It’s You was a floral fruity blind buy for me.  An admitted romantic at heart, I was drawn in by the brand story line: “Because It’s You is happy, delicious and sparkling: simply irresistible like a ripe raspberry in its perfect and most elegant naturalness when combined with neroli notes. What does this tantalizing young woman hide in her heart? The fragrance is unabashedly feminine, full, instinctive and passionate. Her charm is immediately apparent, like the addictive and sophisticated rose absolute scent. The fragrance plays with her powers of seduction as vanilla mixes with musk, revealing a complex and incredibly deep sensuality. Bold and immediately captivating, her fragrance expresses the urgency of a love that takes every chance to declare itself: BECAUSE IT’S YOU. Discover the power of two with  Stronger With You - For Him . The two fragrances have an alliance that balance & empower each other, as symbol ...

Giorgio Armani: Acqua Di Gioia Jasmine Don't you just love it when a blind buy goes right?! I had seen this juice while browsing the Armani website. Like many of you, I hadn't realized that Armani did a Acqua Di Gioia version in jasmine. From what I understand, this one had been released, sold out, and then brought back "by popular demand". Who knew? Ok, well obviously someone did! So when Armani recently ran their 20% off promo, I thought it would be a great time to blind buy this. Frankly I wanted the small bottle but it was unavailable. I was quite nervous waiting for the shipment as blind buying the largest size of a juice can be terrifying! Clearly, my concern was unwarranted. Wow, this is a serious jasmine floral aquatic bomb! Jasmine isn't floral aquatic in the strictest sense of the definition though. It comes on more as a fruity floral and the aquatic nature is felt through the lightness and flow of the scent. It comes on like a powerhouse of fresh...

Gallagher Fragrances: iloreN  This is my first test of a fragrance from  Daniel Gallagher . I was so pleased to receive my samples today (thank you so much!) I also want to thank our  John Biebel  for peaking my interest in this brand. So, formalities out of the way, I want to say that I just randomly picked out a sample to try without first reading the name. I wanted to approach this with no preconceptions whatsoever. In my personal fragrance discovery path, I'm learning that with scent, it's sometimes best to let the artist take you where he wants you to go; this is especially true with niche fragrances. On initial spray, I got an assertive bergamot and lemon verbena with a more subtle berry. The lemon stepped back and in came the softest rose you could imagine. It was as if you were standing in an orchard and the neighboring field was filled with wild roses....the breeze carried just a hint of that delicate rose scent. It's a careful and measured hand wit...